Writing a Literature Review in the TIL- and BETA Domain

Date:

20 March & 19 June 2025

Time:

20 March: 11.00 – 17.00h | 19 June: 11.00 – 15.00h

Location:

Utrecht

Lecturer:

Prof. Karst Geurs (UTwente)

Days:

2

ECTS:

0.5 (attendance only) | 2 (attendance + passing assignment)

Course fee:

free for TRAIL/Beta/OML/ERIM members, others please contact the TRAIL office

Registration:

see below

Objectives:

To explain and support TRAIL participants how to write a literature review for a scientific journal in the TIL-domain. Day 1 can also be attended by students who do not aim to write a journal paper but intend to write a literature review chapter in their thesis.

Course description:

This course helps you to write a literature review paper. It explains types of literature reviews, the structure of literature review papers, gives tips and tricks, and discusses some example papers.

After day 1 you draft an outline of a literature review. Students attending Day 2 submit a full draft literature review paper. On day 2 we share and discuss experiences, and students present their literature review paper and others comment. Students commend on each other’s drafts. Attendance of Day 2 is for students who have submitted a draft literature review paper.

Assignment:

A draft journal paper (outline), to be finished/polished in collaboration with (daily) supervisor(s) after day 2.

Program:

20 March 2025: 11.00 – 17.00 h

11:00
Welcome, who is who? Aim course

11:15-11:45
Introduction to writing a literature review

  • Why a literature review
  • Review versus overview
  • Which added value for the reader?
  • Journal choice

11:45-12:30
Types of literature reviews

12:30 – 13:15
Lunch

13:15-14:00
General structure

  • Which parts
  • Importance of introduction
  • Comparison to previous reviews (if applicable)
  • Methodological issues
  • ‘Empty tables’

14:00–15:00
Tips and tricks

15:00-15:15
Break

15:15–16:00
Study of example papers: lessons learned

16:00–16:30
Discussion/questions, partly based on example papers

16:30–17:00
Agreements intermediate period


19 June 2025: 11:00 – 15:00h 

11:00-12:30
Presentations of papers plus discussion/feedback. Lessons learned by writing, reading, giving and receiving feedback.
Focus on Scope, Added value and Search strategy

12:30-13:15
Lunch

13:15-14:45
Presentations of papers plus discussion/feedback. Lessons learned by writing, reading, giving and receiving feedback. Focus on Scope, Added value and Search strategy

14:45-15:00
Evaluation

 

Literature:

Methodology:

Course material:

Prerequiste:

Read the paper: Van Wee, B, and Banister, D. (2016), How to write a literature review paper. Transport Reviews, volume 36-2016, issue 2, pp.278-288. PDF download: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01441647.2015.1065456

Course Registration form


Member of research school: