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120 Fresh and Thought-Provoking Topics for Literature Reviews in Different Disciplines

A literature review is an account of the scholarly works published on a topic. It is different from an annotated bibliography – and far more interesting at that. Instead of being just a list of summaries, a literature review synthesizes the information from all available sources in an overall relationship to your guiding concept. This may be the problem you are discussing, a statement you are arguing, a theory you are verifying, etc.

The goals of a literature review may vary:

  • giving a historical overview of the research in the field
  • summarizing the existing state of the topic
  • finding a problem or a gap in the research field
  • developing a new theory, etc.

That is why good literature review topics are often formulated as research questions. This type of paper is not an easy writing. You will need to parse immense volumes of information, synthesize and summarize coherently. You also need to devote plenty of time to reading.

This post contains a list of literature review topics suggested for various subjects. However, when choosing the most fitting one to dig into, ask yourself, what are the passions that you can apply to this research? This assignment will take a while, so you will need more than just a good study discipline to soldier on. A bit of enthusiasm and intrinsic motivation will get you much farther.

Literature Review Topics Examples on English and World Literature

Some of the suggestions in this post are linked to literature review examples in our free database. By clicking on a title, you get to a corresponding sample page, where you can read the entire text. If the topic you like isn't linked, but you would like to read an example, you can order it. We will arrange the most qualified paper writer to prepare it for you exclusively.

Ready? Let's start with topics for literature review papers on English and World Literature.

  • Phoenix as a symbol for endurance in a worn path
  • The novel Intuition by Allegra Goodman
  • Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Birthmark through Girard's Lens
  • Ender's Game by an Orson Scott Card
  • Depiction of freedom and happiness in Brave New World
  • Feminism and Post-Colonialism in Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake and Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games
  • Rationality, logic, and mathematics in the novel The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
  • Victims of their time as a character type in the World literature
  • The last days of Judas Iscariot : a play by Stephen Adly Guirgis
  • The use of symbolism in Kafka's prose
  • Naturalism in American literature
  • Grotesque and Sublime in the prose of Edgar Allan Poe

Lit Review Topic Ideas on Science and Technology

Next are some literature review topic ideas on science and technology.

  • Electronic library and effects of its implementation
  • Benjamin Franklin: scientist and inventor
  • Virtual Reality, science fiction, and society today
  • Science, Technology, and Society as a field of knowledge
  • Frederick Winslow Taylor and the principles of scientific management
  • What is the future of work
  • Concepts of science and technology
  • The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis and influence of technological advancement on man and nature
  • Types of machine learning
  • Internet of Things and biometrics: implications, benefits, threats
  • Emotional intelligence and natural language processing
  • SmartCity projects that have already been implemented and their lessons

As the field is vast, we can barely scratch the surface with these suggestions. To help you with brainstorming, here are a few tips on how to choose good topics for a literature review yourself:

  • Make sure the topic ties nicely with class requirements as well as your interests
  • Do some preliminary research to see if there is enough literature on your topic
  • Scale up if the information is scarce or down if there are too many sources to handle
  • Use sources recommended for reading in the class materials
  • Supplement the list with only trustworthy scholarly sources

Follow these guidelines, and you are on a path to some great ideas!

Psychology Literature Review Topics

When brainstorming topics on psychology, don't forget about the subdisciplines: biopsychology, social, educational, organizational, etc. If the suggestions below won't be enough, try looking for inspiration in Biology, Sociology, Education, or Business. The most exciting topics are often at the intersection of different areas of knowledge!

  • Tricyclic antidepressants vs. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) in treatment of depression
  • Stress, its causes, effects, and coping strategies
  • The family system and psychology
  • Tibetan compassion practices: working with terror, trauma, and transcendence
  • Behaviorism psychology
  • Culture and psychopathology
  • Correlation between diet and cognitive functions in primary school students
  • The evolutionary role of phobias and intrusive thoughts
  • Popular psychology and its implications
  • PTSD in mass disasters survivors: immediate relief and long-term assistance
  • Cults and vulnerable populations
  • False memories and gaslighting

Nursing Literature Review Topics

Nursing lit review topics are probably the most diverse in scale, as you can see from the examples below. They can describe a larger issue or a concrete solution applied to a narrowly defined problem. Following this principle, you can modify our lit review topics suggestions zooming out or in on the subject material.

  • Legalization of medical marijuana and its effects on the youth
  • Health effects of fiber: research findings
  • Achieving higher levels of education and training for nurses
  • Organic foods and cardiovascular disease
  • The importance of Central Venous Line (CVL) and Central Venous Access Devices (CVAD)
  • What effects do different types of music have on humans and their mental health?
  • The use of laboratory-grown organs for transplantation
  • The role of xylitol in alleviating dry mouth
  • The detection of tar and nicotine content of cigarette smoke extract using HPLC
  • Rheumatoid arthritis: etiology, diagnosis, vulnerable populations
  • Mobility aids for the elderly and quality of life
  • The role of play in the recuperation of hospitalized children

Education Literature Review Topics

To get more ideas from these literature review topic examples, try isolating an issue and put it in another educational context. For instance, student motivation in primary school vs. middle school or sleep deprivation in high school vs. college. This should give you plenty of material for brainstorming.

  • Simulation education for crisis prevention program
  • A critical consideration of the new pedagogy in its relation to modern science
  • Lack of students interest in studying science
  • Discovery-based learning and student-centered learning with a focus on mathematics at a high school level
  • The adverse effects of sleep deprivation on academic performance: a college student's struggle
  • Gender bias in special education programs
  • Higher education for senior citizens: challenges and best practices
  • Significant challenges of the teaching profession in the US
  • Factors contributing to international student mobility
  • Student motivation in private vs. state colleges
  • Benefits and challenges of homeschooling for students and families
  • Correlation between workload, stress levels, and self-esteem in middle-school students

Sociology Literature Review Topics

The best advice on finding current sociology topics is to look at the challenges your community faces. Become the first one to notice and address these issues!

  • Are video games affecting our current and future students ?
  • Ways to prevent social media bullying
  • Spanking of children in the USA
  • The relation of poverty and exposure to crime in adolescent men
  • Transgender discrimination
  • The link between science and Utopia in Utopia and the New Atlantis
  • Effectiveness of group therapy in social work
  • Peer pressure, depression, and causes of suicide in the adolescents
  • Religious separatism social issues connected with it
  • Causes and effects of domestic abuse
  • Physical appearance and social status
  • Race, nationality, ethnicity, and identity

Political Science Literature Review Topics

Political science is one of the more formal disciplines on this list. Being heavy with abstract concepts, it doesn't lend itself easily to casual brainstorming. Well, at least start with these:

  • Electoral College, its functions, and role in public life
  • Why American and the British IPE are so different
  • Contingency planning
  • Effects of political gerrymandering
  • American political parties
  • The present urban regimes in Canada
  • International policies and domestic regulations: precedence and clashes
  • Tolerance as a political virtue
  • Grassroots activism and its impact on state and federal law
  • National security and constitutional freedoms
  • Historical analysis of anarchism
  • The effect of social media on civic engagement

Criminal Justice Literature Review Topics

Criminal justice is a complex field. It's ripe with variance and challenges – which is good for topic ideas at least. And you have state, federal, and international levels to add more variables.

  • Juvenile justice and the Missouri model
  • Car-related crime in the USA
  • An analysis of the impact of sexual harassment/sexual assault in the military
  • The process of the arbitration without the involvement of national courts
  • Serial killers and profiling
  • Policing and criminal justice systems
  • Psychological effects of cyberbullying on adolescents
  • Sexual human trafficking from the Central America region
  • Human sex-trafficking: the Canadian perspective
  • Gender and racial bias in criminal investigations
  • Possible ethical and legal dilemmas of using sniffer dogs
  • Sting operations vs. entrapment: ethics and regulations

Chemistry and Biology Literature Review Topics

Biology is fascinating. It has something for everyone: from biochemistry and genetics to ecosystems and nature preservation. Here are some suggestions to guide your choice:

  • Brain size correlation
  • Haruko Obokata, ethics of stem cells research, and scientific misconduct
  • Genomic and molecular genetics major and its perspectives for students
  • DNA use in mass disasters
  • DNA detection from dried blood spots
  • Captive breeding of marine mammals: pros and cons
  • The Dynamics of ER and mitochondria
  • Biomarkers in gastric cancer treatment
  • The chemistry behind gene splicing
  • Carcinogens and hyper-processed foods
  • Primates and monkeys as potential sources of novel zoonotic infections
  • Natural gases, ecosystems, and the global warming

Business and Marketing Literature Review Topics

Finally, here are some business and marketing topics as well. These disciplines might be relatively new, but they are among the most dynamic and information-rich – which means great fun to explore.

  • Effectiveness of neuromarketing in comparison to traditional marketing methods
  • Green supply chain management
  • Effectiveness of e-marketing to non-profit making organizations
  • The value of information
  • Shareholder engagement/activism and corporate performance
  • The relationship between ethics, stress, and productivity in the workplace
  • The role of integrity in business
  • Client confidentiality and its role in a prosperous business
  • Businesses, their impact on the community, and social responsibility
  • Startup fundraising stages
  • Innovative marketing in the age of instant feedback: risks and possibilities
  • Strategies for staff motivation

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Original Business Research Topics for Academic Success

Updated Aug 2021 ​Business research papers are vital for aspiring business leaders and entrepreneurs pursuing a business degree. They can help you better understand basic economic principles, various markets, financial management, operational logistics, worldwide events and their effects on the global economy, and more.

However, writing a business research paper can be a cumbersome process, as there’s a whole universe of business fields and topics. There are so many different business operations in various areas, such as finance, communications, administration, and IT, that picking a single topic may seem challenging.

business research paper topics

Leave your worries behind, because here you’ll find an extensive list of top business research topics for your next writing assignment. They’re sure to inspire you to develop a unique and exciting topic, but you can also use many of them as your main headline. Some of them may seem a bit general, but you can narrow them down further.

What Are Some Good Business Research Topics?

When it comes to business, every topic is important. There’s not a single subject or topic that doesn’t carry great significance for proper business management.

Still, certain topics may be more interesting to read and learn about, which is one of the essential factors for getting a high grade. You want to wow your professor and showcase your knowledge and understanding of the subject.

So, what can you write about? It comes down to your expertise, interests, and preferences, but here are some ideas that present the most opportunities for business research.

Anything pertaining to the global economy is always a hot business research topic. It allows you to include international research and address many different organizations, from startups, small and medium-sized businesses to large enterprises and conglomerates.

Other exciting topics are political science research topics , including international relations, public policy, comparative politics, public administration, government research, and much more.

Social entrepreneurship, corporate social responsibility, business ethics, sustainable development, resources management, and technology and innovation management are other notable topics you could use for your business research paper. They’re some of the hottest and most in-demand areas of business research these days.

How to Find Business Research Topics?

Finding a good business research topic takes time and effort since there are so many areas to choose from. Following these tips will expedite the process and help you make the right choice:

  • Explore recent trends and developments - Look into the latest business reports, news, articles, presentations, and other relevant sources within your chosen business field to get an idea of the hottest trends, issues, challenges, and opportunities.
  • Make a list of engaging topics - Select several options that you’re interested in and that allow you to highlight your strengths. Then, focus on the one you’re most passionate about, ensuring it’s not too broad or narrow. For instance, if you’re into accounting research paper topics , you could narrow your focus to electronic personal accountancy services or manage in-house and outsourced accounting teams.
  • Conduct research - If there’s not enough information about a specific topic, you may not be able to produce a high-quality research paper. So, make sure the one you choose comes with numerous credible sources, including recent statistical data, to support your claims.

Interesting Business Topics for Research Paper

We’ve compiled a list of the most interesting ideas you could cover in your research paper. Before choosing a topic, read your assignment to make sure you properly understand the requirements, then select from our examples a topic that is directly related to your studies.

  • Business in the digital era
  • Remote employees – challenges
  • Why franchising is a smart business solution
  • Internet advertising and its popularity
  • Cheapest countries to invest in
  • Differences in business ethics laws
  • Latest changes in leadership
  • Social media presence for companies
  • International business languages
  • Making profits from war

Business Research Topics for College Students

For college students faced with business research papers to write, these are our best ideas for topics.

  • Business differences in developing countries
  • Impact of startups on local economies
  • Management approaches in different cultural places
  • Business risks calculation
  • Family-owned companies
  • Monopolies on a market
  • Differences in international copyright laws
  • Internet versus offline advertising
  • Consumer behavior changes in critical times
  • Outsourcing workforce – pros and cons

Business Research Topics for MBA Students

As a successful MBA student, you need to impress your professors with your knowledge. Choose a topic from below, and you will accomplish this easily.

