The length of a literature review varies depending on its purpose and audience. In a thesis or dissertation, the review is usually a full chapter ( at least 20 pages), but for an assignment it may only be a few pages.
How long should I write literature review?
Set a Schedule – Writing is a creative process, but that doesn’t mean you should only work when inspiration strikes, says Kjell Rudestam, PhD, associate dean at Fielding Graduate University and author of “Surviving Your Dissertation: A Comprehensive Guide to Content and Process, 3rd edition” (2007).
Instead, set aside time to work on your literature review. How much time? That depends on the requirements of your department and how quickly you work. “Some prefer a very broad and comprehensive review, whereas others prefer a review that is more publication-ready,” Rudestam says. The average review may take six months to write and require multiple revisions.
“If you don’t schedule some time for the dissertation,” he says, “it will slip into the background.”
How long should a literature review be in a 7000 word dissertation?
Structuring the literature review – In a PhD thesis, the literature review typically comprises one chapter (perhaps 8-10,000 words), for a Masters dissertation it may be around 2-3,000 words, and for an undergraduate dissertation it may be no more than 2,000 words.
- In each case the word count can vary depending on a range of factors and it is always best, if in doubt, to ask your supervisor.
- The overall structure of the section or chapter should be like any other: it should have a beginning, middle and end.
- You will need to guide the reader through the literature review, outlining the strategy you have adopted for selecting the books or articles, presenting the topic theme for the review, then using most of the word limit to analyse the chosen books or articles thoroughly before pulling everything together briefly in the conclusion.
The overall structure of the section or chapter should be like any other: it should have a beginning, middle and end. You will need to guide the reader through the literature review, outlining the strategy you have adopted for selecting the books or articles, presenting the topic theme for the review, then using most of the word limit to analyse the chosen books or articles thoroughly before pulling everything together briefly in the conclusion.
Some people prefer a less linear approach. Instead of simply working through a list of 8-20 items on your book review list, you might want to try a thematic approach, grouping key ideas, facts, concepts or approaches together and then bouncing the ideas off each other. This is a slightly more creative (and interesting) way of producing the review, but a little more risky as it is harder to establish coherence and logical sequencing.
Whichever approach you adopt, make sure everything flows smoothly – that one idea or book leads neatly to the next. Take your reader effortlessly through a sequence of thought that is clear, accurate, precise and interesting.
Can you write a literature review in 2 days?
Literature reviews: they are every writer’s least favorite part of writing. Still, they are a fundamental aspect of scholarly work. They prove that a writer has scoured previous research on a topic, evaluated it, and demonstrated why their own research has merit.
Find the right, relevant literature. Properly organize and catalog works you gather. Develop a pattern out of and find gaps in accumulated research. Write a stellar review.
Now let’s get down to it.
How many pages is 3,000 words?
How Many Pages is 3000 Words? — Word Counter How many pages is 3000 words? Single spaced, 3000 words yields about 6 pages, while double spacing produces around 12 pages. Depending on your word processor and preferences the page count may vary slightly, but with typical margins and 12 point Arial or Times New Roman font you should expect a similar number of pages.
How many pages is 5,000 words?
Answer: 5000 words is 10 pages single spaced or 20 pages double spaced.
How many pages should I write for 2000 words?
How Many Pages is 2000 Words? — Word Counter How many pages does 2000 words equal? The answer is around 4 pages single spaced, and 8 pages double spaced. Your word processing software and settings may result in slightly different pages counts, but with conventional page margins and a 12 point Arial or Times New Roman font you can expect similar output.
Can you write 7000 words in 12 hours?
Writing 7,000 words will take about 2.9 hours for the average writer typing on a keyboard and 5.8 hours for handwriting. However, if the content needs to include in-depth research, links, citations, or graphics such as for a blog article or high school essay, the length can grow to 23.3 hours.
- Typical documents that are 7,000 words include college dissertations, theses, and in-depth blog posts and journal articles.
- You may write faster or slower than this depending on your average writing speed.
- Adults typically type at about 40 words per minute when writing for enjoyment and 5 words per minute for in-depth essays or articles.
They can handwrite at 20 words per minute. College students typically need to be able to write at 60-70 words per minute in order to quickly write essays.
How many pages is a 100000 word dissertation?
Now, assuming 335 words per page in a 12 point font with 1 inch margins, 100,000 words is about 300 manuscript pages.
How many articles for a 3,000 word literature review?
For every 500 words of an essay, you should have one (academic quality) book, or two journal articles in your sources. For 3000 words, you should have either six books, twelve journal articles, or some combination thereof.
What is the 3 literature review?
