Best Tips to Write a Powerful Dissertation Literature Review in Singapore

Writing a dissertation is one of the necessary requirements of academic life. As every university demands it, students from Singaporean universities are also not safe from this academic hurdle.

Completing this document is essential, but there is one crucial section, known as the literature review that cannot be taken for granted. This is the summary and synthesis of the existing research. Most top universities in Singapore require their students to apply critical thinking skills when writing this section. But it is one of the significant challenges for most students, and they face difficulties in completing it. This results in setting a negative impact as the foundation of the research.

In this blog, we will examine the process of writing a literature review tailored to the needs of Singaporean universities.

What Is Meant By Literature Review?

This section provides a comprehensive summary of the existing research, theories, and findings relevant to the dissertation topic. You read through different papers and evaluate the information to add to your work. This forms the framework for your research.

Studying and exploring the current knowledge and gaps in your area of study, the analysis of this section will justify your reviews. You state the reasons why your research is essential and then establish its importance. This lays a solid foundation and makes the references clear and relevant. At any point in the literature review writing, you can ask for help from a dissertation writing service. They are ready to resolve your concerns and queries.

The Components of the Literature Review

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The components of this section are more than the summary. They require readers to evaluate the sources critically and then align them within their research context and meaning. The key objectives include:

• Highlighting your understanding of the academic field.
• Understanding the key concepts and theories relevant to the research and topic is crucial.
• Identifying all the shortfalls of the existing research helps in revealing the unique contribution to your work.
• Defining all the concepts and the theories that will guide you through the study. They will help you develop the scope of the work, ensuring it includes all necessary points and excludes essential aspects.
• Showing the reasons that research is essential by highlighting the limitations of the previous studies. To conduct this, you need to begin by analyzing the existing research findings, and then move on to highlighting the things your research work will cover.

Approaches Used In Writing a Literature Review

A well-structured one will help in presenting the information logically and cohesively. Several approaches are used to structure this section. The most common ones include:

A Chronological Approach

Using this approach, you will organize the literature in chronological order. This includes adding from the earliest to the most recent one. You arrange the sources by publication date, showing how research on the topic has evolved.

Using these methods, you will highlight how well the work developed under a theory, technique, or perspective is essential in the reviews.

The Thematic Approach

This approach will organize the literature under a specific theme or topic. This enables the researchers to undertake a focused analysis of the particular issues. You can manage your information around specific themes or topics relevant to your research problem.

Group all the sources based on similar topics or themes, and then you can analyze and compare the perspectives of the different researchers in each area.

The Methodological Approach

If you are using this approach, you will categorize your work based on the research methodologies employed.

As the method allows you to arrange sources according to their research methodologies, it is beneficial when comparing the techniques used in previous studies or examining the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to your research question.

A Step-By-Step Guide to Writing An Effective Literature Review

A literature review is the critical analysis of the scholarly articles, books, and other relevant sources that align with your research topic, requiring the researcher’s full attention.

To write a strong review, follow these steps to remain focused throughout the process.

Step#1: Review University Expectations

Each university in Singapore has its own set of rules and regulations. You must review the expectations before beginning the writing part. Therefore, learn to:

• Consult the handbook provided by your institution.
• Go through the subject-specific guidelines for the literature review.
• Review all the past dissertations you can access and analyze them carefully. 

Even when you are looking for thesis help, you must state all the essential points instructed by your university professor.

Step#2: Begin by Defining the Research Problem and the Objectives

Before you begin writing the literature review, you need to define your research problems and objectives clearly. This will help you focus on your search and ensure that the literature you review is relevant to your study. Choosing an irrelevant topic can weaken your literature analysis. Talk about these factors:

• The time frame you will choose for the studies that align with your topic. It can be the past 5 years.
• Focus on the study as to whether you will choose regional or international.
• The type of sources you will use.
• All the specific theories or methodologies you will consider.   

Building a focus will help you identify the most relevant sources for your dissertation literature review.

Step#3: Conduct a Comprehensive Literature Search

You can conduct a thorough literature search using different databases. Use all relevant keywords and search items to identify potential sources. The success of your review depends on a comprehensive literature search.

• Visit different university libraries and local ones for the information.
• You can use scholarly journals and articles.
• Going through the local ones will further enhance the credibility of the work.

Don’t forget to include both classic works and recent ones to capture a balanced view. But you should avoid using blogs, Wikipedia, and non-peer-reviewed articles.

Source Type	Reliability Score (1–10)	Typical Usage
Peer-Reviewed Journals	10	Core theory + evidence
Academic Books	9	Background + frameworks
Government Reports	9	Statistics + policy data
Theses/Dissertations	7	Methodology + case insights
Web Articles	5	Context + supplementary info

Step#4: Evaluate and Select the Sources

You cannot consider all the sources equal. You need to evaluate the quality and the relevance of the source.

• Select only those that are credible, with recent information, and are directly linked to your research topic.
• A selection of high-quality sources ensures that your dissertation section is well-supported and sounds authoritative in your field of work.

Step#5: Organize Your Review in a Logical Way

A coherent structure is the key to a successful review. After you have selected your sources, it is time to organize them in a logical flow. The flow will be based on your chosen structure, be it chronological, thematic, or methodological.

• For the thematic analysis, you will identify the themes and group the studies by topic or theory.
• Using a chronological approach will require you to highlight the research that has evolved.

This structure will determine the flow of your writing and help readers understand how each source contributes to your topic.

Step#6: Add Your Critical Analysis

The goal of this section is to add your critical comment. Your instructor is not interested in knowing the details that they already know, but instead in your understanding after reading a particular statement. Therefore: 

• Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the study.
• Provide a comparison of the methodology they have used.
• Identify all the gaps in the literature review. This will pave the way for your work.

Step#7: Write and Revise Your Work

Now, officially begin your writing with a clear and concise introduction paragraph that outlines the purpose of the review. As you write:

• Focus on incorporating sources rather than summarizing them individually.
• Finalize and present your literature review according to the chosen structure once you have highlighted the key findings and identified all the gaps.

Conclude your work by summarizing the main points and highlighting the implications of your work. Review the language and confirm that each section aligns with your objectives. Don’t forget to ask for feedback from peers or mentors to know if the file needs any changes.

Watch Out For These Red Flags As You Write

Writing a literature review is a complex work. However, if you look for these mistakes in your written work, you can make the process easy. Avoiding such mistakes will help you write a strong and effective literature review that enhances the overall quality of the work.

• Read through your work multiple times and ensure that there is clarity, coherence, and accuracy.
• Ask peers, mentors, supervisors, or the writing centers to review your work, which leads to improved writing.
• You will get a chance to address your potential problems in your research. 
• When it comes to citation, check through the instructions from the institution.
• You can use tools for citation. This will make your work less stressful, allowing you to complete tasks on time.

FAQs

Where can we collect our information from?

Familiar sources of information include academic journals, books, conference papers, and dissertations. All these sources offer credible insights, theories, and findings that align with your research topic.

How will the historical background in the review help?

When you incorporate the historical background into the work, it demonstrates your understanding of the development of concepts.   

The Final Comment Writing a dissertation literature review is a crucial step in demonstrating the effectiveness of your research project and establishing its relevance within the academic field. You prove that you understand the norms of the field. Although the process is challenging, a structured approach will make it manageable.