Thesis and Dissertation Writing in a Second Language: a handbook for Supervisors

Reading, summarizing and critiquing previous
studies
Seliger and Shohamy (1989) provide a useful discussion of points to consider
in reading, summarizing and critiquing previous research. While not all of
the points they make are applicable to all published research, they do provide
a helpful starting point for students who are new to this kind of task. The sec-
tion that follows is based on their advice.
When students are reading previous research on their topic, it is important
for them to identify the research problem and to think about how the research
relates to their own research. They also need to look for the argument in the
report that explains why it was important to conduct the research. Published
research is also a very useful place for students to look for summaries of other
research on their topic. The task which follows focuses on each of these
aspects of previous research.
Writing the background chapters
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