Writing a successful literature critique

A hallmark of excellent academic work is that any research you do must link to, and build on, the work of others. One way to ensure this, is to show you have critiqued other academic’s ideas for your literature review. This allows you to confidently argue you have fully investigated your topic and have gained an understanding of the current studies and viewpoints in your area.

Some researchers compare starting a critique to joining a conversation that is already taking place. It is like joining in a chat at a party. Those who arrived at the party earlier than you may have already begun to discuss the topic, putting forward their knowledge and perspective based on what they know, so far. There is a lot of going back and forth, as each person proposes their ideas, assess work already done by others, and add the findings from their own research. Before joining this conversation, you should skirt around the edge, ‘listen’ to what is being said, and notice on the ‘vibe’, before gently joining in.

Carlos Rote, a BSc in Data Systems student says “I learned I needed to get the ‘big picture’ first. That meant identifying the key authors who wrote the original articles in my topic area and writing-up a summary of each article. This helped me to structure my initial reflections on the ideas and concepts from the key articles I read.”

According to Ella Peterhouse, who was critiquing material for her MBA thesis on business models. “Thesis Upgrade advised me to look at literature review sections in other theses to help me increase my list of sources. I developed a deeper understanding of seminal theories and concepts as a result. When I read a useful textbook or article, I checked the authors’ list of references to identify other sources that could have been useful for me to read next.”

Once you become practiced at critiquing, you will be able to generate your own knowledge base of the extant literature. This is achieved by creating a spreadsheet that captures the principal points from each article you have read. With this knowledge base, you can edge your way into the scholarly conversation, and make a meaningful contribution to the academic discussion, relating to your thesis topic.

Like Carlos and Ella, and countless other students, you may find Thesis Upgrade’s Critiquing Your Sourced Literature useful. Buy now for immediate use.