  • Current trends in consumer behavior
  • Innovative management
  • Company rituals and corporate culture
  • Negotiation and diplomacy
  • Effective advertising
  • International trade trends in the USA
  • Geo-arbitrage and business success
  • Advantages of increasing brand awareness
  • Social media as a new market
  • Healthy work environment and employee diversity

Economics Research Topics

literature review topics business

For undergraduates in any economic field, writing college papers is difficult. To help out students like you who want to buy research paper online , we worked on this list of ideas good for a proper research assignment.

  • Property rights comparison
  • Tax brackets versus the fixed tax rate
  • Demand versus production
  • Analyzing consumer behavior
  • Labor unions legislation changes
  • History of economic thought
  • Trade embargo and sanctions
  • Profit maximization principles
  • Agricultural business
  • Real-estate economics

International Economics Paper Topics

When it comes to international economics, you can write about almost anything. For a compelling research paper, you can refer to one of the following trends.

  • The European Union economic model
  • International trade sanctions and restrictions
  • World economics development
  • Changes in business models due to wildlife protection laws
  • How cultural differences affect economic models
  • Economic power according to race and ethnicity
  • Energy markets potential
  • Foreign investments and their impact on the local economy
  • Correlation between immigration and unemployment rate
  • Impact of tourism growth on local economies

Econometrics Research Topics for Undergraduates

Econometrics involves math, measurements, and statistics, but that does not mean it has to be boring. These topics below use econometrics to refer to important real-life issues.

  • Income versus life insurance
  • Income inequality and poverty correlation
  • Trade impact on economic growth
  • A cross country analysis of minimum wage laws
  • Effects of inflation on national savings
  • Barriers on trade – pros and cons
  • Economic factors affecting homelessness
  • Variation in housing prices across cities
  • Youth unemployment – historical variations
  • Education expenditure and average income correlation

Business Management and Administration Research Topics

literature review topics business

Are management or administration your business specialties? If you are going to write a paper to cover these areas of research, you can take your inspiration from our list of topics.

  • Smart practices to increase motivation among employees
  • Women leadership
  • Managing conflict in a team
  • Networking between business and companies
  • Organizational crisis management
  • Social entrepreneurship
  • Causes of low employee retention rate
  • Management in startups versus multinational companies
  • Strategies for team-building
  • The relation between wages and employee productivity

Strategic Management Topics for Research

To find a focused, narrow topic for your paper on strategic management, look at our well-researched examples.

  • Strategic management practices in retail
  • Management practices in family-owned companies
  • Non-profit organizations leadership styles
  • Limitations of strategic management
  • Public-sector strategic management
  • Challenges of effective strategic management
  • Technological innovations and their role in management practices
  • Women in top strategic management positions
  • Impact of the social media era
  • Financial versus strategic management

Project Management Research Topics

Project management relies on human psychology, productivity rules, and other interesting aspects. You can surely find a passionate topic to delve deeper into our list of ideas.

  • Defining project leadership
  • Effective management practices
  • Managing innovation in entrepreneurship
  • Project scheduling and control
  • Contemporary approaches in project management
  • Work organization systems
  • Global leadership
  • Project risk management
  • Information value in project management
  • Effective organization changes

Finance Research Topics

This is our list of finance research topics for excellent papers on financial concepts.

  • Role of corporate investments in local economic development
  • Microfinance companies fighting poverty
  • Financial developments in Asian countries
  • Comparison of banking systems
  • Financial challenges of companies in emerging economies
  • What causes financial crises
  • Why mutual funds are popular
  • Cryptocurrency trends
  • Private equity investment – pros and cons
  • Security for online banking and transactions

Marketing Research Topics

For marketing students looking to learn how to analyze a market, we prepared a list of ideas for writing engaging college papers.

  • Is pharmaceutical marketing ethical
  • Purchase behavior – gender differences
  • Impulse buying and effective advertising
  • Social media marketing
  • Black Friday analysis
  • Social media influencers and brand awareness
  • Telemarketing success rate
  • Customer loyalty programs
  • Cultural differences affecting advertising
  • Ecological awareness in advertising

International Business Topics

Create an original research paper on an international business starting from one of these excellent topics.

  • Internet marketing for global companies
  • Causes of failure on the international market
  • Small companies with global appeal
  • International business leadership
  • The impact of cultural differences on business
  • How war affects companies’ profits
  • Most successful international brands – case studies
  • Top business languages
  • Changes in international trade
  • Global monetary environments

Business Ethics Research Paper Topics

Business ethics is a challenging but rewarding study field to cover in your research paper because it allows you to ask some important questions about morality and responsibility.

  • Ethics and social responsibility in entrepreneurship
  • Role of moral principles in business decision making
  • Unethical business environments
  • Honesty as a company policy
  • Ethical codes in successful companies
  • Ethical mistakes that led to business bankruptcy
  • Sexual harassment in the workplace
  • Moral judgments with negative business impact
  • Ethics for management versus staff
  • History of business ethics

Business Law Topics for Research Paper

To find topics that can motivate and inspire you, we put together a list of the most interesting research directions in business law today.

  • Benefits of non-disclosure agreements
  • How copyright law affects various business enterprises
  • Negotiation laws in international trade
  • Stopping employees from joining rival companies
  • Laws regarding marijuana-based businesses
  • Business corruption cases
  • Comparison of alcohol consumption and sale laws
  • Government officials’ direct involvement in business
  • Environmental protection laws that affect business
  • Offshore companies and taxation laws

Managerial Economics Topics for Paper

Learn all the intricacies of managerial economics by exploring this list of intriguing topics of research.

  • Understanding managerial economics for global managers
  • Managerial economics for self-educated entrepreneurs
  • Real-world business solutions contrasted to theoretical managerial economics
  • Developing business strategies based on managerial economics
  • Management styles – impact on decision making
  • Implications of managerial economics for the agriculture industry
  • Gender impact on business strategies for top performance
  • Organizational hierarchies
  • Effective managerial economics models for service industries
  • Managerial economics – recent theories

Organizational Behavior Topics For Research Paper

Who can write a research paper for me ? If your subject is organizational behavior, check our list to find a topic, and professional service can help you write the paper.

  • Artificial intelligence and its ability to reduce recruitment bias
  • Outsourcing tasks to freelancers and contractors
  • How to design an office for high productivity
  • Changes in corporate culture due to globalization
  • Job performance analysis
  • Corporate social responsibility
  • Handling employee misconduct
  • Time management
  • Organizational behavior management
  • Workplace scenarios

Business Communication Topics

Business communication is one of the most important processes handling sharing information, whether it has to do with employees, customers, or other people outside a company. That’s why business communication ideas are some of the most interesting to tackle.

  • Interpersonal communication
  • The role of communication in business negotiations
  • Interactive online communication
  • The impact of internal business communication on reputation
  • Intercultural communication in global business ventures
  • Internal business communication vs. external business communication
  • Effective channels and mediums for business communication
  • Business communication vs. general communication
  • Business communication: basic elements, strategies, and practices
  • Business communication through documentation

Argumentative Business Topics

When writing an argumentative business research paper, you have an opportunity to address a topic from a unique standpoint and present your own opinion on the matter. You need to make a strong argument and present hard evidence to support your claims.

That’s one of the most exciting ways to write a research paper, especially when it’s about something you’re passionate about (as it should be). Here are some of the best argumentative business topics to choose from.

  • Just-in-time manufacturing: should the system be avoided?
  • Mergers vs. acquisitions: what strategic alliance is better?
  • Employee performance and motivation: monetary incentives vs. fringe benefits
  • Can you teach leadership? Learning from best practices
  • Engaging consumers through social media campaigns
  • Labor market: monopolistic exploitation to maximize profits
  • Should businesses be market-focused or product-focused?
  • The negative implications of animal testing for businesses
  • How entrepreneurs help build democracy in service-oriented businesses
  • Performance-based pay: an effective motivator or stress inducer?

We hope that our list of business research topics has helped you find inspiration for your paper so that you can get down to business right away. If you need any research, writing, editing, or formatting assistance, we’re available 24/7 for all your needs.

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literature review topics business

Six tips for your (systematic) literature review in business and management research

  • Published: 03 May 2018
  • Volume 68 , pages 103–106, ( 2018 )

Cite this article

  • Christian Fisch 1 , 2 &
  • Joern Block 1 , 2  

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Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.

With the start of our editorial term, we decided to extend Management Review Quarterly’s (MRQ’s) scope beyond (systematic) literature reviews Footnote 1 to include also bibliographic studies, meta-analyses, and replication studies. Nevertheless, literature reviews have been and will continue to be a core element of MRQ. Literature reviews have given the journal a unique identity and are crucial in the pursuit of the journal’s aim, which is to summarize, categorize, and challenge existing knowledge in business and management research. In this editorial, we outline six tips that help (MRQ) authors to improve their literature review.

A literature review is an essential component of almost any research project. It serves as the foundation for advancing knowledge, facilitates theory development, closes mature research areas, and uncovers novel research areas (Webster and Watson 2002 ). Frank and Hatak ( 2014 ) refer to a literature review as a “knowledge map”, which analyzes and synthesizes prior literature. Because literature reviews are so prevalent, there exist already several comprehensive resources that guide authors through the steps necessary to conduct a literature review (e.g., Aguinis et al. 2018 ; Booth et al. 2016 ; Frank and Hatak 2014 ; Tranfield et al. 2003 ; Webster and Watson 2002 ).

Surprisingly, there is a still considerable variance in the understanding of what a literature review is and, consequently, in the quality of systematic literature reviews. Often, researchers seem unfamiliar with the process, structure, and presentation of systematic literature reviews and produce merely descriptive, annotated bibliographies of loosely connected research, which makes it unnecessary complex and difficult for the readers to follow the literature review. The literature review therefore does not achieve its main goal of summarizing and categorizing knowledge.

There is also the misconception that literature reviews are less rigorous or easier to write than empirical articles. However, conducting a literature review of high quality requires an in-depth understanding of the necessary processes and skills and is by no means a trivial endeavor. It also requires some experience in the respective field, as the interpretation of the results of the studies included in the literature review is subjective and by no means trivial.

Here, we outline six suggestions that we think are crucial for every literature review:

Motivate the topic and state the research question The abstract and introduction are crucial elements of any research article. Usually, the reader decides after looking at the abstract and/or introduction whether he will read the entire article or not. Additionally, a literature review needs a crisp and concise motivation. It is important to not only motivate why a topic warrants investigation but also why the authors choose to approach the topic in the form of a (systematic) literature review. Perhaps the most important element of an introduction is the research question that guides the remainder of the literature review. Therefore, we encourage authors to carefully develop and clearly state their research question(s) in the introductory section.

Identify the relevant literature in a systematic way A distinguishing feature of a systematic literature review is that the review process should be transparent and reproducible. The authors need to clearly outline their search strategy for identifying relevant literature in a systematic way to establish as much transparency as possible. This involves a description of the databases where the literature search was conducted, a definition of the search terms and keywords used to identify literature, and a careful description of the practical (e.g., language, availability) and methodological (e.g., time frame, article type) screening and exclusion criteria used. Notice that the application of screening criteria (e.g., only focusing on highly ranked journals) should be well-justified, as screening criteria can have crucial implications for the results and their generalizability.

Choose the right balance between breadth and depth When conducting a systematic literature review, authors often face the dilemma of choosing between breadth and depth when identifying and describing prior studies. In general, a good systematic literature review is characterized by the right balance between breadth and depth by including all relevant studies but only describing important studies in more detail in a structured way. This dilemma is often difficult to solve, as a literature review should be coherent and cover a research field as a whole, but it should not be an endless, overly descriptive summary of all studies that the authors identified. To solve this dilemma to some extent, authors should make use of tables and figures to convey the most important concepts and information in an efficient fashion. For example, figures can be used to illustrate the development of the number of studies over time and can also illustrate which topics have attracted the most research. Of course, tables and figures should be used in a sensible fashion and should never present the main focus of the literature review. The breadth and depth of a literature review also depend on the maturity of the research field. A literature review on a mature topic requires that the authors analyze and synthesize a large body of literature, in comparison to a review on a more novel field where only few studies exist. The authors of this editorial were once challenged to summarize the literature on the intersection of entrepreneurship and innovation. At first, this seemed to be an impossible task. However, after having developed a more concise research question (see suggestion 1), developing clear inclusion and exclusion criteria (see suggestion 2), focusing on breadth instead of depth (see suggestion 3) and on concepts rather than studies (see suggestion 4), the task became doable. The whole process took many iterations and was very work-intensive, but we managed to deliver a literature review at the intersection of innovation and entrepreneurship or vice versa (see Block et al. 2017 ).

