研究生学术英语翻译
4
Writing a literature review
撰写文献综述
A literature review is a very important part of the research project.It may be a self-contained review or a part of the introduction to an academic essay.In either case,its purpose is to demonstrate a clear understanding of the topic being
ly,your literature review must tell what has been done on the topic,what different scholars have said about their own research,what major findings have been published,and what controversial area exist.A good literature review can enhance the credibility of your research by indicating that your present study is based on a thorough and critical knowledge of what has been done in the field.
Before writing,to be critical,you must ask questions like these about each book or article you read:
文献综述是研究项目的一个重要组成部分。它可以是一个独立的综述或是一个学术论文引言的一部分。在每一种情况下，它的目的都是表明对所研究的课题有一个清晰的认识。即你的文献综述必须告诉大家对这一主题已经做了什么，不同的学者是怎么说自己的研究的，什么结果是已经发表的，和什么地方是有争议存在的。一个好的文献综述可以提高你的研究的可信性通过表明你目前的研究是基于在该领域已被报道的知识的全面的，批判的了解。在写作之前，关键的是，关于你读的每一本书或文章，你必须问这样的问题：
.Is the problem clearly defined?Is its significance clearly established?
.Could the problem have been approached more effectively from another perspective or an another theory?
.Is the author’s research orientation(e.g.descriptive,critical,empirical)appropriate?
.Is there a theoretical framework and is it appropriate to the
research(e.g.psychological,developmental,cognitive,feminist)?
.Has the author evaluated the literature relevant to the problem/issue?Does the author include literature taking positions she or he does not agree with?
.How reliable are the basic components of the study
design(e.g.population,variables,outcome)?How accurate and valid are the methods used?Is the analysis of the data accurate and relevant to the research question?Are the conclusions validly based upon the data and analysis?
Does the author avoid using one-sided examples,or rhetorically-charged language and tone?Is there an objective basis to the reasoning?
In what ways does this book or article contribute to your understanding of the problem under study，and in what ways is it useful for practice?What are the
strengths and limitations?
While writing your literature review,it is important for you to take the following tips: .indicate the objective of the literature review;
.search for materials relevant to the topic being investigated;
.read the materials carefully and critically before determining which literature contributes most to your topic;
.discuss the findings and conclusions of each article in a critical way;
.describe the relationship of each work to others under consideration;
.organize your review in a logical order(e.g.those in support of the topic,those against it,those offering alternatives);
.explain if possible their similarities and differences;
.Identify gaps in the literature for further study or point out what is left to explore;
.indicate the way forward for further research.
问题被明确地定义了吗？它的重要性被清楚地认识到了吗？
从另一个角度或另一个理论，可以更有效地接近这个问题吗？
作者的研究方向（e.g.分类，批判，实证）合适吗？
有一个理论框架，并适当研究吗（如，心理的、发育、认知、女权主义）？
作者评估了文献相关的问题/争论吗？作者包括文献是否有一个立场，她或他不同意某些？本研究设计的基本成分是如何可靠（例如人口、变量、结果）？方法是如何准确和有效的使用的？分析数据是否是准确的并与研究问题是相关的？根据数据分析得出的结论是有效的吗？
作者是否避免使用片面的例子，或在修辞学上可能引起激烈反应的语言和语调？是否有客观的依据？这本书或文章是以什么方式帮助你理解所研究的问题，又是以什么方式对实用有益？它的优势和局限性是什么？
在写你的文献综述时，采取以下建议是重要的：
指出文献综述的目的；
搜索已研究的与主题相关的材料；
仔细批判性地阅读材料，然后再确定哪些文献对你的主题最有益；
以批判性地讨论每一篇文章的调查结果和结论；
考虑后描述每项工作与其他工作之间的关系；
按逻辑顺序组织你的评论（哪些支持主题，哪些反对它，哪些提供替代品）；如果可能的话，解释他们的相似性和差异性；
找出文献中可进一步研究的空白，或指出进一步的探索是什么；
