On Literature Reviews
On this page...
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You will understand the importance of carrying out a literature review
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You are given a template to organise your learning
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You are given some quotes from the IB EE guide about literature reviews
Literature reviews are relevant to all EE subject areas
University of Melbourne
Writing the Literature Review
Dr Zina O'Leary provides some expert advice
This video is freely available from https://study.sagepub.com/oleary3e.
Please as always, speak to your subject specialist supervisor for advice on your EE
Am I the only one struggling to write a literature review?
The Blind Men and the Elephant
The importance of studying the whole picture, cross referencing, and having an open yet critical mind. This famous metaphor helps students grasp the importance of thorough research and the usefulness of a complete literature review.
The Blind Men and the Elephant
Useful videos
How to write a literature review
On Annotated Bibliography
On this page...
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You can learn how to make an annotated bibliography
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You can see a number of examples from a range of subjects
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You can understand why having an annotated bibliography saves you time later
Why?
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Helps the researcher remain organised
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Helps the researcher compare and contrast sources
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Helps the researcher make the final bibliography with just a few clicks
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Helps the researcher send positive signals to their supervisor, eg in the interim meeting
Annotate?
The notes within an annotated bibliography will probably include;
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What the source was about
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Why it was useful (or not)
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The impact the source has had on your thinking
EE Hack
Many students assume because they have read a source they should use it but in reality your task as an EE student is to be selective. An annotated bibliography will allow students to put their filters on and improve their evaluative decision making.
A template
Feel free to copy this template (right) and adapt to your liking.
Why is this a good example?
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Notice how the source details are already in MLA style; a great time saver for later
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Notice how enough notes are provided to help the researcher recall the essence of the source; great for evaluative decision making
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Notice how clean and easy it is for 'new eyes' to understand what is being shown; an excellent signal to send to your supervisor
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Example taken from ISB student Class of 2018
How to Write an Annotated Bibliography in MLA Format
What is an Annotated Bibliography?
Challenge
Watch this two minute video and make a note of
a) All the new things you learnt
b) All the reasons why have an annotated bibliography is useful
If you have more time watch these four videos
APA-MLA Annotated Bibliography: Complete Guide to Writing the Annotated Bib Part 1
APA-MLA Annotated Bibliography: Complete Guide to the Annotated Bib Part 3
APA-MLA Annotated Bibliography: Complete Guide to the Annotated Bib Part 2
APA-MLA Annotated Bibliography: Complete Guide to the Annotated Bib Part 4
Dr Zina O'Leary provides some expert advice
all the following is freely available from https://study.sagepub.com/oleary3e. But take note, this is aimed mostly at the social sciences. So please as always, speak to your subject specialist supervisor for advice on your EE
What is best? Quantitative,
qualitative or mixed approaches?