Book Review

A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is merely described or analyzed based on
content, style, and merit. A book review may be a primary source, opinion piece, summary review or
scholarly review.

Steps On Writing Book Review

1. BEGIN WITH A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE BOOK
This is probably the best way to introduce any review because it gives context. But make sure to not go into
too much detail. Keep it short and sweet since an official summary can be found through a quick google
search!

2. PICK OUT THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF THE BOOK

I usually break this down with character, world-building, themes, and plot. But this might vary between
books, genres, and your tastes!
Dedicate a paragraph to each of these important aspects, discussing how well the author dealt with it,
along with what you enjoyed and what you didn’t enjoy.

3. INCLUDE BRIEF QUOTES AS EXAMPLES

Including quotes is always a great idea, because it gives examples for everything that you’re saying! If your
review talks about a character being particularly witty, a witty line from the character lets your readers see
exactly what kind of witty character you’re dealing with here.
But be careful: lengthy quotes can take up big chunks of space and overpower your review. Short quotes
will usually get your points across while letting your work shine through.

4. WRITE A CONCLUSION THAT SUMMARISES EVERYTHING

Like your introduction, keep your conclusion short and sweet! It should bring up the main points of your
review, along with your overall opinion of the book.

5. FIND SIMILAR BOOKS

A great way to wrap up a review is to find similar books to the one you’re reviewing. So you can say, “if you
were a fan of X book, I think you’ll definitely like this one!”
You can also be more specific, looking at the exact things that might make two books similar. So you can
suggest something like…“if you liked that the main character in X book was a kick-ass superhero, then you’ll
love the main character of this book!”

6. GIVE IT A STAR RATING

A star rating is obviously encouraged in a lot of review sites, but they’re not necessary! If you do want to
give a star rating, you can go the conventional “out of five/ten” route. You could also try something slightly
less conventional, and break down your star-rating into different categories for character/plot/world-
building, etc.

Now go forth and review! And share any tips you have for how to write a book review in the comments.
Literature Review
A literature review or narrative review is a type of review article. A literature review is a scholarly paper,
which includes the current knowledge including substantive findings, as well as theoretical and
methodological contributions to a particular topic.

Steps in Literature Review

Step One: Decide on your areas of research:
Before you begin to search for articles or books, decide beforehand what areas you are going to research.
Make sure that you only get articles and books in those areas, even if you come across fascinating books in
other areas. A literature review I am currently working on, for example, explores barriers to higher
education for undocumented students.

Step Two: Search for the literature:

Conduct a comprehensive bibliographic search of books and articles in your area. Read the abstracts online
and download and/or print those articles that pertain to your area of research. Find books in the library
that are relevant and check them out. Set a specific time frame for how long you will search. It should not
take more than two or three dedicated sessions.

Step Three: Find relevant excerpts in your books and articles:

Skim the contents of each book and article and look specifically for these five things:
1. Claims, conclusions, and findings about the constructs you are investigating
2. Definitions of terms
3. Calls for follow-up studies relevant to your project
4. Gaps you notice in the literature
5. Disagreement about the constructs you are investigating
When you find any of these five things, type the relevant excerpt directly into a Word document. Don’t
summarize, as summarizing takes longer than simply typing the excerpt. Make sure to note the name of
the author and the page number following each excerpt. Do this for each article and book that you have in
your stack of literature. When you are done, print out your excerpts.

Step Four: Code the literature:

Get out a pair of scissors and cut each excerpt out. Now, sort the pieces of paper into similar topics. Figure
out what the main themes are. Place each excerpt into a themed pile. Make sure each note goes into a pile.
If there are excerpts that you can’t figure out where they belong, separate those and go over them again at
the end to see if you need new categories. When you finish, place each stack of notes into an envelope
labeled with the name of the theme.

