Part of this may be due to the writing experience that students bring with them to the how to write a literature review within a research paper. What types of papers have you written before? Have you ever tried to synthesize the literature both theoretical and empirical regarding some subject before? Basic tools for writing are the same such as style but the goal of a literature review in a research paper is somewhat different from other types of writing.
The goal is to bring together what is "known" to sociologists about your research topic how to write a literature review within a research paper a way that sets up the "need" for your specific research.
You will be looking for unanswered questions, or gaps in the knowledge. You might want to test established ideas on new populations or test a theory using variables measured in different ways. But you need to always keep in mind the following how to write a literature review within a research paper One is to collect information on your topic. The other is writing the literature review.
You've probably been to the library and looked up sociology journals by now. You've most likely had several courses in general sociology and in specialized courses. Maybe you've even had a course in theory. So you have access to a wealth of information.
But how do you go through it and make sense of it "one the whole? Below are a set of questions that continue reading help you synthesize the information in a way that will help you write the literature review. These questions are only a guide-some suggestions of issues to keep in mind as you read the texts you've accumulated.
You will not need to address ALL of these questions in your literature review.
What is your dependent variable or topic of interest? How has it been conceptualized and how has it been studied? Some research is done to test theoretically informed hypotheses, while other research is designed to explore relationships. Either way, most research has some basic questions about why something varies: Why do how to write a literature review within a research paper couples get divorced and others do not?
What determines the number of children women have? Why do some people earn higher salaries than others? What leads to success in college? The dependent variable in the examples above are in order: The first thing you should consider is what is the status of the how to write a literature review within a research paper variable?
How many adolescents are reported to have used drugs?
Have these rates increased lately? What is the current divorce rate? Are rates variable across regions of the country? If variations exist, this might provide a case for how to write a literature review within a research paper research.
What are the theories used to explain the dependent variable? This is sometimes the most difficult part for undergraduates, but of course it is the most important question. Most of you have had a course or two that introduced you to the dominant paradigms in the discipline. But you may not have applied them to your specific research question.
In this case, you will have to do some searching. You may find that some theories are discussed in the empirical literature, but not always. So you might want to check out the books used in related classes in sociology. For example, check out the books assigned for the deviance or juvenile delinquency courses. Or, you might think about how to write a literature review within a research paper an appointment with your advisor or a faculty member in the how to write a literature review within a research paper of your research to ask for help.
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