Literature Review^[1]

At this point you have discovered, retrieved, evaluated, and organized the information you need for your literature review using the “Finding Your Sources” worksheet.  It’s time to turn that stack of articles and papers into a literature review.  It’s time to start writing!

The literature review is about both content and form.  In terms of content, keep in mind that your literature review is intended to:

• Set up a theoretical framework for your own research
• Show a clear understanding of the key concepts/ideas/studies/models related to your topic
• Demonstrate knowledge about the history of your research area and any related controversies
• Illustrate that you are able to evaluate and synthesize the work of others
• Clarify significant definitions and terminology
• Develop a space in your discipline for your research

Some questions to ask yourself when you begin to write your first draft include:

• What section headings will I be using?
• How do the various studies relate to each other?
• What contributions do they make to the field?
• What are the limitations of a study/where are the gaps in the research?
• And finally but most importantly, how does my own research fit into what has already been done?

Some questions to ask after the first draft:

• Is there a logical flow from section to section, paragraph to paragraph, sentence to sentence?
• Does the content proceed from topic to topic?
• Does your conclusion match your introduction?
• Were you consistent in documenting and using the correct citation style (APA)?

Main Features of a Literature Review

No matter how you decide to organize your literature review (chronologically, thematically, etc.), it follows a format you will immediately recognize: Introduction, Body, Conclusion.  We will look at each section individually.

Introduction

The introduction to the literature review contains a statement or statements about the overall topic of your paper.  This might be a paragraph or section that lets your reader know what your literature review is going to address.  You will describe how the literature review will be organized (for example, what are the main points you are going to address and in what order will they appear?).  The purpose is to lead your reader further into the body of the literature review.

In the introduction, you will:

• Define or identify the general topic, issue, or area of concern thereby providing an appropriate context for the remainder of the review.
• Point out overall trends in what has been previously published on the topic; or conflicts in theory, methodology, evidence, conclusions, or gaps in research and scholarship.
• Demonstrate how your research either closes a gap in the literature, extends earlier work, or replicates an important study thereby contributing new knowledge to your discipline.

Body

Some general tips for writing the body of your literature review:

• Start broad and then narrow to show how past research relates to your research proposal.
• Make it clear to your reader where you’re going, follow a logical progression of ideas.
• Use quotes sparingly.
• Keep your own formal academic voice throughout and keep the review focused and objective, following a logical structure.
• Point out consistent findings AND emphasize stronger studies over weaker ones.  Point out important strengths and weaknesses of research studies OR contradictions and inconsistent findings.
• Implications and suggestions for further research, or where there are gaps in the current literature, should be specific.

Conclusion

Summarize your literature review, discuss implications, and create a space for future or further research needed in this area.