Wondering how to bring some of those texts you are reading together? Working with literatures always requires you to summarise, then compare and contrast various aspects of a text. This is a little exercise I often ask people to do right at the start of the PhD. It offers a way to practice a systematic comparison of texts.
http://www.slideshare.net/patthomson/working-the-literatures-compare-and-contrast
It’s best to save this kind of very detailed exercise for the texts you want to work most closely with, but reduced versions of this exercise are a helpful way to get your head around a chunk of material you want to interrogate.
patter 
Reblogged this on Observations of a tired sOul. and commented:
Thinking of starting a PhD. Read this, it shall help.
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Great advice! Will use this for my next lit review.
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[…] Source: starting the phd – comparing and contrasting papers […]
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[…] comparing and contrasting papers […]
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This is very helpful Pat.
I was wondering whether it would be much trouble for you to post an example of how you have applied this model in comparing and contrasting papers you have read? Having a concrete sense of how you use this approach would be wonderful to see.
Many thanks for your efforts with the blog Pat.
Regards,
Damien.
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