Many databases help you do this by allowing you to save searches. Comments Kathleen Clarke is a Ph.D. candidate in Higher Education at the University of Toronto. By . Important: A literature review is not series of annotations (like an annotated bibliography). One way to begin taking notes is to keep track of what you are searching for. Home; Phase 1: Scope of Review; Phase 2: Finding Information; Phase 3: Recording Information; Phase 4: Evaluating Information ; Phase 5: Organizing the Review; Phase 6: Writing the Literature Review; Useful Guides/Tutorials; Citation Management; Guide navigation for mobile devices. Categorizing the Literature When categorizing the … For a thematic review: organize the review into paragraphs that present themes and identify trends relevant to your topic Saving searches allows you to watch the development of your search over time and to make sure you are not simply repeating the same (not so great) search over and over. October 24, 2017 . Kathleen Clarke. There are … Within the literature review section, each additional page is related to a piece of literature that has been given tags regarding the section of the review it relates to (can be more than one), the methods (quant, qual, mixed), and anything I may need to do with/about it (such as follow up on the author, find things that are referenced in their literature, or talk to my chair/committee). Describe the organization of the review (the sequence) If necessary, state why certain literature is or is not included (scope) Body - summative, comparative, and evaluative discussion of literature reviewed. Consider how you reassemble your notes. How to structure your literature review (ignore the monotone voice as advice is good) Different ways to organise a Literature Review CHRONOLOGICAL (by date): This is one of the most common ways, especially for topics that have been talked about for a long time and have changed over their history. Tips on writing a literature review (in any subject). Organizing Your Literature: Spreadsheet Style. Strategies for using nested spreadsheets to organize your lit review. Plan how you will organize your findings into a unique analysis of the picture that you have captured in your notes.

In composing a literature review, it is important to note that it is often this third layer of knowledge that is cited as "true" even though it often has only a loose relationship to the primary studies and secondary literature reviews. You can follow her on Twitter @_KathleenClarke where she tweets about graduate education, mental health, and disability.