1. Developing Categories for the Literature Review and 2. Applying the Spider Diagram

We will explore some resources that are designed to help students understand the concept of a 
literature review. Please browse these resources and then complete the discussion post below.

·
the article by Debora F.B. Leite, Maria Auxiliadora Soares Padilha, Jose G. Cecatti, “Approaching Literature Review for Academic Purposes: The Literature Review Checklist.” Please use this 

pdf version

.

·
the tutorial from The University of North Carolina on writing literature reviews.  You can find this link in Content/Learning Resources for this week.

·
the tutorial from UMGC’s Effective Writing Center on writing the literature review.  You can find this link in Content/Learning Resources for this week.

Task:

After reviewing the material on writing the Literature Review posted above, please return to your annotated bibliography, or your last assignment, and begin developing “categories” to help you to organize your sources. For the literature review, you will want to collect your sources into themes, or categories. There are many ways to develop categories–thematic, schools of thought, major authors, or chronological. 

Example: Say that my topic was on 
women and humor and I wanted to develop thematic categories for my literature review. I would gather current sources from authors researching on many aspects of the topic. However, as I read them over, I might discover that several of them discuss what women’s humor consists of, while others might talk about the difference between men’s humor and women’s humor, and still others might discuss the history of women’s humor. So, I would divide them up into categories: 
defining women’s humor, 
men’s humor versus women’s humor, and 
the history of women’s humor. 

Post one category based on 
your topic below and list at least three sources that might fill that category. Remember that some sources may fall into more than one category.

Week 5, Discussion 2 — Applying the Spider Diagram

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You can use a 
spider diagram to help you to structure your discussion of sources for writing assignments #3 and #4. It can also help you to identify gaps and unanswered questions. 

A spider diagram is a visual tool usually used for planning your writing. However, you can also use it for evaluating and thinking about a topic in detail. 

To use the spider diagram, please print out your draft of your last assignment. Then place a piece of paper in front of you and complete the tasks listed below. 

For more information on the Spider Diagram, please visit the link in the Learning Resources in this week’s Content, Spider Diagrams. 

Task : 

·
Write your topic or title in the center of a piece of paper. Draw a circle around it.  

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Draw a “leg” from the central “body” of your topic towards the top right hand corner of the page. Label this “leg” with the first topic/category that you dealt with in your last assignment. 

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Add more legs moving clockwise around the page until all the sections have been included, with the final one being somewhere near the top left of the page. 

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Now divide each “leg” up into smaller “legs” with all the points that you made in each section. (Again work clockwise from the top left so that the sequence of ideas is maintained). 

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Finally, please be sure that one section is devoted to identifying any gaps or niches in the research on your topic that you’ve discovered so far. For example, a lack of longterm studies on veterans with PTSD or studies on female video game players. 

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You may have to redraw your spider diagram several times until you find a structure that works for you. However, the result should help you decide the best categories for your essay–as well as what’s missing. Please post your spider diagram below.