Literature Review
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Literature Review
At the start of their project and often in synchrony with the writing of the project proposal, PhD candidates are supposed to write a literature review as introduction to and background for their own research. This review, which is based on their project description, formulates objectives of the research, discusses methodological/theoretical issues and integrates the work that they are planning to do into a larger scientific framework. It highlights theoretical background, scientific, and societal relevance of the project. Besides a written document, the review should be presented to colleagues within the research group or department to which the candidate is affiliated or in a discussion group in which the candidate participates. There is no fixed format as to what the literature review should look like. Generally, one could consider the literature review to be the first draft of the general introduction chapter of the PhD thesis.
The core objectives of writing a literature review are:
- To become proficient in the oral presentation of scientific information
- To gain experience with the use of scientific literature
- To place a specific research topic in a general context, and
- To formulate specific research questions that can advance the scientific field in general