tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post1006697888683424502..comments2024-03-08T13:21:43.158-05:00Comments on Saideman's Semi-Spew: Let Me Review the LiteratureSteve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-17367442410532621742016-04-11T21:17:59.586-04:002016-04-11T21:17:59.586-04:00I am not opposed to individuals writing lit review...I am not opposed to individuals writing lit reviews. I am opposed to individuals imposing them on others. Write whatever you want but when you want to put together a dissertation proposal, a chapter or an article, think not of reviewing the literature but think of building an argument.Steve Saidemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-87710619219244115162016-04-11T11:33:42.777-04:002016-04-11T11:33:42.777-04:00Writing a literature review is an exercise, not th...Writing a literature review is an exercise, not the game. It's necessary to do it (or at least to be able to do it), but that's not the point of the endeavor. Think of how a professional athlete does, say, wind sprints. It's not so s/he can be good at wind sprints; it's so s/he can go out and win a tennis match or basketball game. Same with literature reviews - you can't know what you're arguing until you know what has come before you. But once you're at the point where you know your argument, the piece you write has to be about your argument, not what's come before. Jeffnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-69633715940326628542011-04-11T17:34:22.467-04:002011-04-11T17:34:22.467-04:00Good question. I would say that the comprehensive...Good question. I would say that the comprehensive exam and the dissertation proposal ensures that the student has read broadly. The dissertation itself is a bad draft of a good book. Who wants to read endless pages of lit review in a good book?Steve Saidemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-66550933373645933272011-04-11T17:33:02.073-04:002011-04-11T17:33:02.073-04:00You make a great point about how easy it is to bur...You make a great point about how easy it is to bury your argument in a literature review, most people do layer it on pretty thick which is unecessary.<br /><br />However, do you not think it's useful for PhD students to do a lit review? If you're not familiar with your field it can really help to know where your work fits in to the "big picture"Benhttp://www.literaturereviewhq.com/noreply@blogger.com