How to Really Write A Literature Review

Imagine this: a doctoral candidate arrives for their mock viva, thinking they are nearly finished.  They discover instead they have at least another six months to go. The reason? Their literature review rambles incoherently or reads like a series of encyclopaedia entries.

Sound familiar? While the literature review is fundamental to any research project, researchers can often struggle with it, getting trapped in cycles of description that threaten both their project and successful completion rates.

I can help your researchers escape this description trap. Unlike other training programmes, which may talk about literature reviews or focus on sources and how to find them, I offer bespoke writing workshops that go beyond the surface to get at the heart of the matter, how you roll up your sleeves to

• Analyse a body of findings rather than evaluating one study at a time

• Establish why your research question needs to be asked

• Structure your work into an argument rather than describing studies you have read

A former academic specialising in the study of choice in language, I have 20+ years of experience working with researchers on their writing and have developed specialist techniques in training students to write literature reviews. For a flavour of the unique approach I bring to my literature review workshops, join nearly 6,000 other readers and have a look at my blog,

Literature Reviews: A Guide for the Exasperated