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  • "The Literature Review," in Destination Dissertation
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Writing a Literature Review

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

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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.
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  • Last Updated: Jul 20, 2023 3:05 PM
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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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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

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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
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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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Literature Review: Organizing/Writing

  • Getting Started
  • What is a Literature Review?
  • Starting Your Research
  • Finding "The Literature"
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Purdue OWL Literature Review

The Purdue OWL offers  writing support for literature reviews . 

Synthesis Matrix

Another helpful idea to manage the process of reviewing the literature is a Synthesis Matrix. Virginia Commonwealth Univeristy explains that a Synthesis Matrix can help in the organization and relatability of each source.

Ways to Organize Your Literature Review

Chronologically by Events  If your review follows the chronological method, you could write about the materials according to when they were published. This approach should only be followed if a clear path of research building on previous research can be identified and that these trends follow a clear chronological order of development. For example, a literature review that focuses on continuing research about the emergence of German economic power after the fall of the Soviet Union. By Publication Date Order your sources by publication date if the order demonstrates an important trend. For instance, you could order a review of literature on environmental studies of brown fields if the progression revealed, for example, a change in the soil collection practices of the researchers who wrote and/or conducted the studies. Thematically (“conceptual categories”) Thematic reviews of literature are organized around a topic or issue, rather than the progression of time. However, progression of time may still be an important factor in a thematic review. For example, a review of the Internet’s impact on American presidential politics could focus on the development of online political satire. While the study focuses on one topic, the Internet’s impact on American presidential politics, it will still be organized chronologically reflecting technological developments in media. The only difference here between a "chronological" and a "thematic" approach is what is emphasized the most: the role of the Internet in presidential politics. Note however that more authentic thematic reviews tend to break away from chronological order. A review organized in this manner would shift between time periods within each section according to the point made. Methodologically A methodological approach focuses on the methods utilized by the researcher. For the Internet in American presidential politics project, one methodological approach would be to look at cultural differences between the portrayal of American presidents on American, British, and French websites. Or the review might focus on the fundraising impact of the Internet on a particular political party. A methodological scope will influence either the types of documents in the review or the way in which these documents are discussed.

(adapted from  "The Literature Review"  from Organizing Your Social Research Paper, University of Southern California )

Tips for Writing Your Literature Review

If your assignment is not very specific about what form your literature review should take, seek clarification from your professor by asking these questions: 1.  Roughly how many sources should I include? 2.  What types of sources should I review (books, journal articles, websites)? 3.  Should I summarize, synthesize, or critique your sources by discussing a common theme or issue? 4.  Should I evaluate the sources? 5.  Should I provide subheadings and other background information, such as definitions and/or a history? Find Models Use the exercise of reviewing the literature to examine how authors in your discipline or area of interest have composed their literature reviews. Read them to get a sense of the types of themes you might want to look for in your own research or ways to organize your final review. The bibliography or reference section of sources you've already read are also excellent entry points into your own research.

Here are a few sample literature reviews from articles, including highlighting and notes on the literature reviews.  

  • Barrett, C., Cannon, B., & O'Hare, L. (2007). "The Application of Library Outreach Strategies in Archival Settings." 
  • APA Style Sample Literature Review
  • What the research reveals about graduate student's writing skills: A literature review
  • Blended learning in teacher education programs: A literature review

(adapted from "The Literature Review"  from Organizing Your Social Research Paper, University of Southern California )

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Definition: A literature review is a systematic examination and synthesis of existing scholarly research on a specific topic or subject.

Purpose: It serves to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge within a particular field.

Analysis: Involves critically evaluating and summarizing key findings, methodologies, and debates found in academic literature.

Identifying Gaps: Aims to pinpoint areas where there is a lack of research or unresolved questions, highlighting opportunities for further investigation.

Contextualization: Enables researchers to understand how their work fits into the broader academic conversation and contributes to the existing body of knowledge.

owl literature review

tl;dr  A literature review critically examines and synthesizes existing scholarly research and publications on a specific topic to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current state of knowledge in the field.

What is a literature review NOT?

❌ An annotated bibliography

❌ Original research

❌ A summary

❌ Something to be conducted at the end of your research

❌ An opinion piece

❌ A chronological compilation of studies

The reason for conducting a literature review is to:

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Literature Reviews: An Overview for Graduate Students

While this 9-minute video from NCSU is geared toward graduate students, it is useful for anyone conducting a literature review.