Step Five: Create Your Conceptual Schema:

Type, in large font, the name of each of your coded themes. Print this out, and cut the titles into individual
slips of paper. Take the slips of paper to a table or large workspace and figure out the best way to organize
them. Are there ideas that go together or that are in dialogue with each other? Are there ideas that
contradict each other? Move around the slips of paper until you come up with a way of organizing the
codes that makes sense. Write the conceptual schema down before you forget or someone cleans up your
slips of paper.
Step Six: Begin to Write Your Literature Review:

Choose any section of your conceptual schema to begin with. You can begin anywhere, because you
already know the order. Find the envelope with the excerpts in them and lay them on the table in front of
you. Figure out a mini-conceptual schema based on that theme by grouping together those excerpts that
say the same thing. Use that mini-conceptual schema to write up your literature review based on the
excerpts that you have in front of you. Don’t forget to include the citations as you write, so as not to lose
track of who said what. Repeat this for each section of your literature review.

Once you complete these six steps, you will have a complete draft of your literature review. The great thing
about this process is that it breaks down into manageable steps something that seems enormous: writing a
literature review.

I think that Foss and Walter’s system for writing the literature review is ideal for a dissertation, because a
Ph.D. candidate has already read widely in his or her field through graduate seminars and comprehensive
exams.

It may be more challenging for M.A. students, unless you are already familiar with the literature. It is
always hard to figure out how much you need to read for deep meaning, and how much you just need to
know what others have said. That balance will depend on how much you already know.

For people writing literature reviews for articles or books, this system also could work, especially when you
are writing in a field with which you are already familiar. The mere fact of having a system can make the
literature review seem much less daunting, so I recommend this system for anyone who feels
overwhelmed by the prospect of writing a literature review.
Research Report
A research report is a document prepared by an analyst or strategist who is a part of the investment
research team in a stock brokerage or investment bank. A research report may focus on a specific stock or
industry sector, a currency, commodity or fixed-income instrument, or on a geographic region or country.

Steps in writing Research Report

STEP 1 Analyse the Task
As with any assignment task, you must first analyse what is expected of you. This involves careful
reading of the assignment task as outlined in your course information book. You may find the
following questions useful when analysing the task:
 What is the purpose of the report?
(It could be analysing, persuading or reporting on an investigation.)
 Who is the audience for the report?
 What is the word limit?
(Many times the word limit only includes the body of the report.)
 What is the topic of the report?
(The topic may be specified by the lecturer, but other times you will have a choice.)
 What is the expected format of the report?
STEP 2 Develop a Rough Plan
Use the section headings (outlined above) to assist with your rough plan. Write a thesis statement
that clarifies the overall purpose of your report. Jot down anything you already know about the
topic in the relevant sections.

STEP 3 Do the Research

Steps 1 and 2 will guide your research for this report. You may need to report on other research on
a particular topic or do some research of your own. Keep referring to your analysis and rough plan
while you are doing your research to ensure that you remain on track.
Give yourself plenty of time for this step, as the research phase of your work will usually take the
most time of any step in producing your report. Also, ensure you keep correct bibliographic details
for all of the material you may later use in your report.

STEP 4 Draft the Body of Your Report

 Introduction - The purpose of your report. The thesis statement will be useful here.
Background information may include a brief review of the literature already available on the
topic so that you are able to ‘place’ your research in the field. Some brief details of your
methods and an outline of the structure of the report.
 Literature Review - If asked to do a separate literature review, you must carefully structure
your findings. It may be useful to do a chronological format where you discuss from the
earliest to the latest research, placing your research appropriately in the chronology.
Alternately, you could write in a thematic way, outlining the various themes that you
discovered in the research regarding the topic. Again, you will need to state where your
research fits.
 Methodology - Here you clearly outline what methodology you used in your research i.e.
what you did and how you did it. It must be clearly written so that it would be easy for
 another researcher to duplicate your research if they wished to.
It is usually written in a 'passive' voice (e.g. the participants were asked to fill in the
questionnaire attached in Appendix 1) rather than an 'active' voice (e.g. I asked the
participants to fill in the questionnaire attached in Appendix 1).
Clearly reference any material you have used from other sources. Clearly label and
number any diagrams, charts, and graphs. Ensure that they are relevant to the
research and add substance to the text rather than just duplicating what you have
said. You do not include or discuss the results here.
 Results - This is where you indicate what you found in your research. You give the results
of your research, but do not interpret them.
 Discussion - This is where you discuss the relevance of your results and how your findings
fit with other research in the area. It will relate back to your literature review and your
 introductory thesis statement.
 Conclusion - This is a summary of the most significant results/findings. You should not
include any new material in this section. Sometimes you could indicate some areas where
your research has limits or where further research would be useful.
 Recommendations - This includes suggestions for what needs to be done as a result of
your findings. Recommendations are usually listed in order of priority.

