• First, let’s talk about some of your introductions from last time:– What did you think was good about it?– What did you think was poor about it?

• What criteria are you using?

Literature Review

The purpose of discussing the relevant literature is to reveal that you understand and are aware of what has been done previously, motivate the importance of your question, legitimize your approach, and to give context for your work, especially your results.

Citations are evidence, but not without context. Never just list what has been done. Provide a short reason why you mention an article. Indicate what is missing from the body of literature, and how you will contribute.

What you can learn if you read extensively:• Distinguish what has been done fromwhat still

needs to be done;• Discover important approaches and variables

relevant to your topic;• Synthesize and gain new perspectives;• Identify relationships between ideas and

practice;• Rationalize the significance of the problem;• Acquire and enhance your knowledge of the

vocabulary of your problem;

What you can learn (continued):• What is the “structure” of your problem;• Related theories and ideas for applications;• Main methodologies and research techniques

that have been used;• The historical context of the problem,

approach and subject;• State-of-the-art developments;• Learning generally what is good economics;• Learning generally what is good writing;• New ideas and topics to pursue.

What you should discuss in the lit review:• Descriptions of previous work on the topic;– Identifying leading concepts and definitions.– Standard assumptions used while approaching the

topic and issues;– Theories underlying the problem;– Methods and approaches commonly used;– Common results and conclusions.

• Criticisms of previous work, including your own.• Important questions not yet addressed, and why

they have not yet been addressed.

How to search for related literature:• Econ lit, RepEc, Google scholar• References in key articles• Consider literature from other fields in

economics that could be related– Because of topic– Because of approach

• Consider literature from other academic fields– Marketing and other business fields– Math and stats – Biology, ecology or fields related to your problem

The “formal” literature review comes in throughout the paper:

• We saw examples of it being in the introduction or as a separate section, but can also be distributed throughout the paper;

• Outlining the literature and motivating the question is often in the introduction.

• General approaches can be in the technique section, with the model, data or theory, where appropriate.

• Comparing your results to others often is in your results or implications section.

A general guide1. Work that motivates the question2. Cite seminal works first, indicating the

importance and relevance3. Do the same for other related papers,

indicating what questions remain4. Discuss approaches and methodologies used

(especially if unusual)Always be respectful of earlier work, even if you disagree with it. Assume the author will be a reviewer.

Hints:• Read much more literature than you cite– Don’t include everything you read, only the most

relevant.– But err on the side of including too much, at least in

early drafts.– At the end, discard everything that is not directly related

to your paper.– Make sure to explain how what you keep is relevant.– Help readers understand why each cite is important

• Group works, logically, and make a general point about the group, instead of discussing each alone.

• Do not be redundant, especially if spreading the discussion through different sections.