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Dissertation Made Easy –12– When Enough is Enough For Your Lit Review

If you follow my advice, you’ve been working on your lit review way before you completed your coursework. Now that it’s crunch time the question many students have is how long should the lit review be? Most schools don’t have a limit. If there is a limitation set, it would be on the minimum number of pages that it should be. No worries! By the time you complete a thorough review of the literature, you will have left the minimum behind. Now here are my tips for knowing when:

  1. Look for information that supports what you want to study, but does not mean you exclude what disputes your point. You want to know what research has been done on this topic because it not only helps you see what’s out there and where you want your research to fit in- It also gives you’re your reader some background so they get your study and findings.
  2. As you begin your research it’s good to focus on the most recent AND most relevant. This means that even if you are focusing on research from the past 10 years, you are still looking at significant literature from as far back as it exists. For example: You can’t do a lit review about psychoanalysis without including Freud.
  3. When you start the search, yes you are looking for everything. But as you go along, you will start noticing that some things are being repeated. Yes that tells you that this is something to think about, but it also screams enough. If you are going to the library and everything you find you’ve already read, you’ve done an exhaustive search. It’s time to move forward.
  4. Some studies do cover more than one item, and not all of them will pertain to your research. Learn to discriminate. Just because you had to read all 30 pages of the article doesn’t mean your readers have to know about it too. Stick with what is pertinent to your study and ditch the rest. Please don’t take this to mean not including differing view points because they do matter.

For more dissertation tips order your copy of Six Months to Doctor: How to Complete a Dissertation in Six Months today at http://LakayPublishing.com

Stay tuned to my websites for more tips… www.DrJudiC.com.  Feel free to ask questions.

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  • Dr. Judi Cinéas

  • Dr. Judi Cinéas

  • I am Dr. Judi Cinéas (DrJudiC) the founder of Living The Dream, an organization providing Life Empowerment and Motivational Coaching to South Florida’s elite. With many years of experience as a psychotherapist, I use my counseling skills to help clients maximize their progress. Author of the book Six Months To Dr.: How To Complete A Dissertation In Six Months. I have also been working with doctoral candidates as to help them progress toward completing their theses and dissertations. I hold a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership and a Master of Social Work degree more than 12 years of experience working with individuals, families and organizations providing Counseling and Behavior Modification services in South Florida. After a rough start, I PHinisheD my dissertation in 6 months, and I wrote a book to show others how I did it. I even talk about the mistakes that caused my rough start so others won’t make it too. On this blog, I share some of the things I learned as well.