Chemistry 4/5

Scientific Writing Skills

Writing a Literature Review
Workshop 2

Dr Allison Kirsop
University of Edinburgh
October 2015
Agenda
1.  What is a literature review?

2.  Types of literature review and steps involved.

3.  Searching the literature databases – computer technology.

4.  Identification of significant published work.

5.  How to be specific when discussing time frames.

6.  Citing other literature reviews on your topic.

7.  Justifying your assertions – if you make comments you must back them up.

8.  Discussing results that are contradictory.

9.  Structure and organisation (Abstract/Introduction/Body/Conclusion/

Bibliography)

10. Good writing skills.

 1.  What is a Literature Review?
Definition:
A literature review is an objective, thorough summary and
critical analysis of the relevant, available research.
Goal:
To bring the reader up-to-date with current literature on a topic
and form the basis for another goal, such as the justification for
future research in the area.
Why bother writing reviews?
•  Enables a novice researcher to gain insight for a future study
•  A literature review is central to the research process
•  Can help refine a research question through determining
inconsistencies in a body of knowledge
•  Can help inspire new research innovations and ideas
•  Creates a greater understanding about a topic
2. Types of Literature Review (and the steps involved)
How do you know which style to use for your assignment?

•  Traditional/narrative?
•  Systematic?

Traditional (Narrative) Literature Review

A critique and summary of a body of literature, drawing ✔
conclusions about the topic in question.
Systematic Literature Review
Provides as complete a list as possible of all published and
unpublished studies relating to a particular subject area. ✖

•  Typically used to answer well-focused questions about

clinical practice and used throughout the health services.
See Cochrane Library for information / www.thecochranelibrary.com
Steps Involved in Planning a Literature Review

Selecting a Review Topic (unless given)

Common error - selecting a title that is all encompassing e.g.
Cancer, Crystallography, Pain etc.
•  Useful initial strategy to determine how much literature
available, but generates considerable amount of data
•  Makes a review impossible

Strategy – refine your topic and title further so the final

amount of information generated is manageable.

Example: ‘Crystallography of inorganic chemistry’

Ø ‘Crystallographic structures of metallo-macrocycles’.

Ø ‘Crystallographic structures of metallo-macrocycles in
antivirals against HIV’.
Steps Involved in Planning a Literature Review
•  Searching the Literature

Ø Identify appropriate and relevant information

Ø Structure the review (generate information in a logical
order, beneficial in informing researchers)
Ø Comprehensiveness and relevance are key
(what you as the reviewer needs to consider)

•  Existing Literature Reviews

Ø Can be important sources of data

Ø Offer a good overview of the research undertaken to
date, so relevance to present work can be determined.
Ø Offer bibliographic references for important and relevant
published work.
Steps Involved in Planning a Literature Review
Computer databases:

Important to identify good databases dedicated to topic:

•  PubMed/MEDLINE (service of the National Library of
Medicine and additional life science journals)
•  SciFinder (service of the American Chemical Society, ACS)
•  Web of Knowledge (Thomson Reuters for education)

Advantages:

•  Deal with specific fields (helps to narrow your search)

•  Offer access to vast quantities of information (free access to
some)
•  Quick retrieval, easy to use (compared with paper searches)
•  Keyword specific (be aware of spelling with British vs
American English)
Identification of Significant Published Work
Four Main Types of Literature Sources
Journals
Generally more up-to-date than books
•  Primary Source
Usually an original article or report by the original researchers
of a study and written in a structured format according to the
peer-review journal guidelines
•  Secondary Source
Description or summary by somebody other than the original
researcher, e.g. a review article (not necessarily peer-review)
Books
Can contain out-of-date information (length of time it takes to
publish), but should not be excluded. Acceptable and valuable
sources of information.
How to be Specific when Discussing Time Frames

How Far Back in Time Should You Look?

A general rule:
Maximum time frame of 5 – 10 years for works to be included
as relevant.
This does not apply to seminal or influential works and
these are the exception to the rule.

•  Be specific when discussing time frames

Example:
Avoid phrases like…

“In recent years there has been an increased interest in ….”

“Organic mechanisms for radicals have been studied
extensively.”
How to be Specific when Discussing Time Frames

If you are citing a ground-breaking study, identify it as such.

“Organic mechanisms for radicals have been studied ✖

extensively.”

Example:
✔
The first analysis of ...... ….. (your study/research topic)
was published by ....... (author/s and date/s). Those
authors found that ..……………… (state the findings/
conclusions and cite reference/s).
Citing Other Literature Reviews on your Topic
You should discuss other literature reviews on your topic:
Questions to ask yourself:
•  How is the other review different?
•  What benefits will readers gain by reading it?

Justify your Assertions (statements)

If you make comments, you must back them up:
Examples: Tell the reader:
“No studies were found” Where you searched (which
“Gaps” in the research do occur databases)
What parameters (e.g. dates) you
used

Tell the reader that you found a gap based on your specific
research strategy.
Discussing Results that are Contradictory
Sometimes studies on the same topic produce
contradictory results
Compare these two examples and consider which one is the
correct way to cite conflicting results.

