What+is+a+Literature+Review?


 * __ What is a Literature Review? __**

Literature Review:

• To better understand your question Did the lit review help you to understand the question

• To determine current/historical known What are people currently thinking Show the context • To check alignment or conflict with your hypothesis How does that relate to your hypothesis? Who agrees or disagrees with you? Look at the perspectives Confront your critics • To identify concepts/practices upon which you will build Borrow and ideas

Annotated: summary - link to your opinion and how it fits into your body of research

What's the best way for us to the Lit. Review - thematic or annotated?

Annotated Literature Review
 * Situate the authority/background of the author(s)
 * Identify the intended audience
 * Explain how this work illuminates your topic
 * Compare or contrast this work with another you have cited
 * Compare or contract a current view with an historic one.
 * __Example__**:

Sociology Department researchers at Brown University (2008) used data from a 10-year longitudinal study of young adults (18 – 24) to test a hypothesis that non-family living by young adults before marriage alters their attitudes, values, plans and marital expectations, moving them away from their beliefs in traditional sex roles.

Increased time living away from parents before marriage increased: Effects were stronger in women than men. Outcome differs from earlier study by Williams (1980) implicating general change in social attitudes.
 * Individualism
 * self-sufficiency
 * Tolerance for different task/role arrangements.