Focus on concepts, not studies Authors need to decide how to summarize and categorize the literature identified. While it is possible to summarize literature in a chronological or even alphabetical order, we believe that literature reviews should be concept-centric. This involves a careful identification and evaluation of the underlying concepts used in the review, which then guide the analysis conducted. Focusing on concepts instead of studies helps authors to identify the research debates they aim to contribute to and helps to ensure a better structure throughout the manuscript. Hence, a systematic literature review needs to be based on sound logical and conceptual reasoning. This can (but need not) lead to a new conceptual framework with propositions. In this sense, writing a systematic literature review very much resembles the writing of a conceptual theory paper.

Derive meaningful conclusions Closely connected to the previous point, we want to reiterate that a systematic literature review must go beyond a mere descriptive summary of prior literature. While it is important to provide a descriptive overview on the topics and studies included, it is essential to go one step further and to synthesize and interpret this knowledge. The literature review should derive meaningful conclusions and needs to answer the question: What do we learn from this summary? This includes carefully evaluating and deriving implications, pointing out gaps in the literature, and outlining avenues for future research.

Follow a coherent article structure A coherent structure is a crucial element of any research article. The structure of a systematic literature review resembles the structure of an empirical article. The introduction motivates the topic and describes the contributions of the literature review. The next section describes the systematic review process and the key concepts used. After that, the crucial part is the synthesis and interpretation of the literature review’s findings. This section can but need not lead to the derivation of propositions or a conceptual model (see suggestion 4 above). The final section of a literature review provides a conclusion and discussion with the boundaries of the review and the future research areas. The order of the sections is not static and can vary depending on the review’s topic. For example, one can also put suggestions for future research directly into the body of the article where the main findings from the literature review are described and/or discussed. However, a coherent structure is an absolute necessity for a systematic literature review.

In addition to incorporating these six suggestions, we encourage authors interested in submitting a systematic literature review to MRQ to carefully read the references provided in this article.

Note that the term “systematic literature review” is not clearly defined. In MRQ’s understanding, it refers to all literature reviews that follow a systematic, transparent, and reproducible process for identifying academic literature about a clearly defined topic or research question.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Andreas Kuckertz (University of Hohenheim) and Alexandra Moritz (Trier University) for their valuable comments that greatly improved the manuscript.

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Christian Fisch & Joern Block

Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

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Fisch, C., Block, J. Six tips for your (systematic) literature review in business and management research. Manag Rev Q 68 , 103–106 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-018-0142-x

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-018-0142-x

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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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If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

  • Sampling methods
  • Simple random sampling
  • Stratified sampling
  • Cluster sampling
  • Likert scales
  • Reproducibility

 Statistics

  • Null hypothesis
  • Statistical power
  • Probability distribution
  • Effect size
  • Poisson distribution

Research bias

  • Optimism bias
  • Cognitive bias
  • Implicit bias
  • Hawthorne effect
  • Anchoring bias
  • Explicit bias

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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105 Literature Review Topics + How-to Guide [2024]

105 Literature Review Topics + How-to Guide [2024]

A literature review is a variant of curtsy in scientific circles. It presents your acknowledgment that you are not the first to tackle the issue. Your predecessors have made progress in answering your research question, and you plan to start from the point they finished.

The picture contains a definition of a literature review.

This article features examples of literature review topics on multiple knowledge areas. Additionally, you will find exhaustive disambiguation of all the types of a literature review, as well as its purposes, definition, outline, and formatting.

  • 🔝 Top 15 Topics
  • ✍️ Writing Tips
  • Political Science
  • Criminal Justice

🔗 References

🔝 top 15 literature review topics.

  • What does the science say about extraterrestrial life?
  • Redesigning organisms in synthetic biology: Where are we at now?
  • Equality of human rights at the international level.
  • Why do genes happen to be active or inactive?
  • Legalizing physician-assisted suicide.
  • Can an adult person change their native language?
  • The most efficient study programs.
  • The ethics of using surveillance cameras.
  • The effect of reading fiction on your brain.
  • British imperialism in India.
  • What is kindness: A philosophical approach.
  • Modern technologies can sift out fake news.
  • Multiculturalism: A romantic myth or today’s reality?
  • The demographics of liberal worldview in the US.
  • Chronic fatigue: Literature review and hypotheses.

✍️ Literature Review Writing Tips

Speaking of a literature review , the definition is too broad to be used as writing guidance. It is an overview of credible materials on a particular research question. A literature review usually becomes chapter 1 in dissertations and theses , allowing to explore the current knowledge on the topic. It evaluates academic and professional articles, journal publications, books, and web-based resources.

A literature review is an indispensable part of a research paper. It serves many purposes, some of which are not evident.

What Is the Purpose of a Literature Review?

  • To draw the background context;
  • To compare your results with previous research;
  • To justify your research methods;
  • To frame research gaps and show the scientific novelty of your project;
  • To explain the social value of your work;
  • To demonstrate your knowledge of the referenced literature;
  • To train your analytical thinking.

Types of Literature Review

Below you’ll find the 6 types of literature reviews.

The picture lists the 6 types of literature review.

Systematic Review

A systematic literature review is a most comprehensive and data-oriented type. It defines the timeframe of the selected literature and is subdivided into two categories:

  • Meta-analysis ( deductive research through standardized statistical procedures)
  • Meta-synthesis (inductive study by non-statistical qualitative methods)

Narrative Review

It is also called a traditional or critical literature review. The purpose is to summarize the available material, critique it, and identify the gaps and inconsistencies. This type works well for almost any research question, provided it is sufficiently focused and limited in time or subject matter.

Scoping Review

As the name implies, it estimates the scope of available literature on a literature review topic. Unlike a systematic literature review, which aims to find the most specific research question, this type looks for the most general one. It answers the question of what else can be researched in the field.

Theoretical Review

A theoretical literature review explores the pool of theories that have so far accumulated on a concept. It lists the existing ideas, their relationships, and gaps. The purpose is to develop hypotheses to be tested in the experimental section.

Argumentative Review

This type provides the most selective literature review to prove or refute an argument already established in the research literature. However, this is also the most biased review among all types.

Integrative Review

This literature review integrates, synthesizes, and critiques the available secondary data to develop new research frameworks and perspectives.

Systematic Review vs. Literature Review vs. Annotated Bibliography

Literature Review Outline

How long should a literature review be? It depends on the assignment requirements and your outline.

A literature review is often used as a part of a more general research paper. In such a case, you can limit yourself to the standard introduction –main body – conclusion formula.

In all the other situations, use the following literature review outline.

The picture lists the 5 components of literature review.

  • Introduction Trace the scope and highlight the importance of your review. Why did you choose the given topic or research question? How does it contribute to the previous study?
  • Methodology We have listed the types of literature review above. Depending on your purposes, select one and explain why your choice is the best. You can also specify which logic you used while choosing the sources for your review.
  • Discussion It is the central part of the text which compares, contrasts, and explains the relationships between various ideas you found in the bibliography items.
  • Conclusion Are you satisfied with the result of your work? How will it help further research? Which gaps have you spotted, and which hypothesis could you generate?
  • List of references As in any research paper, this is an indispensable part of your literature review. Be sure to follow the format requirements as provided below.

Literature Review Format

All citation styles require you to indicate the author’s name, book title, publication year, number of pages, and volume or issue number. This data is available in any printed edition, as publishers use it to identify their products.

It may sound simple until you discover that each citation style has a multi-page list of nuanced details specific to this format and inapplicable to any other.

Browse the guides for each of the most popular types below.

APA style is a format for scholarly documents. It is particularly popular in the fields of social and behavioral sciences. APA is well-known for its simplicity in source references. Thus, a vast majority of American universities and colleges prefer this format.

MLA style manual is an abridged version of the MLA Handbook published by the Modern Language Association. It was created for students to assist in their research aspirations. Its 8 th edition is addressed to secondary-school and undergraduate university and college teachers and students. The style is popular in humanities (modern languages, literature, cultural studies, and related disciplines).

Chicago style (also called CMS or CMOS) is a style guide for American English. The University of Chicago Press first published it in 1906. Since then, it has had 17 editions and has become one of the most popular citation styles in the US. The guide instructs on editorial practice, grammar, document preparation, formatting, and even the use of the singular “they.”

💡 Literature Review Topics

Literature review topics in education.

  • How can we make classrooms more inclusive ?
  • Flipped classroom approach.
  • Waldorf schools and their concept.
  • How do ADHD symptoms affect a student’s learning abilities?
  • Educational leadership.
  • Methods of tracking the performance of schoolchildren.
  • How can token economy diminish off-task behavior in students with autism?
  • Resegregation in US schools.
  • Is bilingual education realizable in contemporary schools?
  • Growing violence incidents in educational institutions.

Political Science Literature Review Topics

  • Gender cosmopolitanism in Sweden .
  • Security policy is based on political ideology .
  • The emotional effect of populism .
  • The theory and classification of political speeches.
  • Global measures in COVID-19 response.
  • The international politics of the Arab world.
  • How do we select our leaders ?
  • Officials in politics: Emotional labor .
  • Relational peace between countries.
  • The invisible force holding countries together.

Criminal Justice Literature Review Topics

  • The problematic issues of prosecution and legal enforcement in Eastern Europe.
  • Track the evolution of international criminal justice practices.
  • Crime prevention methods.
  • The evolution of criminology as a social science.
  • The cycle of domestic violence : Theory and statistics.
  • The patterns in child abuse perpetrators.
  • Randomized experimental designs in criminology .
  • Current measures to stop human trafficking in the US.
  • How should we punish environmental crimes?
  • Terrorism : Approaches to its definitions.

Sociology Literature Review Topics

  • Does coded language help us fight racial inequality ?
  • Workplace bullying.
  • International conflicts in terms of social representation theory.
  • Gender and sexual activity.
  • Is our society liberal or conservative ?
  • Single African American parents.
  • Racial salary gap in the US.
  • Substance abuse and health care costs for employers.
  • Does federal aid succeed at fighting urban poverty?
  • How does hate speech spur desensitization?

Nursing Literature Review Topics

  • Practice in the field of healthcare.
  • Evidence-based nursing practice.
  • Traumatic brain injury.
  • Alzheimer’s disease.
  • Pressure ulcers study.
  • Post-operative readmission rates.
  • Nursing ratios and nosocomial infections.
  • Patient fall prevention study.
  • Emergency room wait time.
  • Electronic health records.

Psychology Literature Review Topics

  • Parents’ experiences of caring for a child with ASD
  • The long-term consequences of child abuse
  • The neurology of depression .
  • Explore the psychological effects of loud noise.
  • Why is it so hard to accept what contradicts our beliefs?
  • The psychological mechanisms of compulsive eating.
  • Why are some people more prone to discrimination and prejudice?
  • Self-protection against grief .
  • Non-verbal communication rates in different cultures.
  • Love : Chemistry or feeling?

Biology Literature Review Topics

  • Camouflage in plants.
  • Color differences in male and female bird species.
  • Acceptability of genetic engineering.
  • Natural reforestation: Too long to wait.
  • Why are domestic plants weaker than wild ones?
  • Hepcidin: importance, production, regulation.
  • How can we edit DNA sequences ?
  • Which anti- COVID vaccines are the most effective and why?
  • Cancer : An umbrella term for many diseases.
  • Species that are important to our ecology.

Easy Literature Review Topics

  • Sustainable agriculture : Our future reality.
  • Vegetarianism.
  • The scientific background behind music therapy .
  • Stono revolt.
  • The latest findings in stopping brain aging.
  • Articles on cyber security of young children.
  • Data-driven personalization : Prospects and achievements.
  • Importance of the literature review in research.
  • Critical literature review of digital signature.
  • Reviewing quantitative academic literature and data.

❓ Literature Review Topics FAQ

❓ what is discussed in literature review.

A literature review discusses the texts that are the most relevant to your research question. It summarizes, compares, evaluates, and critiques the available literature to find the points of intersection and blind spots. As a result, you will develop a specific topic for further research or pose a hypothesis.

❓ What are the 3 parts of literature review?

The three parts of this academic genre are the same as those of any other research paper. The introduction explores the background and importance of the topic. The main body analyzes the selected texts. It may also contain a methodology section that explains why you chose such or another literary review type. The conclusion outlines the perspectives of your research.

❓ What are the four stages of literature review?

  • Formulating the problem (which topic is under study and what are its constituent parts?);
  • Searching the literature (making up the preliminary bibliography list to be described in the literature review);
  • Evaluating the data (which sources are the most significant in our understanding of the topic?);
  • Analyzing and interpreting the essential findings.
  • Literature Reviews – UNC Writing Center
  • Learn how to write a review of literature
  • Writing a Literature Review // Purdue Writing Lab
  • Types of Literature Reviews – Systematic Reviews
  • How to Conduct a Literature Review
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The Top 10 Most Interesting Business Research Topics

Interesting and relevant business research topics are vital for students pursuing an MBA or an undergraduate degree in business . Aside from helping you get excellent grades in school, they can help you understand business problems and come up with solutions to vital business research questions.

