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Literature Review Help Sites

• University of California, Santa Cruz
• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• University of Toronto

Literature Reviews

A good literature review finds relevant academic literature and places it in a context that supports future research.  In other words, what background does the audience need to know in order to understand the innovation that you are presenting in your thesis or article?

Reed, L. (1998). Performing a Literature Review. 1 998 Frontiers in Engineering Conference . IEEE: Tempe, AZ.  Available online .

Tips for a Successful Literature Review

• Historical articles sometimes needed
• Use EI Engineering Village or other abstract database for historical literature
• Keywords - use to focus search on your topic
• Subject Descriptors - match your keywords to these to maximize efficient searching
• Download citations to citation management software to track where you have been

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Start at http://www.lib.purdue.edu . Click Search All.  (Link opens a new window.)

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• Provides extensive, broad searching across disciplines.
• Includes everything owned by Purdue plus many things we do not.
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• A good first place to start.
• The place to find  books.
• The place to find  print editions of magazine  articles. 

How to Use Databases

• Provides in-depth, efficient , subject specific searching.
• Includes academic, scholarly journals , some of which Purdue does not subscribe to.
• Results are highly targeted to discipline.
• A good place to continue a search after you have figured out useful keywords.
• A good place to go when you want a quick , accurate search.
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Writing in Literature: Overview

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These sections describe in detail the assignments students may complete when writing about literature. These sections also discuss different approaches (literary theory/criticism) students may use to write about literature. These resources build on the Writing About Literature materials.

In many ways, writing a paper for an English class is no different than writing one for any other class. You are still required to read the material thoroughly, do research, and make an argument of some kind. An essay on literature does present, however, some unique differences, which can cause trouble for the unprepared writer. These pages will provide you with some ideas on how to deal with those differences.

Getting Started

In English classes, two of the most common paper assignments are writing prompt papers and general research papers. Writing prompts are shorter papers assigned throughout the semester or as in-class assignments. Research papers (term papers) are usually much longer than writing prompt papers and are often due half-way through or near the end of the semester. They usually carry a large percentage of the grade.

Other OWL Resources:

• Essay Writing
• Writing About Literature
• Writing a Literary Analysis Presentation

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Introduction

Literature reviews take time. here is some general information to know before you start.  .

•  VIDEO -- This video is a great overview of the entire process.  (2020; North Carolina State University Libraries) --The transcript is included --This is for everyone; ignore the mention of "graduate students" --9.5 minutes, and every second is important  
• OVERVIEW -- Read this page from Purdue's OWL. It's not long, and gives some tips to fill in what you just learned from the video.  
• NOT A RESEARCH ARTICLE -- A literature review follows a different style, format, and structure from a research article.  

Steps to Completing a Literature Review

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Education Research Guide: How to Write a Literature Review

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Literature Reviews Explained

Use the articles below to learn about:

• what a literature review is
• how to select and research a topic
• how to write a literature review
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The Writing Center: Literature Reviews
• OWL (Purdue University Online Writing Lab): Using APA to format your Literature Review

Synthesizing Explained

Synthesizing is a method of analyzing the main ideas and important information from your sources as you read and prepare to write a literature review. Review the resources below for sample synthesizing methods. Both examples have tables you can fill out as you read articles to help you organize your thoughts. 

• Writing a Literature Review and Using a Synthesis Matrix: NC University Tutorial Center
• Matrix Example from the University of West Florida Libraries
• Synthesizing Cornelsen This article is included in "Writing a Literature Review and Using a Synthesis Matrix" to illustrate synthesizing articles in the sample matrix.
• Synthesizing: Bruley This article is included in "Writing a Literature Review and Using a Synthesis Matrix" to illustrate synthesizing articles in the sample matrix.

Sample Literature Reviews

Make sure you follow any instructions from you professor on how to format your literature review! Use the examples below to get ideas for how you might write about the sources you found in your research.

• Literature Review 1
• Literature Review 2
• Literature Review 3
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What is a literature review?

