literature review interview questions

5 Steps to Begin the Literature Review

There are five steps that one should follow before preparing to conduct the literature review :

Identify all the literature relevant to your topic of interest. Explore all the different types of literature including theoretical literature, applied literature, literature that talks about research methods, or a combination thereof.
Using multiple keywords and strategies capture the most accurate and relevant data. Conduct an extensive search in multi-disciplinary databases.
Group your findings into a detailed summary of what is known and what needs to be explored.
Identify existing gaps or any unresolved issues
Formulate broad questions that warrant further research

How to Best Critique a Research paper

For extracting maximum information from a research paper , researchers must ask the following questions!

Has the author formulated an appropriate research question based on the problem/issue?
Is the research question clearly defined in terms of its scope and relevance?
Was there an alternative or better perspective to approach the research question?
What is the author’s orientation towards the research problem – is it a critical analysis or interpretation based?
Has the author extensively evaluated the literature considering both latest and relevant articles?
How has the author defined the basic components (population, interventions, outcomes) of the study? Are the measurements valid, accurate and statistically significant? Are the conclusions based accurate interpretations of the data?
Is there an objective based, unbiased reasoning provided for the problem statement or is the author merely attempting to prove his/her preconceived beliefs and opinions?
How does this article contribute to your understanding of the research problem?
What are the strengths, limitations and shortcomings of the study?

10 Questions for a Comprehensive Literature Review

1. Do I have clearly defined research aims prior to commencing the review?

It is important to choose a focused question that can efficiently direct your search. It can assist you to create a list of keywords related to your research problem. Furthermore, it helps in identifying relevant databases to search for related journals and articles.

2. Have I correctly identified all the sources that will help me define my problem statement or research question?

Literature is not limited to journal articles, thesis, and dissertations. One should also refer to credible internet sources, conference proceedings that provide latest unpublished papers, as well as government and corporate reports. Books, although do not have latest information, can serve as a good starting point to read background information.

3. Have I considered all kinds of literature – including both qualitative and quantitative research articles?

An exhaustive literature survey helps you position your research within the context of existing literature effectively creating a case as to why further study is necessary. Your search has to be robust enough to ensure that you have browsed through all the relevant and latest articles. Rather than reading everything, researchers must refer and follow the most relevant work!

4. Do I have enough empirical or theoretical evidence to support my hypothesis?

Discovering new patterns and trends becomes easy if you gather credible evidence from earlier works. Furthermore, it helps in rationalizing the significance of your study.

5. Have I identified all the major inconsistencies or other shortcomings related to my research topic?

Researchers should not only refer to articles that present supporting evidence but also focus on those that provide inconclusive or contradictory information. It helps to identify any open questions left by researchers in previous studies.

6. Is my relationship diagram ready?

A relationship diagram is an effective way of recognizing links between different elements of a complex research topic. It is an immensely important tool that helps in clarifying and structuring research specific findings and interpretations at various stages of the project. It is an effective way of representing your current understanding of the research topic. In addition, a good relationship diagram can help you find new insights owing to a clear picture of all the probable relationships between key concepts, variables and key factors.

7. Have I gathered sufficient evidence from the literature about the accuracy and validity of the designs or methods that I plan to use in my experiments?

It is paramount to use methodologies and research techniques that have scientific reliability. Moreover, since methods especially used in qualitative research are often more subjective, it becomes crucial for researchers to reflect on the approach and explain the criteria for selecting a particular method.

8. Have I identified the purpose for which articles have been shortlisted for literature review?

You can expedite your literature writing process if you tag your articles based on its purpose of inclusion in the review report. Following are the tags that can be added to articles:

Show how latest developments or develop a theoretical base to your study
Demonstrate limitations, inconsistencies or shortcomings of previous studies
Critique or support certain methods or findings
Replicate the study in a different setting (region/population)
Indicate how the study supports or contradicts your findings
Use it as a reference to further build your research
Provide a general understanding of concerns relevant to your research topic

9. Have I recorded all the bibliographic information regarding my information sources?

Recording and cataloguing your bibliographical details and references is absolutely crucial for every researcher. You may use commercial software such as Reference manager, End Note, and Pro Cite to manage your references. Furthermore, you may also keep a record of keyword searches that you have performed.

10. Will my literature review reflect a report that is created after a through critical analysis of the literature?

An excellent literature review must be structured, logical, and coherent. It is a great opportunity to demonstrate that you have critically analyzed and understood the relevant body of literature underpinning your research. It is important to structure your literature into appropriate sections that discuss themes or presents trends. Grouping your literature helps in indicating relationships and making comparisons.

Still have more queries related to literature review and synthesis? Post your queries here and our experts will be happy to answer them! You can also visit our Q&A forum for frequently asked questions related to research writing and publishing answered by our team that comprises subject-matter experts, eminent researchers, and publication experts.

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literature interview questions

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Question 8.

Literature Interview Tips (English)

“How can I prepare when the interviewer could ask me absolutely anything about English?”

By understanding how the interview works and, crucially, what it is that the interviewer is looking for. The interviewer is not looking to catch you out, but rather for you to demonstrate your curiosity, knowledge and passion for English.

“How am I able to do that?”

Show that you enjoy studying English independently The easiest way to demonstrate your enthusiasm for English is to show that you are self-motivated and have studied the subject in your free-time for enjoyment – for example through online lectures and independent reading. If you don’t know where to start, review our suggested reading list below.

Demonstrate your subject knowledge about and passion for English The key to answering these questions is to always demonstrate your thought process aloud. The interviewer does not expect you to be able to answer every question immediately, but rather wants to determine that you are able to think about and work on unknown topics with confidence, intelligence and clarity – and they won’t be able to do that if you sit in silence! Use the list of questions below to prepare. Perhaps you can have a friend or relative ask you these questions so that you can develop your skills of thinking under time pressure and speaking out loud.

Example: “I once read an article online about how to write better dialogue. I thought it was so helpful because I’d been struggling with my characters’ conversations for a while. After reading that article, I applied some of its tips to my next story and noticed a huge improvement. It made me realize that there are always new ways to improve our writing.”

Example: “Authors have a responsibility to write books that are entertaining and engaging. They should also be respectful of other authors’ works and not plagiarize or copy them in any way. I think it’s important to understand that when we publish our work, we’re representing ourselves and the entire literary community. We need to make sure that what we’re putting out there is quality work.”

Literary terms are often used in the publishing industry, so interviewers may ask you to define or describe a few of them. This question is asking about two literary terms that have similar definitions but different applications. Use examples from your experience to explain what each term means and how it’s used.

Example: “Drama is one of the three main categories of literature. It’s defined as any work that focuses on conflict between characters. Drama differs from tragedy because it has a happy ending. Tragedy is defined as any work that ends in death or failure. Comedy is another form of drama that ends happily.”

Example: “I have read many of his plays, but I am still confused about some of the characters. For example, in ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ Mercutio seems like he’s one character, but then later it seems like he’s Romeo’s friend. I’m not sure if there was another character with the same name or if Shakespeare just changed his mind.”

Author Interview Questions about Their Book

1. How many books have you written and which is your favorite?

2. What part of the book did you have the hardest time writing?

3. What part of the book was the most fun to write?

4. Which of the characters do you relate to the most and why?

5. If you’re planning a sequel, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it?

6. What is a significant way your book has changed since the first draft?

7. What perspectives or beliefs have you challenged with this work?

8. What inspired the idea for your book?

9. How would you describe your book’s ideal reader?

10. How much research did you need to do for your book?

11. How important was professional editing to your book’s development?

12. What was your hardest scene to write, and why?

13. What characters in your book are most similar to you or to people you know?

15. How did you come up with the title for your book?

16. Would you and your main character get along?

17. If you could meet your characters, what would you say to them?

1. What is your writing process like? Are you more of a plotter or a pantser?

2. What do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?

3. If you were to write a spin-off about a side character, which would you pick?

4. If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?

5. What is your schedule like when you’re writing a book?

6. Have you ever traveled as research for your book?

7. What’s your favorite writing snack or drink?

8. How do you celebrate when you finish your book?

9. What do you think of NaNoWriMo? Worth it?

10. What is your kryptonite as a writer?

11. What risks have you taken with your writing that have paid off?

12. When was the last time you Googled yourself and what did you find?

13. Which of your characters are most likely to be an activist, and what kind?

14. Do you play music while you write — and, if so, what’s your favorite?

15. Have pets ever gotten in the way of your writing?

16. If your book were made into a movie, which actors would play your characters?

17. Have you ever killed off a character your readers loved?

Chapter 9. Reviewing the Literature

What is a “literature review”.

No researcher ever comes up with a research question that is wholly novel. Someone, somewhere, has asked the same thing. Academic research is part of a larger community of researchers, and it is your responsibility, as a member of this community, to acknowledge others who have asked similar questions and to put your particular research into this greater context. It is not simply a convention or custom to begin your study with a review of previous literature (the “ lit review ”) but an important responsibility you owe the scholarly community.

Too often, new researchers pursue a topic to study and then write something like, “No one has ever studied this before” or “This area is underresearched.” It may be that no one has studied this particular group or setting, but it is highly unlikely no one has studied the foundational phenomenon of interest. And that comment about an area being underresearched? Be careful. The statement may simply signal to others that you haven’t done your homework. Rubin ( 2021 ) refers to this as “free soloing,” and it is not appreciated in academic work:

The truth of the matter is, academics don’t really like when people free solo. It’s really bad form to omit talking about the other people who are doing or have done research in your area. Partly, I mean we need to cite their work, but I also mean we need to respond to it—agree or disagree, clarify for extend. It’s also really bad form to talk about your research in a way that does not make it understandable to other academics.…You have to explain to your readers what your story is really about in terms they care about . This means using certain terminology, referencing debates in the literature, and citing relevant works—that is, in connecting your work to something else. ( 51–52 )

A literature review is a comprehensive summary of previous research on a topic. It includes both articles and books—and in some cases reports—relevant to a particular area of research. Ideally, one’s research question follows from the reading of what has already been produced. For example, you are interested in studying sports injuries related to female gymnasts. You read everything you can find on sports injuries related to female gymnasts, and you begin to get a sense of what questions remain open. You find that there is a lot of research on how coaches manage sports injuries and much about cultures of silence around treating injuries, but you don’t know what the gymnasts themselves are thinking about these issues. You look specifically for studies about this and find several, which then pushes you to narrow the question further. Your literature review then provides the road map of how you came to your very specific question, and it puts your study in the context of studies of sports injuries. What you eventually find can “speak to” all the related questions as well as your particular one.

In practice, the process is often a bit messier. Many researchers, and not simply those starting out, begin with a particular question and have a clear idea of who they want to study and where they want to conduct their study but don’t really know much about other studies at all. Although backward, we need to recognize this is pretty common. Telling students to “find literature” after the fact can seem like a purposeless task or just another hurdle for completing a thesis or dissertation. It is not! Even if you were not motivated by the literature in the first place, acknowledging similar studies and connecting your own research to those studies are important parts of building knowledge. Acknowledgment of past research is a responsibility you owe the discipline to which you belong.

Literature reviews can also signal theoretical approaches and particular concepts that you will incorporate into your own study. For example, let us say you are doing a study of how people find their first jobs after college, and you want to use the concept of social capital . There are competing definitions of social capital out there (e.g., Bourdieu vs. Burt vs. Putnam). Bourdieu’s notion is of one form of capital, or durable asset, of a “network of more or less institutionalized relationships of mutual acquaintance or recognition” ( 1984:248 ). Burt emphasizes the “brokerage opportunities” in a social network as social capital ( 1997:355 ). Putnam’s social capital is all about “facilitating coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit” ( 2001:67 ). Your literature review can adjudicate among these three approaches, or it can simply refer to the one that is animating your own research. If you include Bourdieu in your literature review, readers will know “what kind” of social capital you are talking about as well as what kind of social scientist you yourself are. They will likely understand that you are interested more in how some people are advantaged by their social capital relative to others rather than being interested in the mechanics of how social networks operate.

The literature review thus does two important things for you: firstly, it allows you to acknowledge previous research in your area of interest, thereby situating you within a discipline or body of scholars, and, secondly, it demonstrates that you know what you are talking about. If you present the findings of your research study without including a literature review, it can be like singing into the wind. It sounds nice, but no one really hears it, or if they do catch snippets, they don’t know where it is coming from.

Examples of Literature Reviews

To help you get a grasp of what a good literature review looks like and how it can advance your study, let’s take a look at a few examples.

