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Comprehensive Literature Review: A Guide
What is a literature review, components of a literature review, literature review structures, sample literature reviews, additional resources.
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A literature review is a collection of selected articles, books and other sources about a specific subject. The purpose is to summarize the existing research that has been done on the subject in order to put your research in context and to highlight what your research will add to the existing body of knowledge. Literature reviews are typically organized chronologically, thematically, or based on their methods.
Despite their various structures (see the descriptions below), literature reviews consist of the following elements :
- Citations for the referenced materials
- A discussion of the materials' research purpose, methods, and findings
- A discussion of how those findings relate to your research
- A discussion of the similarities and differences between cited materials
- A discussion of the gaps created by the material referenced and how your research can close those gaps
- Chronological
- Methodological
Chronological order creates paragraph/sections that review the material in sequential order . This structure is useful when tracing the history of a research area. Remember, your materials should be discussed in chronological order regardless of your overarching review structure.
Literature Reviews that are organized methodologically consist of paragraphs/sections that are based on the methods used in the literature found . This approach is most appropriate when you are using new methods on a research question that has already been explored . Since literature review structures are not mutually exclusive, you can organize the use of these methods in chronological order .
Thematic literature review structure organizes paragraphs/sections of the review based on the themes in the literature . This approach may be useful when you are studying a new research problem but would like to contextualize your research with similar literature .
- Sample Literature Review - Political Science A brief literature review within a political scientists’ National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship grant. Annotated by the University of Wisconsin Madison Writing Center.
- Sample Literature Review - Philosophy A several-page literature review at the beginning of a published, academic article about philosophy. Annotated by the University of Wisconsin Madison Writing Center.
- Sample Literature Review - Chemistry A brief literature review at the beginning of a published, academic article about photochemistry. Annotated by the University of Wisconsin Madison Writing Center.
- Sample Literature Review - Librarianship Extract of literature review from article on collaboration between university libraries and writing centers. Click here for article in full.
These resources provide an overview of the literature review: the purpose of a lit review, what to include in one and how to organize one.
- University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Writing Center A thorough description of literature reviews, their purpose, and how to go about writing one.
- Learn how to write a review of literature (UW-Madison) Outlines the key components of a literature review.
- University of California-Santa Cruz Library Outlines how to write a literature review. Includes citations for examples of published literature reviews.
- Literature Reviews: An Overview for Graduate Students What is a literature review? What purpose does it serve in research? What should you expect when writing one?
- Purdue Owl (Purdue University Online Writing Lab): Writing a Literature Review Breaks down parts and types of literature reviews along with strategies and tips.
Literature Reviews: An Overview for Graduate Students from NC State University Libraries on Vimeo .
- Video Transcript -- Literature Reviews: An Overview for Graduate Students What is a literature review? What purpose does it serve in research? What should you expect when writing one?
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- Last Updated: Mar 8, 2023 9:22 AM
- URL: https://libguides.tulane.edu/litreview
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Comprehensive Literature Review
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- Writing the Literature Review
Elements of a Literature Review
- An overview of the subject, issue or theory under consideration, along with the objectives of the literature review
- Division of sources under review into categories (e.g. those in support of a particular position, those against, and those offering alternative theses entirely)
- Explanation of how each source is similar to and how it varies from the others
- Conclusions as to which sources are best considered in their argument, are most convincing of their opinions, and make the greatest contribution to the understanding and development of their area of research
- Literature Review Worksheet Use to evaluate the contribution of each article to your thesis/question/assertion
- Literature Review Worksheet: Filled in Example of how the sheet might be used
Considerations for Assessing Each Source
Provenance—What are the author's credentials? Are the author's arguments supported by evidence (e.g. primary historical material, case studies, narratives, statistics, recent scientific findings)?
Objectivity—Is the author's perspective even-handed or prejudicial? Is contrary data considered or is certain pertinent information ignored to prove the author's point?
Persuasiveness—Which of the author's theses are most/least convincing?
Value—Are the author's arguments and conclusions convincing? Does the work ultimately contribute in any significant way to an understanding of the subject?
How to Read a Scholarly Article
- Read the abstract - What is the claim
- Examine the visuals - What was the study method
- Read the conclusion - How was the research question answered?
- If the paper is appropriate for your research, then read the whole paper with attention to generating questions and answering the questions in the Considerations for Assessing Each Source box.
- How to Read a Scientific Article Bonichon F. 1997. How to read a scientific article. Cancer Radiothérapie : Journal De La Société Française De Radiothérapie Oncologique. 1(5):397.
Tips for Writing Literature Reviews
These guides provide an overview of the literature review: the purpose of a literatyre review, what to include in one and how to organize one.
- University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Writing Center A thorough description of literature reviews, their purpose, and how to go about writing one.
- University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center Outlines the key components of a literature review.
- University of California-Santa Cruz Library Outlines how to write a literature review. Includes citations for examples of published literature reviews.
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- Last Updated: Feb 24, 2023 1:03 PM
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Steps in a Comprehensive* Literature Review
What is a literature review, is your review systematic.
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What is a Literature Review?
A literature review surveys scholarly articles, books, dissertations, conference proceedings and other resources which are relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory and provides context for a dissertation by identifying past research. Research tells a story and the existing literature helps us identify where we are in the story currently. It is up to those writing a dissertation to continue that story with new research and new perspectives but they must first be familiar with the story before they can move forward.
Purpose of a Literature Review
- Identifies gaps in current knowledge
- Helps you to avoid reinventing the wheel by discovering the research already conducted on a topic
- Sets the background on what has been explored on a topic so far
- Increases your breadth of knowledge in your area of research
- Helps you identify seminal works in your area
- Allows you to provide the intellectual context for your work and position your research with other, related research
- Provides you with opposing viewpoints
- Helps you to discover research methods which may be applicable to your work
Greenfield, T. (2016). Research methods for postgraduates. 3rd ed. London: Arnold. (eBook)
Systematic reviews attempts to collate all empirical evidence that fits pre-specified eligibility criteria in order to answer a specific research question. Systematic reviews follow a defined protocol and include a reproducible search methodology, conducted in multiple databases. Retrieved citations are reviewed by multiple people and compared to a predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria. It is not unusual for a systematic review to take 18-24 months to conduct.
If this is the type of review you are interested in conducting, this guide will get you started but contact your Subject Librarian for help with your search.
People often use the term "systematic review" when they really mean a thorough literature search, that covers multiple databases. This guide will also help you conduct a thorough search.
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- Last Updated: Mar 2, 2023 9:13 AM
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Do you need help with conducting a comprehensive literature review? Let’s start with…
Which types of reviews would be appropriate for your research topic?
- Literature Reviews aim to summarize the critical points of current knowledge of a particular topic.
- Scoping/Mapping Reviews aim to address an exploratory research question by mapping key concepts, types of evidence, and gaps in research related to a defined area or field.
- Systematic Review is a research method that “aims to locate and summarize all available evidence for a specific question in order to guide decisions and practices” (Cochrane).
What are main stages of conducting a review?
The figure below is about a systematic review. Depending on the review type, the review process may vary.
What can the library help?
- Provide feedback on systematic review project protocols
- Identify sources, design search strategies, and manage search results
- Get you familiar with EndNote citation software for managing references
- Write up a method section describing search strategies for your report
Recorded Tutorials
Provide the following information when email Marina Zhang ([email protected]) and get your project started today!
- Title and which type of review (comprehensive, scoping/mapping or systematic reviews)
- Authors (provide names, institutions, emails and role of each contributor)
- Rationale (describe how this review project will contribute to current knowledge on the topic, or what gap in knowledge this review project will seek to fill)
- Objectives (Provide an explicit statement of the questions the review will address with reference to population, intervention, comparison, and outcome if you use the PICO framework)
- Eligibility criteria (state which criteria will be used to determine inclusion/exclusion eligibility: examples include PICO characteristics, study design, setting, time frame, language, etc.)
- Sample articles relevant to your research question
Literature Review
- What is a literature review?
- What is its purpose?
- 1. Selecting your topic
- 2. Setting the topic in context
- 3. Looking at information sources
- 4. Using information sources
- 5. Getting the information
- 6. Organizing information (information management)
- 7. Positioning the literature review
- 8. Writing the literature review
About this guide
This research guide was developed for students at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.
If you are a student from another school, you are welcome to peruse the guide, using the links above, but please know that our librarians can only provide general help to non-BU students. Contact the librarians at your own institution for help in using the resources available to you.
-Andruss Library
A literature review is a comprehensive summary of previous research on a topic. The literature review surveys scholarly articles, books, and other sources relevant to a particular area of research. The review should enumerate, describe, summarize, objectively evaluate and clarify this previous research. It should give a theoretical base for the research and help you (the author) determine the nature of your research. The literature review acknowledges the work of previous researchers, and in so doing, assures the reader that your work has been well conceived. It is assumed that by mentioning a previous work in the field of study, that the author has read, evaluated, and assimiliated that work into the work at hand.
A literature review creates a "landscape" for the reader, giving her or him a full understanding of the developments in the field. This landscape informs the reader that the author has indeed assimilated all (or the vast majority of) previous, significant works in the field into her or his research.
"In writing the literature review, the purpose is to convey to the reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. The literature review must be defined by a guiding concept (eg. your research objective, the problem or issue you are discussing, or your argumentative thesis). It is not just a descriptive list of the material available, or a set of summaries.( http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific-types-of-writing/literature-review )
Recommended Reading
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Kate Houston and Libbie Blanchard of CQ University Libraries, (Queensland, Australia) whose LibGuide on the Literature Review served as a framework for this guide.
Designed and updated by Michael Coffta
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- Last Updated: Feb 24, 2023 1:50 PM
- URL: https://guides.library.bloomu.edu/litreview
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Literature Review: Conducting & Writing
What is a literature review, what is a literature review: a tutorial, literature reviews: an overview for graduate students.
- Steps for Conducting a Lit Review
- Finding "The Literature"
- Organizing/Writing
- Chicago: Notes Bibliography
- Sample Literature Reviews
A Literature Review Is Not:
- just a summary of sources
- a grouping of broad, unrelated sources
- a compilation of everything that has been written on a particular topic
- literature criticism (think English) or a book review
So, what is it then?
A literature review is an integrated analysis-- not just a summary-- of scholarly writings that are related directly to your research question. That is, it represents the literature that provides background information on your topic and shows a correspondence between those writings and your research question.
A literature review may be a stand alone work or the introduction to a larger research paper, depending on the assignment. Rely heavily on the guidelines your instructor has given you.
Why is it important?
A literature review is important because it:
- Explains the background of research on a topic.
- Demonstrates why a topic is significant to a subject area.
- Discovers relationships between research studies/ideas.
- Identifies major themes, concepts, and researchers on a topic.
- Identifies critical gaps and points of disagreement.
- Discusses further research questions that logically come out of the previous studies.
Literature Reviews: An Overview for Graduate Students (by North Caroline State University Libraries)
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- Last Updated: Jan 15, 2023 5:54 PM
- URL: https://libguides.uwf.edu/litreview
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
A literature review is a collection of selected articles, books and other sources about a specific subject. The purpose is to summarize the existing
A literature review is a collection of selected articles, books and other sources about a specific subject. The purpose is to summarize the
Comprehensive Literature Review ... the visuals - What was the study method; Read the conclusion - How was the research question answered?
Purpose of a Literature Review · Identifies gaps in current knowledge · Helps you to avoid reinventing the wheel by discovering the research
Comprehensive Literature Reviews · Literature Reviews aim to summarize the critical points of current knowledge of a particular topic. · Scoping/Mapping Reviews
the methodology results in more complete and well-written literature reviews in both class work and dissertation thesis study. Student self-reporting data
A valid comprehensive review is a systematic, scientifically designed review of a defined literature base that employs the rigor of original research in an
How to WRITE a [COMPREHENSIVE] LITERATURE REVIEW: You MUST address ... Research Hour:Literature Review (Empirical and Theoretical Review)
A literature review is a comprehensive summary of previous research on a topic. The literature review surveys scholarly articles, books
Literature Review: Conducting & Writing · 1. Choose a topic. Define your research question. · 2. Decide on the scope of your review. · 3. Select