A literature review is a discussion of previously published information on a particular topic, providing summary and connections to help readers understand the research that has been completed on a subject and why it is important. Unlike a research paper, a literature review does not develop a new argument, instead focusing on what has been argued or proven in past papers. However, a literature review should not just be an annotated bibliography that lists the sources found; the literature review should be organized thematically as a cohesive paper.

Why write a literature review?

Literature reviews provide you with a handy guide to a particular topic. If you have limited time to conduct research, literature reviews can give you an overview or act as a stepping stone. For professionals, they are useful reports that keep them up to date with what is current in the field. For scholars, the depth and breadth of the literature review emphasizes the credibility of the writer in his or her field. Literature reviews also provide a solid background for a research paper’s investigation. Comprehensive knowledge of the literature of the field is essential to most research papers.

Who writes literature reviews?

Literature reviews are sometimes written in the humanities, but more often in the sciences and social sciences. In scientific reports and longer papers, they constitute one section of the work. Literature reviews can also be written as stand-alone papers.

How Should I Organize My Literature Review?

Here are some ways to organize a literature review from Purdue OWL: 

• Chronological:  The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time, which helps familiarize the audience with the topic (for instance if you are introducing something that is not commonly known in your field). If you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order. 
• Thematic:  If you have found some recurring central themes that you will continue working with throughout your piece, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic. For example, if you are reviewing literature about women and religion, key themes can include the role of women in churches and the religious attitude towards women.
• Methodological:  If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods, you can compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example: Qualitative versus quantitative research, empirical versus theoretical scholarship, divide the research by sociological, historical, or cultural sources.
• Theoretical:  In many humanities articles, the literature review is the foundation for the theoretical framework. You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts. You can argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.

Outline Your Literature Review's Structure

How to Write a Literature Review

Literature Reviews: An Overview for Graduate Students

Writing the Literature Review

Find a focus Just like a term paper, a literature review is organized around ideas, not just sources. Use the research question you developed in planning your review and the issues or themes that connect your sources together to create a thesis statement. Yes, literature reviews have thesis statements! But your literature review thesis statement will be presenting a perspective on the material, rather than arguing for a position or opinion. For example:

The current trend in treatment for congestive heart failure combines surgery and medicine.

More and more cultural studies scholars are accepting popular media as a subject worthy of academic consideration.

Consider organization Once you have your thesis statement, you will need to think about the best way to effectively organize the information you have in your review. Like most academic papers, literature reviews should have an introduction, body, and conclusion. 

Use evidence and be selective When making your points in your literature review, you should refer to several sources as evidence, just like in any academic paper. Your interpretation of the available information must be backed up with evidence to show that your ideas are valid. You also need to be selective about the information you choose to include in your review. Select only the most important points in each source, making sure everything you mention relates to the review's focus.

Summarize and synthesize Remember to summarize and synthesize your sources in each paragraph as well as throughout the review. You should not be doing in-depth analysis in your review, so keep your use of quotes to a minimum. A literature review is not just a summary of current sources; you should be keeping your own voice and saying something new about the collection of sources you have put together.

Revise, revise, revise When you have finished writing the literature review, you still have one final step! Spending a lot of time revising is important to make sure you have presented your information in the best way possible. Check your review to see if it follows the assignment instructions and/or your outline. Rewrite or rework your language to be more concise and double check that you have documented your sources and formatted your review appropriately.

The Literature Review Model

Machi, Lawrence A, and Brenda T McEvoy. The Literature Review: Six Steps to Success. 2Nd ed. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press, 2012.

What the Literature Review IS and ISN'T:

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Literature Review Sample Paper

• Literature Review Sample 1
• Literature Review Sample 2
• Literature Review Sample 3

Literature Review Tips

• Taking Notes For The Literature Review
• The Art of Scan Reading
• UNC-Chapel Hill Writing Guide for Literature Reviews
• Literature Review Guidelines from Purdue OWL

Organizing Your Review

As you read and evaluate your literature there are several different ways to organize your research . Courtesy of Dr. Gary Burkholder in the School of Psychology, these sample matrices are one option to help organize your articles. These documents allow you to compile details about your sources, such as the foundational theories, methodologies, and conclusions; begin to note similarities among the authors; and retrieve citation information for easy insertion within a document.