Choosing a single business research paper topic can be daunting. There are tons of exciting topics to choose from. This article provides several examples of business research paper topics that can inspire your next paper or research project.

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What makes a strong business research topic.

A strong business research paper topic is clear, concise, well-phrased, and easy to understand. It is devoid of unnecessary jargon and may contain relevant business terms and widely known abbreviations. It also lays the foundation for the entire paper, summarizing the scope and aim of the business research project.

Tips for Choosing a Business Research Topic

  • Brainstorm: When choosing a research topic, begin by brainstorming topics that strike your interest or that you have substantial knowledge about. Make a list of ideas as you go.
  • Consider keywords and hot topics: Think about trends and hot topics in your field and academic network. Skimming the table of contents in a recently published business journal can be very helpful in this regard.
  • Research: Next, read up on your keywords to help you form possible topics for your research paper. Conduct a literature review to see what other researchers have discovered and how your research can add to the existing body of knowledge.
  • Sort your ideas: After your preliminary research, take your ideas and sort them into categories. For instance, keep topics on business law separate from international business topics.
  • Narrow down: Finally, narrow down your options. At this stage, consider the cost of running the project, your level of expertise, your interest, and the availability of research materials. Eventually, you’ll arrive at a single ideal research topic.

What’s the Difference Between a Research Topic and a Research Question?

A research topic is a subject that forms the foundation of your research paper—for example, the impact of gender discrimination. Your topic scope here may be fairly broad.

By contrast, a research question articulates a specific problem that your research aims to solve. Answering research questions should be the objective of your study or thesis. One example of a strong research question is “How do cultural contexts affect the impact of gender discrimination in privately owned companies?”

How to Create Strong Business Research Questions

Creating strong business research questions follows the same rules as choosing strong business research topics. However, this time you have to ask the following questions: how, why, and who? Research questions should relate to your topic of study. They should be clear, straightforward, and answerable.

Top 10 Business Research Paper Topics

1. frameworks for better customer privacy protection, information security, and data utilization.

Privacy is a common issue for customers and businesses in this data-driven age. The World Bank’s Data Protection and Privacy Policy laws ensure that companies comply with business ethics and best practices when handling customer data. What are some strategies that businesses employ to ensure proper data handling?

2. Modern Methods of Increasing Employee Productivity

Monetary incentives, healthy work environments, and excellent work-life balance keep workers motivated and improve productivity. This research can explore the pros and cons of each method and its potential implications on employee motivation and morale. You can use data analytics methods to assess the effectiveness of these strategies.

3. Brand Influencing and Social Media Marketing Strategies

The International Chamber of Commerce formulated the international code of conduct on direct selling to guide local and international business marketing operations to ensure fairness in highly competitive business environments. Such online marketing operations include social media marketing and brand influencing.

4. Analyzing the Role of Copyrights and Trademarks in Business Transactions

Copyright, patent, and trademark policy are essential legal doctrines that prevent business people from unfairly profiting from others’ creations. When two businesses enter into a transaction, several potential issues could arise. One such issue is the protection of intellectual property. The purpose of this research is to explore the role copyrights and trademarks play in maintaining fair business transactions.

5. Analyzing the Structure of Transactions and the Role of a Director’s Guarantee in Business Law

Transactions, specifically in business law, play a significant role in the stability of companies. This paper on business law aims to analyze business laws and the structure of transactions. It will also recognize the role of a director’s guarantee in ensuring these aspects function to maintain the stability of companies in the American business sector.

6. Challenges to Transforming Small Local Businesses into Global Business Brands

Scaling a start-up or a small family business into a global brand involves several factors, including financing and financial management , technology, management, and the business environment. By studying international brands like Walmart and Spanx, you can identify core challenges that impede scaling and suggest solutions ranging from innovation management and technological innovation to a possible change in government policies.

7. Ethical Issues in Modern Business Management

Business ethics is a core aspect of business management . It defines the right and wrong ways of conducting business and guides business managers in the day-to-day running of their enterprises. With this research topic, you can explore ethical issues a business leader faces in the modern era, such as business corruption, harassment, and discrimination.

8. The Economic Development of Developing Economies in the Emerging Digital Economy

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s 2021 report revealed a fast-rising global data-driven digital economy. It also sparked several questions regarding the divide between developing economies and their developed counterparts. Some areas of focus were poor internet connection and lack of technological infrastructure.

9. The Role of Business Negotiation in Driving Sales Performance

With this topic, you can focus on the role of different negotiation tactics in achieving desired outcomes for both the organization and the customer. Managers can use these findings to help their team members negotiate more effectively and achieve better results.

10. The Role of Social Entrepreneurship in Societal Transformation

Social entrepreneurs are business start-ups formed with the primary aim of solving a societal problem and upholding moral principles, turning profit-making into a lower priority than it might be otherwise. You can study the business plans and business models of these kinds of ventures and highlight their roles in bringing about sustainable development and other forms of positive social change.

Other Examples of Business Research Topics & Questions

Business research topics.

  • Harnessing organizational structure as an antidote to corporate crime and a strategy for business survival
  • Social intelligence and its roles in driving growth among women-owned start-ups
  • Exploring links between employee diversity and corporate culture
  • Legal risks for remote employees of marijuana-based businesses
  • Environmental issues and their implications for business management

Business Research Questions

  • Do employee diversity and internal business communication play an essential role in productivity?
  • How can small companies impact global change?
  • What are effective strategies for maintaining vastly diversified organizations?
  • What role does human resource management play in ensuring proper crisis management in small businesses?
  • What is the role of start-ups in global business?

Choosing the Right Business Research Topic

Choosing the right business topic can be challenging, but it is essential to writing a compelling paper. Make sure to pick a topic that interests you. Also, ensure that your topic meets your professor’s requirements for the assignment.

Having a good research topic is the first step to writing an excellent research paper because it lays the foundation for the entire piece. Conduct in-depth research and take advantage of any resources available to you to facilitate the process.

Business Research Topics FAQ

The difference between quantitative research and qualitative research is that quantitative research uses numerical data to analyze problems, and it relies on statistical sampling and mathematical models to arrive at conclusions. On the other hand, qualitative business research collects data through interviews, focus groups, and observations.

You can find strong business communication research paper topics on research websites like Google Scholar and ResearchGate. You can also check many other online resources for suggestions on dissertation topics in business communication.

When starting a business, you should research your industry, target market, and competitors. It is also necessary to study business law, organizational behavior, and financial management.

Some examples of business research questions on racial and gender discrimination in the workplace include:

  • How does implicit bias impact employees and businesses?
  • What can companies do to prevent or mitigate discrimination in the workplace? 
  • How can we create a more inclusive workplace for all employees? 
  • What are the best practices for handling discrimination complaints?

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What is a literature review

“A literature review is a description of the literature relevant to a particular field or topic. It gives an overview of what has been said, who the key writers are, what are the prevailing theories and hypotheses, what questions are being asked, and what methods and methodologies are appropriate and useful" (Emerald Insight).

A literature review  is not  just a summary of everything you have read on the topic.  It is a critical analysis of the existing research relevant to your topic, and you should show how the literature relates to your topic and identify any gaps in the area of research. Our Learning Hub has lots of useful guidance for carrying out a  Literature Review .

How is it different?

It's on a much larger scale from your research for previous modules.

You may need to devise new ways of searching and managing your results.

Think about:

  • Using RefWorks to manage your references
  • Setting up alerts to retrieve new results for your searches

How to carry out a review

  • Devise a search strategy
  • Search systematically
  • Read critically – i.e. deconstruct the material
  • Put it all back together – reconstruct

1. Devise a search strategy

Think about the sort of research that would help your project.

1. What subject areas does you topic fall into?

2. What possible sources could you use? Think broadly, for example:

  • Company reports
  • Industry profiles
  • Market research
  • Financial reports
  • Newspaper articles
  • Journal articles

3. What don't you want?  What are the limits? For example, geographical restrictions or time periods.

2. Search systematically

  • Plan your search first, thinking about your keywords
  • Use the pages on this LibGuide to identify quality resources
  • Use the tutorials and advice on those pages to improve your searches
  • Use the  Inter Library Loans service  to borrow books or to obtain copies of papers which aren't in the library
  • Speak to the Business Librarians for help with your searches, or to recommend new items for library stock
  • Look at the programme of  Succeed @ Tees workshops , and attend any which are relevant.

3. Read critically - i.e. deconstruct your results

Read critically, argument: .

  • What is the main argument?
  • Is the main argument clear and logical?
  • What is the evidence?
  • Is the evidence valid?
  • Does the evidence support the conclusions?

4. Put it all back together – reconstruct

  • Group your topic areas – develop themes
  • Briefly summarise key findings

- See Phrasebank for suggestions of how to phrase your sentences.

  • Use the academic papers as examples of the style of academic writing as well as for their content
  • Check your referencing

Succeed@Tees Workshops: Writing a Literature Review

The following workshop will help you to develop your skills in writing a literature review :

Writing a literature review

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Penn State University Libraries

Business and economics literature review.

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Article Databases

  • Business Source Premier This link opens in a new window - Essential article database for business research, providing the full text for more than 2,000 periodicals, including about 1,000 scholarly journals. - Covers virtually all disciplines in business and economics, including accounting, economics, econometrics, finance, marketing, management, MIS, QMM, and supply chain management. more... less... An essential article database for business research providing the full text for more than 2,000 periodicals, including about 1,000 scholarly journals. Covers virtually all disciplines in business and economics, including: accounting, economics, econometrics, finance, marketing, management, MIS, QMM and supply chain management.
  • EconLit This link opens in a new window - Comprehensive index of journals, books, dissertations, articles in collective volumes, and working papers in economics. - Links are provided to most electronic full-text materials. Provides links to some full-text articles. more... less... EconLit provides citations, with selected abstracts, to the international publications on economics since 1969. EconLit covers a broad range of document types, including journal articles, books, dissertations, and articles in collective works.
  • Google Scholar This link opens in a new window Google Scholar enables you to search specifically for scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports from all broad areas of research. Use Google Scholar to find articles from a wide variety of academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories and universities, as well as scholarly articles available across the web. more... less... Google Scholar enables you to search specifically for scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports from all broad areas of research. Use Google Scholar to find articles from a wide variety of academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories and universities, as well as scholarly articles available across the web. Once you set your institutional preferences, links to full-text, if available at Penn State, should appear.
  • Ingenta Connect Economics and Business journals and magazines.
  • JSTOR Business JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources.
  • ProQuest (Multiple Databases) This link opens in a new window arts, business, children, education, general interest, health, humanities, international, law, military, multicultural, psychology, sciences, social sciences, and women's interests. more... less... Searches multiple ProQuest products, indexing 5,000+ magazines, journals, and newspapers. Keywords: news, New York Times, current events, contemporary issues, hot topics, English 15, CAS 100.
  • ScienceDirect [Business, Management, Accounting]
  • SpringerLink [Business and Management]
  • Web of Science This link opens in a new window Web of Science covers a wide array of topics so best for interdisciplinary searches. It also can be searched for new articles which cite an older article by using the cited reference search function. more... less... Web of Science provides access to: the Science Citation Index Expanded 1900-present; the Social Sciences Citation Index 1956-present; and the Arts & Humanities Citation Index 1975-present. Web of Science indexes articles from thousands of journals and also indexes the citations used in those articles, thus allowing the user to see which papers have cited a core paper, and how many times a paper was cited in a given time period. Covers published content is almost every discipline.
  • Wiley Online Library Journals and eBooks This link opens in a new window includes titles related to business, economics, finance, management, and accounting. more... less... Access to Penn State subscribed online publications (electronic journals, books and reference works) for researchers and professionals.
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  • Literature Review: The What, Why and How-to Guide
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Literature Review: The What, Why and How-to Guide — How to Pick a Topic

  • Getting Started
  • Introduction
  • Strategies to Find Sources
  • Evaluating Sources & Lit. Reviews
  • Tips for Writing Literature Reviews
  • Writing Literature Review: Useful Sites
  • Citation Resources
  • Other Academic Writings

Picking a Topic and Keywords to Research your Topic

Whether you are writing a literature review as a standalone work or as part of a paper, choosing a topic is an important part of the process. If you haven't select a topic yet for your literature view or you feel that your topic is too broad, this page is for you!

The key to successfully choosing a topic is to find one that is not too broad (impossible to adequately cover) but also not too narrow (not enough has been written about it). Use the tools below to help you brainstorm a topic and keywords that then you can use to search our many databases. Feel free to explore these different options or  contact a Subject Specialist if you need more help!

Concept map. Level one: Healthcare Policy. Level two: Insurance, Marijuana, COVID-19. Level three: COBRA, Afforable Care Act, Single-payer system; federal law, cannabis licensing, CBD; vaccine hesitancy, racial inequities, Families First Coronavirus Response Act

Concept Mapping

  • [REMOVE] Mind Mapping (also known as Concept Mapping) A helpful handout to show step by step how to create a concept map to map out a topic.

Picking a topic and search terms

Below are some useful links and handouts that help you develop your topic. Check the handouts in this page. They are useful to help you develop keywords/search terms or to learn the best way to search databases to find articles and books for your research.

  • UVA Thinking Tool: Choosing a Topic and Search Terms Provides a template for focusing a research assignment through the brainstorming of ideas, keywords, and other terminology related to a topic.
  • UW How to Improve Database Search Results Suggested strategies for retrieving relevant search results
  • UCLA: Narrowing a Topic Useful tips on how to narrow a topic when you are getting too many results in your search. From the librarians at UCLA.
  • UCLA: Broadering a Topic Useful tips on how to broaden your topic when you are getting few results in your search. From the librarians at UCLA.
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  • Last Updated: Sep 21, 2022 2:16 PM
  • URL: https://guides.lib.uconn.edu/literaturereview

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Writing a Literature Review

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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). When we say “literature review” or refer to “the literature,” we are talking about the research ( scholarship ) in a given field. You will often see the terms “the research,” “the scholarship,” and “the literature” used mostly interchangeably.

Where, when, and why would I write a lit review?

There are a number of different situations where you might write a literature review, each with slightly different expectations; different disciplines, too, have field-specific expectations for what a literature review is and does. For instance, in the humanities, authors might include more overt argumentation and interpretation of source material in their literature reviews, whereas in the sciences, authors are more likely to report study designs and results in their literature reviews; these differences reflect these disciplines’ purposes and conventions in scholarship. You should always look at examples from your own discipline and talk to professors or mentors in your field to be sure you understand your discipline’s conventions, for literature reviews as well as for any other genre.

A literature review can be a part of a research paper or scholarly article, usually falling after the introduction and before the research methods sections. In these cases, the lit review just needs to cover scholarship that is important to the issue you are writing about; sometimes it will also cover key sources that informed your research methodology.

Lit reviews can also be standalone pieces, either as assignments in a class or as publications. In a class, a lit review may be assigned to help students familiarize themselves with a topic and with scholarship in their field, get an idea of the other researchers working on the topic they’re interested in, find gaps in existing research in order to propose new projects, and/or develop a theoretical framework and methodology for later research. As a publication, a lit review usually is meant to help make other scholars’ lives easier by collecting and summarizing, synthesizing, and analyzing existing research on a topic. This can be especially helpful for students or scholars getting into a new research area, or for directing an entire community of scholars toward questions that have not yet been answered.

What are the parts of a lit review?

Most lit reviews use a basic introduction-body-conclusion structure; if your lit review is part of a larger paper, the introduction and conclusion pieces may be just a few sentences while you focus most of your attention on the body. If your lit review is a standalone piece, the introduction and conclusion take up more space and give you a place to discuss your goals, research methods, and conclusions separately from where you discuss the literature itself.

Introduction:

  • An introductory paragraph that explains what your working topic and thesis is
  • A forecast of key topics or texts that will appear in the review
  • Potentially, a description of how you found sources and how you analyzed them for inclusion and discussion in the review (more often found in published, standalone literature reviews than in lit review sections in an article or research paper)
  • 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 sentence to draw connections, comparisons, and contrasts.

Conclusion:

  • Summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance
  • Connect it back to your primary research question

How should I organize my lit review?

Lit reviews can take many different organizational patterns depending on what you are trying to accomplish with the review. Here are some examples:

  • 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. Try to analyze the patterns, turning points, and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred (as mentioned previously, this may not be appropriate in your discipline — check with a teacher or mentor if you’re unsure).
  • 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.
  • 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 theorical concepts to create a framework for your research.

What are some strategies or tips I can use while writing my lit review?

Any lit review is only as good as the research it discusses; make sure your sources are well-chosen and your research is thorough. Don’t be afraid to do more research if you discover a new thread as you’re writing. More info on the research process is available in our "Conducting Research" resources .

As you’re doing your research, create an annotated bibliography ( see our page on the this type of document ). Much of the information used in an annotated bibliography can be used also in a literature review, so you’ll be not only partially drafting your lit review as you research, but also developing your sense of the larger conversation going on among scholars, professionals, and any other stakeholders in your topic.

Usually you will need to synthesize research rather than just summarizing it. This means drawing connections between sources to create a picture of the scholarly conversation on a topic over time. Many student writers struggle to synthesize because they feel they don’t have anything to add to the scholars they are citing; here are some strategies to help you:

  • It often helps to remember that the point of these kinds of syntheses is to show your readers how you understand your research, to help them read the rest of your paper.
  • Writing teachers often say synthesis is like hosting a dinner party: imagine all your sources are together in a room, discussing your topic. What are they saying to each other?
  • Look at the in-text citations in each paragraph. Are you citing just one source for each paragraph? This usually indicates summary only. When you have multiple sources cited in a paragraph, you are more likely to be synthesizing them (not always, but often
  • Read more about synthesis here.

The most interesting literature reviews are often written as arguments (again, as mentioned at the beginning of the page, this is discipline-specific and doesn’t work for all situations). Often, the literature review is where you can establish your research as filling a particular gap or as relevant in a particular way. You have some chance to do this in your introduction in an article, but the literature review section gives a more extended opportunity to establish the conversation in the way you would like your readers to see it. You can choose the intellectual lineage you would like to be part of and whose definitions matter most to your thinking (mostly humanities-specific, but this goes for sciences as well). In addressing these points, you argue for your place in the conversation, which tends to make the lit review more compelling than a simple reporting of other sources.

  • How we work

Worthy Literature Review Topics for Presenting a Cogent Work

What topics for literature review to consider to outshine.

Studying at college or university, planning to build up a final research paper, preparing for classes, creating a graduate project, or working on a capstone project always involves dealing with plentiful literature and analyzing reports on many topics. A literature review is an academic writing that unites a student’s knowledge of a defined topic, and it’s up to them to pick winning literature review topics to prove their expertise in the chosen field, as well as show the ability to analyze and compare several sources.

As usual, a literature review presents a consistent overview of the used material, the main points of the research, the author’s critical assessment of the topic, covers the existing theories, fills the informational gaps, and expresses a personal point of view. It can be a standalone piece of academic writing based on the literature on a specific topic or be an integral part or separate section of a paper or research project.

Speaking about the intentions in a political science literature review or another, a source report on the topic is designed. It’s important to remember a student should present a well-reasoned scientific review on the topic or a debate but not enlist all literature they use, so it looks like a library collection. When dealing with a dissertation or a term paper, creating a decent review that will summarize the whole literature is one of the most important tasks after selecting a fitting topic.

So, it’s up to a student to submit a well-reasonable, cogent literature review to evidence their knowledge of the chosen topic. There are several purposes why you should prepare a review of the used literature:

  • Provide a critical analysis of a topic and define a frame of questions that should be resolved.
  • Showing your familiarity with the topic and understanding of the state of research in the field.
  • Determining the gaps compared to the prior investigations you can cover in your research.
  • Know the previous literature regarding the chosen topic, summarize theories, making outcomes to present your groundwork and exploration.

When writing your literature review, it’s necessary to concentrate on your literature review and pick proper sources to cover the topic fully by focusing on the gaps that weren’t presented before by other writers. To gain the needed results of a literature review, a student should highlight scientific controversies and try to solve them by offering their solutions and viewpoints on the topic.

Worthy Literature Review Topics Psychology: Cover Issues Rationally

For a vast majority of students choosing good literature review topics for psychology research can be even more difficult than writing it. Indeed, making the first step in the research process is always daunting and can waste time greatly without gaining particular results from the literature review on a specific topic. Therefore, when thinking about a topic for your literature review in the psychology field you’d like to investigate, you should consider the previous works to avoid repetition and demonstrate your interest in the field.

Since there are diverse branches of psychology, you need to think about what field is more interesting to you than others and then consider literature review topic ideas. Are you interested in a literature review on topics related to health psychology, developmental, or occupational psychology? Can’t determine what topic you want to investigate in your literature review? Then our service offers you a list of topics for a literature review to choose from. Nevertheless, for your literature review, consider those topics that appeal to you most, and you have a good background in:

  • The effect of praise and reward on a person’s motivation and achievements.
  • Addiction to social media: that’s why children become aggressive and rude.
  • Frequent anxiety attacks as the first sign of a psychological disorder.
  • Gender role in modern society: is there any discrimination?
  • How to manage stress and relax in a stressful environment?
  • Sports influence human behavior and psychological state.

So, finally, you choose the literature review topics psychology offers and can move further with your investigation. Now it’s important to arrange a research paper wisely to cover the maximum possible questions by following the correct structure. Like other academic works, a good literature review on psychology should have an introduction, main part, and conclusion.

A literature review should be well-structured, logical, and cover the topic wholly. Its parts should be interconnected by preserving a single and unique idea and outlining a strong thesis statement showing your final attitude to literature review topics in education or other fields.

List of Literature Review Topics Examples That Are Worth Attention

No matter what area you deal with in your literature review: education, economics, medicine, sciences, philology, architecture, or engineering, you should define a topic for your research to create a decent review that will include all aspects that matter and cover these issues.

Numerous topics make sense to people. There are endless questions regarding each of them. So, it’s vital to define what aspects haven’t been explored yet, and you can use this opportunity to fill the gap and conduct a well-grounded investigation. Let’s have a look at some of the current literature review topics examples you can find worthy:

  • Bulimia and anorexia: are these eating disorders a consequence of psychological issues?
  • The relationship between economic prosperity and unemployment rate.
  • Applying 3D technology in modern civil engineering & construction.
  • Blood donation process: what you should know before the donation.
  • Data mining technology in boosting business processes.
  • The benefits of installing solar panels.

All in all, it’s a challenging task to select good topics for literature review, so it’ll depict the critical issues of your research and highlight the most prominent works in the chosen field. When selecting a proper topic, take into account it shouldn’t be too broad or narrow. There should be aspects that haven’t been discussed before in literature reviews.

A perfect review of the literature should interpret the existing research and explicate your own idea, so together, they create a unique cogent text. Another highly important aspect of a literature review is using authoritative sources that can back up your statements. This is an integral part of a high-quality research review because you show what contributions were made before and apply them to your critical analysis.

Literature Review Topic Examples to Build Your Work Easily

A standard review of sources consists of the same parts as an ordinary essay or a term paper: first, you introduce the chosen topic by enlisting points you’ll discuss in your work. Second, you prepare a critical assessment of the key issues, mention ways to resolve and provide your alternative to fix them, and finally, you summarize your statements with a persuasive thesis statement.

It’s necessary to say there’s no defined formula on how to build a literature review correctly. The structure of the literature review on your topic depends on the scientific area a student investigates. It also relates to the scientific aims and arguments a writer displays to support or disprove.

It’s recommended to include the following patterns to organize the literature review:

  • Chronological development of the examined topic.
  • Concepts that were used primarily to cover the gaps.
  • Key definitions that were mentioned in the research.
  • Outline the debates around the raised issue.
  • Provide statements for and against the major problem.
  • Key authors and works that focus on the topic selected.
  • Mention the methodology used to conduct research.

Remember, the most important thing about a literature review on any topic is to present your stance based on the works of reputable researchers and scientists. So, concentrate your attention on the literature that fits your viewpoints and thereby strengthen your review on the topic you’ve chosen.

Consider Good Literature Review Topics to Stand Out From the Rest

If a student hesitates about what theme to choose for their term paper, nowadays, there are lots of literature review topic examples that are worth attention. To determine what topic is more relevant to the studying field and a student’s major, they should do a detailed preliminary literature review of sources and define whether it’s enough to conduct an elaborate and robust work.

Struggling with finding literature review essay topics? Our literature review writing services will gladly help you brainstorm the most appropriate ones to get high grades and prove your competence in the specialization field. To pick a good theme and succeed in writing a literature review, it’s also important to possess specific skills that facilitate the whole writing process. Hence, it’ll be easier for students with a particular skill set to compose a reasonable and measurable review of the used literature on the topic:

  • Ability to think critically.
  • Analyze the information deeply.
  • Outline main tasks, goals, and proofs.
  • Be detail-oriented and pick up the most vital info.
  • Define key points of the research to render the core sense.

Additionally, to find good topics for a literature review, it’s possible to visit some online libraries, guides, and databases with diverse scientific works and publications that will back up your exploratory studies.

To show up against others, it’s better to pay attention to the topics that relate to the advanced technologies that can be applied in numerous areas, i.e., topics for literature review in education, medicine, business, engineering, science, etc. The IT sector is rapidly spreading throughout the entire area and facilitates better and stronger competition rates. Thus, your literature review will have success at least by choosing a highly competitive topic.

Top Literature Review Nursing Topics: Meet Demands Without a Hitch

Being one of the most expanded studying areas, a research paper on nursing requires sufficient time to build up a well-structured & thought-out paper and a consistent report of literature sources accordingly. To impress tutors and scientific supervisors, we offer you to select one of the following literature review topic examples that can relate to the next issues:

  • Cyberbullying and the tendency to commit suicide among teens.
  • Teamwork as a motivator for achieving greater results at work.
  • Parental separation: its harsh effect on a child’s mental health.
  • Meditation as a useful way to fight depression and stress.
  • Depression and its influence on working efficiency.
  • How to handle pressure and stay cool-headed?
  • Abusive relationships between teenagers.
  • Autistic children and their socialization.

It’s a well-known fact that preparing a literature review on psychology means sleepless nights for the majority of students. Choosing fitting literature review nursing topics takes lots of time and effort to arrange a paper correctly without losing the key idea. Although, selecting and writing a review of the used literature on the topic isn’t as complicated as you may think.

The biggest problem with nursing literature review topics selection is to tune in the process and analyze tens of publications and articles on the related topic. Sure, it’s impossible to read all the literature on the topic you’ve picked. You’d rather prepare a list of the most fitting topics and make notes about the major points mentioned there. By reviewing the main concepts and methods and outlining topics and outcomes, you’ll be able to formulate your final results and then compare them with the prior literature.

To conclude, selecting appropriate topics for literature review of the paper, a student should have a solid background in the chosen subfield to know where and what to search to compile a persuasive and facts-based review. The truth is that choosing a good topic is half of success, and the last thing you need to do is to write it considering the requirements for the literature review.

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Business Research Topics | Best Ideas For Your Papers

business research topics

What is a business research? Business research is the method of obtaining factual information in all areas of business and the use of such information to maximize sales and profit. You can do business-related research for almost anything. It is, however, vital that you aim the research at helping people or organizations make wise and informed decisions.

This article focuses on the various aspects of business research, such as business law, business ethics, business proposal, international business, business management, business speech, business debate, and controversial business topics.

Why This List of Business Research Topics?

Writing a successful business research paper starts with getting the basics right. While many think they are ready for a business research project, they somehow always get stuck at the very first step: choosing business topics. Even after trying the conventional techniques of preliminary research and brainstorming, many are still unable to come up with great business research topics. This article aims to help you find exciting business topics. The exciting thing is that we don’t just give you a small range of business-related topics to choose from – we have 100!

Here is a list of some hot business essay topics to set the ball rolling. Our list of interesting business topics makes this not just a typical list, but one to give you an outstanding business research paper. This list contains 100 examples of business research topics and will be of great help!

So if you need some business topics for a research paper or presentation, be assured that you’re in the right place!

Controversial Business Topics

  • Free Market Capitalism
  • Lower minimum wage and job creation.
  • Would a minimum wage trap people in poverty?
  • Is outsourcing an Ethical Practice?
  • Outsourcing: Theories versus findings.

International Business Topics

Students offering business courses should endeavour to do some international business research that addresses critical issues affecting international trade. Here are some international business research topics which will come in handy.

  • Surviving International Competition: A Critical Analysis of the Strategic Measures Employed by Local Companies.
  • International Investment: The Importance of Educating the Public on the benefits of international investment.
  • Business at Sea: The Importance of Instituting and Implementing Environmentally-friendly Approaches.
  • Transforming Small Local Businesses into widely Recognized International Brands.
  • Human Resources: Effective Strategies for Maintaining Largely Diversified Organizations.
  • Branding: Effective Strategies to Provide a Competitive Advantage for International Businesses.

Business Proposal Topics

The business culture is taking over the world today, and with it comes quite a lot of issues and concerns in how we go about our daily activity. Whether you are a business tycoon or a customer at a grocery shop, everyone is involved in some form of business. Below are some business proposal topics to help you pitch that business idea.

  • Economic Problems: Possible initiatives to protect small businesses.
  • American Business Sector: Possible solutions to the decline of trust.
  • Local Businesses: Providing necessary support to avoid suffocation by huge chains.
  • Global Unemployment: Strategies and solutions to the problem of unemployment.
  • Stakeholders: Their impact on the success of a business.
  • Employee motivation and its effect on employee performance.

Business Speech Topics

Do you have a business speech to deliver and still not sure of the topic to focus on? Here is are some general business speech topics for you!

  • How to think and plan strategically.
  • Interpersonal and Family Relations.
  • How to make a sales pitch.
  • How to Move Your Business A Generation Ahead.
  • Reducing and resolving conflicts in family businesses.
  • Leadership Development and its importance.

Business Law Topics

Business law is a thriving area of business which grabs the interest of many people. Business law helps to govern the dealings in the commercial world. We thought you might need some business law paper topics ; hence this list of current juicy research topics on business law.

  • Bankruptcy Fraud: Legal identification methods.
  • Sexual Harassment Lawsuits: Its Avoidance within the company.
  • Trade secrets: When does it become “too secretive”?
  • UK Business Laws: A Review of the Legal Standing and Protection of Creditors.
  • Foreign Entity Registration: A comparative review of legal guidelines and implications for foreign businesses in the UK and Europe.
  • Trademark infringement: Possible defences to this offence.
  • E-commerce Practices: US legal implications on the workforce.
  • Data Privacy Laws: Their impact on business operations.

Business Ethics Topics

Another exciting area of business research is business ethics. With some excellent business ethics research paper topics, you’re well on your way to writing a unique paper. Here are some juicy business ethics paper topics/business research topic examples to get the ball rolling!

  • Gender Discrimination: A close investigation of its impact on employee performance in an organization.
  • Organizational Environmental Pollution: A critical look at its effects on consumer trust levels.
  • Labourer Abuse: Analyzing its repercussions in the construction sector.
  • Profit Seeking: A critical evaluation of its impact on product quality.
  • Advertisements: An Expository Study of the effects of misleading advertisements on consumer trust.
  • Gift-giving by Pharmaceutical Representatives: Any strings attached?
  • Business ethics: A Philosophical approach.
  • Ethical issues in governing a corporation.
  • Ethical conflicts: Avoiding religious, political, and cultural arguments at work.

Business Communication Topics

To be successful in business, one must be able to communicate effectively in areas such as selling ideas, persuading potential customers, communicating with employees, etc. In business, communication may as well be everything! Here are ten fantastic topics for your business communication research paper!

  • The effect of internal business communication on the external image of a business.
  • The Impact of Interactive online communication on public relations outcomes.
  • Interpersonal Communication: The Influence of Culture on interpersonal dialogue.
  • The impact of Computer-mediated Interaction.
  • Business Communication: Exploring different mediums and channels for effective communication in business.
  • The effect of intercultural information exchange on closing business deals.
  • Business Negotiation: A language-centred activity.
  • Symmetrical Dialogue: A critical look at the processes involved.
  • Business Negotiation: Styles in intercultural dialogue.
  • Exploring the differences between business communication and general communication.

Business Research Topics for MBA Students

Are you an MBA student in need of business research paper topics? Here are some hot ones just for you!

  • Organizational Culture and its influence on innovation management.
  • Environmental issues and their effect on business management in the world today.
  • Leadership Skills and its impact on organizational control.
  • An analytical overview of investment strategies.
  • The influence of online marketing on start-ups.
  • Direct Marketing versus Creative Marketing.
  • The power of advertising on consumer behaviour.
  • The impact of employee turnover on Organizational profit.
  • Globalization and its impact on small scale industries.
  • The e-commerce industry and its effect on the world today.

Business Management Research Topics

With the many facets of business management, finding a hot topic could be very challenging. Here are ten great ideas for research topics in business management.

  • Employee benefits and its effect on employee productivity.
  • The intricacies of managing conflict in the work team.
  • Start-ups: A look into the issues that occur during business start-ups.
  • Excessive work: Business consequences.
  • The evolving nature of work teams in meeting the requirements of the future.
  • Leadership strategies and Inter-organizational networks.
  • Product and service improvement in a strategic partnership.
  • How to manage crises in an organization.
  • Impact of total quality management practices on customer retention and satisfaction.
  • Effective time management as a tool for organizational survival.

Business Informative Speech Topics

Are you in particular need of business informative speech topics? Then you’re in the right place! Here are ten business topics which are full of juice!

  • Ergonomics in the workspace: How desks, chairs, and tables affect physical poses for sedentary workers.
  • Why there are corporate loans and special grants for women start-ups.
  • Standards in Creative and Financial Accounting: What is right or wrong?
  • Copyright protection: The what, the why and the when.
  • Outsourcing to third parties: When, why and how.
  • Why you have to back up trade secrets with a signed confidentiality agreement.
  • What are the types of insurance?
  • The 24-hour economy: How to manage risk under pressure.
  • Benefits of human resources and how to develop social skills.
  • How safety programs and working conditions relate to productivity.

Business Persuasive Speech Topics

A persuasive speech is a speech delivered with the intent of bringing about a change in the ideas or viewpoints of others. Here are ten business compelling speech topics to wow your audience.

  • Your business will fail if you lack social intelligence.
  • Why you need both short and long-term goals in business.
  • Why Introverts could make better entrepreneurs.
  • Why you must have a business plan.
  • Business Mentors: why every business person needs one.
  • The secret in sending past clients thoughtful gifts.
  • Social Media: Why you should take full advantage of it for your business.
  • Placing higher values on experience than qualifications.
  • Parenting: why new fathers should also get paid time off to help with the baby.
  • Why gut instinct is still essential in hiring.

Business Debate Topics

It is usually challenging to choose business debate topics because you must select a business debate topic which you find interesting. We have prepared some hot business debate topics to help you in your essay.

  • Multinationals: Doing more harm than good?
  • Corporate jobs: A new form of slavery.
  • Stock market: is it related to gambling?
  • An MBA will not make you a good business leader.
  • An MBA is worth the cost.
  • Business and Politics: Should they be mixed?
  • Should the world run on a cashless economy?
  • Cryptocurrencies: Are they reliable in business?
  • Advertisements: Profitable to business?
  • Women: Better business managers than men?

So here we are! One hundred business topics which cover different areas in business. Are you ready to take your writing to a whole new level? These topics will set you on the right path faster. Don’t forget to proofread and edit your paper thoroughly before turning it in. Good luck!

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How To Write An A-Grade Literature Review

3 straightforward steps (with examples) + free template.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Expert Reviewed By: Dr. Eunice Rautenbach | October 2019

Quality research is about building onto the existing work of others , “standing on the shoulders of giants”, as Newton put it. The literature review chapter of your dissertation, thesis or research project is where you synthesise this prior work and lay the theoretical foundation for your own research.

Long story short, this chapter is a pretty big deal, which is why you want to make sure you get it right . In this post, I’ll show you exactly how to write a literature review in three straightforward steps, so you can conquer this vital chapter (the smart way).

Overview: The Literature Review Process

  • Understanding the “ why “
  • Finding the relevant literature
  • Cataloguing and synthesising the information
  • Outlining & writing up your literature review
  • Example of a literature review

But first, the “why”…

Before we unpack how to write the literature review chapter, we’ve got to look at the why . To put it bluntly, if you don’t understand the function and purpose of the literature review process, there’s no way you can pull it off well. So, what exactly is the purpose of the literature review?

Well, there are (at least) four core functions:

  • For you to gain an understanding (and demonstrate this understanding) of where the research is at currently, what the key arguments and disagreements are.
  • For you to identify the gap(s) in the literature and then use this as justification for your own research topic.
  • To help you build a conceptual framework for empirical testing (if applicable to your research topic).
  • To inform your methodological choices and help you source tried and tested questionnaires (for interviews ) and measurement instruments (for surveys ).

Most students understand the first point but don’t give any thought to the rest. To get the most from the literature review process, you must keep all four points front of mind as you review the literature (more on this shortly), or you’ll land up with a wonky foundation.

Okay – with the why out the way, let’s move on to the how . As mentioned above, writing your literature review is a process, which I’ll break down into three steps:

  • Finding the most suitable literature
  • Understanding , distilling and organising the literature
  • Planning and writing up your literature review chapter

Importantly, you must complete steps one and two before you start writing up your chapter. I know it’s very tempting, but don’t try to kill two birds with one stone and write as you read. You’ll invariably end up wasting huge amounts of time re-writing and re-shaping, or you’ll just land up with a disjointed, hard-to-digest mess . Instead, you need to read first and distil the information, then plan and execute the writing.

Free Webinar: Literature Review 101

Step 1: Find the relevant literature

Naturally, the first step in the literature review journey is to hunt down the existing research that’s relevant to your topic. While you probably already have a decent base of this from your research proposal , you need to expand on this substantially in the dissertation or thesis itself.