Reader-Friendly Example: The Power of Peers

The first is by Janice McCabe ( 2016 ) and is from an article on peer networks in the journal Contexts . Contexts presents articles in a relatively reader-friendly format, with the goal of reaching a large audience for interesting sociological research. Read this example carefully and note how easily McCabe is able to convey the relevance of her own work by situating it in the context of previous studies:

Scholars who study education have long acknowledged the importance of peers for students’ well-being and academic achievement. For example, in 1961, James Coleman argued that peer culture within high schools shapes students’ social and academic aspirations and successes. More recently, Judith Rich Harris has drawn on research in a range of areas—from sociological studies of preschool children to primatologists’ studies of chimpanzees and criminologists’ studies of neighborhoods—to argue that peers matter much more than parents in how children “turn out.” Researchers have explored students’ social lives in rich detail, as in Murray Milner’s book about high school students, Freaks, Geeks, and Cool Kids , and Elizabeth Armstrong and Laura Hamilton’s look at college students, Paying for the Party . These works consistently show that peers play a very important role in most students’ lives. They tend, however, to prioritize social over academic influence and to use a fuzzy conception of peers rather than focusing directly on friends—the relationships that should matter most for student success. Social scientists have also studied the power of peers through network analysis, which is based on uncovering the web of connections between people. Network analysis involves visually mapping networks and mathematically comparing their structures (such as the density of ties) and the positions of individuals within them (such as how central a given person is within the network). As Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler point out in their book Connected , network structure influences a range of outcomes, including health, happiness, wealth, weight, and emotions. Given that sociologists have long considered network explanations for social phenomena, it’s surprising that we know little about how college students’ friends impact their experiences. In line with this network tradition, I focus on the structure of friendship networks, constructing network maps so that the differences we see across participants are due to the underlying structure, including each participant’s centrality in their friendship group and the density of ties among their friends. ( 23 )

What did you notice? In her very second sentence, McCabe uses “for example” to introduce a study by Coleman, thereby indicating that she is not going to tell you every single study in this area but is going to tell you that (1) there is a lot of research in this area, (2) it has been going on since at least 1961, and (3) it is still relevant (i.e., recent studies are still being done now). She ends her first paragraph by summarizing the body of literature in this area (after giving you a few examples) and then telling you what may have been (so far) left out of this research. In the second paragraph, she shifts to a separate interesting focus that is related to the first but is also quite distinct. Lit reviews very often include two (or three) distinct strands of literature, the combination of which nicely backgrounds this particular study . In the case of our female gymnast study (above), those two strands might be (1) cultures of silence around sports injuries and (2) the importance of coaches. McCabe concludes her short and sweet literature review with one sentence explaining how she is drawing from both strands of the literature she has succinctly presented for her particular study. This example should show you that literature reviews can be readable, helpful, and powerful additions to your final presentation.

Authoritative Academic Journal Example: Working Class Students’ College Expectations

The second example is more typical of academic journal writing. It is an article published in the British Journal of Sociology of Education by Wolfgang Lehmann ( 2009 ):

Although this increase in post-secondary enrolment and the push for university is evident across gender, race, ethnicity, and social class categories, access to university in Canada continues to be significantly constrained for those from lower socio-economic backgrounds (Finnie, Lascelles, and Sweetman 2005). Rising tuition fees coupled with an overestimation of the cost and an underestimation of the benefits of higher education has put university out of reach for many young people from low-income families (Usher 2005). Financial constraints aside, empirical studies in Canada have shown that the most important predictor of university access is parental educational attainment. Having at least one parent with a university degree significantly increases the likelihood of a young person to attend academic-track courses in high school, have high educational and career aspirations, and ultimately attend university (Andres et al. 1999, 2000; Lehmann 2007a). Drawing on Bourdieu’s various writing on habitus and class-based dispositions (see, for example, Bourdieu 1977, 1990), Hodkinson and Sparkes (1997) explain career decisions as neither determined nor completely rational. Instead, they are based on personal experiences (e.g., through employment or other exposure to occupations) and advice from others. Furthermore, they argue that we have to understand these decisions as pragmatic, rather than rational. They are pragmatic in that they are based on incomplete and filtered information, because of the social context in which the information is obtained and processed. New experiences and information can, however, also be allowed into one’s world, where they gradually or radically transform habitus, which in turn creates the possibility for the formation of new and different dispositions. Encountering a supportive teacher in elementary or secondary school, having ambitious friends, or chance encounters can spark such transformations. Transformations can be confirming or contradictory, they can be evolutionary or dislocating. Working-class students who enter university most certainly encounter such potentially transformative situations. Granfield (1991) has shown how initially dislocating feelings of inadequacy and inferiority of working-class students at an elite US law school were eventually replaced by an evolutionary transformation, in which the students came to dress, speak and act more like their middle-class and upper-class peers. In contrast, Lehmann (2007b) showed how persistent habitus dislocation led working-class university students to drop out of university. Foskett and Hemsley-Brown (1999) argue that young people’s perceptions of careers are a complex mix of their own experiences, images conveyed through adults, and derived images conveyed by the media. Media images of careers, perhaps, are even more important for working-class youth with high ambitions as they offer (generally distorted) windows into a world of professional employment to which they have few other sources of access. It has also been argued that working-class youth who do continue to university still face unique, class-specific challenges, evident in higher levels of uncertainty (Baxter and Britton 2001; Lehmann 2004, 2007a; Quinn 2004), their higher education choices (Ball et al. 2002; Brooks 2003; Reay et al. 2001) and fears of inadequacy because of their cultural outsider status (Aries and Seider 2005; Granfield 1991). Although the number of working-class university students in Canada has slowly increased, that of middle-class students at university has risen far more steeply (Knighton and Mizra 2002). These different enrolment trajectories have actually widened the participation gap, which in tum explains our continued concerns with the potential outsider status Indeed, in a study comparing first-generation working-class and traditional students who left university without graduating, Lehmann (2007b) found that first-generation working-class students were more likely to leave university very early in some cases within the first two months of enrollment. They were also more likely to leave university despite solid academic performance. Not “fitting in,” not “feeling university,” and not being able to “relate to these people” were key reasons for eventually withdrawing from university. From the preceding review of the literature, a number of key research questions arise: How do working-class university students frame their decision to attend university? How do they defy the considerable odds documented in the literature to attend university? What are the sources of information and various images that create dispositions to study at university? What role does their social-class background- or habitus play in their transition dispositions and how does this translate into expectations for university? ( 139 )

What did you notice here? How is this different from (and similar to) the first example? Note that rather than provide you with one or two illustrative examples of similar types of research, Lehmann provides abundant source citations throughout. He includes theory and concepts too. Like McCabe, Lehmann is weaving through multiple literature strands: the class gap in higher education participation in Canada, class-based dispositions, and obstacles facing working-class college students. Note how he concludes the literature review by placing his research questions in context.

Find other articles of interest and read their literature reviews carefully. I’ve included two more for you at the end of this chapter . As you learned how to diagram a sentence in elementary school (hopefully!), try diagramming the literature reviews. What are the “different strands” of research being discussed? How does the author connect these strands to their own research questions? Where is theory in the lit review, and how is it incorporated (e.g., Is it a separate strand of its own or is it inextricably linked with previous research in this area)?

One model of how to structure your literature review can be found in table 9.1. More tips, hints, and practices will be discussed later in the chapter.

Table 9.1. Model of Literature Review, Adopted from Calarco (2020:166)

Embracing Theory

A good research study will, in some form or another, use theory. Depending on your particular study (and possibly the preferences of the members of your committee), theory may be built into your literature review. Or it may form its own section in your research proposal/design (e.g., “literature review” followed by “theoretical framework”). In my own experience, I see a lot of graduate students grappling with the requirement to “include theory” in their research proposals. Things get a little squiggly here because there are different ways of incorporating theory into a study (Are you testing a theory? Are you generating a theory?), and based on these differences, your literature review proper may include works that describe, explain, and otherwise set forth theories, concepts, or frameworks you are interested in, or it may not do this at all. Sometimes a literature review sets forth what we know about a particular group or culture totally independent of what kinds of theoretical framework or particular concepts you want to explore. Indeed, the big point of your study might be to bring together a body of work with a theory that has never been applied to it previously. All this is to say that there is no one correct way to approach the use of theory and the writing about theory in your research proposal.

Students are often scared of embracing theory because they do not exactly understand what it is. Sometimes, it seems like an arbitrary requirement. You’re interested in a topic; maybe you’ve even done some research in the area and you have findings you want to report. And then a committee member reads over what you have and asks, “So what?” This question is a good clue that you are missing theory, the part that connects what you have done to what other researchers have done and are doing. You might stumble upon this rather accidentally and not know you are embracing theory, as in a case where you seek to replicate a prior study under new circumstances and end up finding that a particular correlation between behaviors only happens when mediated by something else. There’s theory in there, if you can pull it out and articulate it. Or it might be that you are motivated to do more research on racial microaggressions because you want to document their frequency in a particular setting, taking for granted the kind of critical race theoretical framework that has done the hard work of defining and conceptualizing “microaggressions” in the first place. In that case, your literature review could be a review of Critical Race Theory, specifically related to this one important concept. That’s the way to bring your study into a broader conversation while also acknowledging (and honoring) the hard work that has preceded you.

Rubin ( 2021 ) classifies ways of incorporating theory into case study research into four categories, each of which might be discussed somewhat differently in a literature review or theoretical framework section. The first, the least theoretical, is where you set out to study a “configurative idiographic case” ( 70 ) This is where you set out to describe a particular case, leaving yourself pretty much open to whatever you find. You are not expecting anything based on previous literature. This is actually pretty weak as far as research design goes, but it is probably the default for novice researchers. Your committee members should probably help you situate this in previous literature in some way or another. If they cannot, and it really does appear you are looking at something fairly new that no one else has bothered to research before, and you really are completely open to discovery, you might try using a Grounded Theory approach, which is a methodological approach that foregrounds the generation of theory. In that case, your “theory” section can be a discussion of “Grounded Theory” methodology (confusing, yes, but if you take some time to ponder, you will see how this works). You will still need a literature review, though. Ideally one that describes other studies that have ever looked at anything remotely like what you are looking at—parallel cases that have been researched.

The second approach is the “disciplined configurative case,” in which theory is applied to explain a particular case or topic. You are not trying to test the theory but rather assuming the theory is correct, as in the case of exploring microaggressions in a particular setting. In this case, you really do need to have a separate theory section in addition to the literature review, one in which you clearly define the theoretical framework, including any of its important concepts. You can use this section to discuss how other researchers have used the concepts and note any discrepancies in definitions or operationalization of those concepts. This way you will be sure to design your study so that it speaks to and with other researchers. If everyone who is writing about microaggressions has a different definition of them, it is hard for others to compare findings or make any judgments about their prevalence (or any number of other important characteristics). Your literature review section may then stand alone and describe previous research in the particular area or setting, irrespective of the kinds of theory underlying those studies.

The third approach is “heuristic,” one in which you seek to identify new variables, hypotheses, mechanisms, or paths not yet explained by a theory or theoretical framework. In a way, you are generating new theory, but it is probably more accurate to say that you are extending or deepening preexisting theory. In this case, having a single literature review that is focused on the theory and the ways the theory has been applied and understood (with all its various mechanisms and pathways) is probably your best option. The focus of the literature reviewed is less on the case and more on the theory you are seeking to extend.

The final approach is “theory testing,” which is much rarer in qualitative studies than in quantitative, where this is the default approach. Theory-testing cases are those where a particular case is used to see if an existing theory is accurate or accurate under particular circumstances. As with the heuristic approach, your literature review will probably draw heavily on previous uses of the theory, but you may end up having a special section specifically about cases very close to your own . In other words, the more your study approaches theory testing, the more likely there is to be a set of similar studies to draw on or even one important key study that you are setting your own study up in parallel to in order to find out if the theory generated there operates here.

If we wanted to get very technical, it might be useful to distinguish theoretical frameworks properly from conceptual frameworks. The latter are a bit looser and, given the nature of qualitative research, often fit exploratory studies. Theoretical frameworks rely on specific theories and are essential for theory-testing studies. Conceptual frameworks can pull in specific concepts or ideas that may or may not be linked to particular theories. Think about it this way: A theory is a story of how the world works. Concepts don’t presume to explain the whole world but instead are ways to approach phenomena to help make sense of them. Microaggressions are concepts that are linked to Critical Race Theory. One could contextualize one’s study within Critical Race Theory and then draw various concepts, such as that of microaggressions from the overall theoretical framework. Or one could bracket out the master theory or framework and employ the concept of microaggression more opportunistically as a phenomenon of interest. If you are unsure of what theory you are using, you might want to frame a more practical conceptual framework in your review of the literature.

Helpful Tips

How to maintain good notes for what your read.

Over the years, I have developed various ways of organizing notes on what I read. At first, I used a single sheet of full-size paper with a preprinted list of questions and points clearly addressed on the front side, leaving the second side for more reflective comments and free-form musings about what I read, why it mattered, and how it might be useful for my research. Later, I developed a system in which I use a single 4″ × 6″ note card for each book I read. I try only to use the front side (and write very small), leaving the back for comments that are about not just this reading but things to do or examine or consider based on the reading. These notes often mean nothing to anyone else picking up the card, but they make sense to me. I encourage you to find an organizing system that works for you. Then when you set out to compose a literature review, instead of staring at five to ten books or a dozen articles, you will have ten neatly printed pages or notecards or files that have distilled what is important to know about your reading.

It is also a good idea to store this data digitally, perhaps through a reference manager. I use RefWorks, but I also recommend EndNote or any other system that allows you to search institutional databases. Your campus library will probably provide access to one of these or another system. Most systems will allow you to export references from another manager if and when you decide to move to another system. Reference managers allow you to sort through all your literature by descriptor, author, year, and so on. Even so, I personally like to have the ability to manually sort through my index cards, recategorizing things I have read as I go. I use RefWorks to keep a record of what I have read, with proper citations, so I can create bibliographies more easily, and I do add in a few “notes” there, but the bulk of my notes are kept in longhand.

What kinds of information should you include from your reading? Here are some bulleted suggestions from Calarco ( 2020:113–114 ), with my own emendations:

Citation . If you are using a reference manager, you can import the citation and then, when you are ready to create a bibliography, you can use a provided menu of citation styles, which saves a lot of time. If you’ve originally formatted in Chicago Style but the journal you are writing for wants APA style, you can change your entire bibliography in less than a minute. When using a notecard for a book, I include author, title, date as well as the library call number (since most of what I read I pull from the library). This is something RefWorks is not able to do, and it helps when I categorize.

I begin each notecard with an “intro” section, where I record the aims, goals, and general point of the book/article as explained in the introductory sections (which might be the preface, the acknowledgments, or the first two chapters). I then draw a bold line underneath this part of the notecard. Everything after that should be chapter specific. Included in this intro section are things such as the following, recommended by Calarco ( 2020 ):

Key background . “Two to three short bullet points identifying the theory/prior research on which the authors are building and defining key terms.”
Data/methods . “One or two short bullet points with information about the source of the data and the method of analysis, with a note if this is a novel or particularly effective example of that method.” I use [M] to signal methodology on my notecard, which might read, “[M] Int[erview]s (n-35), B[lack]/W[hite] voters” (I need shorthand to fit on my notecard!).
Research question . “Stated as briefly as possible.” I always provide page numbers so I can go back and see exactly how this was stated (sometimes, in qualitative research, there are multiple research questions, and they cannot be stated simply).
Argument/contributions . “Two to three short bullet points briefly describing the authors’ answer to the central research question and its implication for research, theory, and practice.” I use [ARG] for argument to signify the argument, and I make sure this is prominently visible on my notecard. I also provide page numbers here.

For me, all of this fits in the “intro” section, which, if this is a theoretically rich, methodologically sound book, might take up a third or even half of the front page of my notecard. Beneath the bold underline, I report specific findings or particulars of the book as they emerge chapter by chapter. Calarco’s ( 2020 ) next step is the following:

Key findings . “Three to four short bullet points identifying key patterns in the data that support the authors’ argument.”

All that remains is writing down thoughts that occur upon finishing the article/book. I use the back of the notecard for these kinds of notes. Often, they reach out to other things I have read (e.g., “Robinson reminds me of Crusoe here in that both are looking at the effects of social isolation, but I think Robinson makes a stronger argument”). Calarco ( 2020 ) concludes similarly with the following:

Unanswered questions . “Two to three short bullet points that identify key limitations of the research and/or questions the research did not answer that could be answered in future research.”

As I mentioned, when I first began taking notes like this, I preprinted pages with prompts for “research question,” “argument,” and so on. This was a great way to remind myself to look for these things in particular. You can do the same, adding whatever preprinted sections make sense to you, given what you are studying and the important aspects of your discipline. The other nice thing about the preprinted forms is that it keeps your writing to a minimum—you cannot write more than the allotted space, even if you might want to, preventing your notes from spiraling out of control. This can be helpful when we are new to a subject and everything seems worth recording!

After years of discipline, I have finally settled on my notecard approach. I have thousands of notecards, organized in several index card filing boxes stacked in my office. On the top right of each card is a note of the month/day I finished reading the item. I can remind myself what I read in the summer of 2010 if the need or desire ever arose to do so…those invaluable notecards are like a memento of what my brain has been up to!

Where to Start Looking for Literature

Your university library should provide access to one of several searchable databases for academic books and articles. My own preference is JSTOR, a service of ITHAKA, a not-for-profit organization that works to advance and preserve knowledge and to improve teaching and learning through the use of digital technologies. JSTOR allows you to search by several keywords and to narrow your search by type of material (articles or books). For many disciplines, the “literature” of the literature review is expected to be peer-reviewed “articles,” but some disciplines will also value books and book chapters. JSTOR is particularly useful for article searching. You can submit several keywords and see what is returned, and you can also narrow your search by a particular journal or discipline. If your discipline has one or two key journals (e.g., the American Journal of Sociology and the American Sociological Review are key for sociology), you might want to go directly to those journals’ websites and search for your topic area. There is an art to when to cast your net widely and when to refine your search, and you may have to tack back and forth to ensure that you are getting all that is relevant but not getting bogged down in all studies that might have some marginal relevance.

Some articles will carry more weight than others, and you can use applications like Google Scholar to see which articles have made and are continuing to make larger impacts on your discipline. Find these articles and read them carefully; use their literature review and the sources cited in those articles to make sure you are capturing what is relevant. This is actually a really good way of finding relevant books—only the most impactful will make it into the citations of journals. Over time, you will notice that a handful of articles (or books) are cited so often that when you see, say, Armstrong and Hamilton ( 2015 ), you know exactly what book this is without looking at the full cite. This is when you know you are in the conversation.

You might also approach a professor whose work is broadly in the area of your interest and ask them to recommend one or two “important” foundational articles or books. You can then use the references cited in those recommendations to build up your literature. Just be careful: some older professors’ knowledge of the literature (and I reluctantly add myself here) may be a bit outdated! It is best that the article or book whose references and sources you use to build your body of literature be relatively current.

Keep a List of Your Keywords

When using searchable databases, it is a good idea to keep a list of all the keywords you use as you go along so that (1) you do not needlessly duplicate your efforts and (2) you can more easily adjust your search as you get a better sense of what you are looking for. I suggest you keep a separate file or even a small notebook for this and you date your search efforts.

Here’s an example:

Table 9.2. Keep a List of Your Keywords

Think Laterally

How to find the various strands of literature to combine? Don’t get stuck on finding the exact same research topic you think you are interested in. In the female gymnast example, I recommended that my student consider looking for studies of ballerinas, who also suffer sports injuries and around whom there is a similar culture of silence. It turned out that there was in fact research about my student’s particular questions, just not about the subjects she was interested in. You might do something similar. Don’t get stuck looking for too direct literature but think about the broader phenomenon of interest or analogous cases.

Read Outside the Canon

Some scholars’ work gets cited by everyone all the time. To some extent, this is a very good thing, as it helps establish the discipline. For example, there are a lot of “Bourdieu scholars” out there (myself included) who draw ideas, concepts, and quoted passages from Bourdieu. This makes us recognizable to one another and is a way of sharing a common language (e.g., where “cultural capital” has a particular meaning to those versed in Bourdieusian theory). There are empirical studies that get cited over and over again because they are excellent studies but also because there is an “echo chamber effect” going on, where knowing to cite this study marks you as part of the club, in the know, and so on. But here’s the problem with this: there are hundreds if not thousands of excellent studies out there that fail to get appreciated because they are crowded out by the canon. Sometimes this happens because they are published in “lower-ranked” journals and are never read by a lot of scholars who don’t have time to read anything other than the “big three” in their field. Other times this happens because the author falls outside of the dominant social networks in the field and thus is unmentored and fails to get noticed by those who publish a lot in those highly ranked and visible spaces. Scholars who fall outside the dominant social networks and who publish outside of the top-ranked journals are in no way less insightful than their peers, and their studies may be just as rigorous and relevant to your work, so it is important for you to take some time to read outside the canon. Due to how a person’s race, gender, and class operate in the academy, there is also a matter of social justice and ethical responsibility involved here: “When you focus on the most-cited research, you’re more likely to miss relevant research by women and especially women of color, whose research tends to be under-cited in most fields. You’re also more likely to miss new research, research by junior scholars, and research in other disciplines that could inform your work. Essentially, it is important to read and cite responsibly, which means checking that you’re not just reading and citing the same white men and the same old studies that everyone has cited before you” ( Calarco 2020:112 ).

Consider Multiple Uses for Literature

Throughout this chapter, I’ve referred to the literature of interest in a rather abstract way, as what is relevant to your study. But there are many different ways previous research can be relevant to your study. The most basic use of the literature is the “findings”—for example, “So-and-so found that Canadian working-class students were concerned about ‘fitting in’ to the culture of college, and I am going to look at a similar question here in the US.” But the literature may be of interest not for its findings but theoretically—for example, employing concepts that you want to employ in your own study. Bourdieu’s definition of social capital may have emerged in a study of French professors, but it can still be relevant in a study of, say, how parents make choices about what preschools to send their kids to (also a good example of lateral thinking!).

If you are engaged in some novel methodological form of data collection or analysis, you might look for previous literature that has attempted that. I would not recommend this for undergraduate research projects, but for graduate students who are considering “breaking the mold,” find out if anyone has been there before you. Even if their study has absolutely nothing else in common with yours, it is important to acknowledge that previous work.

Describing Gaps in the Literature

First, be careful! Although it is common to explain how your research adds to, builds upon, and fills in gaps in the previous research (see all four literature review examples in this chapter for this), there is a fine line between describing the gaps and misrepresenting previous literature by failing to conduct a thorough review of the literature. A little humility can make a big difference in your presentation. Instead of “This is the first study that has looked at how firefighters juggle childcare during forest fire season,” say, “I use the previous literature on how working parents juggling childcare and the previous ethnographic studies of firefighters to explore how firefighters juggle childcare during forest fire season.” You can even add, “To my knowledge, no one has conducted an ethnographic study in this specific area, although what we have learned from X about childcare and from Y about firefighters would lead us to expect Z here.” Read more literature review sections to see how others have described the “gaps” they are filling.

Use Concept Mapping

Concept mapping is a helpful tool for getting your thoughts in order and is particularly helpful when thinking about the “literature” foundational to your particular study. Concept maps are also known as mind maps, which is a delightful way to think about them. Your brain is probably abuzz with competing ideas in the early stages of your research design. Write/draw them on paper, and then try to categorize and move the pieces around into “clusters” that make sense to you. Going back to the gymnasts example, my student might have begun by jotting down random words of interest: gymnasts * sports * coaches * female gymnasts * stress * injury * don’t complain * women in sports * bad coaching * anxiety/stress * careers in sports * pain. She could then have begun clustering these into relational categories (bad coaching, don’t complain culture) and simple “event” categories (injury, stress). This might have led her to think about reviewing literature in these two separate aspects and then literature that put them together. There is no correct way to draw a concept map, as they are wonderfully specific to your mind. There are many examples you can find online.

Ask Yourself, “How Is This Sociology (or Political Science or Public Policy, Etc.)?”

Rubin ( 2021:82 ) offers this suggestion instead of asking yourself the “So what?” question to get you thinking about what bridges there are between your study and the body of research in your particular discipline. This is particularly helpful for thinking about theory. Rubin further suggests that if you are really stumped, ask yourself, “What is the really big question that all [fill in your discipline here] care about?” For sociology, it might be “inequality,” which would then help you think about theories of inequality that might be helpful in framing your study on whatever it is you are studying—OnlyFans? Childcare during COVID? Aging in America? I can think of some interesting ways to frame questions about inequality for any of those topics. You can further narrow it by focusing on particular aspects of inequality (Gender oppression? Racial exclusion? Heteronormativity?). If your discipline is public policy, the big questions there might be, How does policy get enacted, and what makes a policy effective? You can then take whatever your particular policy interest is—tax reform, student debt relief, cap-and-trade regulations—and apply those big questions. Doing so would give you a handle on what is otherwise an intolerably vague subject (e.g., What about student debt relief?).

Sometimes finding you are in new territory means you’ve hit the jackpot, and sometimes it means you’ve traveled out of bounds for your discipline. The jackpot scenario is wonderful. You are doing truly innovative research that is combining multiple literatures or is addressing a new or under-examined phenomenon of interest, and your research has the potential to be groundbreaking. Congrats! But that’s really hard to do, and it might be more likely that you’ve traveled out of bounds, by which I mean, you are no longer in your discipline . It might be that no one has written about this thing—at least within your field— because no one in your field actually cares about this topic . ( Rubin 2021:83 ; emphases added)

Don’t Treat This as a Chore

Don’t treat the literature review as a chore that has to be completed, but see it for what it really is—you are building connections to other researchers out there. You want to represent your discipline or area of study fairly and adequately. Demonstrate humility and your knowledge of previous research. Be part of the conversation.

