This document provides guidance on conducting a literature review. It instructs to list sources by last name, think of keywords to group them by subject, and come up with generalizations for each subject heading. For each heading, summarize one source and show the connection to another source to start a "conversation". Pull the threads together by identifying areas of agreement and disagreement between sources to support an argument. The conclusion should summarize everything and identify gaps to transition into original research.

2.  A lit review is the beginning of your research
paper.
 Clustering your sources
 Subject headings
 What the sources have said

3.  First, on a separate sheet of paper, list the
last names of all your sources:
 Brandt:
 Wardle:
 Johnson:
 Smit:

4.  Brandt: Test anxiety, stress, statistics
 Wardle: writing process, sponsors
 Johnson: technology and testing, writing worries
 Smit: benefits of FCAT, Benefits of standardized
tests
 ***Think of these as search terms***

6.  technology, anxiety, stress, standardized
testing

7.  The anxieties of testing: Smit, Brandt
 The Benefits of FCAT: Wardle, Johns
 Technology and Writing Stress: Johnson, Smit

8.  Subject headings
 Topic
generalizations
 Mix of direct and
indirect citations
 Making
connections
between sources

9.  Choose one of your subject headings.
 Write a generalization about this
heading.
 Example from a student writing about the influence of the
SAT on college students’ performance:
 “The stress associated with taking the SAT can lead
students to perform poorly.”
 Her subject heading was “Stress and SAT.” This topic
generalization clearly introduces the main ideas that she
will cover in this paragraph.
 It may help to use indirect citations to connect sources.
 Share.

10.  Deborah Brandt asserts, “Literacy sponsors
are positive or negative influences on a
person’s literacy” (338).

11.  Some sources suggest that literacy sponsors
can have positive or negative influences on a
person’s literacy (Brandt; Wardle; DeVoss).

12.  Get more specific, using indirect citations to
make connections between sources.
◦ Example: Many scholars discuss the benefits of
word processing programs such as Microsoft Word
(MacArthur; Lewis).

13.  Summarize the main argument of one of your
sources. Feel free to borrow from your
annotated bib and precis.
◦ Example: More specifically, Lewis asserts that special
keyboards, such as IntelliKeys, enable the user to
program the keyboard to appear in any order that is
desired (19).
◦ Expand with a direct quote or two (use your precis
 Share.

14.  Now summarize another source, showing
the connection between them. (Create a
“conversation.”)
◦ Example: Lewis defines speech recognition
software, or voice-input, as software that
recognizes the voice of the user and records the
words as text (19). According to
MacArthur, dictation and speech recognition can be
very beneficial to students with difficulty in basic
writing skills but the limitations of speech
recognition software are much greater than
dictating to a human.
 Share.

15.  Repeat the process for each of your sources
you listed under your subject heading.
 Incorporate quotes where necessary or
relevant.
 Remember to show the connections.

16.  Now pull all the threads together: identify
the areas of agreement and
disagreement, and use them to support
your argument.
◦ Example: Both MacArthur and Lewis indicate that word
prediction software was created for individuals with
physical disabilities, but MacArthur claims that the
benefits of word prediction technology is promising for
students with severe disabilities in
spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

17.  Repeat for each of your subject headings.

18.  Intro
◦ Use what you have from annotated bib
◦ Refer to your subject headings
◦ Point vaguely to gaps
 Conclusion
◦ Sum everything up
◦ Identify gaps in more detail
◦ This will eventually be the transition into your
own research