Literature+Review+Explained

=Literature Review Explained (Proposal) (GWU EMSE 216-8000)=

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[** Aspects of the terms literature review and ** **critical literature review are sometimes used interchangeablly **.]

"A **literature review** is a body of text that aims to review the critical points of current knowledge including substantive findings as well as theoretical and methodological contributions to a particular topic. Literature reviews are [|secondary sources], and as such, do not report any new or original experimental work.

"Most often associated with academic-oriented literature, such as a [|thesis], a literature review usually precedes a research proposal and results section. Its ultimate goal is to bring the reader up to date with current literature on a topic and forms the basis for another goal, such as future research that may be needed in the area.

"A well-structured literature review is characterized by a [|logical] flow of ideas; current and relevant references with consistent, appropriate [|referencing style]; proper use of [|terminology]; and an unbiased and comprehensive view of the previous research on the topic." - [|Wikipedia]

The literature review is a well sequenced set of sections that describe the major factors of the research. Each section usually starts with the earliest source and reviews (often articles) to answer a half dozen questions. (See Reviewing Sources).

Finding the riight sources requires critical thinking and digging. (See Preliminary Literature Review | Working Research Questions | Reference Search | Critical Literature Review | Writing | Being Able to Tell When is Enough, Enough ) ( ToDo - Determine if follow-on pages/topics still exist)

The SEAS format for the literature review is: (Ryan, 2011)
 * ** 2. Literature Review ** ||  ||
 * 2.1 || Variable ||
 * 2.i || Variable ||
 * 2.j || Variable ||


 * Sources**
 * 1) Literature review. (2011, February 22). In //Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia//. Retrieved 14:46, March 27, 2011, from []
 * 2) EMSE 8000, Spring 2011
 * 3) Ryan, Julie Dr. and Barbera, Joseph Dr. EMSE 8000 (216) "Research Methods for the Engineering Manager, Spring 2011" (Course Syllabus, EMSE George Washington University, 2011)

Contributors: Sisson