How to review literature or law effectively in a Dissertation.

Reviewing literature effectively is a fundamental part of writing your dissertation. While it appears as if there are no strict or particular sets of rules for reviewing literature or law, it is important to note some aspects to which particular attention should be paid.

What is the purpose of a review of literature or a review of law? What does it add to a piece of research and how does it influence a piece of work?

A literature review shows your readers or examiners that you understand your research. It is not just enough to understand research, but also, you need to demonstrate the need for your research or studies to avoid duplicity of the same literature in the body of relevant literature on the subject or topic.

A good literature review should also be able to address major conflicting arguments in the body of relevant literature.

Furthermore, a good literature review should provide a context for your research. Your literature review should point out research gaps or even methodology issues.

A good literature review shows your understanding of the topic. Your

analytical skills should be evident in your review of literature and law.

How to review your literature or law in a Dissertation.

How to Write a Good Literature Review- A step-by-step guide.

After conducting a search and gathering enough literature, you want to organise the materials in preparation for your review. For this post, we shall be focusing a lot on a narrative review of literature or law.

It is advisable to arrange your review of literature or law by themes. This tends to give clarity when you analyse the sources.

Note the following when you read a review material.

• The relevance of the material to my work.

• The key terms and concepts in the material.

• The credibility of the source or material.

• The research methodology and limitations.

• The key arguments and the context in which they appear.

• The results and key points from the research.
  

Step One

Introduction: Give background information, and introduce the type of review it is you are writing. State the focus of your review. Present the scope of existing literature on the topic. Determine the criteria for including or excluding relevant literature in your review. Also, presents the major arguments and theories.

Reiterate your central questions.

Step Two

Synthesise the key theories and arguments.

Step Three

Conclude by summarising the major arguments and theories. Briefly restate the current state of the topic in your area of study. Then, justify the need for your research and point out what your work intends to add to the relevant body of literature and the implications of your study.