I am stuck doing a literature review for a phd proposal, any advice on where to start?

Question

The subject matter will involve philosophy, anthropology and psychiatry

Answer 1

Without knowing exactly what you're doing, it's hard to give advice, but given what little you've provided, here's a thought:

Since you're working with material from three different disciplines in support of your central thesis, you will probably want to write chronologicallly within each category.

Your lit review can be separated into sections, with a possible fourth section devoted to more contemporary works that tend to be more interdisciplinary.

So begin by listing all your sources on 4 different documents (philosophy, anthro, psychiatry, and interdisciplinary) in chronological order, and then write a summary of each, giving special attention to the specific way each work bears directly on your thesis.

When you've finished each section, combine them into one document, and smooth out transitions. You'll probably want to pay special attention to possible repetitions and places where the works speak across disciplines. Add some commentary in your fourth section to address these issues.

Good luck! (The lit review is the "grunt work" part of your proposal, but doing that hard work now will make it easier to just plop into your dissertation later.)

Oh, and don't forget to talk to your advisor about this plan. Being more familiar with your thesis, he or she may have some better insights.

Answer 2

Start with the papers that you already quote. Look at the papers they mention in their literature reviews.

You can also go to the library & look at the dissertations of other people who have received PhDs in your department. See what they did for a literature review.

As for searching for articles to include -- most academic journals are on-line now. This greatly reduces the time needed to search . For example, if there is an article that you reference, you should be able to find all journal articles that also reference that work.

Don't be afraid to ask your advisor for help -- that is why he is there (though he thinks he is there to do his own research).

Answer 3

The literature review is just like a book report about what some aspect of your thesis. Someone has probably written about some aspect of what you are writing about. The research can support why you want to research that particular topic.