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 Reading, skimming, using, abusing secondary sources is kind of fun. Kinky-Geeky perhaps. But fun. Think of going through these as you would your favorite novels. Enjoy them. Think about what they say and do not say.
When one has little to offer you, toss it and pick up another. My favorites while reading are pictured here: Red Kool Aid and only the real zits. Try it, and ask about my secret recipe... |
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History is complex and to master its complexity takes knowledge -- reading helps in this. It helps to know what other experts have said about your topic, how they arrived at their positions, what methods they employed, which issues were more important than others and why so, what terminology clarifies the topic etc. Of course, you cannot read all the books, but you can read enough of them. That we can. It's a process that requires daily attention. |
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Next hint: Take notes on your reading. Take full and care-full notes. Put them into a word processor. Your project will grow naturally out of these many note-files. |
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Historians often disagree. This is not a disagreeable trait. Sometimes it creates interest, tension and areas that will resonate with your readers. It does exist and needs to be addressed in the interests of fairness, open-mindedness and full explanation. |
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Why are these writers locked in mortal combat? What issues separate them? How many sides to this debate? How do you think you will deal with it? |
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Your dealing with the above questions/debates will help your thinking, and it will invite your reader to join you. |
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Lit Reviews also provide short-cuts to bring in evidence in support of your work, to describe the issues, methodologies, conclusions, results in your field. |
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And a Lit Review creates an intellectual context for your reader to get grounded, and even have a basis at hand to test your work. How many sources need to be in a Lit Review? As many as it takes to explore your topic and its experts. It takes at least three sources to begin creating a spectrum (e.g., our color spectrum has _______ colors? |
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It is usually a good test of writers, books, articles: What sort of Literature Review do they provide? How do they deal with Secondary Sources? Seeing how they do it will also help you.
To the Review of Lit Reviews |
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Reading, skimming, using, abusing secondary sources is kind of fun. Kinky-Geeky perhaps. But fun. Think of going through these as you would your favorite novels. Enjoy them. Think about what they say and do not say. 
