Reviewing the Literature

As soon as you have decided on the broad area in which you wish to undertake your dissertation, you should read around it as widely as possible. This will help you to clarify your thinking and define your research question. It will inform you of what has been done before and how others have studied it. You will then be able to answer the question: “How does my study add to what has already been written?”. Try not to see the literature review as a task that you have to get out of the way before the ‘real’ work begins. It is crucial to everything that follows and will provide a firm foundation for your dissertation.

A good literature review is more than just a summary of work already carried out by others. It seeks to analyse this work critically in terms of its purpose, theoretical framework, methodology and conclusions. Most programme modules contain lists of suggested reading which will help you to get started on your review.

Many dissertations contain an early chapter entitled ‘Literature Review’. However, there are other ways of incorporating your review of the literature. You should discuss the approach you intend to take with your supervisor.