TASK:
The main theme for the literature review is: Continuity and change in the relationship between media and politics.
Students should create their own research question under this general heading.
The literature review should be 2-3 pages and have a short introduction defining the theme, before reviewing the literature. Include a full reference list after the review.
WHAT IS A LITERATURE REVIEW
A literature review is the part in books, articles and these where you connect a specific theme with a more general body of academic research. The literature review is not a place for original ideas, the main task is to be able to read and elicit relevant points from what others have written. The literature review should show that you have read and have a grasp of some key research contributions concerning a particular topic in your field.
Study the literature section in books and articles to get to know the conventions and genre for how to write academic literature reviews. Write as if the 2-3 pages were part of an academic article. You can see an example of a short literature review in an academic article here, pages 747-748.
You may also study general guidelines and advice about the genre, such as the following sources:
- Nygaard, L (2017) Writing Your Master’s thesis (see ch 2 and 8; specifically about literature review pages 110-114).
- Everett, E.L og Furseth, I (2012) Masteroppgaven – hvordan begynne og fullføre (see ch 6 and 7).
EXPECTATIONS:
You are expected to use the course syllabus to get an overview over the topic. Both BA- and MA-students are expected to refer to course literature. You can also include other literature (books and/or academic articles) if you wish.
For example: Use the main book (Street: Mass Media, Politics, and Democracy,) to identify some original sources, find them in the library and refer to them as original sources in the literature review. Use the other three books (Enli, Milan, Syvertsen) in the same way, or refer to them as original sources.
Refer to at least 3 different sources (books or academic articles).
Important evaluation criteria are whether the review is well organized, a specific research question is formulated, the review refers to relevant literature in a systematic way and all the formalities are in place (correct citations, length, number of sources etc.).
We recommend writing in English, but students can also write in Scandinavian languages (Nordic media students must use English).
PRACTICAL
Your submission should be 2-3 standard pages long. Use Times New Roman, Times or Calibri, 12pt, 1.5 line spacing. The page count does not include bibliography.
Include the full references to the literature after the review, using a designated reference style. For a description of styles, see
https://www.ub.uio.no/skrive-publisere/referere/fag/hum-sam.html
https://www.ub.uio.no/english/writing-publishing/referencing/index.html
MORE INFORMATION
We will discuss the literature review in lectures and seminars, starting in the introductory lecture 24.8.
There will also be an opportunity for individual supervision to discuss your review. So far, we have set aside time slots on the 14.9 and 21.9 in the afternoon for supervision in connection with the literature review. An online booking system will be set up where you can book a time slot.
There will be no seminar on the 28.9 but we will be available in our offices in the department during the lecture time so come by if you have a question or problem.
In the meeting with the supervisor, we expect you to say a few words about the topic you have chosen and the work you have done so far (1-2 minutes) before we give you feedback and discuss the questions you may have.