How do I write a literature review?
Introduction
Literature reviews take time and are used to examine and evaluate previous literature on a topic.
If you're brand new to literature reviews, start here.
Steps to Completing a Lit Review
If you're brand new to literature reviews, start here.
- Video -- This video is a great overview of the entire process. The transcript is included. This is for everyone; ignore the mention of "graduate students." (9.5 minutes, and every second is important) (2020; North Carolina State University Libraries)
- 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.
- Change Your Mindset -- A literature review follows a different style, format, and structure from a research article.
Steps to Completing a Lit Review
- Find - Conduct searches for relevant information
- Evaluate - Critically review your sources
- Summarize - Determine the most important and relevant information
- Synthesize - Create a synthesis matrix to find connections between sources and ensure your sources relate to main ideas
- Integrate - Use your matrix to organize the literature review
Find
Before you begin searching for literature, you need a clearly defined topic.
- If you are writing the literature review section of a dissertation or research paper, you will search for literature related to your research problem and questions.
- If you are writing a literature review as a stand-alone assignment, you will have to choose a focus and develop a central question to direct your search. Unlike a dissertation research question, this question has to be answerable without collecting original data. You should be able to answer it based only on a review of existing publications.
Example Research Question
What is the impact of social media on body image among Generation Z?
What is the impact of social media on body image among Generation Z?
Make a List of Keywords
Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research question. Include each of the key concepts or variables you’re interested in, and list any synonyms and related terms. You can add to this list if you discover new keywords in the process of your literature search.
Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research question. Include each of the key concepts or variables you’re interested in, and list any synonyms and related terms. You can add to this list if you discover new keywords in the process of your literature search.
Example of Keywords
- Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok
- Body image, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health
- Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth
Tips for Searching
- You can use boolean operators to help narrow down your search:
- AND to find sources that contain more than one keyword (e.g. social media AND body image AND generation Z)
- OR to find sources that contain one of a range of synonyms (e.g. generation Z OR teenagers OR adolescents)
- NOT to exclude results containing certain terms (e.g. apple NOT fruit)
- Read the abstract to find out whether an article is relevant to your question. When you find a useful book or article, you can check the bibliography to find other relevant sources.
- To identify the most important publications on your topic, take note of recurring citations. If the same authors, books or articles keep appearing in your reading, make sure to seek them out.
Evaluate
Summarize
Summarize each of your sources. Determine the most important and relevant information from each source such as the findings, methodology, theories, etc. Consider using an article summary template to summarize your sources.
Make sure to paraphrase (use your own words and do not copy and paste the abstract). Check out our resources on plagiarism so you do not violate intellectual freedom or copyright.
Annotated Bibliographies
Annotated bibliographies can help you see and understand the research before you dive into organizing your lit review. Annotations shouldn't be a summary of each article but a critical evaluation of your sources to help determine a source's usefulness for your review.
The purpose of an annotated bibliography is to explore the topic, evaluate issues with your research topic, begin organizing your lit review, and to think critically about your topic.
Check out this amazing website from Cornell University on how to prepare an annotated bibliography.
Make sure to paraphrase (use your own words and do not copy and paste the abstract). Check out our resources on plagiarism so you do not violate intellectual freedom or copyright.
Annotated Bibliographies
Annotated bibliographies can help you see and understand the research before you dive into organizing your lit review. Annotations shouldn't be a summary of each article but a critical evaluation of your sources to help determine a source's usefulness for your review.
The purpose of an annotated bibliography is to explore the topic, evaluate issues with your research topic, begin organizing your lit review, and to think critically about your topic.
Check out this amazing website from Cornell University on how to prepare an annotated bibliography.
Johns Hopkins Template for Lit Review Prep |
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Synthesize
To synthesize means to combine separate elements to form a whole.
A synthesis matrix helps you record main ideas from sources and visualize how they relate to one another. After you summarize your sources, arranging them into a matrix helps you see how they relate to one another and apply to your topic or question. This then helps you create a narrative as you see how they connect.
Examples
A synthesis matrix helps you record main ideas from sources and visualize how they relate to one another. After you summarize your sources, arranging them into a matrix helps you see how they relate to one another and apply to your topic or question. This then helps you create a narrative as you see how they connect.
Examples
Integrate
Your lit review should not be a summary and evaluation of each article, one after the other. Your sources must be integrated together to create a narrative on your topic. Consider the following ways to organize your review:
Main Components of a Literature Review
- By themes, variables, issues
- By varying perspectives regarding a topic of controversy
- Chronologically, to show how the topic and research have developed over time
Main Components of a Literature Review
- Introduction
- Describe the topic and provide a basic definition
- Parameters of the topic (What does the topic include and exclude?)
- Why did you select the literature you did?
- Body
- Historical background
- Definitions in use
- Mainstream ideas vs. alternative theoretical or ideological views
- Principle questions being asked
- Current research studies and discoveries
- Methodologies
- General conclusions
- Conclusion
- Summary of agreements and disagreements from the literature
- General conclusions
- How does your thesis fit in?
Not every source you found should be included in your annotated bibliography or your literature review. Only include the most relevant and most important sources.