In past semesters, the University Library, the Graduate Office, and the Writing Center have collaborated to offer a series of online workshops about literature reviews. Literature reviews are a way for writers in every discipline to synthesize their sources and show how their writing connects to existing research. Whether a literature review is meant to stand on its own or fit into a longer project like a thesis, dissertation, or article for publication, this workshop series prepares students and faculty to improve their research and writing skills. The series comprises three workshops, described below.
Contact aiwitt@iu.edu to request and schedule a series for you and your students or research partners.
Reading and Notetaking Skills—
The first workshop in our series will focus on critical reading skills and styles of notetaking that can help you to synthesize your sources and write your literature review. We will talk about minimizing the amount of time you spend revisiting your sources and show you some tips for taking useful notes that make your writing process easier.
Creating and Using Annotated Bibliographies—
The second workshop in our series will focus on writing an annotated bibliography and turning your annotations into an outline of your literature review. We’ll talk about how an annotated bibliography can help you decide which sources to use and how to structure your literature review, and overall set you up for success.
Writing and Structuring Your Literature Review—
The last workshop in our series will focus on the process of writing your literature review, with different strategies provided for every stage of the writing process. We’ll talk about how to organize your literature review, find your focus, condense your sources, and successfully revise.
