Overwhelmed by your lit review? How to read less and get away with it

Of reading academic

Nick Hopwood

This is a post for any researchers who might be feeling:

1. That they simply don’t have time to read enough
2. That their ‘to read’ pile is getting bigger and bigger, no matter how much you read
3. (Being totally honest) their reading choices are shaped by fear of missing out (FOMO) – or fear of getting caught for not having read something.

I know these feelings all to well.

For those of you who prefer a video, all the key points below are in a lovely 10 minute video on my YouTube channel.

The ideas that follow are very much shaped by what I heard by colleague Julie Robert explain to research students a few years ago. The four labels are not my invention, I heard them from her.

Don’t read lots, read smart

I eventually recognised that my reading practices were not serving me well. I was reading based…

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