Supplement: Two More Literature Review Examples

Elites by harvey ( 2011 ).

In the last two decades, there has been a small but growing literature on elites. In part, this has been a result of the resurgence of ethnographic research such as interviews, focus groups, case studies, and participant observation but also because scholars have become increasingly interested in understanding the perspectives and behaviors of leaders in business, politics, and society as a whole. Yet until recently, our understanding of some of the methodological challenges of researching elites has lagged behind our rush to interview them.

There is no clear-cut definition of the term elite, and given its broad understanding across the social sciences, scholars have tended to adopt different approaches. Zuckerman (1972) uses the term ultraelites to describe individuals who hold a significant amount of power within a group that is already considered elite. She argues, for example, that US senators constitute part of the country’s political elite but that among them are the ultraelites: a “subset of particularly powerful or prestigious influentials” (160). She suggests that there is a hierarchy of status within elite groups. McDowell (1998) analyses a broader group of “professional elites” who are employees working at different levels for merchant and investment banks in London. She classifies this group as elite because they are “highly skilled, professionally competent, and class-specific” (2135). Parry (1998:2148) uses the term hybrid elites in the context of the international trade of genetic material because she argues that critical knowledge exists not in traditional institutions “but rather as increasingly informal, hybridised, spatially fragmented, and hence largely ‘invisible,’ networks of elite actors.” Given the undertheorization of the term elite, Smith (2006) recognizes why scholars have shaped their definitions to match their respondents . However, she is rightly critical of the underlying assumption that those who hold professional positions necessarily exert as much influence as initially perceived. Indeed, job titles can entirely misrepresent the role of workers and therefore are by no means an indicator of elite status (Harvey 2010).

Many scholars have used the term elite in a relational sense, defining them either in terms of their social position compared to the researcher or compared to the average person in society (Stephens 2007). The problem with this definition is there is no guarantee that an elite subject will necessarily translate this power and authority in an interview setting. Indeed, Smith (2006) found that on the few occasions she experienced respondents wanting to exert their authority over her, it was not from elites but from relatively less senior workers. Furthermore, although business and political elites often receive extensive media training, they are often scrutinized by television and radio journalists and therefore can also feel threatened in an interview, particularly in contexts that are less straightforward to prepare for such as academic interviews. On several occasions, for instance, I have been asked by elite respondents or their personal assistants what they need to prepare for before the interview, which suggests that they consider the interview as some form of challenge or justification for what they do.

In many cases, it is not necessarily the figureheads or leaders of organizations and institutions who have the greatest claim to elite status but those who hold important social networks, social capital, and strategic positions within social structures because they are better able to exert influence (Burt 1992; Parry 1998; Smith 2005; Woods 1998). An elite status can also change, with people both gaining and losing theirs over time. In addition, it is geographically specific, with people holding elite status in some but not all locations. In short, it is clear that the term elite can mean many things in different contexts, which explains the range of definitions. The purpose here is not to critique these other definitions but rather to highlight the variety of perspectives.

When referring to my research, I define elites as those who occupy senior-management- and board-level positions within organizations. This is a similar scope of definition to Zuckerman’s (1972) but focuses on a level immediately below her ultraelite subjects. My definition is narrower than McDowell’s (1998) because it is clear in the context of my research that these people have significant decision-making influence within and outside of the firm and therefore present a unique challenge to interview. I deliberately use the term elite more broadly when drawing on examples from the theoretical literature in order to compare my experiences with those who have researched similar groups.

”Changing Dispositions among the Upwardly Mobile” by Curl, Lareau, and Wu ( 2018 )

There is growing interest in the role of cultural practices in undergirding the social stratification system. For example, Lamont et al. (2014) critically assess the preoccupation with economic dimensions of social stratification and call for more developed cultural models of the transmission of inequality. The importance of cultural factors in the maintenance of social inequality has also received empirical attention from some younger scholars, including Calarco (2011, 2014) and Streib (2015). Yet questions remain regarding the degree to which economic position is tied to cultural sensibilities and the ways in which these cultural sensibilities are imprinted on the self or are subject to change. Although habitus is a core concept in Bourdieu’s theory of social reproduction, there is limited empirical attention to the precise areas of the habitus that can be subject to change during upward mobility as well as the ramifications of these changes for family life.

In Bourdieu’s (1984) highly influential work on the importance of class-based cultural dispositions, habitus is defined as a “durable system of dispositions” created in childhood. The habitus provides a “matrix of perceptions” that seems natural while also structuring future actions and pathways. In many of his writings, Bourdieu emphasized the durability of cultural tastes and dispositions and did not consider empirically whether these dispositions might be changed or altered throughout one’s life (Swartz 1997). His theoretical work does permit the possibility of upward mobility and transformation, however, through the ability of the habitus to “improvise” or “change” due to “new experiences” (Friedman 2016:131). Researchers have differed in opinion on the durability of the habitus and its ability to change (King 2000). Based on marital conflict in cross-class marriages, for instance, Streib (2015) argues that cultural dispositions of individuals raised in working-class families are deeply embedded and largely unchanging. In a somewhat different vein, Horvat and Davis (2011:152) argue that young adults enrolled in an alternative educational program undergo important shifts in their self-perception, such as “self-esteem” and their “ability to accomplish something of value.” Others argue there is variability in the degree to which habitus changes dependent on life experience and personality (Christodoulou and Spyridakis 2016). Recently, additional studies have investigated the habitus as it intersects with lifestyle through the lens of meaning making (Ambrasat et al. 2016). There is, therefore, ample discussion of class-based cultural practices in self-perception (Horvat and Davis 2011), lifestyle (Ambrasat et al. 2016), and other forms of taste (Andrews 2012; Bourdieu 1984), yet researchers have not sufficiently delineated which aspects of the habitus might change through upward mobility or which specific dimensions of life prompt moments of class-based conflict.

Bourdieu (1999:511; 2004) acknowledged simmering tensions between the durable aspects of habitus and those aspects that have been transformed—that is, a “fractured” or “cleft” habitus. Others have explored these tensions as a “divided” or “fragmented” habitus (Baxter and Britton 2001; Lee and Kramer 2013). Each of these conceptions of the habitus implies that changes in cultural dispositions are possible but come with costs. Exploration of the specific aspects of one’s habitus that can change and generate conflict contributes to this literature.

Scholars have also studied the costs associated with academic success for working-class undergraduates (Hurst 2010; Lee and Kramer 2013; London 1989; Reay 2017; Rondini 2016; Stuber 2011), but we know little about the lasting effects on adults. For instance, Lee and Kramer (2013) point to cross-class tensions as family and friends criticize upwardly mobile individuals for their newly acquired cultural dispositions. Documenting the tension many working-class students experience with their friends and families of origin, they find that the source of their pain or struggle is “shaped not only by their interactions with non-mobile family and friends but also within their own minds, by their own assessments of their social positions, and by how those positions are interpreted by others” (Lee and Kramer 2013:29). Hurst (2010) also explores the experiences of undergraduates who have been academically successful and the costs associated with that success. She finds that decisions about “class allegiance and identity” are required aspects of what it means to “becom[e] educated” (4) and that working-class students deal with these cultural changes differently. Jack (2014, 2016) also argues that there is diversity among lower-income students, which yields varied college experiences. Naming two groups, the “doubly disadvantaged” and the “privileged poor,” he argues that previous experience with “elite environments” (2014:456) prior to college informs students’ ability to take on dominant cultural practices, particularly around engagement, such as help seeking or meeting with professors (2016). These studies shed light on the role college might play as a “lever for mobility” (2016:15) and discuss the pain and difficulty associated with upward mobility among undergraduates, but the studies do not illuminate how these tensions unfold in adulthood. Neither have they sufficiently addressed potential enduring tensions with extended family members as well as the specific nature of the difficulties.

Some scholars point to the positive outcomes upwardly mobile youth (Lehmann 2009) and adults (Stuber 2005) experience when they maintain a different habitus than their newly acquired class position, although, as Jack (2014, 2016) shows, those experiences may vary depending on one’s experience with elite environments in their youth. Researchers have not sufficiently explored the specific aspects of the habitus that upwardly mobile adults change or the conflicts that emerge with family and childhood friends as they reach adulthood and experience colliding social worlds. We contribute to this scholarship with clear examples of self-reported changes to one’s cultural dispositions in three specific areas: “horizons,” food and health, and communication. We link these changes to enduring tension with family members, friends, and colleagues and explore varied responses to this tension based on race.

Writing a Literature Review

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A literature review is a document or section of a document that collects key sources on a topic and discusses those sources in conversation with each other (also called synthesis ). The lit review is an important genre in many disciplines, not just literature (i.e., the study of works of literature such as novels and plays). When we say “literature review” or refer to “the literature,” we are talking about the research ( scholarship ) in a given field. You will often see the terms “the research,” “the scholarship,” and “the literature” used mostly interchangeably.

Where, when, and why would I write a lit review?

There are a number of different situations where you might write a literature review, each with slightly different expectations; different disciplines, too, have field-specific expectations for what a literature review is and does. For instance, in the humanities, authors might include more overt argumentation and interpretation of source material in their literature reviews, whereas in the sciences, authors are more likely to report study designs and results in their literature reviews; these differences reflect these disciplines’ purposes and conventions in scholarship. You should always look at examples from your own discipline and talk to professors or mentors in your field to be sure you understand your discipline’s conventions, for literature reviews as well as for any other genre.

A literature review can be a part of a research paper or scholarly article, usually falling after the introduction and before the research methods sections. In these cases, the lit review just needs to cover scholarship that is important to the issue you are writing about; sometimes it will also cover key sources that informed your research methodology.

Lit reviews can also be standalone pieces, either as assignments in a class or as publications. In a class, a lit review may be assigned to help students familiarize themselves with a topic and with scholarship in their field, get an idea of the other researchers working on the topic they’re interested in, find gaps in existing research in order to propose new projects, and/or develop a theoretical framework and methodology for later research. As a publication, a lit review usually is meant to help make other scholars’ lives easier by collecting and summarizing, synthesizing, and analyzing existing research on a topic. This can be especially helpful for students or scholars getting into a new research area, or for directing an entire community of scholars toward questions that have not yet been answered.

What are the parts of a lit review?

Most lit reviews use a basic introduction-body-conclusion structure; if your lit review is part of a larger paper, the introduction and conclusion pieces may be just a few sentences while you focus most of your attention on the body. If your lit review is a standalone piece, the introduction and conclusion take up more space and give you a place to discuss your goals, research methods, and conclusions separately from where you discuss the literature itself.

Introduction:

An introductory paragraph that explains what your working topic and thesis is
A forecast of key topics or texts that will appear in the review
Potentially, a description of how you found sources and how you analyzed them for inclusion and discussion in the review (more often found in published, standalone literature reviews than in lit review sections in an article or research paper)
Summarize and synthesize: Give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole
Analyze and interpret: Don’t just paraphrase other researchers – add your own interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole
Critically Evaluate: Mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources
Write in well-structured paragraphs: Use transition words and topic sentence to draw connections, comparisons, and contrasts.

Conclusion:

Summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance
Connect it back to your primary research question

How should I organize my lit review?

Lit reviews can take many different organizational patterns depending on what you are trying to accomplish with the review. Here are some examples:

Chronological : The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time, which helps familiarize the audience with the topic (for instance if you are introducing something that is not commonly known in your field). If you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order. Try to analyze the patterns, turning points, and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred (as mentioned previously, this may not be appropriate in your discipline — check with a teacher or mentor if you’re unsure).
Thematic : If you have found some recurring central themes that you will continue working with throughout your piece, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic. For example, if you are reviewing literature about women and religion, key themes can include the role of women in churches and the religious attitude towards women.
Qualitative versus quantitative research
Empirical versus theoretical scholarship
Divide the research by sociological, historical, or cultural sources
Theoretical : In many humanities articles, the literature review is the foundation for the theoretical framework. You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts. You can argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach or combine various theorical concepts to create a framework for your research.

What are some strategies or tips I can use while writing my lit review?

Any lit review is only as good as the research it discusses; make sure your sources are well-chosen and your research is thorough. Don’t be afraid to do more research if you discover a new thread as you’re writing. More info on the research process is available in our "Conducting Research" resources .

As you’re doing your research, create an annotated bibliography ( see our page on the this type of document ). Much of the information used in an annotated bibliography can be used also in a literature review, so you’ll be not only partially drafting your lit review as you research, but also developing your sense of the larger conversation going on among scholars, professionals, and any other stakeholders in your topic.