Essentially, you need to be looking for any existing literature that potentially helps you answer your research question (or develop it, if that’s not yet pinned down). There are numerous ways to find relevant literature, but I’ll cover my top four tactics here. I’d suggest combining all four methods to ensure that nothing slips past you:

Method 1 – Google Scholar Scrubbing

Google’s academic search engine, Google Scholar , is a great starting point as it provides a good high-level view of the relevant journal articles for whatever keyword you throw at it. Most valuably, it tells you how many times each article has been cited, which gives you an idea of how credible (or at least, popular) it is. Some articles will be free to access, while others will require an account, which brings us to the next method.

Method 2 – University Database Scrounging

Generally, universities provide students with access to an online library, which provides access to many (but not all) of the major journals.

So, if you find an article using Google Scholar that requires paid access (which is quite likely), search for that article in your university’s database – if it’s listed there, you’ll have access. Note that, generally, the search engine capabilities of these databases are poor, so make sure you search for the exact article name, or you might not find it.

Method 3 – Journal Article Snowballing

At the end of every academic journal article, you’ll find a list of references. As with any academic writing, these references are the building blocks of the article, so if the article is relevant to your topic, there’s a good chance a portion of the referenced works will be too. Do a quick scan of the titles and see what seems relevant, then search for the relevant ones in your university’s database.

Method 4 – Dissertation Scavenging

Similar to Method 3 above, you can leverage other students’ dissertations. All you have to do is skim through literature review chapters of existing dissertations related to your topic and you’ll find a gold mine of potential literature. Usually, your university will provide you with access to previous students’ dissertations, but you can also find a much larger selection in the following databases:

  • Open Access Theses & Dissertations
  • Stanford SearchWorks

Keep in mind that dissertations and theses are not as academically sound as published, peer-reviewed journal articles (because they’re written by students, not professionals), so be sure to check the credibility of any sources you find using this method. You can do this by assessing the citation count of any given article in Google Scholar. If you need help with assessing the credibility of any article, or with finding relevant research in general, you can chat with one of our Research Specialists .

Alright – with a good base of literature firmly under your belt, it’s time to move onto the next step.

Need a helping hand?

literature review topics business

Step 2: Log, catalogue and synthesise

Once you’ve built a little treasure trove of articles, it’s time to get reading and start digesting the information – what does it all mean?

While I present steps one and two (hunting and digesting) as sequential, in reality, it’s more of a back-and-forth tango – you’ll read a little , then have an idea, spot a new citation, or a new potential variable, and then go back to searching for articles. This is perfectly natural – through the reading process, your thoughts will develop , new avenues might crop up, and directional adjustments might arise. This is, after all, one of the main purposes of the literature review process (i.e. to familiarise yourself with the current state of research in your field).

As you’re working through your treasure chest, it’s essential that you simultaneously start organising the information. There are three aspects to this:

  • Logging reference information
  • Building an organised catalogue
  • Distilling and synthesising the information

I’ll discuss each of these below:

2.1 – Log the reference information

As you read each article, you should add it to your reference management software. I usually recommend Mendeley for this purpose (see the Mendeley 101 video below), but you can use whichever software you’re comfortable with. Most importantly, make sure you load EVERY article you read into your reference manager, even if it doesn’t seem very relevant at the time.

2.2 – Build an organised catalogue

In the beginning, you might feel confident that you can remember who said what, where, and what their main arguments were. Trust me, you won’t. If you do a thorough review of the relevant literature (as you must!), you’re going to read many, many articles, and it’s simply impossible to remember who said what, when, and in what context . Also, without the bird’s eye view that a catalogue provides, you’ll miss connections between various articles, and have no view of how the research developed over time. Simply put, it’s essential to build your own catalogue of the literature.

I would suggest using Excel to build your catalogue, as it allows you to run filters, colour code and sort – all very useful when your list grows large (which it will). How you lay your spreadsheet out is up to you, but I’d suggest you have the following columns (at minimum):

  • Author, date, title – Start with three columns containing this core information. This will make it easy for you to search for titles with certain words, order research by date, or group by author.
  • Categories or keywords – You can either create multiple columns, one for each category/theme and then tick the relevant categories, or you can have one column with keywords.
  • Key arguments/points – Use this column to succinctly convey the essence of the article, the key arguments and implications thereof for your research.
  • Context – Note the socioeconomic context in which the research was undertaken. For example, US-based, respondents aged 25-35, lower- income, etc. This will be useful for making an argument about gaps in the research.
  • Methodology – Note which methodology was used and why. Also, note any issues you feel arise due to the methodology. Again, you can use this to make an argument about gaps in the research.
  • Quotations – Note down any quoteworthy lines you feel might be useful later.
  • Notes – Make notes about anything not already covered. For example, linkages to or disagreements with other theories, questions raised but unanswered, shortcomings or limitations, and so forth.

If you’d like, you can try out our free catalog template here (see screenshot below).

Excel literature review template

2.3 – Digest and synthesise

Most importantly, as you work through the literature and build your catalogue, you need to synthesise all the information in your own mind – how does it all fit together? Look for links between the various articles and try to develop a bigger picture view of the state of the research. Some important questions to ask yourself are:

  • What answers does the existing research provide to my own research questions ?
  • Which points do the researchers agree (and disagree) on?
  • How has the research developed over time?
  • Where do the gaps in the current research lie?

To help you develop a big-picture view and synthesise all the information, you might find mind mapping software such as Freemind useful. Alternatively, if you’re a fan of physical note-taking, investing in a large whiteboard might work for you.

Mind mapping is a useful way to plan your literature review.

Step 3: Outline and write it up!

Once you’re satisfied that you have digested and distilled all the relevant literature in your mind, it’s time to put pen to paper (or rather, fingers to keyboard). There are two steps here – outlining and writing:

3.1 – Draw up your outline

Having spent so much time reading, it might be tempting to just start writing up without a clear structure in mind. However, it’s critically important to decide on your structure and develop a detailed outline before you write anything. Your literature review chapter needs to present a clear, logical and an easy to follow narrative – and that requires some planning. Don’t try to wing it!

Naturally, you won’t always follow the plan to the letter, but without a detailed outline, you’re more than likely going to end up with a disjointed pile of waffle , and then you’re going to spend a far greater amount of time re-writing, hacking and patching. The adage, “measure twice, cut once” is very suitable here.

In terms of structure, the first decision you’ll have to make is whether you’ll lay out your review thematically (into themes) or chronologically (by date/period). The right choice depends on your topic, research objectives and research questions, which we discuss in this article .

Once that’s decided, you need to draw up an outline of your entire chapter in bullet point format. Try to get as detailed as possible, so that you know exactly what you’ll cover where, how each section will connect to the next, and how your entire argument will develop throughout the chapter. Also, at this stage, it’s a good idea to allocate rough word count limits for each section, so that you can identify word count problems before you’ve spent weeks or months writing!

PS – check out our free literature review chapter template…

3.2 – Get writing

With a detailed outline at your side, it’s time to start writing up (finally!). At this stage, it’s common to feel a bit of writer’s block and find yourself procrastinating under the pressure of finally having to put something on paper. To help with this, remember that the objective of the first draft is not perfection – it’s simply to get your thoughts out of your head and onto paper, after which you can refine them. The structure might change a little, the word count allocations might shift and shuffle, and you might add or remove a section – that’s all okay. Don’t worry about all this on your first draft – just get your thoughts down on paper.

start writing

Once you’ve got a full first draft (however rough it may be), step away from it for a day or two (longer if you can) and then come back at it with fresh eyes. Pay particular attention to the flow and narrative – does it fall fit together and flow from one section to another smoothly? Now’s the time to try to improve the linkage from each section to the next, tighten up the writing to be more concise, trim down word count and sand it down into a more digestible read.

Once you’ve done that, give your writing to a friend or colleague who is not a subject matter expert and ask them if they understand the overall discussion. The best way to assess this is to ask them to explain the chapter back to you. This technique will give you a strong indication of which points were clearly communicated and which weren’t. If you’re working with Grad Coach, this is a good time to have your Research Specialist review your chapter.

Finally, tighten it up and send it off to your supervisor for comment. Some might argue that you should be sending your work to your supervisor sooner than this (indeed your university might formally require this), but in my experience, supervisors are extremely short on time (and often patience), so, the more refined your chapter is, the less time they’ll waste on addressing basic issues (which you know about already) and the more time they’ll spend on valuable feedback that will increase your mark-earning potential.

Literature Review Example

In the video below, we unpack an actual literature review so that you can see how all the core components come together in reality.

Let’s Recap

In this post, we’ve covered how to research and write up a high-quality literature review chapter. Let’s do a quick recap of the key takeaways:

  • It is essential to understand the WHY of the literature review before you read or write anything. Make sure you understand the 4 core functions of the process.
  • The first step is to hunt down the relevant literature . You can do this using Google Scholar, your university database, the snowballing technique and by reviewing other dissertations and theses.
  • Next, you need to log all the articles in your reference manager , build your own catalogue of literature and synthesise all the research.
  • Following that, you need to develop a detailed outline of your entire chapter – the more detail the better. Don’t start writing without a clear outline (on paper, not in your head!)
  • Write up your first draft in rough form – don’t aim for perfection. Remember, done beats perfect.
  • Refine your second draft and get a layman’s perspective on it . Then tighten it up and submit it to your supervisor.

Literature Review Course

Psst… there’s more!

This post is an extract from our bestselling Udemy Course, Literature Review Bootcamp . If you want to work smart, you don't want to miss this .

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37 Comments

Phindile Mpetshwa

Thank you very much. This page is an eye opener and easy to comprehend.

Yinka

This is awesome!

I wish I come across GradCoach earlier enough.

But all the same I’ll make use of this opportunity to the fullest.

Thank you for this good job.

Keep it up!

Derek Jansen

You’re welcome, Yinka. Thank you for the kind words. All the best writing your literature review.

Renee Buerger

Thank you for a very useful literature review session. Although I am doing most of the steps…it being my first masters an Mphil is a self study and one not sure you are on the right track. I have an amazing supervisor but one also knows they are super busy. So not wanting to bother on the minutae. Thank you.

You’re most welcome, Renee. Good luck with your literature review 🙂

Sheemal Prasad

This has been really helpful. Will make full use of it. 🙂

Thank you Gradcoach.

Tahir

Really agreed. Admirable effort

Faturoti Toyin

thank you for this beautiful well explained recap.

Tara

Thank you so much for your guide of video and other instructions for the dissertation writing.

It is instrumental. It encouraged me to write a dissertation now.

Lorraine Hall

Thank you the video was great – from someone that knows nothing thankyou

araz agha

an amazing and very constructive way of presetting a topic, very useful, thanks for the effort,

Suilabayuh Ngah

It is timely

It is very good video of guidance for writing a research proposal and a dissertation. Since I have been watching and reading instructions, I have started my research proposal to write. I appreciate to Mr Jansen hugely.

Nancy Geregl

I learn a lot from your videos. Very comprehensive and detailed.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. As a research student, you learn better with your learning tips in research

Uzma

I was really stuck in reading and gathering information but after watching these things are cleared thanks, it is so helpful.

Xaysukith thorxaitou

Really helpful, Thank you for the effort in showing such information

Sheila Jerome

This is super helpful thank you very much.

Mary

Thank you for this whole literature writing review.You have simplified the process.

Maithe

I’m so glad I found GradCoach. Excellent information, Clear explanation, and Easy to follow, Many thanks Derek!

You’re welcome, Maithe. Good luck writing your literature review 🙂

Anthony

Thank you Coach, you have greatly enriched and improved my knowledge

Eunice

Great piece, so enriching and it is going to help me a great lot in my project and thesis, thanks so much

Stephanie Louw

This is THE BEST site for ANYONE doing a masters or doctorate! Thank you for the sound advice and templates. You rock!

Thanks, Stephanie 🙂

oghenekaro Silas

This is mind blowing, the detailed explanation and simplicity is perfect.

I am doing two papers on my final year thesis, and I must stay I feel very confident to face both headlong after reading this article.

thank you so much.

if anyone is to get a paper done on time and in the best way possible, GRADCOACH is certainly the go to area!

tarandeep singh

This is very good video which is well explained with detailed explanation

uku igeny

Thank you excellent piece of work and great mentoring

Abdul Ahmad Zazay

Thanks, it was useful

Maserialong Dlamini

Thank you very much. the video and the information were very helpful.

Suleiman Abubakar

Good morning scholar. I’m delighted coming to know you even before the commencement of my dissertation which hopefully is expected in not more than six months from now. I would love to engage my study under your guidance from the beginning to the end. I love to know how to do good job

Mthuthuzeli Vongo

Thank you so much Derek for such useful information on writing up a good literature review. I am at a stage where I need to start writing my one. My proposal was accepted late last year but I honestly did not know where to start

SEID YIMAM MOHAMMED (Technic)

Like the name of your YouTube implies you are GRAD (great,resource person, about dissertation). In short you are smart enough in coaching research work.