• Literature Review Matrix 1
• Literature Review Matrix 2
• Spreadsheet Style

How to Create a Literature Matrix using Excel

Synthesis for Literature Reviews

Developing a Research Question 

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How to Do a Literature Review: Resources

• Introduction
• Where to Begin
• Organization & Writing

Video Tutorials

Sample Papers

• Sample APA Literature Review Contains explanations and tips. From the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
• Example APA Paper from Purdue OWL Example of an APA communications paper with a literature review inside it. From the Purdue Online Writing Lab.

Online Resources

• PDF Literature Review Guide A succinct guide to literature reviews, including a short sample of a literature review.
• Writing a Literature Review A basic guide to writing a literature review. From the University of Guelph.
• Literature Reviews Very detailed guide to writing literature reviews. From the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Literature Review Tutorial From American University.
• Why is Writing a Literature Review so Hard?
• Literature Reviews: OWL Purdue Graduate Workshop
• Social Work Literature Review Guidelines: OWL Purdue Writing Lab

Books and Ebooks

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• URL: https://libguides.mcny.edu/literaturereview

Writing a Literature Review

Literature reviews vs. annotated bibliographies, what is a literature review, literature review overviews and examples.

• Citing sources and managing citations

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Literature reviews typically include 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 differences between cited materials 
• A discussion of the gaps created by the material referenced and how your research can close those gaps

Literature Reviews synthesize information available on a topic.

Annotated bibliography components:

• A citation for the information source
• A summary of the source
• A reflection on how you think you will use the source in your project

Annotated bibliographies look at individual sources.

Be sure to review your assignment prompt and/or speak to your professor.

• Annotated Bibliography and Literature Reviews (Stetson Writing Center) This Writing Center handout describes annotated bibliographies and literature reviews and how to write them.

17 - what is a literature review from Joshua Vossler on Vimeo .

What is a Literature Review? , Joshua Vossler:  https://vimeo.com/90324266

This video provides a definition and comprehensive overview of the literature review. Also explains how a literature review differs from an annotated bibliography, in that an annotated bibliography lists and evaluates sources individually, whereas a literature review is a synthesized analysis of sources.

• Literature Reviews (Writing Center, UNC Chapel Hill) Overview of lit reviews and tips on writing one.
• Writing a Literature Review (Dartmouth University Library) Overview of writing a literature review.
• Writing a Literature Review (Purdue OWL) Describes when and how to write a Lit Review along with ways to organize one.
• Next: Citing sources and managing citations >>
• Last Updated: Jul 20, 2023 3:05 PM
• URL: https://guides.stetson.edu/litreview

Have a question? Ask a librarian! Email [email protected]. Call or text 386-747-9028.

Literature Reviews

• Defining Literature Reviews
• Choosing a Topic
• Developing Search Strategies
• Finding Sources
• Evaluating Sources
• Staying Organized
• Tracking Citations
• Writing the Literature Review

Writing Support

While you can get help with your research at LSU Libraries, we do not provide writing support. That's where CxC comes in!

LSU's CxC (Communication Across the Curriculum) office provides writing and communication support to the LSU community.

• CXC Writing Support Are you looking for help with your writing? You can stop into a CxC Studio (Coates Hall 151 or Design 215) to connect with a Writing Mentor, or book an appointment online at cxc.lsu.edu/appointment (or by clicking the link above).

Organizing Structure

Once you've found your sources and taken notes, it's time to start writing!

Literature reviews can be structured in many different ways - they could be organized by method, chronology, trend, etc. The important thing is to highlight how these individual pieces of scholarship stand out and how they interconnect in the scholarly conversation on the topic.

Here's a basic checklist for the writing process:

• Review your notes
• Create an outline
• Write your first draft, being mindful of plagiarism by accurately citing your sources
• Compare your draft with your outline - does it match what you planned? Did you include everything you needed to include?
• Have someone review your work and share feedback
• Revise until done

For more suggestions on how to write a literature review, visit the Purdue OWL Literature Reviews page.