Usually you will need to synthesize research rather than just summarizing it. This means drawing connections between sources to create a picture of the scholarly conversation on a topic over time. Many student writers struggle to synthesize because they feel they don’t have anything to add to the scholars they are citing; here are some strategies to help you:

It often helps to remember that the point of these kinds of syntheses is to show your readers how you understand your research, to help them read the rest of your paper.
Writing teachers often say synthesis is like hosting a dinner party: imagine all your sources are together in a room, discussing your topic. What are they saying to each other?
Look at the in-text citations in each paragraph. Are you citing just one source for each paragraph? This usually indicates summary only. When you have multiple sources cited in a paragraph, you are more likely to be synthesizing them (not always, but often
Read more about synthesis here.

The most interesting literature reviews are often written as arguments (again, as mentioned at the beginning of the page, this is discipline-specific and doesn’t work for all situations). Often, the literature review is where you can establish your research as filling a particular gap or as relevant in a particular way. You have some chance to do this in your introduction in an article, but the literature review section gives a more extended opportunity to establish the conversation in the way you would like your readers to see it. You can choose the intellectual lineage you would like to be part of and whose definitions matter most to your thinking (mostly humanities-specific, but this goes for sciences as well). In addressing these points, you argue for your place in the conversation, which tends to make the lit review more compelling than a simple reporting of other sources.

Libraries | Research Guides

Literature reviews.

What is a Literature Review?
Planning the Review

Determining Your Research Question

Refining your research question, mapping your research topic.

Choosing Where to Search
Organizing the Review
Writing the Review

When determining your research question, one method is to start with a topic and work through these questions:

1. What do you want to know about this topic?

Example: "I want to research the effects of high educational costs"

2. What population or context do you want to study?

Example: "I want to focus on college students"

3. What interventions, variables, or relationships do you want to explore?

Example: "I want to know what the impact of using Open Educational Resources"

4. What is the research scope?

Example: "I will interview college students participating in classes using OERs and ask them about the impact of these free resources on their college experience."

To refine your research question, you can ask more questions

Is your topic clear enough that the audience can understand it?
Is your topic narrow enough that it can be addressed within the size of the project?
Does your topic require synthesis of sources and ideas to adequately address the question?
Are the answers to your research question able to be discussed and debated, rather than just being standard facts?
Is your topic doable in the amount of time that you have to complete the project?

One technique to help you define your scope is to take each component from your topic and list them from the least focused to the most focused. This will give you the ability to scale up and scale down.

A topic being broken down into more narrow topics: Example 1: Educational costs, costs beyond tuition, course materials, and textbooks. Example 2: students, undergraduates, first generation undergraduates. Example 3: United States, Midwest, Illinois, Chicago-area, Chicago

<< Previous: Planning the Review
Next: Choosing Where to Search >>
Last Updated: Jan 17, 2024 10:05 AM
URL: https://libguides.northwestern.edu/literaturereviews

University of Texas Libraries

Literature Reviews

What is a literature review?
Steps in the Literature Review Process
Define your research question
Determine inclusion and exclusion criteria
Choose databases and search
Review Results
Synthesize Results
Analyze Results
Librarian Support

What is a Literature Review?

A literature or narrative review is a comprehensive review and analysis of the published literature on a specific topic or research question. The literature that is reviewed contains: books, articles, academic articles, conference proceedings, association papers, and dissertations. It contains the most pertinent studies and points to important past and current research and practices. It provides background and context, and shows how your research will contribute to the field.

A literature review should:

Provide a comprehensive and updated review of the literature;
Explain why this review has taken place;
Articulate a position or hypothesis;
Acknowledge and account for conflicting and corroborating points of view

From S age Research Methods

Purpose of a Literature Review

A literature review can be written as an introduction to a study to:

Demonstrate how a study fills a gap in research
Compare a study with other research that's been done

Or it can be a separate work (a research article on its own) which:

Organizes or describes a topic
Describes variables within a particular issue/problem

Limitations of a Literature Review

Some of the limitations of a literature review are:

It's a snapshot in time. Unlike other reviews, this one has beginning, a middle and an end. There may be future developments that could make your work less relevant.
It may be too focused. Some niche studies may miss the bigger picture.
It can be difficult to be comprehensive. There is no way to make sure all the literature on a topic was considered.
It is easy to be biased if you stick to top tier journals. There may be other places where people are publishing exemplary research. Look to open access publications and conferences to reflect a more inclusive collection. Also, make sure to include opposing views (and not just supporting evidence).

Source: Grant, Maria J., and Andrew Booth. “A Typology of Reviews: An Analysis of 14 Review Types and Associated Methodologies.” Health Information & Libraries Journal, vol. 26, no. 2, June 2009, pp. 91–108. Wiley Online Library, doi:10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x.

Meryl Brodsky : Communication and Information Studies

Hannah Chapman Tripp : Biology, Neuroscience

Carolyn Cunningham : Human Development & Family Sciences, Psychology, Sociology

Larayne Dallas : Engineering

Janelle Hedstrom : Special Education, Curriculum & Instruction, Ed Leadership & Policy

Susan Macicak : Linguistics

Imelda Vetter : Dell Medical School

For help in other subject areas, please see the guide to library specialists by subject .

Periodically, UT Libraries runs a workshop covering the basics and library support for literature reviews. While we try to offer these once per academic year, we find providing the recording to be helpful to community members who have missed the session. Following is the most recent recording of the workshop, Conducting a Literature Review. To view the recording, a UT login is required.

October 26, 2022 recording
Last Updated: Oct 26, 2022 2:49 PM
URL: https://guides.lib.utexas.edu/literaturereviews

Library Guides
Literature Reviews

Developing a Research Question

Literature reviews: developing a research question, developing a research question.

Before searching for sources, you need to formulate a Research Question — this is what you are trying to answer using the existing academic literature. The Research Question pinpoints the focus of the review .

Your first step involves choosing, exploring, and focusing a topic. At this stage you might discover that you need to tweak your topic or the scope of your research as you learn more about the topic in the literature.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND:

The question must be "researchable" — it can be answered with accessible facts and data
Questions often start with How, Why, What, Which
The question opens the door for other areas of inquiry — it identifies a gap in existing research
Questions should be open-ended and focus on cause and effect

TRY TO AVOID:

Simple yes/no questions, or questions with an easy answer (what is the radius of the moon?)
Questions that can only be answered by an opinion (does it smell nice when it rains?)
Questions that involve secret information (what is the recipe for Coca-Cola?)
Questions that are too broad or too narrow

REFINING YOUR RESEARCH QUESTION

Two examples of refining research questions that could be considered either too broad or too narrow.

Finding Example Literature Reviews

Using database filter tools.

It can be helpful to read existing literature reviews on your topic to get an idea of major themes, how authors structure their arguments, or what reviews look like in your discipline.

DOCUMENT TYPE FILTERS

Many library databases have the option to highlight just Review Articles after you perform a search. Filters above show what the Document Type filter looks like, with a "Review" option. These examples are from Scopus and ProQuest. The "Review" filter here refers to free-standing, comprehensive Review Articles on a topic, as opposed to a shorter literature review inside a scholarly article.

LIT REVIEWS INSIDE ARTICLES

It is also worth taking a look at the shorter literature reviews inside scholarly articles. These can sometimes be called "Background" or "Background Literature." Look for a section typically following the Introduction that covers the history or gives context on the paper's topic.

EXAMPLE REVIEW ARTICLES

Here are a few examples of Review Articles in different disciplines. Note sometimes an article can be a Review Article without the word "review" in the title.

HUMANITIES — Art — "Art and Crime: Conceptualising Graffiti in the City" from the journal Geography Compass
SCIENCES — Climate Change — "Mercury Isotopes in Earth and Environmental Sciences" from the journal Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences
SOCIAL SCIENCES — Psychology — "Structural Competency and the Future of Firearm Research" from the journal Social Science & Medicine

Attribution

Thanks to Librarian Jamie Niehof at the University of Michigan for providing permission to reuse and remix this Literature Reviews guide.

Goldilocker Tool

UM Librarians have developed a quick tool called Goldilocker to help beginners who are struggling to refine their Research Question.

Last Updated: Apr 9, 2024 3:50 PM
URL: https://info.library.okstate.edu/literaturereviews

University of Oregon Libraries
Research Guides

How to Write a Literature Review

1. Identify the Question
Literature Reviews: A Recap
Reading Journal Articles
Does it Describe a Literature Review?

Identify the question

Developing a research question.

2. Review Discipline Styles
Searching Article Databases
Finding Full-Text of an Article
Citation Chaining
When to Stop Searching
4. Manage Your References
5. Critically Analyze and Evaluate
6. Synthesize
7. Write a Literature Review

From Topic to Question (Infographic)

This graphic emphasizes how reading various sources can play a role in defining your research topic.

( Click to Enlarge Image )

From Topic to Question infographic. Follow the "long description" link for a web accessible description.

Text description of "From Topic to Question" for web accessibility

In some cases, such as for a course assignment or a research project you're working on with a faculty mentor, your research question will be determined by your professor. If that's the case, you can move on to the next step . Otherwise, you may need to explore questions on your own.

A few suggestions

Photo Credit: UO Libraries

According to The Craft of Research (2003) , a research question is more than a practical problem or something with a yes/no answer. A research question helps you learn more about something you don't already know and it needs to be significant enough to interest your readers.

Your Curiosity + Significance to Others = Research Question

How to get started.

In a research paper, you develop a unique question and then synthesize scholarly and primary sources into a paper that supports your argument about the topic.

Identify your Topic (This is the starting place from where you develop a research question.)
Refine by Searching (find background information) (Before you can start to develop a research question, you may need to do some preliminary background research to see (1) what has already been done on the topic and (2) what are the issues surrounding the topic.) HINT: Find background information in Google and Books.
Refine by Narrowing (Once you begin to understand the topic and the issues surrounding it, you can start to narrow your topic and develop a research question. Do this by asking the 6 journalistic question words.

Ask yourself these 6 questions

These 6 journalistic question words can help you narrow your focus from a broad topic to a specific question.

Who : Are you interested in a specific group of people? Can your topic be narrowed by gender, sex, age, ethnicity, socio-economic status or something else? Are there any key figures related to your topic?

What : What are the issues surrounding your topic? Are there subtopics? In looking at background information, did you notice any gaps or questions that seemed unanswered?

Where : Can your topic be narrowed down to a geographic location? Warning: Don't get too narrow here. You might not be able to find enough information on a town or state.

When : Is your topic current or historical? Is it confined to a specific time period? Was there a causative event that led your topic to become an area of study?

Why : Why are you interested in this topic? Why should others be interested?

How : What kinds of information do you need? Primary sources, statistics? What is your methodology?

Detailed description of, "Developing a Research Question" for web accessibility

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Next: 2. Review Discipline Styles >>
Last Updated: Jan 10, 2024 4:46 PM
URL: https://researchguides.uoregon.edu/litreview

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Conducting a Literature Review

Getting Started
Developing a Question
Searching the Literature
Identifying Peer-Reviewed Resources
Managing Results
Analyzing the Literature
Writing the Review

Need help? Ask your librarian!

Step 1: Select a Topic

Selecting a topic for a literature review can be challenging, but there are a few things you can consider to help you choose an interesting and relevant topic:

Avoid selecting a broad topic like "pain" - instead, consider key aspects are of significance, like "pain management" or "pain prevention".
It is better to start with an overly-narrow topic than an overly-broad topic.
Discuss your topic ideas with a peer or mentor for additional insights.
Do some quick searches on a topic of interest to find out if there is enough existing literature to support a literature review.

Cronin, P., Ryan, F. & Coughlan, M. (2008). Undertaking a literature review: A step-by-step approach. British Journal of Nursing, 17 (1), 38-43

Step 2: Develop a Searchable Question

When developing a searchable question, it helps to identify the key concepts of your research proposal. A clear and precise search question can be used to develop search terms during the literature searching process.

There are a number of frameworks available to use to help you break your question into its key concepts. Take a look at the frameworks below.

Evidence-Based Practice
General Health
Health Management

From BMJ Best Practice :

The PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparator and Outcomes) model captures the key elements and is a good strategy to provide answerable questions.

Population : who are the relevant patients or the target audience for the problem being addressed? Example: In women with non-tubal infertility

Intervention : what intervention is being considered? Example: …would intrauterine insemination…

Comparator : what is the main comparator to the intervention that you want to assess? Example: …when compared with fallopian tube sperm perfusion…

Outcomes : what are the consequences of the interventions for the patient? Or what are the main outcomes of interest to the patient or decision maker? Example: …lead to higher live birth rates with no increase in multiple pregnancy, miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy rates?

How to clarify a clinical question. (n.d.). BMJ Best Practice . Retrieved October 26, 2022, from https://bestpractice.bmj.com/info/us/toolkit/learn-ebm/how-to-clarify-a-clinical-question/

From "Formulating the Evidence Based Practice Question":

Setting : What is the context for the question? The research evidence should reflect the context or the research findings may not be transferable.

