A literature review is the second chapter of a research project based on a specific topic. Often based on preexisting scholarly sources, a literature review gives a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge on a topic, allowing to discover gaps, methods, and theories relevant to your research project.
To write a good literature review:
- Look for relevant literature.
- Evaluate each source.
- Find debates, gaps, and themes in the literature.
- Create an outline.
- Write your literature review.
1. Look for Relevant Literature
The first step to write a literature review for a thesis, dissertation, or research paper is to find published literature related to your topic.
- Use Google Scholar to find journal articles on your topic.
- Snowball journal articles to find highly relevant research on your topic by previous researchers.
- Look for existing literature on your topic from your school’s online database.
The data, insights, statistics, and other information that you collect from different sources should be credible and relevant to your topic. Also, ensure the existing literature can answer your research question.
2. Evaluate Each Source
Although you have a treasure trove at this point, the information you’ve gathered so far requires an in-depth evaluation.
- Read widely.
- Gather ideas that fit into your writing.
- Keep relevance in mind as you study your sources and take notes.
It can take a while to read and analyze academic journals and peer-reviewed articles on your topic. However, investing as much time as possible to read and analyze collected information is the only way to learn more about existing studies.
Directional changes may be necessary as new avenues come up. However, you should end up with useful information that you can organize in a logical way.
3. Find Debates, Gaps, and Themes in the Literature
Here’s where you find the connection and relationship between the different sources you’ve collected and evaluated. Look for trends, themes, debates, significant publications, and gaps in the research.
- Trends let you determine whether certain approaches become significant or less relevant and popular over time.
- Themes in this context refer to similar concepts and/or questions that appear in all the existing literature.
- Debates focuses on conflicts and contradictions, allowing you to find out exactly where different sources disagree on different concepts.
- Important publications identify studies or theories that are likely to change the direction of your research.
- Gaps focus on what the literature misses and the weaknesses you can address in your research work.
Looking for trends, themes, debates, gaps, and patterns in the existing literature makes it easier to create a comprehensive structure of your document. Moreover, the gaps found create opportunity for new research to contribute to existing knowledge.
4. Create a Literature Review Outline
A literature review outline is a structured layout that presents your research in a way that demonstrates a clear analysis and summarization of ideas and concepts of other academic writers.
An outline for a literature review includes an introduction, a body section (structured thematically, theoretically, or chronologically), and a conclusion.
Introduction
Start the introduction with a strong hook to grab the reader’s attention. Follow the hook with an overview of your research question and write a description relevant to the topic. Don’t forget to express the reasons for your interest in the research.
Body Paragraphs
Give a clear description of the existing body of knowledge of the research question you intend to explore. You can structure the body paragraphs theoretically, chronologically, thematically, or methodically.
- Theoretical Structure: Write about different models and theories, argue for specific theoretical approaches, or define certain concepts if your research topic demands.
- Chronological Structure: Write your literature review based on a time sequence starting from the beginning to the end. Instead of listing every event in the order of its occurrence, look for themes and tuning points and focus only on what’s significant.
- Thematic Structure: Find the relationship between sources and the literary text you intend to summarize. Organize each issue into a subsection and address it.
- Methodical Structure: Analyze concepts by presenting each method based on its impact. Consider ethical, sociological, quantitative, qualitative, and cultural impact of the literature.
Use subheadings and transition words in the body sections for easy communication and to ensure clarity in your work.
Conclusion
Write a clear, concise, and comprehensive literature review conclusion. The best approach is to summarize the most important points in your work, explain the significance of the literature, and then address the strengths and weaknesses of the existing literature (knowledge).
6. Write Your Literature Review
Write your literature review based on the outline you created in the fifth step above. Your literature review should feature an introduction, a body section, and a string conclusion.
- Introduction: Write a clear and well-established focus of the literature review.
- Body: Give a condensed version of the main points from each source. Don’t merely rewrite what other academic experts have already written but analyze and give your personalized interpretation of their academic work. Don’t forget to mention the strengths and weaknesses of each source.
- Conclusion: This section should give a short but clear summary of the major findings from the literature, followed by a clear explanation of their significance.
Don’t forget to proofread your work before you submit it to your professor for review. Remember, your goal is to make your literature review as comprehensive as possible so you can score top grades.
How Do I Format a Literature Review?
Your professor will require you to format your literature review in MLA, APA, or Chicago format.
MLA Format
Here’s how to structure your literature review in MLA:
- 1-inch page margins
- Double-space the whole text
- Half an inch indent for each new paragraph
- Times New Roman, 12-point font size
MLA format doesn’t require a title page, but you can include one. Include a running head at the top corner of each page.
APA Format
Below is how to structure your literature review in APA:
- Double-space the text
- Have page numbers on the upper right corner of every page
- Use Times New Roman with 12-point font size
- Have 1-inch page margins
Include a title page and have a capitalized header at the top of every page in no more than 50 characters.
Chicago Format
Below are the rules for structuring your literature review in Chicago format:
- 1-inch page margins
- No spaces between paragraphs
- Times New Roman or Courier font, with font size of 10 to 12 points
- Double-space for texts, except for references, figure captions, table titles notes, and block quotes
Add a cover page, which shows your full name, class details, and the date. Write the page numbers at the top right corner of each page.
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