Meeting Your Writing Goals

Set writing goals to keep you on track. Small, specific, and frequent goals are often the most realistic and encourage continued progress. Some examples of goals include:

• Writing at least 100 words
• Reading over what you've written so far and adding comments to change for later
• Completing a particular section of the review
• Perfecting citations to your notes

Example Literature Reviews

• Sample 1: Business Sharing economy: A comprehensive literature review
• Sample 2: Social Work Employment Among Current and Former Welfare Recipients: A Literature Review.
• Sample 3: Agriculture Forest pests and wood pellets: A literature review of the opportunities and risks in the United States' northeastern forests.
• Sample 4: Music Education Literature Review of Social Justice in Music Education: Acknowledging Oppression and Privilege

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Research Process

• Brainstorming
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Resources for a Literature Review or an Annotated Bibliography

Annotated bibliographies and literature reviews are very common forms of writing. The intent of each is to assist you, as the researcher, in gathering resources, identifying trends and problems in the research field, and analyzing those resources to assist your own research. This type of writing is also very helpful to the reader as it identifies key research articles and synthesizes the information to create a coherent picture in which the reader can place your research. Remember that you only want to include pivotal and influential research in this type of writing – this means you will want to focus on scholarly articles that contain primary research. Though literature reviews and annotated bibliographies accomplish a very similar purpose, they are not written in an identical manner.

According to the Purdue OWL website, an annotated bibliography is “a list of sources (books, journals, websites, periodicals, etc.) one has used for researching a topic. … Therefore an annotated bibliography includes a summary and/or evaluation of each of the sources.” An annotated bibliography is compiled of references and summaries in alphabetical order. For more information see the OWL at Purdue Annotated Bibliographies page. For information about how to find examples of annotated bibliographies, see the Library's Annotated Bibliographies FAQ .

A literature review, on the other hand, is “a summary of what the scientific literature says about your specific topic or question.” A literature review generally organizes references by subject matter, theory type, methodology design, etc. A literature review is generally much more exploratory than an annotated bibliography, and must pull together the information that is presented in many disparate sources to form one, cohesive picture of the research field. For more information see the OWL at Purdue Types of APA Papers page.

How do you go about getting the resources you need to write a literature review or an annotated bibliography? Library databases like EBSCOhost and ProQuest are a great place to start because they contain so many resources on so many different topics, but there are some additional databases that you may want to consider using for these types of assignments. These sub-pages identify resources and research techniques for your literature review.

• OWL at Purdue Annotated Bibliographies
• ASC Annotated Bibliographies FAQ
• OWL at Purdue Types of APA Papers

Additional Resources

For additional information about conducting literature reviews, please see the following resources from the NU Library:

• Aveyard, H. (2010). Doing a literature review in health and social care: A practical guide (2nd edition).Berkshire, GBR: Open University Press. Doing A Literature Review In Health And Social Care : A Practical Guide by Helen Aveyard
• Card, N. (2010). Literature review. In N. Salkind (Ed.), Encyclopedia of research design (pp.726-729). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
• Chaffee, S., & Lieberma, D. (2001). The challenge of writing the literature review. In A. Alexander, & W. James Potter (Eds.), How to publish your communication research (pp. 23-47).Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
• Ford, N. (2012). How to do a literature review. In The essential guide to using the web for research (pp. 53-81). London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
• Literature Review. (2004). In Donna M. Mertens, & John A. McLaughlin (Eds.), Research and evaluation methods in special education (pp. 35-50). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
• Literature Reviews. (2001). In Bruce A. Thyer (Ed.), The handbook of social work research methods (pp. 400-413). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
• Literature Reviews and Bibliographic Searches. (2006). In V. Desai, & R. Potter (Eds.), Doing development research (pp. 209-222). London, England: SAGEPublications, Ltd.
• Race, R. (2008). Literature review. In L. Given (Ed.), The SAGE encyclopedia of qualitative research methods (pp. 488-490). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
• Thomas, D. R., & Hodges, I. D. (2010). Doing a literature review. In Designing and managing your research project: Core skills for social and health research (pp. 105-131). London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
• Writing a Literature Review. (2006). In N. Walliman (Ed.), Social research methods (pp. 182-186). London, England: SAGE Publications, Ltd.

