Writing Your Master's Thesis - Creating a Bibliography and Writing a Literature Review

Before you even start writing your actual master's thesis, you will need to compile a bibliography of all the research sources and materials that are relevant to your thesis topic. In addition, as part of your master's thesis, you will be required to write a literature review, which may be part of your thesis proposal or even part of your thesis itself depending on the preferences and standards followed by your academic department and your faculty advisors.

Prior to embarking on either one of these very important projects, it is vital to understand the difference between a bibliography and a literature review. A bibliography is simply a list of sources that you have consulted in the course of researching your master's thesis. In this context, "consulted" is defined very broadly. It doesn't matter whether you got a lot of information from a book or just a little. It doesn't even matter whether the information that you gleaned from a particular research source never even makes it into your thesis.

Any book or article that you looked at, even briefly, in the course of conducting research for your master thesis belongs in the bibliography. It doesn't matter whether you read the whole book or just skimmed a chapter, whether an article was helpful or added nothing to your understanding of your topic. When it comes to putting together a bibliography, you must err on the side of over-inclusiveness. Note that a bibliography is not the same as a "reference page" or a "works cited page" that you might include in a run-of-the-mill term paper. A bibliography for a master's thesis should include all relevant resources that you encountered while researching your topic, whether you actually cite them or not.

A literature review on the other hand is much more selective than a bibliography and much more difficult to put together. A bibliography, essentially, is just a list of books and articles put in standard citation form. You don't need to understand or appreciate or even to have read a source in order to include it in a bibliography. A literature review, on the other hand, is a written analysis and synthesis of the research sources that are most pertinent and helpful to your master's thesis topic. In your literature review, you will not simply list sources as you do in a bibliography.

Rather, you will discuss and analyze the importance of each source to the topic that you have chosen to write about. More than that, a well-written and well-constructed literature review does not simply list important sources and discuss their contributions to the field. In writing a literature review, you should be able to draw connections between the various sources that you discuss and analyze. In other words, it is vital that you explain for your reader how the points made and theories proposed in one research source build on or add to those found in another book or article. You should be able to identify and discuss trends and commonalities that appear in the works that you discuss in a literature review, as well as note any disagreements among scholars that are exemplified in these works.

A literature review should provide a brief history of the development of scholarship and academic theories in your chosen field, with emphasis on most recent discoveries, controversies, or proposals. After reading your literature review, your faculty advisors should come away completely informed about the state of research in your field as it stands today. With this understanding, the readers of your master thesis will be prepared to ascertain what your own research and writing has added to your chosen topic and judge the value of your work in advancing scholarship in your academic field.

Mike Shane is a self-made entrepreneur, a well known writer and consultant. His area of writing includes master thesis, dissertations, articles, and books. Every year he publishes a list of master's thesis, books and dissertations.

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Should You Study For Your English Literature Masters?

If you're considering a doing an English Masters, then perhaps you've already got your reasons for studying classic books and texts. If you're not sure if you should, then here's what you should take into account.

1. Studying an English Literature Masters will give you the chance to read some of the classic authors that you either love, or haven't got round to reading yet.

2. You'll be able to read some of the most important books of all time, from some of the most iconic authors in history. You'll be reading modern classics, as well as tales written hundred of years ago.

3. By reading these books, and prose, you'll be able to have factual records of what life was like at that time. The paintings of the time, or the ruins and remains won't be able to describe what it was really like at that time. By putting feelings and events into words, there real hard evidence that this is what it was like.

4. Language has changed over the years, and by studying books and other forms of literature, you'll be able to trace the progress and see when certain words become commonplace, or stopped being used.

5. Although it's fundamentally the same, English around the world is different, and you'll be able to see how this is reflected in books and tales through the ages.

6. You'll also read modern English literature, and see if you can spot any books or authors that will last as well as the classics, such as Dickens, Chaucer and Shakespeare.

7. In days gone by, literature was the one of the main forms of entertainment and escapism. This helped to bring literature to the masses, and to make it available to all. You'll be able to learn,more about this on your course.

8. You might want to discover why you like certain authors or genres, or books from a certain time.

9. Although books are more available than ever before, and anyone can write and publish a book these days, you might want to see whether books are still relevant in the modern age, or whether the internet, games consoles or TV and film is replacing the book in terms of documenting events and providing escapism.

10. If you currently work with books or want to, then having an English Literature Masters might enhance your job prospects. Why not see if you could find a new career doing something you love, instead of doing a job that you don't like?

Now you know why you should stuffy an English Literate Masters course, isn't it time you enrolled?