Perspective : Who are the users, potential users, or stakeholders of the service?

Intervention : What is being done for the users, potential users, or stakeholders?

Comparison : What are the alternatives? An alternative might maintain the status quo and change nothing.

Evaluation : What measurement will determine the intervention’s success? In other words, what is the result?

Davies, K. S. (2011). Formulating the Evidence Based Practice Question: A Review of the Frameworks. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice , 6 (2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.18438/B8WS5N

From "How CLIP became ECLIPSE":

Expectation —what does the search requester want the information for (the original ‘I’s)? Client Group Location Impact: what is the change in the service, if any, which is being looked for? What would constitute success? How is this being measured? Professionals Service: for which service are you looking for information? For example, outpatient services, nurse-led clinics, intermediate care

Wildridge, V., & Bell, L. (2002). How CLIP became ECLIPSE: A mnemonic to assist in searching for health policy/management information. Health Information & Libraries Journal , 19 (2), 113–115. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1471-1842.2002.00378.x

Step 3: Apply PICO Framework

The PICO framework is one of the more commonly used question frameworks in EBP.

Clinical examples using PICO Practice creating a PICO question from clinical scenarios.
The Underappreciated and Misunderstood PICOT Question: A Critical Step in the EBP Process
<< Previous: Getting Started
Next: Searching the Literature >>
Last Updated: Apr 16, 2024 3:40 PM
URL: https://libguides.libraries.wsu.edu/litreview

30 Literature Professor Interview Questions and Answers

Common Literature Professor interview questions, how to answer them, and example answers from a certified career coach.

A career as a literature professor combines an enduring passion for storytelling with the opportunity to inspire students and cultivate their love of reading. This role requires deep knowledge, critical thinking, excellent communication skills, and above all – teaching prowess. Now that you’re preparing for your interview, it’s time to showcase these qualities.

This article will guide you through common questions asked during interviews for literature professors. Alongside each question, we’ll provide insights into what hiring committees are looking for and sample responses to help you craft compelling answers that highlight your expertise in literature and education. Let us help you turn the page towards your next great adventure in academia!

1. How do you approach teaching complex literary theories to students with varied levels of understanding?

As a literature professor, it’s essential to break down complex ideas into digestible portions for students with different levels of understanding. This question helps the interviewer gauge your pedagogical skills, your ability to empathize with students, and your creativity in making complex ideas accessible. It also helps them understand how you might contribute to the educational diversity and inclusivity of their institution.

Example: “Understanding that students have varied levels of comprehension, I approach teaching complex literary theories with a multi-faceted strategy.

I start by simplifying the theory into its most basic elements and use relatable examples to illustrate these concepts. This helps in creating a foundation for all students.

Next, I encourage active participation through group discussions or debates. These interactive sessions allow students to learn from each other’s perspectives and improve their understanding.

Lastly, I provide supplementary materials like videos, articles, or podcasts for further exploration. This allows advanced learners to delve deeper while reinforcing the basics for others.”

2. What strategies would you use to foster a love for literature among students who might not be naturally inclined towards it?

This question is all about your ability to inspire and engage. As a Literature Professor, it’s critical not just to impart knowledge, but to cultivate curiosity and a love for learning. Especially in a subject like literature, which might not immediately appeal to all students, you’ll need to demonstrate creativity and passion in teaching, to truly engage and motivate your students.

Example: “To foster a love for literature among students, I would employ several strategies.

I’d start by connecting the themes in the books to their personal lives and current events. This can help them see literature as relevant and relatable.

Next, I would expose them to diverse genres and authors. Variety can spark interest and challenge preconceived notions about literature.

Furthermore, encouraging discussions where they can express their thoughts freely is vital. It promotes critical thinking and engagement with the text.

Lastly, integrating technology like audiobooks or digital storytelling platforms can make literature more accessible and engaging for today’s tech-savvy generation.”

3. How have your past experiences prepared you to teach diverse genres and periods in literature?

This question is designed to evaluate your breadth of knowledge and adaptability. As a literature professor, you will likely be asked to teach a variety of courses spanning different periods, genres, and cultures. Therefore, it’s important that you’re not only knowledgeable about a wide range of literary works, but also able to adapt your teaching style and approach to best serve the unique needs of each course.

Example: “My graduate studies specialized in both modern and classical literature, providing a solid foundation for teaching diverse genres. This academic background was enriched by my experience as a research assistant, where I explored various periods of literature from different cultural perspectives.

Teaching English abroad also enhanced my understanding of global literary traditions. I had the opportunity to incorporate texts from local authors into my curriculum, which broadened my familiarity with international literature.

These experiences have equipped me with the knowledge and adaptability necessary to effectively teach a wide range of literature genres and periods.”

4. How would you handle a situation where a student challenges your interpretation of a particular piece of literature?

As a literature professor, you’re not just teaching facts, you’re teaching critical thinking skills. Therefore, it’s important for you to be open to different points of view and interpretations. The question is designed to test your ability to handle challenges and disagreements in the classroom in a respectful and constructive manner, fostering an environment where students feel safe and encouraged to express their thoughts and ideas.

Example: “I would welcome such challenges, as it promotes critical thinking and active learning. I believe literature interpretation is subjective and diverse perspectives enrich the discussion.

In this scenario, I would invite the student to elaborate on their viewpoint, fostering a respectful dialogue. If their interpretation is valid but different from mine, we can agree that multiple interpretations can coexist.

However, if their interpretation lacks textual evidence, I’d guide them back to the text to reconsider their stance. This approach encourages students to substantiate their views with textual support while respecting their intellectual autonomy.”

5. You’re assigned to teach an intro-level course on Shakespeare, how would you make it engaging for all students?

Shakespeare, while historically significant and influential, can often feel outdated or inaccessible to modern students. As a literature professor, your role isn’t just to teach the material—it’s to make it relevant, interesting, and engaging for a diverse group of students. By asking this question, the hiring committee wants to see how well you can adapt your teaching style to reach all students and spark their interest in the subject matter.

Example: “To make Shakespeare engaging, I would focus on its relevance to today’s world. We’d explore themes such as power struggles, love, and identity that are still pertinent.

Incorporating multimedia resources like films, animations, and graphic novels can help students visualize the narratives.

Interactive activities like role-play or rewriting scenes in modern language can foster student involvement.

Lastly, I believe connecting Shakespeare’s works to pop culture references could spark interest and facilitate understanding.”

6. Describe the most challenging aspect of integrating technology into your literature classes.

As a literature professor, you’re not just teaching texts, you’re teaching students how to think about texts, how to analyze them, and how to express their thoughts clearly. But in today’s digital world, your students are also learning how to use technology to do all of this. Potential employers want to know that you understand how to use technology to enhance—not replace—traditional literary study, and that you can navigate the challenges that come with integrating digital tools into your teaching.

Example: “The most challenging aspect of integrating technology into literature classes is maintaining the essence of literary study. Technology can sometimes overshadow the core objective, which is to cultivate a deep understanding and appreciation for literature.

Another challenge is ensuring that all students have equal access to the technological resources required. Not every student may possess the necessary devices or internet connectivity, creating a digital divide.

Lastly, it’s crucial to strike a balance between traditional methods of teaching literature and using technology. Over-reliance on tech tools could potentially dilute critical thinking skills, as these tools often provide ready-made analysis instead of encouraging independent interpretation.”

7. How do you ensure that your teaching stays relevant as literary trends evolve?

Academia is not a static field, especially when it comes to literature. Trends, cultural shifts, and new interpretations constantly breathe new life into even the oldest of texts. As a literature professor, you’ll be asked to bridge the gap between established literary canon and evolving societal perspectives. Therefore, hiring personnel want to ensure that you’re not only aware of these changes, but also actively incorporating them into your teaching approach.

Example: “To ensure my teaching remains relevant, I stay updated with current literary trends by reading contemporary works and attending academic conferences. I also incorporate these trends into the curriculum to provide a balanced perspective of both classical and modern literature.

Moreover, I encourage open discussions in class about emerging themes or styles in recent publications. This not only fosters critical thinking but also keeps the course content dynamic and engaging for students.

In essence, it’s about maintaining a balance between tradition and innovation, ensuring that students appreciate the classics while staying attuned to evolving literary landscapes.”

8. In what ways have you incorporated feedback from students to improve your teaching methods?

The essence of being a successful educator lies in the ability to evolve and adapt to the needs of students. When hiring literature professors, universities want to know that you are open to feedback and are capable of self-improvement. They are interested in seeing if you have the humility to learn from your students and the creativity to change your teaching practices accordingly to enhance the learning experience.

Example: “Incorporating student feedback is crucial to my teaching approach. For instance, I once received feedback that some students struggled with understanding complex literary theories. To address this, I started breaking down these theories into simpler terms and used more real-life examples in class.

Another piece of feedback was about the pace of classes. Some found it too fast while others thought it slow. So, I introduced a flexible learning plan where each student could progress at their own speed, ensuring everyone’s needs were met.

Through such changes based on direct student feedback, I’ve seen improvements in overall comprehension and engagement levels in my classes.”

9. Share an instance when you had to adapt your lesson plan due to unforeseen circumstances.

Flexibility is a critical quality for educators. Whether it’s a sudden shift to online learning, an unexpected event that disrupts your syllabus schedule, or a vital piece of technology failing right before class, a literature professor should be able to adjust quickly and effectively. The interviewer wants to see how you handle unexpected challenges and how you use your creativity and resourcefulness to ensure that your students’ learning isn’t compromised.

Example: “In a literature class, I planned to discuss Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” using the original text. However, upon realizing that my students were struggling with the language, I had to adapt quickly. Instead of sticking to the initial plan, I incorporated modern English translations and visual aids to help them understand the context better. This shift not only made the content more accessible but also sparked engaging discussions around the text. It was an important reminder for me as an educator to always be flexible and responsive to my students’ needs.”

10. What is your method for assessing student comprehension of difficult texts?

Assessing comprehension isn’t just about grades—it’s about understanding how well your students are really grasping the material, and if they’re able to critically analyze and engage with the texts. It’s an opportunity to see how effectively you can guide students through complex literature and gauge their understanding in a fair and accurate way. This question helps interviewers understand your teaching approach and adaptability in helping students decode and appreciate challenging works of literature.

Example: “To assess student comprehension of difficult texts, I employ a multi-faceted approach. I start with open-ended questions to encourage students to share their initial thoughts and interpretations. This allows me to gauge their basic understanding.

Then, I use targeted questioning based on Bloom’s Taxonomy to prompt deeper analysis and critical thinking. For instance, asking them to compare themes or analyze character motivations.

I also incorporate group discussions for peer learning and collaborative interpretation. Finally, written assignments serve as an excellent tool to evaluate individual comprehension in depth. These methods combined help me effectively assess student comprehension.”

11. Describe your experience with interdisciplinary teaching, merging literature with other subjects like history or psychology.

Being able to fuse literature with other subjects shows a broad and dynamic understanding of how different fields can intersect. This not only enriches your teaching approach but also demonstrates your ability to engage students in a more comprehensive learning experience. It also reflects your creativity and adaptability as an educator, which are essential qualities in the ever-evolving world of academia.

Example: “Interdisciplinary teaching has been a key aspect of my approach to literature. I believe that literature cannot be fully understood without considering its historical and psychological contexts.

In one instance, I taught “1984” by George Orwell with an emphasis on the socio-political climate of post-WWII Europe. We explored how this influenced Orwell’s dystopian vision.

In another course, we analyzed Shakespeare’s plays through the lens of psychology. For example, we studied Hamlet’s indecisiveness as a symptom of depression, providing students with a deeper understanding of both the character and mental health issues.

This interdisciplinary method not only enriches students’ comprehension of literature but also fosters critical thinking skills and broadens their perspectives.”

12. How do you balance between covering required curriculum and exploring students’ interests in your courses?

The crux of this question lies in the need for a professor to effectively manage academic expectations while also engaging student interest. Universities want to know if you’re able to deliver the necessary content, but also if you can inspire students and nurture their individual passions. This balance is key to fostering a rich, dynamic learning environment.

Example: “Balancing between curriculum requirements and students’ interests is a dynamic process. I typically start with the mandated content, ensuring all key areas are covered thoroughly.

To incorporate student interest, I encourage class discussions around themes or characters in literature that resonate with them. This engagement often leads to deeper understanding of the material.

I also adapt my teaching methods based on feedback, using more interactive techniques for topics they show enthusiasm for. Ultimately, it’s about merging academic expectations with personal exploration to create an enriching learning experience.”

13. What innovative pedagogical approaches have you used to enhance student learning in literature?

As the world of education evolves, so too must teaching methods. This question is designed to gauge your creativity, adaptability, and commitment to effective teaching. The interviewer wants to know if you are current with innovative teaching methodologies and if you can effectively implement these strategies to make literature more attractive and digestible to students.

