Using the "They Say/I Say" introduction structure does not always mean disagreeing. In fact, for literature reviews, you will often be agreeing with most of your authors. But there are still ways to put your own spin on your research using a "Yes... And..." move. Here are four:

The intersectionality way.

Researcher Z has shown that mental health… Researcher Y has written that racism… These are both important, and now we need to understand how race intersects with mental health in ...

The classic piggyback

There’s an important problem out there, and Researcher X has a new and exciting way to look at it. I want to extend their idea by (applying it to a new context).

The peacemaker.

Research X argues [this] about systemic racism in early education. Researcher Y seems to contradict them by emphasizing [something else] about systemic racism in early education. But I will show it’s not really a contradiction.

The ally/underdog

Everyone thinks X about sexism in the workplace. And they’re not wrong... But my favorite researcher has a new approach: namely, …. With the help of my new ally I’m going to read a bunch of literature and analyze it from her brilliant theoretical perspective.