Literature Review Earth Sciences

Course manual 2018/2019

Course content

The objective of this course it to train the student in writing a competent and informative review that presents a timely and appropriate research question, cites and discusses relevant literature, makes a point, and is written in an engaging and well-argued manner. The training should form a basis for future research and report writing, during the MSc and beyond. 

Work on the literature review proceeds over a period of two months. During the first month there are weekly workshops and there is regular contact with the supervisor. The workshops consist of a combination of lectures and assignments in which elements and types of literature review are introduced, writing skills, narrative and argumentation are taught and practiced, and the individual topics are discussed and presented. During this phase the class-instructor is in charge of the workshops and the supervisor provides help and feedback concerning the subject matter.  

During the individual component of the course, the student will do research and write about the topic of choice (as agreed with the supervisor), but the student can still consult with the class-instructor concerning the writing process. The final product is a written report (accompanied by a citation database and a digital archive of the material studied) that is submitted in datanose, and an oral presentation. The review and the oral presentation should meet the criteria that are described in the course syllabus and the entire process should take place in about two months time. 

Study materials

Literature

• How to write a first-class paper - Virginia Gewin, 2018

  https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-02404-4

   

  Types of review papers - Grant & Booth, 2009

  DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x

   

  The elements of style. William Strunk, Jr., 1918

  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37134?msg=welcome_stranger

   

  Writing Science: How to write papers that get cited and proposals that get funded.  Joshua Schimel, 2012, Oxford University Press. 

  ISBN-13: 978-0199760244

   

  The reader’s brain. How neuroscience can make you a better writer. Yellowlees Douglas, 2015, Cambridge University Press

  ISBN-13: 978-1107496507

Syllabus

• A course syllabus and a list of topics with accompanying scientific literature to get started are available via the course coordinator.

   

  Manuals Individual Projects

Objectives

To train students in conducting a scientific literature review, specifically:

• defining an appropriate scientific research question;
• make a planning in order to produce the literature research in the given time;
• finding relevant scientific literature to answer the question posed;
• comprehending, structuring and synthesizing the collected information;
• detect key information from literature and summarise objectively;
• presenting the results in a well-written report as well as an oral presentation.

Teaching methods

• Lecture
• Presentation/symposium
• Self-study
• Working independently on e.g. a project or thesis
• Supervision/feedback meeting
• Computer lab session/practical training

The lectures provide the students with a background in writing techniques that they can apply in their literature review. The practicals consist of an analysis of existing reviews written in different styles and different journals. The presentations help the student grow into their chose topic and enables the group to interact, discuss, and present solutions to problems and refine the review plan/proposal. Meetings after the 'class' component allow for interim discussion on the review progress. Students should send their draft  versions to the coordinator to further enhance structure and writing.

Learning activities

Attendance

The programme does not have requirements concerning attendance (OER-B).

Additional requirements for this course:

The 8 workshops should be attended as they form the basic training to proceed with the literature review writing.

Assessment

The final version of the literature review consists of 80% of the grade; the final presentation is 20%.

Inspection of assessed work

Contact your supervisor to make an appointment for inspection.

Assignments

Assignment  1

1. Make a summary of your literature research plan (3 to 500 words) through Canvas. This summary will be used and extended on throughout the course and to discuss and to practice writing skills.
2. Round table discussion about the individual review projects.

Assignment  2

A selection of reviews is made available on Canvas. Choose 3 of these reviews and read them while paying attention to the following:

1. The research question
2. How the authors developed their review. Sequential, category, oppositional (on either side of a debate), etc.?
3. Which issues are addressed? Knowledge gap, paradigm shift, controversy?

[Each student gives a presentation on one of the reviews; depending on the size of the class a speaker is chosen for each group for the group].

 Assignment  3

 Short (5 min) presentations of the individual literature review topics by each of the students.

 Assignment  4

1. Choose your favourite review from the previous assignment. Select at least three paragraphs and identify how the authors applied the principles of the 5 Cs (Clarity, Continuity, Coherence, Concision, Cadence). Also identify at least two paragraphs were you feel they have offended these rules.
2. Rewrite your proposal text while applying the 5 Cs.

Assignment 5

Develop a narrative (story) structure for your own literature review following the classic story plot.

Assignment 6

1. Select your favourite review from the earlier assignment, and see if you can detect the argumentation. Can you identify the elements in the argument?
2. Now attempt to put this in practice in your own work. This may be ahead of time, but be daring and think of a claim to make, and how you can back it up with evidence and warrants.

Assignment 7

10 min presentation on the progress of the literature review. Highlight how you plan to implement different narrative and argumentation techniques in your review.

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Course structure

Timetable

The schedule for this course is published on DataNose.

Contact information

Coordinator

• dr. M.C. Hoorn

There is a guest lecture by the library staff to inform the students of specialised library use and finding resources. The library staff also instructs the students on the use of reference managers.