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Writing the literature review: A practical guide

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Writing literature reviews: A guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences

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So, you have to write a literature review: A guided workbook for engineers

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Telling a research story: Writing a literature review

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The literature review: Six steps to success

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Systematic approaches to a successful literature review

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  • Writing a Literature Review

Just about every major research project involves a literature review, often these can be placed at the beginning of a paper or can be publishable in their own right. The OWL provides guidance for literature review writing.

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  • How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates

How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates

Published on January 2, 2023 by Shona McCombes . Revised on September 11, 2023.

What is a literature review? A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research that you can later apply to your paper, thesis, or dissertation topic .

There are five key steps to writing a literature review:

  • Search for relevant literature
  • Evaluate sources
  • Identify themes, debates, and gaps
  • Outline the structure
  • Write your literature review

A good literature review doesn’t just summarize sources—it analyzes, synthesizes , and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.

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Table of contents

What is the purpose of a literature review, examples of literature reviews, step 1 – search for relevant literature, step 2 – evaluate and select sources, step 3 – identify themes, debates, and gaps, step 4 – outline your literature review’s structure, step 5 – write your literature review, free lecture slides, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions, introduction.

  • Quick Run-through
  • Step 1 & 2

When you write a thesis , dissertation , or research paper , you will likely have to conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge. The literature review gives you a chance to:

  • Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and its scholarly context
  • Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research
  • Position your work in relation to other researchers and theorists
  • Show how your research addresses a gap or contributes to a debate
  • Evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge of the scholarly debates around your topic.

Writing literature reviews is a particularly important skill if you want to apply for graduate school or pursue a career in research. We’ve written a step-by-step guide that you can follow below.

Literature review guide

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Writing literature reviews can be quite challenging! A good starting point could be to look at some examples, depending on what kind of literature review you’d like to write.

  • Example literature review #1: “Why Do People Migrate? A Review of the Theoretical Literature” ( Theoretical literature review about the development of economic migration theory from the 1950s to today.)
  • Example literature review #2: “Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines” ( Methodological literature review about interdisciplinary knowledge acquisition and production.)
  • Example literature review #3: “The Use of Technology in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Thematic literature review about the effects of technology on language acquisition.)
  • Example literature review #4: “Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Chronological literature review about how the concept of listening skills has changed over time.)

You can also check out our templates with literature review examples and sample outlines at the links below.

Download Word doc Download Google doc

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 .

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 as you discover new keywords in the process of your literature search.

  • Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok
  • Body image, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health
  • Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth

Search for relevant sources

Use your keywords to begin searching for sources. Some useful databases to search for journals and articles include:

  • Your university’s library catalogue
  • Google Scholar
  • Project Muse (humanities and social sciences)
  • Medline (life sciences and biomedicine)
  • EconLit (economics)
  • Inspec (physics, engineering and computer science)

You can also use boolean operators to help narrow down your search.

Make sure to 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.

You likely won’t be able to read absolutely everything that has been written on your topic, so it will be necessary to evaluate which sources are most relevant to your research question.

For each publication, ask yourself:

  • What question or problem is the author addressing?
  • What are the key concepts and how are they defined?
  • What are the key theories, models, and methods?
  • Does the research use established frameworks or take an innovative approach?
  • What are the results and conclusions of the study?
  • How does the publication relate to other literature in the field? Does it confirm, add to, or challenge established knowledge?
  • What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?

Make sure the sources you use are credible , and make sure you read any landmark studies and major theories in your field of research.

You can use our template to summarize and evaluate sources you’re thinking about using. Click on either button below to download.

Take notes and cite your sources

As you read, you should also begin the writing process. Take notes that you can later incorporate into the text of your literature review.

It is important to keep track of your sources with citations to avoid plagiarism . It can be helpful to make an annotated bibliography , where you compile full citation information and write a paragraph of summary and analysis for each source. This helps you remember what you read and saves time later in the process.

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To begin organizing your literature review’s argument and structure, be sure you understand the connections and relationships between the sources you’ve read. Based on your reading and notes, you can look for:

  • Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results): do certain approaches become more or less popular over time?
  • Themes: what questions or concepts recur across the literature?
  • Debates, conflicts and contradictions: where do sources disagree?
  • Pivotal publications: are there any influential theories or studies that changed the direction of the field?
  • Gaps: what is missing from the literature? Are there weaknesses that need to be addressed?

