21st May 2018
A literature review is generally a summary of the existing knowledge of the scholars about a certain topic. It is generally based on secondary sources which imply what other people have already studied and written about the subject. A literature review is associated with the discovering the new knowledge and information. It is basically preluded to the further research which acts like a digest of scholarly opinion.
The structuring of the literature review plays a significant role. The literature review should be built around the chief topic or the thesis. The overall structure of the section or the chapter is similar to the others. It should have a beginning, a body and an end. It is necessary for the writer to guide the reader through the literature review. This can be carried out by outlining the strategy that has been adopted for the selection of the books and articles and presenting the theme of the review. Most of the word count should be utilised for analysing the books and the articles thoroughly before the entire thing is pulled together in the conclusion.
How Long Should A Literature Review Be For A Research Paper
The length and the word count of the literature review differ from one type of research paper to another. If it is a PhD thesis then the literature review should not necessarily exceed 8-10,000 words. Also, it is necessary to mention that it is subject to change and can vary enormously on the basis of the subject. The supervisor is the best person to clear the confusion.
In case it is a master’s Dissertation, then the literature review should be around 2-3000. This also depends on a huge number of factors.
When it comes to undergraduate dissertation then the literature review should necessarily be around 2000 words. Similar principles of consulting with the supervisor are applicable in this context also.
A strong literature review is the one that surveys a diverse and a large body of the work which is related more or less and goes much beyond summarising it. It also contributes a way towards classifying the surveyed work in a manner which succinctly explains all the differences and the similarities. When the plan is to outline a mini or even a full review, it is necessary to keep it focused. The focus is an important feature of a successful review. This is a requirement which needs to be balanced in terms of the need to make the review relevant in context to the broad audience. It is important to organise the entire flow of the main body of the review in order to make the reader drawn into and guide through the writing. It is advisable to outline a conceptual scheme of the review like with the help of the mind mapping techniques. These diagrams can help to recognise a suitable way to order and associate the different sections of the review. Finding a logical structure for the literature review allows maintaining the word count in each of the section.
The above information answers the question of how long should a literature review be for a research paper.
How Long Should A Literature Review Be For A Research Paper
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