NTUT Writing Week 10

“Reviewing Previous Research”

Literature Review: 3 Important Functions

1. (Following Stage 1): Giving your readers background information needed to understand your study.

2. Assures your readers that you are familiar with the important research that has been carried out in your area.

3. Establish your study as one key link in a chain of research that is developing and enlarging knowledge in your field.

Citation Focus

When citing other authors, you may either focus on: 1. The information provided by that author **Called “Information Prominent” in which author’s

names and date of publication are parenthetically attached at the end of the sentence. More complete source info is listed at the end of the paper.

**An alternative type of information prominent citation uses numbers between the parentheses (instead of authors’ names and dates). The number refers to the alphabetical and numbered list or references at the end of the paper.

2. Or on the author him- or herself. As the literature review continues, the citations refer to studies more closely

related to your own. And the authors’ names are given more emphasis and are usually the subject of the sentence, followed by date or citation number.

Before Reading the Passage:

1. What are the TWO ways the writers cited other researchers? 2. What do you think determines a writer’s choice between these

two forms? 3. What determined the order of the citations in the preceding

literature review? 4. For each sentence (5 through 8) in the passage, indicate whether

the writers used information prominent or author prominent citations.

How Does Stage II Support the Background Info in Stage I?

Order of Citations

From general to specific, coupled with chronological and approaches-oriented orders.

Arrangement

Language Conventions

**Tense in Information Prominent Citations** Use PRESENT TENSE when citing scientific fact. (Some journals

adopt only this citation form to credit sources.)

**Tense in Weak Author Prominent Citations** Use PRESENT PERFECT when the focus is on the research area

of several authors.

**General Statements About the Research** The PRESENT PERFECT tense is also used in general statements

that describe the level of research activity in an area. These statements are often written without citations.

**Tense in Author Prominent Citations** The SIMPLE PAST TENSE (verb of report) is used here to report

the findings of individual studies closely related to your own.

**The progression of verb tenses in your literature review follows the progression of your citation form:

Fill in the Correct Tenses

Attitude and Tense in Reported Findings

1. When you believe the findings are fact, use the present tense in the complement verb (the verb in the part of the sentence giving the findings). (The verb of report in these three cases is always the past tense.)

2. When you believe the findings are restricted to the specific study, use the past tense in the complement verb.

2. When you believe the findings were seen by the original authors as tentative, or were only suggestions or proposals rather than findings, use tentative verbs for the verb of report, and a modal auxiliary with the complement verb.

Determining the Authors’ Attitude

Fill in Appropriate Verbs, Tenses, and modal Auxiliaries