Synthesis of Literature – 7 Step Guide Which You Must Read

Quality research is all about building your research onto the shoulders of giants. The shoulders of giants here mean the work of great authors in your field of study. This is how Newton put the synthesis of literature centuries ago. The literature review is the backbone of your dissertation, and it is where you lay the foundation of your research study. It is no surprise that this chapter is the most important one in a dissertation. 

As you are here reading this article, chances are that you have written the introduction chapter and are about start working on the synthesis of the literature review chapter. If yes, then you have come to the right place. In today’s post, I am going to unpack the top 7 guidelines that you must follow to synthesize a great literature review chapter. So, let’s get started. 

7-step guide for the synthesis of the literature 

A literature review is a chapter in which you take a tour of the scholarly articles and research papers published in your field. This extensive research does two things. First, it lets you identify the gaps present in the current knowledge related to your field. Secondly, it gives you awareness about the current issues. Hence, the 7-step guide for the synthesis of the literature is as follows: 

1. Narrow down your topic 

The first step in writing a good literature review is to narrow your topic down from broad to focused. By doing this, you are only restricted to your specific area of study. Now, to narrow down your topic, think about what interests you and what interests your audience. Talking to your professor and exploring the class lecture notes again are the two good strategies to find your interest. Hence, squeeze the topic and select the papers accordingly. 

1. Search for the literature 

After performing the above step, you now have a topic that is focused and narrowed down to a specific point. The next step asks you to search for the relevant literature about the research topic. To search for relevant literature, always go for credible sources and research databases. Some credible research databases are ScienceDirect, ResearchGate, and Google Scholar. It is important to use advanced searching techniques to find the relevant literature. 

1. Read the selected articles thoroughly 

A thorough research results in the collection of research articles and papers that are relevant to your research topic. Now, when you have collected your research articles and papers, it is time to read them. Evaluate all the collected papers, research articles, and dissertations for the synthesis of the literature. During your reading of the selected papers, note the assumptions made by the original researcher in the study. You must also note other things like research methodologies, testing procedures, subjects, materials used in the research, etc. 

1. Organize the selected papers 

Step no. 4 is all about the organization of the selected papers. So, organize the papers by looking for topics, patterns, and themes. To organize your papers better, you must note the following: 

• Findings that are common or contested in each selected paper 
• Important trends in the research papers 
• Theories that affect the research study most 

However, if your synthesis of the literature is large, then place all the relevant material on the surface of a table and start organizing it. 

1. Develop the purpose statement 

Developing the purpose statement means that you should summarise the trends and patterns that you have found after organizing the research papers. If you do not know how to develop the purpose statement, you can see the samples of this statement from different websites. However, if you still feel difficulty, contact dissertation writing services UK. The representatives of these services can make you a good purpose statement. 

1. Synthesize your literature 

Finally, the step has arrived that you have been waiting for. After performing all the tasks mentioned above, start synthesizing your literature review section. To perform the synthesis of the literature, you can choose any method based on your research. The three most commonly used methods are chronological, thematic, and methodological. Choose any method that you want and synthesize your literature chapter according to the procedures. 

1. Review your literature 

Lastly, to make sure that you have written a flawless and error-less literature review chapter, do not forget to review it. Look at the whole dissertation and take a tour of it by reading each and every line. Correct any kind of typos, grammatical mistakes, and spelling errors in this step of synthesizing your literature. 

Conclusion 

Performing the synthesis of the literature is not an easy task. As its author, you have to study tons of documents and research articles before crafting it. In addition to this, do not forget to give proper attention to the first four points. The first four points of this article are the points that make up your dissertation literature review. Hence, review the topic precisely and select the sources that are relevant to your topic. 

Quality research is all about building your research onto the shoulders of giants. The shoulders of giants here mean the work of great authors in your field of study. This is how Newton put the synthesis of literature centuries ago. The literature review is the backbone of your dissertation, and it is where you lay…

Quality research is all about building your research onto the shoulders of giants. The shoulders of giants here mean the work of great authors in your field of study. This is how Newton put the synthesis of literature centuries ago. The literature review is the backbone of your dissertation, and it is where you lay…