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1. Introductions
2. Our story...(Show our Padlet for writing retreat)
3. Here is our Padlet - show the VWR Padlet
4. Have you used a Padlet before?
5. Let us show you how to use a Padlet?
6. Let's do it together! - show/ invite participants
7. Let's hear from you? Questions?

Tell the story of the writing retreat
online
blended situation
Collaborative learning space
Can be embedded in Moodle and other learning spaces
more interactive
Relaxed
We have used it 6 or more times
Bring some of the comments from students

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The Best of Classical Music 🎻 Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Chopin, Vivaldi 🎹 Most Famous Classic Pieces

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What is Padlet and How Does It Work? Tips & Tricks

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Padlet digitizes the notice board for a rich media space that makes education communications better

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How can I use add a video? HeLPPP!!

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I am looking for a good APA site?

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How to Write a Literature Review: 3 Minute Step-by-step Guide | Scribbr 🎓

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Padlets can be added to Moodle and other learning management systems

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Padlets can be added to Moodle and other learning management systems

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4 fantastic uses for Padlet in online teaching

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4 fantastic uses for Padlet in online teaching

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Padlet is a great tool that allows for a number of synchronous and asynchronous online teaching opportunities, here are 4 fantastic uses for Padlet as part of online teaching and learning:

1. Backchannel and Q/A space

2. Sharing resources

3. Group work

4. Introductory space / Social space

Backchannel and Q&A space

One use for a Padlet is to use it as a backchannel for a module. Share the Padlet with students and let them know it's an area for them to post ideas and questions. This can be a good alternative to using Canvas Discussions as students can post questions anonymously on Padlet which may encourage them to post more often.

You aren't limited to just using text to reply to student questions on Padlet,. You could post a video or voice recording of yourself answering the question which will allow students to feel more connected and establish more of a personal connection with you. Padlet's ability to showcase a range of posts at once on a wall also then enables students to easily see previously answered questions.

Sharing resources

You can post a wide range of multimedia to Padlet, this can make it a great area to post resources and materials from videos to images to documents to audio files. If you've got a resource you want to share with your students chances are you can post it to a Padlet wall. The added benefit is that students can also post any useful resources they come across to share them with the whole class.

Here is an example of a Padlet used as an area to collate resources.

https://uofsussex.padlet.org/tel34/padletworkshop

Group work

Do you have students working on group projects together? Then why not get them set up with their own Padlet wall (students can have their own Padlet back accounts created by TEL on request from tutors) as an area to work collaboratively. They can post messages, share resources and collaborative documents. This can then also serve as a space for them to exhibit their finished group project to tutors or other students.

Padlet can also work for more short term group work, for example if you are holding a group teaching session on Zoom and you've broken students up into breakout rooms then you could ask for each group to post their group's thoughts or notes onto Padlet, this way you capture all your students thoughts and allow them to be easily shared with other groups.

You can learn more about how others at Sussex use Padlet for group work in DIY Digital: Doing Punk Online (Lucy Robinson and Chris Warne, History) and Learning from each other's reading with group Padlet walls (Evan Hazenberg, English).

Introductory space / Social space

Padlet can also be used as a social space for your modules allowing students to connect with each other. For example at the start of a module a Padlet could be created for students and staff to introduce themselves through video, text, audio or other media. You could ask every student to create a short video recording introducing themselves, other students then have the option to reply to each other and form a social connection.

For a great example of the use of Padlet to provide a social space for students see Sussex academic Dr Rebecca Webb's ALT blog post Padlet - digital walls for sharing, learning and teaching.

Things to consider: Accessibility

Not all of the functions in Padlet are fully accessible, though this is something they are working on (see Accessibility and Padlet). When using Padlet you should consider whether you need to provide alternatives or modify the activity to allow everyone to take part. If you know that students are using screen-reading software to access internet content, or relying on keyboard input to navigate computer resources (i.e. do not use a mouse), you should consider alternate ways to include these students in the planned activity. Care should also be taken that wallpaper and colour schemes used in Padlet do not disadvantage students who are partially-sighted or have a colour vision deficiency.

You can read more about using Padlet at Sussex on the TEL website and in these previous posts about Padlet:

The Technology Enhanced Learning team (TEL) are always happy to support staff getting started with Padlet or thinking about how it might be useful for their students' learning. Contact us at tel@sussex.ac.uk.

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4 fantastic uses for Padlet in online teaching - Educational Enhancement

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Padlet is a great tool that allows for a number of synchronous and asynchronous online teaching opportunities, here are 4 fantastic uses for Padlet as part of online teaching and learning: Backchannel and Q/A space Sharing resources Group work Introductory...Read more ›

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There are advantages and disadvantages of using Padlets..

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"Great way to feel connected."
"Liked meeting other students."
"Helped to keep me on track with my writing."
"I got lots done."
"Miss the food though."

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10 easy stretches you can do at your desk

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Ed Tech

There's a good chance you've done the "write on a sticky note and put it on the wall" activity - or have seen it happen before.
Padlet lets those sticky notes have images, links and videos AND be available with practically any Internet-ready device.
It used to be blocked by my school's Internet filter. This school year, the powers that be have allowed it through on student devices, opening up lots of possibilities in class!

Padlet is a great place for gathering ideas, sharing them and modifying them later. It's like a living, breathing webpage. Users can add links, YouTube videos, files and images to Padlet notes. They can move and arrange them. A link to a Padlet can be shared and Padlets can be embedded into webpages.

Here are 20 ways to use Padlet in class:

15. Collect videos to share in class

Looking for FREE Tech Like A PIRATE resources?
You'll find a treasure trove of additional ideas and activities related to t ​ ​​​​he book at TechLikeAPirate.com!

Looking for some more ideas? These sites have them!
Do you have an idea of how you could use Padlet in class? Post it in a comment below!

For notifications of new Ditch That Textbook content and helpful links:

Are you looking for quality, meaningful professional learning that both equips and inspires teachers?

Matt provides in-person and virtual keynotes, workshops and breakout sessions that equip, inspire and encourage teachers to create change in their classrooms. Teachers leave with loads of resources. They participate. They laugh. They see tech use and teaching in a new light. Click the link below to contact us and learn how you can bring Matt to your school or district!

FREE teaching ideas and templates in your inbox every week!

Subscribe to Ditch That Textbook

©2023 Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller.

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20 useful ways to use Padlet in class now

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Padlet is a web app that lets users post notes on a digital wall. The uses for this site in the classroom are virtually endless!There's a good chance

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What is a literature review? A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research that you can later apply to your paper, thesis, or dissertation topic.

There are five key steps to writing a literature review:

1. Search for relevant literature

2. Evaluate sources

3. Identify themes, debates, and gaps

4. Outline the structure

5. Write your literature review

A good literature review doesn't just summarize sources-it analyzes, synthesizes, and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.

Tip
We've also compiled a few examples, templates, and sample outlines for you below.

What is the purpose of a literature review?

When you write a thesis, dissertation, or research paper, you will likely have to conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge. The literature review gives you a chance to:

Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and its scholarly context

Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research

Position your work in relation to other researchers and theorists

Show how your research addresses a gap or contributes to a debate

Evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge of the scholarly debates around your topic.

Writing literature reviews is a particularly important skill if you want to apply for graduate school or pursue a career in research. We've written a step-by-step guide that you can follow below.

Proofread my paper

Examples of literature reviews

Writing literature reviews can be quite challenging! A good starting point could be to look at some examples, depending on what kind of literature review you'd like to write.

You can also check out our templates with literature review examples and sample outlines at the links below.
Download Word doc Download Google doc
Step 1 - Search for relevant literature

Before you begin searching for literature, you need a clearly defined topic.

If you are writing the literature review section of a dissertation or research paper, you will search for literature related to your research problem and questions.

Literature review research question exampleWhat is the impact of social media on body image among Generation Z?

Make a list of keywords

Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research question. Include each of the key concepts or variables you're interested in, and list any synonyms and related terms. You can add to this list as you discover new keywords in the process of your literature search.

Keywords example

Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok

Body image, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health

Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth

Search for relevant sources

Use your keywords to begin searching for sources. Some useful databases to search for journals and articles include:

You can also use boolean operators to help narrow down your search.

Make sure to read the abstract to find out whether an article is relevant to your question. When you find a useful book or article, you can check the bibliography to find other relevant sources.

Step 2 - Evaluate and select sources

You likely won't be able to read absolutely everything that has been written on your topic, so it will be necessary to evaluate which sources are most relevant to your research question.

For each publication, ask yourself:

What question or problem is the author addressing?

What are the key concepts and how are they defined?

What are the key theories, models, and methods?

Does the research use established frameworks or take an innovative approach?

What are the results and conclusions of the study?

How does the publication relate to other literature in the field? Does it confirm, add to, or challenge established knowledge?

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?

Make sure the sources you use are credible, and make sure you read any landmark studies and major theories in your field of research.
Download Word doc Download Google doc
You can use our template to summarize and evaluate sources you're thinking about using. Click on either button below to download.

Take notes and cite your sources

As you read, you should also begin the writing process. Take notes that you can later incorporate into the text of your literature review.

It is important to keep track of your sources with citations to avoid plagiarism. It can be helpful to make an annotated bibliography, where you compile full citation information and write a paragraph of summary and analysis for each source. This helps you remember what you read and saves time later in the process.

Tip
You can use Scribbr's free APA citation generator or MLA citation generator to quickly create correct and consistentcitations. Want to check your literature review for plagiarism? Try Scribbr's Plagiarism Checker for students.

Step 3 - Identify themes, debates, and gaps

To begin organizing your literature review's argument and structure, be sure you understand the connections and relationships between the sources you've read. Based on your reading and notes, you can look for:

Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results): do certain approaches become more or less popular over time?

Themes: what questions or concepts recur across the literature?

Debates, conflicts and contradictions: where do sources disagree?

Pivotal publications: are there any influential theories or studies that changed the direction of the field?

Gaps: what is missing from the literature? Are there weaknesses that need to be addressed?

This step will help you work out the structure of your literature review and (if applicable) show how your own research will contribute to existing knowledge.

Example of trends and gaps
In reviewing the literature on social media and body image, you note that:

Most research has focused on young women.

There is an increasing interest in the visual aspects of social media.

But there is still a lack of robust research on highly visual platforms like Instagram and Snapchat-this is a gap that you could address in your own research.

Step 4 - Outline your literature review's structure

There are various approaches to organizing the body of a literature review. Depending on the length of your literature review, you can combine several of these strategies (for example, your overall structure might be thematic, but each theme is discussed chronologically).

Chronological

The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time. However, if you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order.

Try to analyze patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred.

Thematic

If you have found some recurring central themes, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic.

For example, if you are reviewing literature about inequalities in migrant health outcomes, key themes might include healthcare policy, language barriers, cultural attitudes, legal status, and economic access.

Methodological

If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods, you might want to compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:

Look at what results have emerged in qualitative versus quantitative research

Discuss how the topic has been approached by empirical versus theoretical scholarship

Divide the literature into sociological, historical, and cultural sources

Theoretical

A literature review is often the foundation for a theoretical framework. You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts.

You might argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach, or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.

Tip
AI tools like ChatGPT can be effectively used to brainstorm ideas and create an outline for your literature review. However, trying to pass off AI-generated text as your own work is a serious offense. This will be recognized by your university's plagiarism checker or AI detector.
Visit our AI writing resources page to learn how to use these tools responsibly.

Step 5 - Write your literature review

Like any other academic text, your literature review should have an introduction, a main body, and a conclusion. What you include in each depends on the objective of your literature review.

Introduction

The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose of the literature review.

TipIf you are writing the literature review as part of your dissertation or thesis, reiterate your central problem or research question and give a brief summary of the scholarly context. You can emphasize the timeliness of the topic ("many recent studies have focused on the problem of x") or highlight a gap in the literature ("while there has been much research on x, few researchers have taken y into consideration").

Body

Depending on the length of your literature review, you might want to divide the body into subsections. You can use a subheading for each theme, time period, or methodological approach.

As you write, you can follow these tips:

Summarize and synthesize: give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole

Analyze and interpret: don't just paraphrase other researchers-add your own interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole

Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources

Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transition words and topic sentences to draw connections, comparisons and contrasts

Conclusion

In the conclusion, you should summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance.

TipBe sure to show how your research addresses gaps and contributes new knowledge, or discuss how you have drawn on existing theories and methods to build a framework for your research.

When you've finished writing and revising your literature review, don't forget to proofread thoroughly before submitting. Not a language expert? Check out Scribbr's professional proofreading services!

Free lecture slides

This article has been adapted into lecture slides that you can use to teach your students about writing a literature review.

Scribbr slides are free to use, customize, and distribute for educational purposes.

Open Google Slides Download PowerPoint

Other interesting articles

If you want to know more about the research process, methodology, research bias, or statistics, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Frequently asked questions

What is the purpose of a literature review?

There are several reasons to conduct a literature review at the beginning of a research project:

To familiarize yourself with the current state of knowledge on your topic

To ensure that you're not just repeating what others have already done

To identify gaps in knowledge and unresolved problems that your research can address

To develop your theoretical framework and methodology

To provide an overview of the key findings and debates on the topic

Writing the literature review shows your reader how your work relates to existing research and what new insights it will contribute.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the "Cite this Scribbr article" button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

McCombes, S. (2023, September 11). How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates. Scribbr. Retrieved October 30, 2023, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/literature-review/

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How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates

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What is a literature review? A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge,

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This page provides APA information and examples for students and staff of the University of Waikato. It is designed to accompany (not replace) the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, which is available in the Library.

Need extra help with referencing? One of our friendly and knowledgable staff members can assist you, so please Contact the Library.

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2 Authors that are the same, with same date...
(Judge & Kammeyer-Mueller, 2012a)
and
(Judge & Kammeyer-Mueller, 2012b).

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Are there any copyright issues with publishing?

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New opportunities for students and LAs to collaborate!

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Module 1 (Respect for ideas) and Module 5 (Coping with assessment)  of the University of Waikato Academic Integrity modules rendered in H5P on the ATLAANZ website.

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Copyright and Trademark Infringement. Respect the copyrights and trademarks of others. If you aren’t authorized to use someone else’s copyrighted or trademarked work (either expressly or by legal exceptions and limitations like fair use), don’t. It is our policy to respond to notices of alleged copyright infringement as per our Terms of Service and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. 

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Copyright and Trademark Infringement. Respect the copyrights and trademarks of others. If you aren’t authorized to use someone else’s copyrighted or trademarked work (either expressly or by legal exceptions and limitations like fair use), don’t. It is our policy to respond to notices of alleged copyright infringement as per our Terms of Service and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. 

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