Example 1:
Previous studies have found anywhere from 40% (Ross, 1999; Smith,
2002) to 70% (Jones, 2004; Bradshaw, 2006) of college students have
reported downloading copyright-protected material from the web.

Example 2:
Previous studies have found anywhere from 40% to 70% (Ross, 1999;
Smith, 2002; Jones, 2004; Bradshaw, 2006) of college students have
reported downloading copyright-protected material from the web.

Cite contradictory results separately.

 Structure and Organisation
Literature reviews are often part of coursework assignments,
research proposals or research dissertations.
•  Gives some freedom in how writing is structured
•  BUT – important to be logical and include key elements
Framing the Review: Introduction
Body (including bibliography)
Conclusion
Length, word limits and assignment criteria must be considered.
Example: An Abstract may be required (not always for
assignments).
•  Short summary of findings usually undertaken last
Literature is presented chronologically (time periods)
•  Useful when examining the emergence of a topic over a
period of time
Structure and Organisation

Introduction
Should include the purpose of the review, and a brief
overview of the ‘problem’ or ‘topic’ to be covered.

•  Think about commenting on what was found in the

literature (e.g. lots of material available, or very few
relevant articles available).
Ø Gives the reader some insight into the breadth and
depth of the literature sourced
Ø Helps the reader judge validity of the claims being made

•  You may want to outline the literature sources and key

search terms
(separate page, and subject to assessment requirements)
Structure and Organisation
Body

Presents and discusses the findings from the literature.

Key Points:

•  Literature that is central to the topic should be analysed in

depth here.

•  Include a critical review of the methodologies used.

Ø Question the information and opinions in the literature

Ø Attempt to understand the topic from different

perspectives
Structure and Organisation

•  When describing a study’s findings, use language to

indicate the tentativeness of results, rather than making
definite statements about the research.

•  Remain objective about the literature - personal opinions

about the quality of the research studies should not be
included.

•  A literature review is not a series of quotes or descriptions

Ø Written succinctly (briefly, concisely) in the writer’s

own words.
Structure and Organisation

Reader should know that the reviewer has understood and

synthesised the relevant information:

•  Should not just be describing what other authors have found

•  Does it read like a critical evaluation?
•  Highlight and compare results from key sources

Maintain continuity and consistency:

•  Your report should flow logically from one section to the next

Remember: your job as a reviewer is to summarise and

evaluate evidence about a topic
•  Point out similarities and differences in the literature
•  Offer possible explanations for inconsistencies uncovered
Structure and Organisation

Conclusion

Review should conclude with a concise summary of

the findings that describes current knowledge and
offer a rationale for conducting future research.

Include recommendations and implications for future research

Abstract

The Abstract is written once the review (or original paper)

has been completed. You cannot provide a summary of
written work before it has been done!
Structure and Organisation

Bibliography
Review should conclude with a full bibliographic list of
all books, journal articles, reports and other media,
referred to in the work.

•  Absolutely essential that all sourced material is acknowledged

•  Every citation in the text must appear in the reference/
bibliography and vice versa
•  Omissions or errors are very common, and students can lose
vital marks

Highlights the importance of using a Reference Manager

System – Mendeley/Endnote/ReadCube.. etc.
www.kirsoplabs.co.uk/scientific-writing-skills-workshop/
Creating a Bibliography
Using Reference Manager Software
•  Define plagiarism
Wrongful publication of another author’s language, ideas or
expressions, and the representation of them as your own
original work.

•  How important is good reference citation of relevance to

your dissertation?

Good use of citation tells the reader that the examples you are
highlighting are real and (mostly) peer-reviewed. This adds
credibility to your work and shows you have a knowledge and
awareness of the wider field.
Creating a Bibliography
Using Reference Manager Software

•  Adopt an accepted publishing style for your citations.

•  A good tip is to pick your favourite journal, and use the style
they adopt for layout and referencing.
•  Check the ‘Authors Information’ section of your favourite
journal for their formatting criteria.

Free open source software

Mendeley http://www.mendeley.com/
(so successful it has recently been taken over by Elsevier)

Have a look at a very good presentation for an introduction

to Mendeley
www.kirsoplabs.co.uk/scientific-writing-skills-workshop/
Good Writing Skills

How important is it to your future?

Good writing skills are an important part of how effectively you

can communicate your science to a wider audience

Allows you to communicate your message with clarity and

ease to a far larger audience than face-to-face or telephone
conversations

Think about how many people will read a published article in a

journal, compared to the number of people who will read your
literature review as a student.
Good Writing Skills

To reach a wider audience you need:

•  Good writing skills

•  Good use of technology
•  Ability to use language in the correct format for the
audience concerned

www.kirsoplabs.co.uk

Contact me here if you want to practice your writing and we

will teach you how to become a good writer, and your own
editor.