1. What structure should I follow for my essay?

It is recommendable to follow the structure below:

I Introduction II Main Body

  1. a) Method – briefly present the criteria used for selecting the journals & articles included in your literature review;
II. b) Analysis of the articles selected – critically discuss the content of the academic articles included in your review (in terms of purpose, context, theoretical background, method, findings and conclusions);

III. Conclusions

  1. Should I include an Index/Table of content?

No, there is no need.

  1. Is the references list included in the word count?

No, the references list is not included in the word count. Everything else however is included in the word count (including any tables, figures, graphs, endnotes, footnotes etc. you may choose to use).

  1. Can I use reference of reference (e.g. X et al., 2004 cited in Y et al., 2010)

For good academic practice, you should always consult the original source.

  1. How should I choose the time frame for my literature review? Is there a minimum number of years?

There is no set answer for this question. Literature reviews can include articles published the last 7, 10, 20 … 50 years. This is for the author to choose. For the purpose of this assignment the minimum time frame is from 2014 onwards.

  1. How should I choose the Journals to include in the literature review?

There are a few journals, particularly relevant the entrepreneurship field, recommended on the study guide. You can definitely include them in your literature review, but you can also include other journals relevant for the specific topic chosen to analyse. Please consult the ABS list for further guidance on this.

  1. How many journals should I include in my literature review? Is there a minimum number?

This is a decision the author of the study should make. What is important is to justify your choice appropriately. There is no perfect number as such, but for the purpose of this assignment the minimum number of journals to include in your literature review is 2 journals.

  1. How should I choose the articles from these journals?

Simple! You need to search using keywords appropriate for your topic and specify these keywords in your method section (see Q19 for further information).

  1. How many articles should I include in my literature review?

There is no straight forward answer for this question, I’m afraid. This is part of your assignment. It depends on your choice of topic, journals and time frame.

  1. Can I use references published before the time frame chosen for my literature review?

Yes, of course you can, particularly if they are seminal papers which contribute substantially to the development of the field. However, it would be advisable to use them to support your arguments, in the introduction and/or conclusion, as opposed to directly form part of your literature review.

  1. Am I allowed to change the title?

Yes, of course you are. The only things you need to ensure is that your title is included under the broader umbrella of the topic selected and that you clearly specify at the beginning of your essay which of these 2 topics you address in your essay.

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  1. Can I choose to focus on a subtopic of the broad topics presented?

Yes, you are allowed to do this. You first need to clarify (either by using a definition or classification) that the subtopic chosen is included under the broader umbrella of 1 of the 2 topics on your coursework.

  1. If the coursework I chose says “write on topic A AND/OR topic B” is it ok to focus on only topic A or only topic B?

Yes, this is perfectly fine.

  1. Do I need to collect any empirical (e.g. survey, interview data for this course work)?

No, there is no need for you to collect any empirical data for this coursework. You only need to conduct a content analysis of the articles selected clearly demonstrating integration and synthesis capacity.

  1. Do I need to discuss any case studies?

You are allowed to do so, (for example in the introduction), but you are not required to do so.

  1. Should I provide tables, graphs or models?

You do not necessarily have to, but you are encouraged to do so if they are the result of your own analysis of the relevant literature.

  1. What should I write in the conclusions?

In the conclusions it is recommendable to provide an outline of the main findings of your literature review. You also need to include the limitations of the study, recommendations for entrepreneurs and future research directions clearly deriving from your study.

  1. Should my literature review be as elaborated (and long) as the systematic literature reviews published in ABS 3 and 4 grade journals?

Given the word limit and the time frame for this course work, you are not expected to develop such elaborated (and long) reviews.

  1. How do I search for the journals?

You can choose which journals to search from by selecting them from the ABS list, uploaded in the MG5592/MG5801 Blackboard Learn.