If you want to study an English Literature Masters course or then you'll find that Roehampton University is the ideal place to study. Situated right in the heart of the city, Roehampgont is the ideal place if you're thinking of doing any English Literature Masters Postgraduate Courses London. Find out more online at Roehampton.ac.uk today.

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What You Need to Know About English Literature Masters Courses

The following article explains everything you need to know about studying English Literature Masters courses.

Entry Requirements

First of all, it is important to establish what the criteria for entry on to an English Literature Masters course are. Candidates will usually have attained a Bachelors degree in a related subject and depending on the institution; this may have to be at least a 2:1 or 1st class grade.

Why Choose an English Literature Masters?

The main reason why people choose to take the time to study this sort of course is to further their career. Other candidates may want to move on to further education such as pursuing a PhD. Whatever your motivation, a Masters in English Lit is one of the most desirable and respected qualifications.

All of the big graduate employers look for communication and self expression as one of the vital attributes in candidates and this is one of the main areas candidates will develop. Additional skills can be taught and learnt, but having the desire to learn cannot be taught.

Researching and processing vast amounts of information, together with the self-discipline and motivation required to complete this type of course are all qualities that will be greatly respected by employers.

What skills do I need to take an English Literature Masters?

In order to successfully participate this sort of course, prospective candidates must be able to:

o Write clearly and concisely, with accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar.

o Read large amounts of text quickly and analyse critically.

o Assess the validity and reliability of sources.

o Make logical, reasoned arguments on a consistent basis, and back up arguments with salient points and relevant facts

Where Can I Study For an English Literature Masters?

Masters courses can be studied on either a full time or part-time basis at many Universities across the U.K. Depending on your circumstances, you may want to choose a distance learning course, where you can study remotely and in your own time, or you may prefer the traditional route of studying at a university.

How Long Does an English Literature Masters Take?

If taken full time, the course will take 1 year to complete. For candidates who would prefer to take the course on a part-time basis, it will usually take between 2-3 years.

Now you know more about what studying for an English Literature Masters involves, if you're interested in furthering your career, and learning more, why not enroll on a course today?

Find out more about studying for an English Literature Masters at Roehampton University. Roehampton is a London University, and is right in the heart of the capital. If you want to study in London, why not see what Roehampton has to offer?

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Why You Should Study an English Literature Masters Course

If you're already in the process of studying an English Literature Masters Course, then you'll be well aware of the new knowledge and skills that you'll learn, and the benefits that having an MA can bring. If you're not convinced why you should study English Literature, or stay at university after you've completed your degree, then, this is what you need to know.

1. You'll have the time and inclination to be able to study the classic authors that you haven't got round to reading yet. Or, perhaps you've read few books by Shakespeare, Chaucer, Wilde, or Dickens, and want to read more, or want to know how and why these authors are still important and influential today.

2. You'll need to read the some of most important books of all time. From the works of Shakespeare and Dickens to some of the more modern classics. If reading is your thing, then surely you'll want to know more about these books and characters.

3. Because not many of us will live through times of great change, literature can prove to be a fantastic insight into what was going on at the time. What would life have been like for the average person in Victorian, or medieval England, or during the wars?

4. Perhaps you're also interested in the evolution of language, and want to discover more about how events and discoveries have affected language and literature. You're sure to learn lots about language too.

5. Maybe you're interested in books written in English from around the world. How do people in different English-speaking countries use or perceive literature, or use language in different ways?

6. Modern English literature is often not given as much importance as its predecessors. Perhaps you want to know why, or will have some ideas of your own as to which authors of today will be still be relevant in 2 or 300 years time.

7. Up until the 20th century, there was little in the form of entertainment for the average person, so reading may well have played a large part in the lives of many. Where you inspired to read because there was nothing much else to do, or because you loved the books and the characters?

8. Feminism is also an important aspect, and has been written about extensively from both sides. Maybe you want to know in much more detail how the empowerment of women and equal rights have made things better for women today.

9. Perhaps you're interested in whether books and literature still have an important role to play in the modern world. Today people can easily converse around the world, and video and TV mean that events can be seen happening almost live and in real time, and computers are widely replacing the pen and paper. Is there still a time and place for authors and publishers? Will people prefer to read fiction on their phones, or classic literature on their laptops, or will bookshops keep going?

10. Having an English Literature Masters is likely to provide you with good job prospects, as shows ability and dedication for research and learning, and the ability to work unsupervised. Why not see if you can combine your love of literature with increasing your job prospects?

Now you know more about some of the points likely to be covered, perhaps now is the time for you to study an English Literature Masters.

Find out more about studying for an English Literature Masters and other courses at Roehampton, a leading London University. Why not consider a Computing Course or an MBA if you don't fancy an English Literature Masters?

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