This step will help you work out the structure of your literature review and (if applicable) show how your own research will contribute to existing knowledge.

  • Most research has focused on young women.
  • There is an increasing interest in the visual aspects of social media.
  • But there is still a lack of robust research on highly visual platforms like Instagram and Snapchat—this is a gap that you could address in your own research.

There are various approaches to organizing the body of a literature review. Depending on the length of your literature review, you can combine several of these strategies (for example, your overall structure might be thematic, but each theme is discussed chronologically).

Chronological

The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time. However, if you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order.

Try to analyze patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred.

If you have found some recurring central themes, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic.

For example, if you are reviewing literature about inequalities in migrant health outcomes, key themes might include healthcare policy, language barriers, cultural attitudes, legal status, and economic access.

Methodological

If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods , you might want to compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:

  • Look at what results have emerged in qualitative versus quantitative research
  • Discuss how the topic has been approached by empirical versus theoretical scholarship
  • Divide the literature into sociological, historical, and cultural sources

Theoretical

A literature review is often the foundation for a theoretical framework . You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts.

You might argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach, or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.

Like any other academic text , your literature review should have an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion . What you include in each depends on the objective of your literature review.

The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose of the literature review.

Depending on the length of your literature review, you might want to divide the body into subsections. You can use a subheading for each theme, time period, or methodological approach.

As you write, you can follow these tips:

  • Summarize and synthesize: give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole
  • Analyze and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other researchers — add your own interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole
  • Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources
  • Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transition words and topic sentences to draw connections, comparisons and contrasts

In the conclusion, you should summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance.

When you’ve finished writing and revising your literature review, don’t forget to proofread thoroughly before submitting. Not a language expert? Check out Scribbr’s professional proofreading services !

This article has been adapted into lecture slides that you can use to teach your students about writing a literature review.

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A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources (such as books, journal articles, and theses) related to a specific topic or research question .

It is often written as part of a thesis, dissertation , or research paper , in order to situate your work in relation to existing knowledge.

There are several reasons to conduct a literature review at the beginning of a research project:

  • To familiarize yourself with the current state of knowledge on your topic
  • To ensure that you’re not just repeating what others have already done
  • To identify gaps in knowledge and unresolved problems that your research can address
  • To develop your theoretical framework and methodology
  • To provide an overview of the key findings and debates on the topic

Writing the literature review shows your reader how your work relates to existing research and what new insights it will contribute.

The literature review usually comes near the beginning of your thesis or dissertation . After the introduction , it grounds your research in a scholarly field and leads directly to your theoretical framework or methodology .

A literature review is a survey of credible sources on a topic, often used in dissertations , theses, and research papers . Literature reviews give an overview of knowledge on a subject, helping you identify relevant theories and methods, as well as gaps in existing research. Literature reviews are set up similarly to other  academic texts , with an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion .

An  annotated bibliography is a list of  source references that has a short description (called an annotation ) for each of the sources. It is often assigned as part of the research process for a  paper .  

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Research Process

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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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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

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Literature reviews provide a critical overview of a range of sources (literature) on a particular topic. This is often done in the context of a larger study, to provide a solid foundation for further research.

This video lecture explains how to write a literature review, and examines which elements are required in one.

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  1. Writing a Literature Review

    A literature review is a document or section of a document that collects key sources on a topic and discusses those sources in conversation with each other (also called synthesis ). The lit review is an important genre in many disciplines, not just literature (i.e., the study of works of literature such as novels and plays).

  2. Creating a Literature Review

    Purdue OWL's Guide to Writing a Literature Review A literature review requires the writer to perform extensive research on published work in one's field in order to explain how one's own work fits into the larger conversation regarding a particular topic.

  3. Social Work Literature Review Guidelines

    Literature reviews are designed to do two things: 1) give your readers an overview of sources you have explored while researching a particular topic or idea and 2) demonstrate how your research fits into the larger field of study, in this case, social work.

  4. Types of APA Papers

    A literature review is a critical summary of what the scientific literature says about your specific topic or question. Often student research in APA fields falls into this category.

  5. Research Guides: ECET 380: Project Management: Literature Review

    "A literature review is a document or section of a document that collects key sources on a topic and discusses those sources in conversation with each other (also called synthesis)." -- Purdue OWL Literature Review Assignment Details Your group will write the literature review together.