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• Research Guides

Writing Literature Reviews

• Literature Review Overview
• Organizing Your Lit Review
• Tips for Writing Your Lit Review

Need Assistance?

Find your librarian, schedule a research appointment, today's hours : , what is a literature review.

A literature review ought to be a clear, concise synthesis of relevant information. A literature review should introduce the study it precedes and show how that study fits into topically related studies that already exist. Structurally, a literature review ought to be something like a funnel: start by addressing the topic broadly and gradually narrow as the review progresses.

from Literature Reviews by CU Writing Center

Why review the literature?

Reference to prior literature is a defining feature of academic and research writing. Why review the literature?

• To help you understand a research topic
• To establish the importance of a topic
• To help develop your own ideas
• To make sure you are not simply replicating research that others have already successfully completed
• To demonstrate knowledge and show how your current work is situated within, builds on, or departs from earlier publications

from Literature Review Basics from University of La Verne

Tips & Tricks

Before writing your own literature review, take a look at these resources which share helpful tips and tricks:

Lectures & Slides

• Literature Reviews | CU Writing Center
• Writing a Literature Review | CU Writing Center
• Revising a Literature Review | CU Writing Center
• Literature Reviews: How to Find and Do Them
• Literature Reviews: An Overview

How-To Guides

• Literature Reviews | Purdue OWL
• Literature Reviews | University of North Carolina
• Learn How to Write a Review of Literature | University of Wisconsin
• Literature Review: The What, Why and How-to Guide | University of Connecticut
• Literature Reviews | Florida A & M
• Conduct a Literature Review | SUNY
• Literature Review Basics | University of LaVerne

Sample Literature Reviews

• Sample Literature Reviews | University of West Florida
• Sample APA Papers: Literature Review | Purdue OWL
• Next: Organizing Your Lit Review >>
• Last Updated: Apr 24, 2020 3:12 PM
• URL: https://libguides.cedarville.edu/c.php?g=969394

ECON 299: International Trade (Saha) Spring 2024

• Starting Your Research Process
• Evaluating Sources
• Places to Search
• Recommended Journals
• Effective Searching & Reading
• Literature Reviews
• Citing your Sources This link opens in a new window
• Research Assistance

Literature Reviews - Examples

• Literature Reviews - Political Science - Lemieux Library Guides at Seattle University Overview of the purpose of a Literature Review and samples.
• Literature Reviews – The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (unc.edu) Explains what literature reviews are and offer insights into the form and construction of literature reviews in the humanities, social sciences, and science.
• Sample Literature Review Sample literature review from Perdue OWL with mark-ups.

Writing Support @ Holy Cross

Writer's Workshop offers 45-minute 1:1 consultation sessions to help with any and all writing assignments.  You can find out more and book an appointment on their webpage .

Annotated Bibliography - what a literature review is not

A literature review is not an annotated bibliography. 

But - your annotated bibliography is an important step towards thinking about and organizing your literature review.

Preparing to write a literature review

"A literature review, like a term paper, is usually organized around ideas , not the sources themselves as an annotated bibliography would be organized. This means that you will not just simply list your sources and go into detail about each one of them, one at a time. No.

As you read widely but selectively in your topic area, consider instead what themes or issues connect your sources together .

• Do they present one or different solutions?
• Is there an aspect of the field that is missing?
• How well do they present the material and do they portray it according to an appropriate theory?
• Do they reveal a trend in the field? A raging debate?

Pick one of these themes to focus the organization of your review."

Literature Reviews – The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (unc.edu)

Literature Review visual

• Literature Review - working backwards Visual presentation of deconstructing a literature review in order to understand how it is built
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• Last Updated: Apr 2, 2024 10:35 AM
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