In “how to write chapter one; the introduction of thesis” post, the way of writing the Introduction and its components were discussed.
In chapter 2 of a thesis or dissertation – a literature review or a review of the literature – generally, you need to write a background on the subject and make the conclusion that there is a gap in previous studies and you are going to fill it in your research.
In addition to the gap, the research questions and hypotheses as well as the theories that support your study should be discussed. You have to cover the purpose of your study, too.
How to start a literature review chapter?
This chapter is a component of the whole thesis, so it needs to be related to the previous and next chapters.
Start with stating the most important theories supporting your study. You may write them in Chronological order. Use the theories to emphasize the gap.
How to write subtitles of chapter two?
Your writing in chapter two and other chapters need some headings to organize your writing which are to be H3.
You can organize your thesis’s literature review based on each of these two factors:
It is your choice. You can organize your writing in chronological order, meaning, the timeline in which the theories were proposed. You may also choose to arrange it based on different subjects or variables.
In this kind of arrangement, subtitles are chosen based on different subjects related to the title of your thesis. The content of each will be the theories and discussions on that specific subject.
In this case, the theories discussing in headings can be stated chronologically too.
Tips on writing the literature review chapter
Criticize the theories
A literature review is not just a collection of previous studies or writing a brief history of them. You need to critic the theories and states made by other researchers. You can also use them in a way that shows the gap.
Support the gap
In conclusion chapter (chapter 5), some researchers propose some topics as further researches needed. Look for the gap of your study in this part and if there is one do not forget to mention it.
Emphasize the importance of the study
Everything you write in chapter two of the thesis (dissertation), should emphasize the existence of the gap as well as the importance of your study. Try to raise the research questions in the readers’ minds so that your research questions become theirs.
Write about everything
Do not forget to write on every component of your research especially the variables. Read the papers which are related to your thesis and write other researchers ideas about them. Then write your own idea (you can criticize them as it was said).
When is writing the literature review chapter done?
It is done when you have written on every topic which is discussed in your thesis. Do not leave a question in the readers’ minds.
While you are searching of some topics, it is possible that some new ideas and subtopics related to your dissertation title come up. In these cases, start a new search, read the related papers, and write about them in chapter two of your thesis too.