This week’s theory class mainly focused on how to write a literature review and how to use academic writing properly. We first learned what a literature review actually is — it is not just a summary of sources, but a critical and structured overview of existing research that helps us understand the current knowledge in a field and identify possible gaps for our own project . Through this, I realised that the literature review is an important foundation for the whole thesis, because it shows both our understanding of the topic and how our work connects to other research.
We also learned how to structure a literature review. A useful idea introduced in class is the “funnel approach”, which means starting from a broad background and gradually narrowing down to specific studies that are directly related to our topic . This helped me understand how to organise research more logically instead of just listing sources. In addition, we discussed how to identify themes, patterns, and gaps between different authors, rather than treating each source separately. This made me realise that writing a literature review is more about analysing relationships between studies instead of simply describing them.
Another important part of this week was academic writing conventions. We were introduced to formal writing rules, such as avoiding personal language, using objective tone, and referencing sources properly using systems like Harvard referencing . I also learned that academic writing needs to be precise and concise, avoiding vague or informal expressions. This is quite different from the way I usually write, so it will take some practice.
Overall, this week helped me understand that writing a literature review is not just about collecting information, but about organising, analysing, and presenting research in a clear and academic way. It also made me realise that I need to start thinking more critically about sources and improve my academic writing style for my future project.