Consider organization – You’ve got a focus, and you’ve stated it clearly and directly. Now what is the most effective way of presenting the information? What are the most important topics, subtopics, etc., that your review needs to include? And in what order should you present them? Develop an organization for your review at both a global and local level: First, cover the basic categories Just like most academic papers, literature reviews also must contain at least three basic elements: an introduction or background information section; the body of the review containing the discussion of sources; and, finally, a conclusion and/or recommendations section to end the paper.
Introduction: Gives a quick idea of the topic of the literature review, such as the central theme or organizational pattern. Body: Contains your discussion of sources and is organized either chronologically, thematically, or methodologically (see below for more information on each). Conclusions/Recommendations: Discuss what you have drawn from reviewing literature so far. Where might the discussion proceed?
Organizing the body Once you have the basic categories in place, then you must consider how you will present the sources themselves within the body of your paper. Create an organizational method to focus this section even further. To help you come up with an overall organizational framework for your review, consider the following scenario: You’ve decided to focus your literature review on materials dealing with sperm whales.
This is because you’ve just finished reading Moby Dick, and you wonder if that whale’s portrayal is really real. You start with some articles about the physiology of sperm whales in biology journals written in the 1980’s. But these articles refer to some British biological studies performed on whales in the early 18th century.
So you check those out. Then you look up a book written in 1968 with information on how sperm whales have been portrayed in other forms of art, such as in Alaskan poetry, in French painting, or on whale bone, as the whale hunters in the late 19th century used to do.
Chronological: If your review follows the chronological method, you could write about the materials above according to when they were published. For instance, first you would talk about the British biological studies of the 18th century, then about Moby Dick, published in 1851, then the book on sperm whales in other art (1968), and finally the biology articles (1980s) and the recent articles on American whaling of the 19th century. But there is relatively no continuity among subjects here. And notice that even though the sources on sperm whales in other art and on American whaling are written recently, they are about other subjects/objects that were created much earlier. Thus, the review loses its chronological focus.
By publication: Order your sources by publication chronology, then, only if the order demonstrates a more important trend. For instance, you could order a review of literature on biological studies of sperm whales if the progression revealed a change in dissection practices of the researchers who wrote and/or conducted the studies.
By trend: A better way to organize the above sources chronologically is to examine the sources under another trend, such as the history of whaling. Then your review would have subsections according to eras within this period. For instance, the review might examine whaling from pre-1600-1699, 1700-1799, and 1800-1899. Under this method, you would combine the recent studies on American whaling in the 19th century with Moby Dick itself in the 1800-1899 category, even though the authors wrote a century apart.
Thematic: Thematic reviews of literature are organized around a topic or issue, rather than the progression of time. However, progression of time may still be an important factor in a thematic review. For instance, the sperm whale review could focus on the development of the harpoon for whale hunting. While the study focuses on one topic, harpoon technology, it will still be organized chronologically. The only difference here between a “chronological” and a “thematic” approach is what is emphasized the most: the development of the harpoon or the harpoon technology.But more authentic thematic reviews tend to break away from chronological order. For instance, a thematic review of material on sperm whales might examine how they are portrayed as “evil” in cultural documents. The subsections might include how they are personified, how their proportions are exaggerated, and their behaviors misunderstood. A review organized in this manner would shift between time periods within each section according to the point made.
Methodological: A methodological approach differs from the two above in that the focusing factor usually does not have to do with the content of the material. Instead, it focuses on the “methods” of the researcher or writer. For the sperm whale project, one methodological approach would be to look at cultural differences between the portrayal of whales in American, British, and French art work. Or the review might focus on the economic impact of whaling on a community. A methodological scope will influence either the types of documents in the review or the way in which these documents are discussed. Once you’ve decided on the organizational method for the body of the review, the sections you need to include in the paper should be easy to figure out. They should arise out of your organizational strategy. In other words, a chronological review would have subsections for each vital time period. A thematic review would have subtopics based upon factors that relate to the theme or issue.
Sometimes, though, you might need to add additional sections that are necessary for your study, but do not fit in the organizational strategy of the body. What other sections you include in the body is up to you. Put in only what is necessary. Here are a few other sections you might want to consider:
Current Situation: Information necessary to understand the topic or focus of the literature review. History: The chronological progression of the field, the literature, or an idea that is necessary to understand the literature review, if the body of the literature review is not already a chronology. Methods and/or Standards: The criteria you used to select the sources in your literature review or the way in which you present your information. For instance, you might explain that your review includes only peer-reviewed articles and journals.
Questions for Further Research: What questions about the field has the review sparked? How will you further your research as a result of the review?