Category Archives: literature mapping

literatures work – and a pair of new shoes…

Posted on September 25, 2017 by

It’s September and the Autumn equinox. To mark the occasion, I took my new pair of lace-up boots out of their box and gave them their first wearing/airing. Now anyone who knows me knows that I always have a pair … Continue reading →

Posted in literature mapping, literature review, literature reviews, mapping, reading, scan-reading, scoping, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

working with literatures? take a hands on hips stance

Posted on August 31, 2017 by

Hand on hips. That’s the stance to take with literatures work. Hands on hips is a metaphor. Think about times when you have put your hands on your hips, stood back and looked at something. Your gaze is not neutral … Continue reading →

Posted in hands on hips, literature mapping, literature review, literature reviews, literature themes | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

dealing with the space between literatures

Posted on May 26, 2016 by

Jackie Barker is a second year PhD student at the University of the West of England (UWE). Her research is on patient and public involvement (PPI) in a health network. She tweets as @opsologist or you can find her on … Continue reading →

Posted in literature mapping, literature review, literature themes | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

working with literatures #phdknowhow

Posted on August 21, 2015 by

It’s the time of year when many doctoral researchers are either just starting their PhDs, or starting to write their texts. Here are some things to remember when approaching the task of working with literatures. Rather than literature work being … Continue reading →

Posted in laundry, list, literature mapping, literature review, literature themes, PhD | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

I can’t find anything written on my topic… really?

Posted on April 6, 2015 by

Sometimes people tell me that they can’t find any literature that is relevant to their research. They are doing something that nobody else has researched and written about and so there isn’t anything to read. What, they ask, can they … Continue reading →

Posted in focusing in, literature mapping, literature review, no literatures | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

working with literatures – love the uncertainty

Posted on July 1, 2013 by

I am frequently asked by doctoral researchers about reviewing literatures. As they talk, I often get a strong sense that their questions are accompanied by feelings of inadequacy.My guess is that they feel they ought to have more of a … Continue reading →

Posted in doctoral research, literature mapping, literature review, literature themes, metaphor, uncertainty, wonder | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

not all literature ‘reviews’ are the same

Posted on May 23, 2013 by

I was trying to explain to a doctoral researcher the other day that the literature work that you do at the beginning of the doctorate is not the same as the literature work for the actual, final thesis that is … Continue reading →

Posted in literature mapping, literature review, literature themes, systematic review, traditional review | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments