As you begin reviewing the literature on your research topic, you will see certain author's names repeatedly pop up.
Hint: You want them to pop up in your thesis too!
Literature reviews can be penalised for not referencing prominent authors within the area being researched.
Generally speaking, prominent authors are authors who have created a new topic; changed scientific knowledge significantly; or had a significant influence on the topic in some way.
In particular, you want to make sure to cite these authors when defining constructs in your literature review.
For example, consider a thesis on mindfulness. Mindfulness is rooted in Buddhist thought and theory. However, in the West it was popularised in the 1970s by Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn, a cognitive scientist who developed what he called “mindfulness-based stress reduction". When I read a thesis related to mindfulness, I would expect to see Kabat-Zinn's original works (e.g., Kabat-Zinn, 1994) cited when mindfulness is defined (as opposed to citing later researchers, who conducted further research into mindfulness).
Examples of Prominent Authors Include:
Attachment: John Bowlby / Mary Ainsworth
Self-efficacy: Albert Bandura
Coping: Richard Lazarus & Susan Folkman
Rumination: Susan Nolen-Hoeksema
Optimism: Martin Seligman
Flow: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (OK, since you are wondering, it's pronounced Me-High Cheeks-Sent-Me-High)
Growth mindsets: Carol Dweck
Grit: Angela Duckworth
Feel free to share others below! 😊
Happy Researching!
References
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go, there you are. Hyperion.
***If you want more strategies and tips for how to effectively conduct a literature review, enrol in my on-demand workshop, Learn How to Write a Kick Ass Thesis: Part 1 - Setting Yourself up For Success***
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