EXPLORING THE LITERATURE REVIEW GENRE; or, The Best of Your Answers, With Modifications

The answers generated this time on your own—before my own comments were added—were richer than last time, and potentially more useful to people writing in this genre (literature review) for the first time, people like you! When you use this to evaluate your own work, you'll need to change and add to some of the questions here. For example, for all the points under, "WHAT DOES THE WRITER WANT TO ACCOMPLISH?" you need to ask yourself, "Do I accomplish this?" and "How did I accomplish it?"

Some of the answers were still bogged down in the details of individual literature reviews, rather than commenting on the genre as a whole. Think about it this way. If someone asked you, “What is a movie?” and you described ONLY one movie, you would be omitting all the other things that movies can be; if the person asking you wanted to try to make a movie based on those answers, they would be severely limited and would end up reproducing the one movie you described instead of making a brand new movie.

That’s why you need to think of general, shared details. The writer can supply his or her own details. Now, on to the Field, Mode, and Tenor of Literature Reviews.
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HOW ARE LITERATURE REVIEWS STRUCTURED?
1) Introduction, stating the specific question that the three sources being covered are meant to answer.
2) Summary of 1st source (1-2 paragraphs)
3) Brief evaluation of 1st source (1 paragraph)
4) REPEAT FOR SUBSEQUENT SOURCES
5) Conclusion, evaluating all sources collectively

WHO IS GETTING NEW INFORMATION?
The author, the instructor
People who MAY BE familiar with the topic, but have not read these three sources yet
People who MAY NOT BE familiar with the topic

WHO IS INVOLVED BUT NOT MENTIONED?
Readers and writers
The people who will read stuff written by the reader that’s based on the sources you reviewed

WHAT DOES THE WRITER WANT TO ACCOMPLISH?
Inform readers about useful and/or useless sources related to the topic
Inform readers about new views on the topic
Inform readers about important writers on the topic
Persuade readers that these sources are useful/useless
Show readers that s/he is connected to important sources and writers related to the topic
Show readers that s/he can analyze and critique complicated material
Get an A

HOW DOES IT CONVINCE TARGET READERS?
It depends on the topic and target readers/audiences

WHAT MEDIA ARE USED?
You’ll be using web pages, but print is often used, too. Writing is the PRIMARY medium; other media (images, audio/video, etc.) may be used, but minimally.

WHAT’S THE GENRE CALLED?
Literature review

HOW LONG ARE PARAGRAPHS IN THIS GENRE?
Generally 6-8 sentences, sometimes slightly more or less

WHAT KIND OF VOCABULARY IS EMPLOYED?
It depends on the target audience. If they are knowledgeable (for example, colleagues in a field), more specialized to the topic/field; if it’s one that isn’t very familiar, specialized vocabulary with explanations using general vocabulary.

IS THE AUDIENCE LIBERAL OR CONSERVATIVE?
It depends on the audience; sometimes politics won’t matter. You do, however, ALWAYS have to be aware of what the audience believes/doesn’t believe and what they value/don’t value about the topic. Based on that, you’ll know how hard they have to work to put their opinion across—and if the audience can be persuaded or not.

WHO WOULD BE THE MOST INTERESTED?
People who will DO SOMETHING with the literature review
People who already have certain knowledge about the subject
People who are inclined toward interest in the subject

WHAT WILL THE READER DO (not think) WITH IT AFTER READING?
Find and read/watch/listen to those sources themselves (or avoid them and look for others)
Make reading suggestions to someone else
Write something based on those sources

IS THE TONE RESPECTFUL?
Yes. Criticisms are specific and directed at the source, not at the writer or anything/anyone else beyond the review itself.

IS THERE EMOTIONAL CONTENT?
No.

WHAT KINDS OF SOURCES ARE REVIEWED IN LITERATURE REVIEWS?
Materials that would be complex enough to be useful for ACADEMIC or PROFESSIONAL readers
Sources that are at least 2000 words long