Example: “In my teaching, I’ve found that a blended learning approach can greatly enhance student engagement with literature. This might involve using digital platforms to facilitate collaborative close readings or virtual discussions.

Another strategy is incorporating project-based learning. For example, students could create multimedia presentations on literary themes, which allows them to engage creatively and analytically with the text.

Lastly, I believe in fostering an environment of active learning where students are encouraged to question, debate, and form their own interpretations, rather than passively receiving information.”

14. How have you dealt with plagiarism or academic dishonesty in your previous roles?

Plagiarism and academic dishonesty can severely undermine the educational process, and as a literature professor, you’re expected to uphold academic integrity in your classroom. This question is designed to evaluate your ability to handle such situations responsibly and fairly, while maintaining the trust and respect of your students. The hiring committee wants to ensure that potential candidates can navigate these complex situations while upholding the institution’s standards.

Example: “In my experience, dealing with plagiarism requires a proactive approach. I always start by setting clear expectations about academic integrity and the consequences of dishonesty in my syllabus. During class discussions, I emphasize the importance of original thought and proper citation.

When an incident occurs, it’s crucial to handle it sensitively yet firmly. After confirming suspicion through plagiarism detection tools, I arrange a private conversation with the student. Instead of being confrontational, I use this as a teaching moment to explain why their action was wrong and how they can avoid such mistakes in future.

Finally, if necessary, I follow institutional guidelines for reporting the incident to ensure consistency in handling such cases across the institution.”

15. What’s your strategy for managing large class sizes while ensuring individual attention?

In the realm of academia, the ability to manage large classes without neglecting individual students is a vital skill. Professors are expected to provide high-quality education to all students, regardless of the class size. This question gives you an opportunity to demonstrate your skills in organization, communication, and personalized instruction, all of which are key to successful teaching in a higher education setting.

Example: “Managing large class sizes while ensuring individual attention requires a two-pronged approach.

One, I utilize technology to facilitate personalized learning paths. Online platforms can help track student progress and identify areas of difficulty for each student. This allows me to tailor my instruction accordingly.

Two, I implement group activities that foster peer-to-peer learning. By dividing the class into smaller groups, students can engage in discussions and debates, enhancing their understanding of literature while developing critical thinking skills.

This strategy ensures each student receives necessary attention without compromising on the overall teaching effectiveness.”

16. How do you handle sensitive topics covered in certain pieces of literature?

Sensitive topics in literature often spark the most thought-provoking discussions, but they can also create discomfort or controversy in the classroom. That’s why hiring committees want to know how you approach these subjects. They’re looking for evidence that you can create a safe, respectful learning environment while still encouraging intellectual exploration and critical thinking.

Example: “Sensitive topics in literature are opportunities for deep, meaningful discussions. I approach them with respect and openness, framing the conversation around understanding different perspectives.

I ensure students feel comfortable expressing their views by establishing a safe, respectful classroom environment. Ground rules for discussion are set early on, emphasizing empathy, active listening, and critical thinking.

It’s also important to provide historical or cultural context where necessary. This helps students understand why certain themes may be controversial, but still significant in literary works.

Lastly, I encourage reflective writing after such discussions, allowing students to process their thoughts individually.”

17. Share a time when you motivated a disinterested student to actively participate in literature studies.

Engaging students is a critical aspect of being a literature professor. Not all students come in with a passion for literature, and they may find the subject dry or uninteresting. It’s your job as a professor to ignite a spark of curiosity and interest in these students. Your ability to motivate and inspire even the most disinterested students is a key factor in your effectiveness as an educator.

Example: “In one instance, I had a student who was disinterested in literature. To engage him, I decided to tap into his love for sports. I assigned the class “The Art of Fielding,” a novel that uses baseball as a backdrop for exploring deeper themes.

This sparked his interest and he started participating actively in discussions. He began drawing parallels between the book’s characters and real-life athletes. This approach not only made literature more relatable for him but also enriched our classroom debates with unique perspectives.

Motivating students often involves finding intersections between their interests and course material. It’s about making learning relevant and exciting for them.”

18. How do you stay updated about recent literary works and incorporate them into your syllabus?

To be truly effective as a literature professor, you must demonstrate an ongoing engagement with new and emerging works in your field. This shows that you’re not just relying on established classics, but actively seeking out new voices and perspectives to bring to your classroom. This also indicates your ability to connect contemporary literature to historical texts, creating a dynamic and comprehensive view of the subject for your students.

Example: “Staying updated with recent literary works is a combination of personal interest and professional necessity. I regularly read reviews in publications like The New York Times Book Review, The Guardian’s book section, and literary magazines such as The Paris Review.

Incorporating these works into my syllabus involves careful consideration of their relevance to the course objectives and how they can enrich students’ understanding of literature. I also ensure that there’s room for student input, as this often brings fresh perspectives and contemporary works to the table.”

19. How would you address disparities in reading skills among your students?

As a literature professor, you’re not just teaching texts; you’re teaching students to engage with those texts in meaningful ways. This requires a deep understanding of reading and comprehension skills. When there are disparities in these skills among your students, it can create challenges in the classroom. That’s why hiring committees want to know how you would address this issue. They’re looking for evidence that you can adapt your teaching methods to meet the needs of all your students and ensure an inclusive, equitable learning environment.

Example: “Addressing disparities in reading skills among students requires a multifaceted approach. I would first conduct an assessment to identify the specific areas where each student needs improvement.

Next, differentiated instruction tailored to individual learning styles and capabilities is crucial. This could include visual aids for visual learners or discussion groups for auditory learners.

One-on-one tutoring sessions can also be beneficial for those struggling significantly. These personalized sessions allow for targeted teaching and immediate feedback.

Lastly, fostering a supportive classroom environment that encourages open communication and peer learning can help build confidence and improve overall reading skills.”

20. Describe your approach to mentoring students interested in pursuing higher education in literature.

As a professor, one of your key roles is to guide students through their academic journey. When it comes to students interested in pursuing higher education in literature, they’ll need a mentor who can provide them with the necessary guidance and advice. By asking this question, hiring committees are keen on understanding your mentoring style, your commitment to fostering student growth, and your ability to inspire and nurture a love for literature in your students.

Example: “Mentoring students in literature involves fostering a deep appreciation for the subject while also developing their critical thinking skills. I believe in encouraging independent thought and promoting active engagement with texts.

My approach is to provide guidance on how to critically analyze literature, focusing on themes, character development, narrative techniques, and historical context.

I would also expose them to a diverse range of literary works to broaden their understanding and perspective. In addition, I would help them build strong writing skills, crucial for articulating their thoughts effectively.

Overall, my goal is to inspire curiosity and a lifelong love for literature that will serve them well in higher education and beyond.”

21. How do you navigate discussions around controversial authors or themes in literature?

Teaching literature isn’t simply about sharing knowledge of books and authors. It’s also about fostering critical thinking and open discussions among students. Professors often have to address sensitive or controversial themes and authors, and your ability to handle these situations with tact, respect, and empathy is essential. It’s not just about what you teach, but how you teach it, and your ability to create a safe and inclusive environment for all students.

Example: “When discussing controversial authors or themes, I believe in fostering an open and respectful dialogue. It’s crucial to acknowledge the controversy without endorsing or condemning it outright.

I encourage students to critically analyze the work, considering its historical context and societal impact. This allows them to form their own opinions based on informed understanding rather than personal bias.

In addition, I emphasize the importance of empathy and respect for differing viewpoints. Literature often serves as a mirror to society’s complexities, and approaching these discussions with maturity is key to intellectual growth.”

22. What has been your biggest challenge in aligning your teaching style with institutional guidelines?

Universities and colleges are looking for faculty who can fit into their educational culture and philosophy. They want to ensure that you can maintain your unique teaching style while still adhering to the established curriculum and guidelines. This question allows them to assess your adaptability, problem-solving skills, and commitment to institutional values.

Example: “One significant challenge has been balancing the need for creativity and critical thinking in literature studies with the standardized testing focus of many institutions. I believe that a deep understanding of literature goes beyond rote memorization of facts and figures. However, institutional guidelines often emphasize measurable outcomes.

To address this, I’ve incorporated creative assessments alongside traditional ones to foster students’ analytical skills while meeting institutional requirements. This approach ensures both compliance with guidelines and the cultivation of an enriching learning environment.”

23. How have you integrated multicultural literature into your curriculum to promote diversity and inclusion?

It’s important for professors to demonstrate their commitment to diversity and inclusion, especially in a field like literature that’s often criticized for being too Eurocentric. By asking this question, hiring committees are looking for evidence that you’ve thought critically about the authors and texts you’ve chosen to teach, and that you’re actively working to create an inclusive classroom where all students can see themselves in the material.

Example: “Incorporating multicultural literature into my curriculum is a priority. I select texts from diverse authors, representing different cultures and experiences. This exposes students to varied perspectives and promotes empathy.

I also incorporate discussions on cultural context in our analysis of these works. Students are encouraged to share their own cultural insights, fostering an inclusive environment.

Moreover, assignments often involve research on the cultural background of the authors or characters. This deepens understanding and appreciation for diversity.

By integrating multicultural literature, we not only diversify our reading list but also enrich classroom dialogue and learning experience.”

24. Describe a situation when you had to mediate a heated class debate over a literary text.

As a literature professor, you’re expected to facilitate thoughtful and engaging discussions about complex and often contentious subjects. Your skill in navigating these situations reveals your ability to maintain a respectful, inclusive classroom environment while encouraging critical thinking. The interviewer wants to see that you can handle these situations with grace and professionalism, ensuring all students feel heard and respected.

Example: “In a senior literature class, we were discussing “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The debate became heated over the portrayal of racism and its relevance today. I encouraged students to express their viewpoints respectfully while reminding them that differing perspectives enrich our understanding.

I facilitated by directing questions back to the text for evidence-based arguments, promoting critical thinking. This approach helped maintain focus on literary analysis rather than personal opinions. It was crucial to ensure every student felt heard and valued in this discussion.”

25. What methods do you employ to encourage critical thinking in your students?

Critical thinking is the cornerstone of any successful academic pursuit. As a literature professor, your role is to guide your students in developing their own interpretations and ideas, rather than simply presenting them with facts to memorize. By asking about your methods for encouraging critical thinking, interviewers are trying to gauge your ability to inspire intellectual curiosity and independent thought in your students.

Example: “To foster critical thinking, I often employ the Socratic method. This involves asking thought-provoking questions that encourage students to delve deeper into the text and develop their own interpretations.

I also incorporate group discussions which allow students to challenge each other’s viewpoints, thereby promoting analytical skills.

Moreover, I assign essays requiring them to construct well-reasoned arguments supported by textual evidence. This not only enhances their understanding of literature but also hones their ability to think critically and independently.”

26. Share an experience where your personal bias towards a piece of literature influenced your teaching and how you handled it.

As a literature professor, it’s inevitable that your personal biases will sometimes come into play. However, it’s essential to ensure these biases don’t hinder students’ ability to form their own interpretations and perspectives. By asking this question, hiring committees want to gauge your self-awareness, integrity, and ability to provide a balanced, comprehensive view of the material, even when it challenges your own preferences or beliefs.

Example: “During my graduate studies, I was not particularly fond of “Moby Dick” due to its dense narrative. However, when teaching it, I made sure to approach the text with an open mind and highlight its literary merits.

I emphasized on themes like obsession and revenge that resonate universally. This allowed me to facilitate engaging discussions despite my personal bias. It also taught me a valuable lesson about separating personal preferences from professional responsibilities.”

27. How would you assist a student struggling with writing analytical essays on literary works?

The essence of an educator’s role is to facilitate learning and offer support to students in areas where they may struggle. This question assesses your ability to understand a student’s difficulty, provide constructive feedback, and guide them towards improvement. It also highlights your approach to teaching complex concepts like literary analysis, which is a fundamental part of the curriculum in literature.

Example: “To assist a student struggling with analytical essays, I would first ensure they understand the basic structure of an essay and how to construct a thesis statement. Then, we would focus on close reading techniques to identify key themes and literary devices in the text.

I’d encourage them to engage critically with the work, asking questions about character motivations, plot developments, and thematic implications. We’d also discuss how to effectively incorporate textual evidence into their arguments.

Finally, we would review several high-quality analytical essays together to provide concrete examples of what is expected. Through this process, the student can gain confidence in their ability to analyze literature and express their insights effectively.”

28. In what ways have you used literature to teach empathy and social awareness?

The heart of literature is the exploration of the human experience, and in turn, it offers a unique platform to foster empathy and social awareness. Interviewers want to know how you, as a literature professor, utilize this potential. They are interested in your pedagogical strategies and your ability to connect literary themes to broader societal issues. This not only reflects on your teaching prowess but also on your ability to prepare students for a culturally diverse and socially complex world.

Example: “In teaching literature, I often select texts that expose students to diverse perspectives. For instance, novels like “To Kill a Mockingbird” offer insight into racial injustice, fostering empathy for marginalized communities.

Additionally, classroom discussions are crucial. Encouraging students to express their thoughts on characters’ experiences and actions helps them understand different viewpoints. This promotes social awareness as they learn to appreciate diversity in thought and experience.

Moreover, creative assignments where students write from another character’s perspective further enhances empathetic understanding. By stepping into the shoes of others, they gain a deeper appreciation for various lived experiences.”

29. How would you prepare your students for comprehensive exams or standardized tests involving literature?

As a Literature Professor, your role extends beyond teaching texts and theories. You’re also expected to equip students with the skills they need to succeed in their academic pursuits, which often include comprehensive exams or standardized tests. Therefore, hiring committees ask this question to assess your ability to strategically plan, teach, and review material in a way that ensures students are well-prepared, and to gauge your understanding of the testing process.

Example: “To prepare students for comprehensive exams or standardized tests in literature, I would focus on three key areas: critical reading skills, analytical writing abilities, and a broad understanding of various literary genres and periods.

We would practice close readings of texts to identify themes, symbols, and character development. Students would write short essays regularly to hone their ability to construct logical arguments based on textual evidence.

I’d also ensure we cover a wide range of literature from different periods and cultures. This way, they can recognize stylistic trends and contextualize works within their historical period. Regular quizzes will reinforce knowledge and highlight areas that need further study.”

30. Share an instance when you incorporated real-world issues into your literature lessons to make them more relevant and engaging.

Hiring committees for literature professor roles are keenly interested in your ability to make classic texts relatable and relevant to today’s students. By incorporating contemporary issues into your lessons, you demonstrate that you can bridge the gap between centuries-old literature and the modern world, thus enhancing students’ understanding and appreciation of the material. This approach also shows that you can stimulate critical thinking and spark lively discussions in your classroom.

Example: “One time, I used the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” to address racial inequality. We compared the historical context of racism in the 1930s with current events, like the Black Lives Matter movement. This helped students understand that literature is not isolated from society but reflects and critiques it.

In another instance, while teaching Orwell’s “1984”, we discussed privacy issues related to modern technology. Students debated the balance between security and personal freedom, making connections to their own digital lives.

These real-world integrations made the texts more relatable and sparked engaging discussions among the students. They also fostered critical thinking about how literature can illuminate contemporary societal challenges.”

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Literature Reviews for the Health Sciences: Research Question

Introduction
Research Question
How to search
Where to search
Grey Literature in Health This link opens in a new window
Reference Management Software
Resources on Literature Reviews

The Research Question

A good research question will provide a strong foundation for any literature review and research project. It expresses the focus and purpose of the research, whilst also ensuring it is structured to avoid missing relevant studies, or collecting a biased results set.

It should be -

Focused on a single problem or issue
Researchable using primary and/or secondary sources
Feasible to answer within time and practical restrains
Specific enough to answer thoroughly
Complex enough to answer over the space of a paper or thesis
Relevant , and at least partially original, in your area of study ¹

Preliminary Searches

Before you finalise your research question you should conduct preliminary searches for literature, this is where you:

Conduct scoping searches to help refine your concepts
Check that your proposed research question hasn't already been answered
Confirm that enough literature is available in your research area
Identify additional terminology and possibly noted authors in your research area (5)

PICOT question frameworks for quantitative studies

The PICOT research question format is a helpful approach for summarizing research questions that explore the effect of therapy in health-related research

Population refers to the sample of subjects you wish to recruit for your study - consider the age, sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status etc.
Intervention refers to the treatment that will be provided to subjects enrolled in your study - therapeutic measure, medication, diagnostic test etc.
Comparison or control identifies what you plan on using as a reference group to compare with your treatment intervention. Many study designs refer to this as the control group - another intervention, placebo, standard of care, diagnostic gold standard. (Not always needed)
Outcome represents what result you plan on measuring to examine the effectiveness of your intervention - the desired outcome should be measurable
Time describes the duration for your data collection - for example "in the first 4 hours post-op" (not always needed)

PICOTT includes the elements of the PICOT research framework, but adds the types of studies that will be looked at to answer the research question, e.g. randomised controlled trials, cohort studies etc.

PICO(T) Question Templates
Types of Evidence & Databases for PICO(T) (2)

SPICE research question frameworks for qualitative evidence

SPICE can be used for quantitative studies. SPICE stands for

S etting (where?),
P erspective (for whom?),
I ntervention (what?),
C omparison (compared with what?)
E valuation (with what result?)

Sample topic: What are the coping skills of parents of children with autism undergoing behavioural therapy in schools?

S - Schools

P - Parents of children with autism

I - Behavioural therapy

C - None

E - Coping skills

PICo research question frameworks for qualitative studies

PICo is a modified version of PICO(T) used for qualitative research questions

Population - what are the characteristics of the patient or population? What is the condition or disease you are interested in?
Interest - what is the phenomena of interest? A defined event, activity, experience or process?
Context - what is the setting or distinct characteristics?

Example PICo question:

What are caregivers' experiences with providing home-based care to patients with HIV/AIDS in Africa?

P - Caregivers providing home-based care to persons with HIV/AIDS

I - Experiences

Co - Africa

SPIDER research question frameworks for qualitative and mixed methods evidence

The SPIDER framework is an alternative search strategy tool (based on PICo) for qualitative/mixed methods research.

Sample - who is the sample or population of interest?
Phenomenon of Interest - what is the phenomena of interest? A defined event, activity, experience or process?
Design - what types of study methods are you interested in?
Evaluation - what are the evaluation outcomes? (May be subjective - opinions, feelings etc.)
Research type - what type of research are you interested in? Qualitative or mixed method (qualitative & quantitative)?

Sample topic: What are the experiences of women undergoing IVF treatment?

S - Women

PI - IVF treatment

D - Questionnaire or survey or interview

E - Experiences or views or attitudes or feelings

R - Qualitative or mixed method

This framework is useful for questions relating to health policy and management issues. Expectation encourages reflection on what the information is needed for, i.e. improvement, innovation or information. Impact looks at what you would like to achieve e.g. improve team communication (3)

Expectation - what does the search requester want the information for
Client group
Location
Impact - what is the change in the service, if any, which is being looked for? What would constitute success? How is this being measured?
Professional involved
Service - for which service are you looking for information? For example, outpatient services, nurse-led clinics, intermediate care

Create a research question using PICO(T)

(1) Scribbr, https://www.scribbr.com/research-process/research-questions/

(2) Melknyl B, & Fineout-Overholt E, (2010) Evidence-based practise in nursing and healthcare New York, LippincottWilliams and wilkins

Curtin University Libguide - Systematic Reviews in the Health Sciences

(3) Wildridge, V. and Bell, L. (2002), How CLIP became ECLIPSE: a mnemonic to assist in searching for health policy/management information. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 19: 113-115. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1471-1842.2002.00378.x

(4) Brown P, Brunnhuber K, Chalkidou K, Chalmers I, Clarke M, Fenton M et al. How to formulate research recommendations BMJ 2006; 333 :804 doi:10.1136/bmj.38987.492014.94

(5) USA subject Guide: Systematic Reviews https://guides.library.unisa.edu.au/SystematicReviews

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Last Updated: Mar 15, 2024 1:31 PM
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Literature Review for the Type of Interview in Qualitative Research
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10. Will my literature review reflect a report that is created after a through critical analysis of the literature? An excellent literature review must be structured, logical, and coherent. It is a great opportunity to demonstrate that you have critically analyzed and understood the relevant body of literature underpinning your research.
68 Literature Review Interview Questions Answers
Question 8. Literature Interview Tips (English) ... If you don't know where to start, review our suggested reading list below. Demonstrate your subject knowledge about and passion for English The key to answering these questions is to always demonstrate your thought process aloud. The interviewer does not expect you to be able to answer every ...
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Examples of literature reviews. Step 1 - Search for relevant literature. Step 2 - Evaluate and select sources. Step 3 - Identify themes, debates, and gaps. Step 4 - Outline your literature review's structure. Step 5 - Write your literature review.
Top 20 Literature Interview Questions & Answers
Top 20 Literature Interview Questions & Answers. Master your responses to Literature related interview questions with our example questions and answers. Boost your chances of landing the job by learning how to effectively communicate your Literature capabilities. Literature is a fascinating field that encompasses the study of written works ...
Chapter 9. Reviewing the Literature
A literature review is a comprehensive summary of previous research on a topic. It includes both articles and books—and in some cases reports—relevant to a particular area of research. Ideally, one's research question follows from the reading of what has already been produced. For example, you are interested in studying sports injuries ...
Conducting a Literature Review: Research Question
A good research question is manageable in scope - not too broad, but not too narrow. If your topic is too broad, you may become overwhelmed with the amount of information and find it difficult to organize your ideas. If your topic is too narrow, you may not be able to find enough information to include in your literature review.
Writing a Literature Review
A literature review is a document or section of a document that collects key sources on a topic and discusses those sources in conversation with each other (also called synthesis).The lit review is an important genre in many disciplines, not just literature (i.e., the study of works of literature such as novels and plays).
Research Guides: Literature Reviews: The Research Question
When determining your research question, one method is to start with a topic and work through these questions: 1. What do you want to know about this topic? Example: "I want to research the effects of high educational costs". 2. What population or context do you want to study? Example: "I want to focus on college students". 3. What ...
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A literature or narrative review is a comprehensive review and analysis of the published literature on a specific topic or research question. The literature that is reviewed contains: books, articles, academic articles, conference proceedings, association papers, and dissertations. It contains the most pertinent studies and points to important ...
Guides: Literature Reviews: Developing a Research Question
The Research Question pinpoints the focus of the review. Your first step involves choosing, exploring, and focusing a topic. At this stage you might discover that you need to tweak your topic or the scope of your research as you learn more about the topic in the literature. THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND:
(PDF) How to phrase critical realist interview questions in applied
Literature review: Interview questions in social realist studies. Figures - available via license: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Content may be subject to copyright.
1. Identify the Question
Refine by Narrowing (Once you begin to understand the topic and the issues surrounding it, you can start to narrow your topic and develop a research question. Do this by asking the 6 journalistic question words. Ask yourself these 6 questions . These 6 journalistic question words can help you narrow your focus from a broad topic to a specific ...
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The tenets of critical and social realism are well supported in the literature. However, researchers following a realist paradigm have concerns about the lack of methodical guidance for qualitative interviewing, despite their affirmation about the importance of in-depth interviews. A conducted review of empirical realist literature provides ...
how to connect interview questions with literature review
how to connect interview questions with literature review
Developing a Question
Step 2: Develop a Searchable Question. When developing a searchable question, it helps to identify the key concepts of your research proposal. A clear and precise search question can be used to develop search terms during the literature searching process. There are a number of frameworks available to use to help you break your question into its ...
30 Literature Professor Interview Questions and Answers
17. Share a time when you motivated a disinterested student to actively participate in literature studies. Engaging students is a critical aspect of being a literature professor. Not all students come in with a passion for literature, and they may find the subject dry or uninteresting.
Literature Reviews for the Health Sciences: Research Question
A good research question will provide a strong foundation for any literature review and research project. It expresses the focus and purpose of the research, whilst also ensuring it is structured to avoid missing relevant studies, or collecting a biased results set. ... Questionnaire or survey or interview. E - Experiences or views or attitudes ...
(PDF) Interviews: Literature Review
Midterm Paper. Literature Review on Interviews as a Qualitative Method in. Ethnographic Studies. Introduction. The meaning of the word "interview" in its core is "to. question or talk with ...
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Treat the interview as a conversation rather than forcing a question-answer format throughout. Indeed, not everything you say has to be a question ("Tell me about that"); nor do all your questions have to be too specific. This restraint helps avoid introducing bias into questions or asking leading questions . Try asking something like "So ...
PDF Literature Review of Interview/Re-Interview Protocol
To this end, this literature review offers a full understanding of interview. research methods, particularly in light of how they may be useful to interviewing. processes seeking information from migrant communities. Specifically, this literature review (in line with considerations outlined by.
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1. Tell me about yourself. This warm-up question is your chance to make an impactful first impression. Be prepared to describe yourself in a few sentences. You can mention: Your past experiences and how they relate to the current job. How your most recent job is tied to this new opportunity. Two of your strengths.
(PDF) A Critical Review of Qualitative Interviews
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interview or survey designs; offers specific design considerations, especially in. consideration with the survey design considerations presented in the Survey Methods. literature review; examines steps to help make interview/re-interview designs as fruitful. as possible, especially in consideration of interviewer effect; and explores inter-rater.

Top 10 Questions for a Complete Literature Review