Some materials for conducting literature search and review

These resources are helpful in starting literature search and review:

• Critical Reading for Self-Critical Writing: Introduction to a structured approach for reviewing literature
• Critical Synopsis of a text
• Toulmin's The Uses of Argument.
• Note: The Toulmin Model asserts that a good argument (either in writing research problem, stating a claim, etc.) should have six parts:
  1. Claim: the position or claim being argued for; the conclusion of the argument.
  2. Data/Grounds: reasons or supporting evidence that bolster the claim. 
  3. Warrant: the principle, provision or chain of reasoning that connects the grounds/reason to the claim. 
  4. Backing: support, justification, and reasons to back up the warrant.
  5. Rebuttal/Reservation: Exceptions to the claim; description and rebuttal of counter-examples and counter-arguments.
  6. Qualification: specification of limits to claim, warrant and backing. The degree of conditionality asserted.
  7. The weakest part of any argument is its weakest warrant. As you can see, a warrant is the link between the data and the claim. If the warrant is not valid, the argument collapses
      
   
•  Professor Trisha Greenhalgh’s series of concise articles in the BMJ on “How to read a paper”
• A Guide to Writing theDissertation Literature Review 
• Academic Phrase Bank
• Purdue Online Writing Lab. Very good reference for APA style and general writing

•  Free online proofreading sites: 

1. Grammarly 
2. PaperRater
3. SpellCheckPlus
4. Ginger