What you DO with language in a Literature Review…

1. What you DO with language in a Literature Review… Mirjaliisa Charles 2017 Adapted from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/03/

2. You use language to … 1Be Critical 2 Compare and Contrast 3 Be Cautious 4 Classify and List 5Define Terms 6 Describe Trends 7 Explore Causality 8 Give Examples 9 Write about past developments … and a lot more …

3. Being critical means… • questioning what you read • not necessarily agreeing with it just because the information has been published • looking for reasons why we should not just accept something as being correct or true • identifying problems with / referring to other people’s criticisms of a writer’s arguments / methods • Trying to be constructive: • suggesting ways in which a piece of research or writing could be improved.

4. Being critical: Introducing criticism in a Lit Review Examples: • ‘These ideas have been vigorously challenged in recent years by a number of writers.The most important of these criticisms is that …’ • ‘Many analysts now argue that the strategy of X has not been successful. Jones (2003), for example, argues that ….’ • ‘More recent arguments against X have been summarised by Smith and Jones (2012):’ • ‘Critics have also argued that …’

5. Introducing the critical stance of particular writers Examples: • ‘Jones (2013) questioned why …. / is critical of … / argues that …’ • ‘The authors challenge the widely held view that ….’ • ‘He points out that ….’ • ‘Other authors (see Harbison, 2013; Kaplan, 2014) question the usefulness of …’ • ‘Smith’s analysis has been criticised by a number of writers. Jones (2013), for example, points out that ….’

6. Introducing questions, problems and limitations • ‘One of the problems with / Another problem with this approach is that…’ • ‘Difficulties arise, however, when an attempt is made to implement the policy.’ • ‘However, there are limits to how far the idea of/concept of X can be taken.’ • ‘However, such explanations tend to overlook the fact that ….’

7. More examples: • ‘The main weakness of the study is the failure to address how ….’ • ‘… the research does not take into account pre-existing ….’ • ‘… the author offers no explanation for the distinction between X and Y.’ • ‘Smith makes no attempt to differentiate between different types of X.’ • ‘… the author overlooks the fact that X contributes to Y.’

8. Using evaluative adjectives to comment on research Examples: ‘In her/their/this • excellent/comprehensive/detailed/useful/ thorough/ground breaking / timely / important/ impressive… • limited/ small-scale analysis (of X) / examination (of X), / study (of X), survey (of X), investigation (into Y), Smith (2012) found …. / was able to show that …./ concluded that …. ’

9. Offering constructive suggestions Examples: • ‘Smith’s paper / The study / Her conclusions / The findings … … would have been / might have been … … more / much more / far more / useful / relevant/ convincing / interesting / persuasive … … if he/she had / if the author had included / considered / assessed / addressed / adopted /used ….’ • ‘A more comprehensive study would include ….’

10. Comparing and Contrasting • May be a preliminary stage of evaluation. • For example, by comparing specific aspects of A and B, you can decide which is more useful / valuable. • Paragraphs whose function is to compare or contrast often begin with an introductory sentence expressed in general terms:

11. Introductory Sentences: Differences Examples: • X is different from Y in a number of respects. • X differs from Y in a number of important ways. • There are a number of important differences between X and Y. • Women and men differ not only in physical attributes but also in the way in which …

12. More … • Smith (2013) found / observed distinct / significant / notable / considerable / major / dramatic / only slight differences between X and Y • Areas where significant differences have been found include … • The nervous systems of X are significantly different from those of Y in several key features.

13. Introductory Sentences: Similarities Examples: • The mode of processing used by the right brain is similar to that / is comparable to that / is comparable in complexity to that used by the left brain. • There are a number of similarities between X and Y. • Both X and Y generally take place in a ‘safe environment’. • Numerous studies have compared Xs in humans and animals and found that they are essentially identical.

14. Comparison within one sentence (a) Examples: • Oral societies tend to be more concerned with the present whereas/ while literate societies have a very definite awareness of the past.  • Whereas/While oral societies tend to be more concerned with the present, literate societies have a very definite awareness of the past. • In contrast to oral communities, it is very difficult to get away from calendar time in literate societies. • Compared with people in oral cultures, people in literate cultures organise their lives around clocks and calendars. • This interpretation contrasts with / differs from / is different from that of Smith and Jones (2004), who argue that …. 

15. Comparison within one sentence: Using Comparative forms Examples: • Women are faster/slower than men at certainprecision manual tasks, such as ….. • Women tend to perform better/worse than men on tests of perceptual speed. • Further, men are more/less accurate in tests of target-directed motor skills. • Women tend to have greater/less verbal fluency than men. • Women are more/less likely than men to suffer aphasia when the front part of the brain is damaged. • Men learned the route in fewer trials and made fewer errors than did women.

16. Indicating difference/similarity across two sentences Examples: • It is very difficult to get away from calendar time in literate societies. By contrast, / In contrast, / On the other hand, many people in oral communities have little idea of the calendar year of their birth.  • Young children learning their first language need simplified input. Similarly, / Likewise, / In the same way, low level adult learners need …

17. As you can see, you only need very easy language to … • Be Critical • Compare and Contrast • Be Cautious • Classify and List • Define Terms • Describe Trends • Explore Causality • Give Examples • Write about the Past