How Do I Turn a Pile of Notes into a Literature Review?
Reading. That’s the fun bit when you’re writing a literature review. There’s no hard and fast plan yet, the deadline’s a long way off, and you’re full of optimism and excitement. The start of your PhD. Wow! You pick up the first paper in your pile, your shiny new notebook and pen at the ready. More of a screen person? You’ve got that whole new file, labelled and ready. A sip of coffee, a deep breath, and you begin. What a fascinating study! Interesting design. Wonder why they did it this way and not that way? And a finding that surprised them. How about that! A few papers later, you notice that everyone seems to refer to that same study from 1992. Definitely one for your reading list. Oh, and there seems to be a bit of tussle over the way data are analysed. A disagreement in the field! Definitely one to record in your notes. The Description Trap And so it goes through the golden days of September, sitting in coffee shops and sunny library corners, happily reading...