STEP 5 Draft the Supplementary Material

 References or Bibliography - This includes all references used in your report or referred
to for background information. This must be done using the referencing convention
specified by your lecturer/tutor.
 Appendices - These should add extra information to the report. If you include appendices
they must be referred to in the body of the report and must have a clear purpose for being
included. Each appendix must be named and numbered.

STEP 6 Draft the Preliminary Material

 Title of Report - Make sure this is clear and indicates exactly what you are researching.
 Table of Contents - List all sections, sub headings tables/graphs appendices and give
 page numbers for each.
 Abstract/Synopsis - This gives a very brief overview of the report in a condensed form.
 For more specific details on how to write this, please refer to the Learning Guide Writing an
 Abstract.

STEP 7 Polish Your Report
The final step is checking your report to ensure you have followed all of the guidelines as outlined
in your course information. For more detail on how to do this well, please refer to the Learning
Project proposal
A project proposal is a document that is used to convince a sponsor that a project needs to be kicked-off to
solve a particular business problem or opportunity. It describes in depth, how the project is going to be
commenced so that the sponsor understands what is involved early.

Steps in Project proposal

Step 1: Hold a Brainstorm Session
In order to get the support that you need and the results that you want, it’s vital to address the correct
people. So, start by brainstorming who the recipient of your proposal should be. Depending on the purpose
of your proposal, your audience may be easy to define. If it is, you’re ready to start analyzing your
audience.

If you’re presenting it to a board, think about how familiar they already are with the topic. Based on this
answer, you may need to provide more background information or details. On the other hand, you may be
able to skip this part and focus on the solution to the problem instead.

As you consider your audience, you should also think about what you can do to make your writing
engaging. Consider the audience’s hobbies and interests as you come up with a way to capture their
attention right from the beginning. By doing this, you can increase the chances that your proposal will get
more than a quick scan.

Step 2: Research
Before you sit down to write your proposal, you need to do some research. Research is one of the best
ways to build your credibility on the topic. It also helps you prove that there is a problem and you have the
best solution for it.

You can find examples, facts, figures, charts, graphs, and other data to include. Since you want to avoid
using only your opinion to support your proposal, you need to find the best information to back up your
points and gain support from your intended audience. In some cases, you may need to gather the data on
your own. You may need to get out and conduct surveys, gathering your own data to prove your point.

Step 3: Hook the Reader

As previously stated, it’s important to capture your reader’s attention from the beginning. Your
introduction should do two things: engage the reader, and set yourself up as a credible source. On top of
hooking the reader, you need to provide background information on the topic. Remember that you should
consider your audience as you determine how much background information is necessary. As you do this,
you don’t want to ramble on and on. Instead, think about interesting facts that could get your audience
thinking about the topic.

If you’re introducing your business to your audience, this would be a great time to deliver your company’s
mission statement. Give a little information about your company’s history and your professional
background, too.

Step 4: Present the Problem

In the next section, you need to define the problem. What is the issue that you hope to resolve? Address
the cause of the problem and the side effects that have occurred because of it. Most importantly, don’t
forget to discuss why this is a problem worth addressing.

This is the time to demonstrate your knowledge. Discuss the problem using your own experience; however,
don’t forget to include the facts and figures that you found during your research. And as mentioned before,
think about your audience as you decide how in-depth you need to go on the topic.

