Writing A Literature Review

Introduction

Some postgraduates think of writing as the final task of a PhD. You'll find, however, that even if you do not have to produce a complete draft of your thesis until the last 6 months of candidature, there's quite a bit of writing that occurs along the way.

The first major writing task is usually preparation of a literature review, as you need to provide a critical analysis of relevant literature in your confirmation report (discussed in the next module - Confirmation).

This module will help you to understand the features of an effective literature review, and develop strategies for organising and writing your own literature review.

It will also take you through the basics of acknowledging sources and incorporating them into your written text. You can use it as a starting point for your thesis writing, and as a guide to improving your writing skills.