  6. Literature Review Resources

    Learn the basics of a literature review from Purdue Owl's Writing a Literature Review Want to learn about the different types of literature reviews, check out Literature Review: Outline, Strategies, and Examples by StudyCorgi

  7. PDF Literature Review APA 7th Edition

    Commented [A7]: A literature review includes a References page in APA format that includes a reference for every source cited in the literature review. preventing readmissions. Journal of Healthcare Financial Management, 65(12), 1-6.

  8. Literature Reviews

    Just to be clear: a literature review differs from a research paper in that a literature review is a summary and synthesis of the major arguments and thinking of experts on the topic you're investigating, whereas a research paper supports a position or an opinion you have developed yourself as a result of your own analysis of a topic.

  9. Writing Literature Reviews & Annotated Bibliographies

    Writing a Literature Review (Purdue OWL) A literature review is a document or section of a document that collects key sources on a topic and discusses those sources in conversation with each other (also called synthesis). The lit review is an important genre in many disciplines, not just literature.

  10. Guides: Writing a Literature Review: Writing Literature Reviews

    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

  11. Writing the Literature Review

    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:

  12. Research and Citation

    Writing a Literature Review; Using Research. Using Research Introduction; Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing; Paraphrase Exercises; Writing with Statistics; Strategies for Fair Use; Writing Scientific Abstracts Presentation; Resources for Documenting Sources in the Disciplines; APA Style (7th Edition) APA Style Introduction; APA Style Workshop

  13. Tools for Academic Writing: 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).

  14. Literature Review: Organizing/Writing

    Clarify If your assignment is not very specific about what form your literature review should take, seek clarification from your professor by asking these questions: 1. Roughly how many sources should I include? 2. What types of sources should I review (books, journal articles, websites)? 3.

  15. Getting started

    What is a literature review? Definition: A literature review is a systematic examination and synthesis of existing scholarly research on a specific topic or subject. Purpose: It serves to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge within a particular field. Analysis: Involves critically evaluating and summarizing key findings, methodologies, and debates found in ...

  16. Library Guide for Education Graduate Students

    Writing a Literature Review Just about every major research project involves a literature review, often these can be placed at the beginning of a paper or can be publishable in their own right. The OWL provides guidance for literature review writing. Writing a Literature Review Job Search Writing Writing while on the job search takes various forms.

  17. Library: Writing Resources: How to write a

    Literature Reviews (Excelsior OWL) Literature Review Sample (Excelsior OWL) Literature Reviews (UNC-Chapel Hill's Writing Center) Review of Literature (UW-Madison's Writing Center) Researching and Writing a Literature Review (University of Minnesota Libraries) Cover Letter & Resume Career Readiness Center

  18. How to Write a Literature Review

    Step 1 & 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 What is the purpose of a literature review? When you write a thesis, dissertation, or research paper, you will likely have to conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge.

  19. Sample Literature Review

    SCHOOL OF SOCIAL POLICY & PRACTICE. 3701 Locust Walk. Philadelphia, PA 19104-6214. PHONE: 215 898 5512 FAX: 215 573 2099

  20. Experimental Reports 1

    Experimental reports (also known as "lab reports") are reports of empirical research conducted by their authors. You should think of an experimental report as a "story" of your research in which you lead your readers through your experiment.

  21. LibGuides: Research Process: Resources for a Literature Review

    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. …

  22. Literature Review Overview

    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.

  23. Literature Reviews

    The primary purpose of the literature review is to demonstrate why the author's study is necessary. Depending on the writer's field, it may or may not be clear that research on a particular topic is necessary for advancing knowledge.

  24. Literature review

    Literature reviews provide a critical overview of a range of sources (literature) on a particular topic. This is often done in the context of a larger study, to provide a solid foundation for further research. The literature review. This video lecture explains how to write a literature review, and examines which elements are required in one.

  25. Writing in Literature

    In this section Writing About Poetry Subsections Writing About Film Literary Terms Writing About Fiction Writing About Literature Writing in Literature (Detailed Discussion) Writing about World Literature

  26. Literature Review in Health Sciences

    The purpose of the literature review is to give you an overview of a particular topic. Your job in a Health Sciences literature review is to discover the research that has already been done, the major perspectives of researchers in the field, and the significant thinkers and writers, or experts, who have published on the topic you're interested in.