Step 5: State Your Solution

Now that your audience is well aware of the problem, it’s time to discuss your proposed solution to it. How
will you solve the problem? Why should they follow this solution over another? You may want to discuss
some of the other solutions that others may propose and discuss why these aren’t viable options. If they
are viable, then discuss why your solution is better. Will it cost less or have a greater impact?

Since you’re writing this proposal to gain support, this document should be persuasive in nature.
Remember this as you discuss the solution. Not only do you need to convince your audience that this is the
best solution to the problem, you want them to get behind you. As you write out the solution, think about
what you could include to support your ideas, and convince others that they should support them too.
Include case studies, examples of people who used a similar approach, facts, and statistics to show why
your approach is the right one. You could even try the solution on a smaller scale to show the results.

Step 6: Outline the Project

While you state the solution, take some time to discuss the feasibility of your project. Discuss the plan as if
you already got the greenlight for it. Have a schedule laid out with the start and end date. Let them know
how the steps should happen and whether or not anything can happen simultaneously.

It’s also important to talk about the budget. How much will it cost to implement your solution? Break it
down as much as possible, itemizing at each step of the way. If you’re looking for financial backing, it’s
important to know your numbers and share them with your audience. Make sure that you have a realistic
budget that will clearly show your audience what everything will cost and how much you’ll need to make it
happen.

Step 7: Bring It All Together

The final part of your proposal is the conclusion. How will you bring everything together? What ideas do
you want your audience to remember? In the conclusion, emphasize the most important parts. You’ll
probably want to briefly restate the problem and the solution. You could also reiterate interesting facts
that will help your proposal stand out to others.

At the end of the conclusion, include a call to action. What do you want your audience to do after reading
your proposal? Should they cut you a check? Would you like them to hire your company? Whatever the
case may be, let your audience know what they can do once they’ve decided to support you.

Step 8: Proofread Your Proposal

Knowing how to write a proposal wouldn’t be complete without this step! Before sending any document
out, you need to take time to proofread it. Your writing will make an impression on your audience. Minor
errors in spelling, grammar, or punctuation could leave a negative impression, and impact the support for
your proposal. Once you’ve spent time correcting it, send it to someone you trust to look it over again. The
more people who can check for errors, the better!
Position paper
A position paper is an essay that presents an arguable opinion about an issue – typically that of the author
or some specified entity. Position papers are published in academia, in politics, in law and other domains.

Steps in writing Position paper

1. Decide on a topic. The best topic will be one you have a strong interest in or opinion about.Find
some articles to read about your topic. It is best to read different positions. Try to get a feel for the
various views on the topic.
2. Write your position idea. Pick one particular aspect of the topic to discuss and write a one-
sentence opinion. Test to see if this is really an arguable opinion. Are there other points of view? If
everyone agrees on this topic, then you don't really have something you can write a good
persuasive essay about.
3. Gather your sources. You can use articles you read in preparing your thesis, but you may want to
get more evidence to support your view. Make sure you also have information about opposing
views.
4. Decide what sort of claim you are writing (fact, definition, cause, value, policy). Read your sources
and decide on a claim statement. This claim statement will be the thesis of your paper.
5. Do prewriting about your audience.
6. Outline: Use the information you have gathered and your pre-writing about audience to write an
outline using the information "Writing your Outline."
7. Write your paper, including adding your author tags, evidence and citations in MLA style.
8. Do Peer Editing: Have someone read your paper and respond using the "Draft Editing Questions."
9. Re-vise your draft using the information you got from your reader(s).
10. Final Proofread. Run a spelling and grammar check, proof-read and read aloud to catch errors.
Another tip I often suggest to students is printing out your paper and reading it aloud or having
someone read it to you. When you read aloud, you slow yourself down and actually catch a lot of
errors your eyes miss when you read the computer screen.
 Reading
And
Writing Skills

Maxine P. Bautista
II – TVL G

Mrs. Cecelia Marquez