文獻回顧 
THE LITERATURE REVIEW

     我們知道(做）些什么呢？
What do (and don’t) we know?
 
Purpose 目的

文獻綜述是一個關鍵的“關于公認的學者和研究員已經發表了什么樣的課題？”
A literature review is a critical “account of what has been published on a topic by accredited
scholars and researchers".http://www.400190.com/Thesis_Tips/Reference/Literature_Review/  (Taylor and Proctor, 2001) 
 
•  What are its strengths and weaknesses? (critique) 它的長處和弱點是什么？ （批判）
•  What is the current state of knowledge? (describe) 知識的當前狀態是什么？ （詳細說明）
•  How is this knowledge structured? (structure)  這方面的知識是如何構成的？ （結構）

這個表明如何選擇你熟悉的工作， 并且進入適合你的領域。它不應該是描述性的。其目的是為了：
It shows that you are familiar with your chosen field and how your work fits into this field. It
should not be descriptive. Its purpose is to: 

•  Relate the boundary of your topic to previous research 
•  Identify to the reader what theories and practice have been developed on a topic
•  Explain how past research and ideas have developed over time 
•  Explain what their respective strengths and weaknesses are
•  Assess the significance of such developments 
 

回顧文獻，還可以幫助您通過自己的建議實際的模型進行研究設計。
Reviewing the literature can also help you by suggesting practical models for your own
research design. 
 
It should be a critical review.
•  Your literature review should not be simply a set of summaries or a report but rather
an integrated prose document
•  Critical does not mean finding fault but rather it means providing a balanced account
of the strengths and weaknesses, and competing views, of your chosen field of
literature
•  It is necessary but not sufficient simply to summarise and describe the literature - you
also need to critique it. Include literature that opposes your position – as well as that
which supports it.
•   You need to build your argument and explain it – ‘I believe x because of y and
therefore I conclude z’. Have a narrative – what story are you telling?
•  It needs a guiding purpose (assignment, research project, thesis) – why are you
writing it?
 
"The Literature Review should give the reader the sense that you have
examined some material on your topic and are familiar with contrasting#p#分頁標題#e#
perspectives and viewpoints. In this sense it builds your authority to speak
about the issues you are dealing with". (California State University, 2002) 
 
N.B. A literature review is based on literature you have directly consulted, wherever 
possible in full. Do not rely on other authors' paraphrasing. 
 

Questions to ask yourself.  要問自己的問題：

•  Why am I doing this literature review?
•  What type of literature am I looking at (theoretical/empirical/policy/practice)
•  What is its scope (timeframe/disciplinary/industry/types of publications)
•  What search process should I undertake
•  How am I going to cite my sources
 

Stages of the literature review  文獻回顧的階段
•  Clarify your purpose for the literature review and what you want to achieve
•  Literature search
•  Classifying/sorting your literature
•  Review #1 – making sense of the literature
•  Review #2 – presenting your literature review for your chosen audience
 

認真審視（從2006年華萊士和WRAY的概列）
Critically reviewing (Summarised from Wallace and Wray, 2006)
 
Is what I’ve read convincing and if not why not?
•  Does the evidence sound true?
•  Do the conclusions flow from the evidence?
•  Is the evidence dated or too narrow?
•  Are assumptions made that you find questionable?
•  Are claims to being new or original over-stated?
•  Can the conclusions be generalised as the author(s) suggest?
 
Does what I’ve written show a mature appreciation of evidence?
•  Will the reader be clear what I am arguing?
•  Is it clear why I’m reviewing this particular set of literature?
•  How/what logically structures the literature review e.g. using research questions?
•  Are conclusions (the use I’m going to make of this literature) clearly stated?
•  Have key terms been defined and consistency employed?
•  Are the conclusions convincing?
•  Is the literature properly (Harvard) referenced?
 

Critically selecting literature  選擇批判性文獻
•  Are all the relevant authors cited?
•  Are peer-reviewed papers cited?
•  Internet citations should only be from reputable organisations/people.

Language and formatting  語言和格式
•  Does my work pass UK-English grammar and spell checks?
•  Is the language tight and purposeful rather than verbose and rambling?#p#分頁標題#e#
•  Does the formatting look right e.g. spaces between paragraphs, left aligned and numbered
headings?
•  Are tables and charts numbered, headed and cited?

BIBLIOGRAPHY 參考書目
 
WALLACE, Mike. and WRAY, Alison (2006) Critical reading and writing for
postgraduates. London, Sage.