Richie Buffalo

This is a very well thought out webpage. Very informative and a great read.

Norasyidah Mohd Yusoff

Very comprehensive and eye opener for me as beginner in postgraduate study. Well explained and easy to understand. Appreciate and good reference in guiding me in my research journey. Thank you

Maryellen Elizabeth Hart

Thank you. I requested to download the free literature review template, however, your website wouldn’t allow me to complete the request or complete a download. May I request that you email me the free template? Thank you.

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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

Getting Acquainted with the Literature and Identifying Gaps

In addition to the suggestions on this page, you can narrow down your research question by getting a better understanding of the literature in your field and what gaps exist in the research.

Here are some ways to do that:

  • Read recent issues of the top scholarly journals in your field. Not sure what those are? Ask your professor/advisor, or you can use tools like Journal Citation Reports (below) to identify top journals by impact factor.
  • Read Calls for Papers in your field. Most journals, conferences, and book editors promote requests for proposals for upcoming publications or presentations, which will give you an idea of the scope for what they are looking for and may also present current themes of interest to researchers in your discipline. If you are a member of a professional organization for your area, these organizations usually share those calls to their members as well.
  • Identify and read seminal works in your field. Your professors may be able to point you to important works you should know about, and reading these may give you an idea for how you might build on that previous research.
  • Talk to your professor/advisor/editor. They might have suggestions for what angle you might take for your literature review.
  • Journal Citation Reports This link opens in a new window

What Is a Researchable Topic?

A good literature review begins with a good research question. What makes a good research question? Something answerable by more than a yes or no answer. For example,  climate change  is an okay topic to begin with, but what about it? Ask yourself the who, what, where, when, why, and how questions about your topic.  Climate change  might become how is coastal erosion caused by climate change affecting communities on the coast of Southeast Louisiana ? The more narrow your topic is, the easier it will be to limit your search.

Once you've selected a topic, you can refine it by either expanding or limiting your focus. You could limit your research to a particular time period (perhaps the past 10 years of research on the topic), the group studied (looking at only a particular population). You could expand your research by adding additional concepts (in our example, maybe looking at the effects of both coastal erosion and increased severe weather events) or removing limiters (like getting rid of a time period limit).

If you're finding that refining process challenging, do some background research. The research process is iterative, so every time you read another piece of information, your background knowledge grows and changes, and your research question may shift based on what you've read. We'll go over some ideas for developing background knowledge below.

Finding Example Review Articles

You can find example review articles to serve as a model and introduce you to important pieces of research. You can find review articles in a few ways:

  • Search a database, such as Academic Search Complete, for  "literature review" OR review AND  your topic. E.g.  "literature review" OR review AND "Civil War"
  • Search the E-Journals tab on the Libraries' homepage for  Annual Review of ... to find annual review journals in your discipline
  • Use the Annual Reviews database (below) to browse issues of annual review journals. Note: this is helpful for some disciplines in the sciences and social sciences, but does not include annual reviews for disciplines like the arts, humanities, or business.
  • Annual Reviews This link opens in a new window

Finding Dissertations/Theses

For those who are working on a literature review for a dissertation or thesis, it can be helpful to look at the literature reviews of others in your program at LSU or other institutions. Where you can find these depends on factors like the age and institution of the dissertation/thesis. You can find step-by-step instructions for how to search on the guide below.

  • Finding Dissertations and Theses by Mitch Fontenot Last Updated Sep 11, 2023 89 views this year
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  • Last Updated: Jan 31, 2024 9:55 AM
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How do I Write a Literature Review?: Step #1: Choosing a Topic

  • Step #1: Choosing a Topic
  • Step #2: Finding Information
  • Step #3: Evaluating Content
  • Step #4: Synthesizing Content
  • #5 Writing the Review
  • Citing Your Sources

CHOOSING A TOPIC

Choosing your research topic is an important step in writing a literature review.

First, choose a strong topic and one you're interested in. You don't want a topic that is too narrow or one that has little or no research about it. Think of a topic that will have enough supporting articles relating to it. Is it significant enough that research has been done on it?

Try brainstorming . Writing different ideas down on paper can help your ideas flow. You also want a topic that piques your curiosity. Keep in mind you have to live with this topic over the course of an entire semester.

Try identifying 3 potential research topics. Consider related concepts. Then, perform a brief preliminary search on all three. From your three ideas, choose the one that is strongest. Are there enough articles available? Is the topic too general? Keep refining your topic so that it isn't too broad and general.

Finally, write down your topic in a statement form .

Here are a few helpful tips on how to choose a research topic:

  • Choose a strong topic & one that interests you
  • Try a preliminary search on your topic
  • Refine your topic
  • Write it out as a statement

Identifying the Scope of Your Lit. Review

In the early phase of planning your literature review, you will want to identify the scope of your research. Below are a few elements to consider:

  • How long will the literature review be?
  • How many sources/citations are required?
  • Will the literature under review have a publication date requirement? (For example, you will only include sources published between 1990 and 2010.)
  • What type of resources will you consult? (e.g. trade journals, peer review journals, books, websites, etc.)
  • Will your literature review focus on a theoretical issue, on a topical issue, or on qualitative/quantitative research?
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  • Next: Step #2: Finding Information >>
  • Last Updated: Aug 22, 2023 1:35 PM
  • URL: https://libguides.eastern.edu/literature_reviews

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  • Subject Guides

Literature Review Basics

  • Tutorials & Samples
  • Literature Review Introduction
  • Writing Literature Reviews
  • Primary & Secondary Sources

Literature Review Tutorials

  • Literature Reviews: An Overview for Students What is a literature review? What purpose does it serve in research? What should you expect when writing one? Find out here in this guide from NCSU libraries.
  • Write a Lit Review from Virginia Commonwealth University Follow this guide to learn how to write a literature review, beginning with a synthesis matrix.
  • Literature Review: The What, Why and How-to Guide This guide will help you understand what is a Literature Review, why it is important and how it is done. Also includes information on Annotated Bibliographies.
  • Writing a Literature Review from the University of Toledo Covers what a lit review is, lit review types, writing a lit review and further readings.
  • The Literature Review Process A guide from the University of North Texas on selecting a topic, searching the literature, plan before reviewing, reviewing the literature and writing the review.
  • The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Permission granted to use this guide.

Sample Literature Reviews

  • Business Literature Review Example One Sharing economy: A comprehensive literature review
  • Business Literature Review Example Two Internet marketing: a content analysis of the research
  • Education Literature Review Sample One Teachers’ perception of STEM integration and education: a systematic literature review
  • Education Literature Review Sample Two Issues and Challenges for Teaching Successful Online Courses in Higher Education: A Literature Review
  • Gerontology Literature Review Sample One Attitudes towards caring for older people: literature review and methodology
  • Gerontology Literature Review Sample Two Literature review: understanding nursing competence in dementia care
  • Psychology Literature Review Sample One Psychological Correlates of University Students’ Academic Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
  • Psychology Literature Review Sample Two Misuse of Prescription Stimulants Among College Students: A Review of the Literature and Implications for Morphological and Cognitive Effects on Brain Functioning
  • Public Administration Literature Review Sample One Considering the Environment in Transportation Planning: Review of Emerging Paradigms and Practice in the United States
  • Public Administration Literature Review Sample Two Assessing the impact of research on policy: a literature review
  • Sociology Literature Review Sample One Employment Among Current and Former Welfare Recipients: A Literature Review
  • Sociology Literature Review Sample Two Deployment and family functioning: A literature review of US operations in Afghanistan and Iraq
  • Technology Literature Review Sample One Social media and innovation: A systematic literature review and future research directions
  • Technology Literature Review Sample Two Blockchain as a disruptive technology for business: A systematic review
  • << Previous: Primary & Secondary Sources
  • Last Updated: Jun 28, 2023 9:19 AM
  • URL: https://laverne.libguides.com/litreviews
  • UWF Libraries

Literature Review: Conducting & Writing

  • Sample Literature Reviews
  • Steps for Conducting a Lit Review
  • Finding "The Literature"
  • Organizing/Writing
  • Chicago: Notes Bibliography

Sample Lit Reviews from Communication Arts

Have an exemplary literature review.

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

Have you written a stellar literature review you care to share for teaching purposes?

Are you an instructor who has received an exemplary literature review and have permission from the student to post?

Please contact Britt McGowan at [email protected] for inclusion in this guide. All disciplines welcome and encouraged.

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  • Last Updated: Jan 18, 2024 9:21 AM
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Literature Reviews

  • Getting started

What is a literature review?

Why conduct a literature review, stages of a literature review, lit reviews: an overview (video), check out these books.

  • Types of reviews
  • 1. Define your research question
  • 2. Plan your search
  • 3. Search the literature
  • 4. Organize your results
  • 5. Synthesize your findings
  • 6. Write the review
  • Thompson Writing Studio This link opens in a new window
  • Need to write a systematic review? This link opens in a new window

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Ask a Librarian

literature review topics business

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.

literature review topics business

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

Available 3rd floor of Perkins

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

Available online!

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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

Request from Duke Medical Center Library

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Doing a systematic review: A student's guide

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Political Science Subject Guide: Literature Reviews

  • Political Science
  • Books & Dissertations
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  • Literature Reviews
  • Senior Essay Resources
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More Literature Review Writing Tips

  • Thesis Whisperer- Bedraggled Daisy Lay advice on writing theses and dissertations. This article demonstrates in more detail one aspect of our discussion

Books on the Literature Review

literature review topics business

What is a literature review?

"A literature review is an account of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers. [...] In writing the literature review, your purpose is to convey to your reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. As a piece of writing, the literature review must be defined by a guiding concept (e.g., your research objective, the problem or issue you are discussing, or your argumentative thesis). It is not just a descriptive list of the material available, or a set of summaries."

(from "The Literature Review: A Few Tips on Writing It," http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific-types-of-writing/literature-review )

Strategies for conducting your own literature review

1. Use this guide as a starting point. Begin your search with the resources linked from the political science subject guide. These library catalogs and databases will help you identify what's been published on your topic.

2. What came first? Try bibliographic tracing. As you're finding sources, pay attention to what and whom these authors cite. Their footnotes and bibliographies will point you in the direction of additional scholarship on your topic.

3. What comes next? Look for reviews and citation reports. What did scholars think about that book when it was published in 2003? Has anyone cited that article since 1971? Reviews and citation analysis tools can help you determine if you've found the seminal works on your topic--so that you can be confident that you haven't missed anything important, and that you've kept up with the debates in your field. You'll find book reviews in JSTOR and other databases. Google Scholar has some citation metrics; you can use Web of Science ( Social Sciences Citation Index ) for more robust citation reports.

4. Stay current. Get familiar with the top journals in your field, and set up alerts for new articles. If you don't know where to begin, APSA and other scholarly associations often maintain lists of journals, broken out by subfield . In many databases (and in Google Scholar), you can also set up search alerts, which will notify you when additional items have been added that meet your search criteria.

5. Stay organized. A citation management tool--e.g., RefWorks, Endnote, Zotero, Mendeley--will help you store your citations, generate a bibliography, and cite your sources while you write. Some of these tools are also useful for file storage, if you'd like to keep PDFs of the articles you've found. To get started with citation management tools, check out this guide . 

How to find existing literature reviews

1. Consult Annual Reviews.  The Annual Review of Political Science consists of thorough literature review essays in all areas of political science, written by noted scholars. The library also subscribes to Annual Reviews in economics, law and social science, sociology, and many other disciplines.

2. Turn to handbooks, bibliographies, and other reference sources. Resources like Oxford Bibliographies Online and assorted handbooks ( Oxford Handbook of Comparative Politics , Oxford Handbook of American Elections and Political Behavior , etc.) are great ways to get a substantive introduction to a topic, subject area, debate, or issue. Not exactly literature reviews, but they do provide significant reference to and commentary on the relevant literature--like a heavily footnoted encyclopedia for specialists in a discipline. 

3. Search databases and Google Scholar.   Use the recommended databases in the "Articles & Databases" tab of this guide and try a search that includes the phrase "literature review."

4. Search in journals for literature review articles.  Once you've identified the important journals in your field as suggested in the section above, you can target these journals and search for review articles. 

5. Find book reviews.  These reviews can often contain useful contextual information about the concerns and debates of a field. Worldwide Political Science Abstracts is a good source for book reviews, as is JSTOR . To get to book reviews in JSTOR, select the advanced search option, use the title of the book as your search phrase, and narrow by item type: reviews. You can also narrow your search further by discipline.

6. Cast a wide net--don't forget dissertations.  Dissertations and theses often include literature review sections. While these aren't necessarily authoritative, definitive literature reviews (you'll want to check in Annual Reviews for those), they can provide helpful suggestions for sources to consider.

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COMMENTS

  1. 120 Literature Review Topics for Inspired Research

    29 Jul 2021 A literature review is an account of the scholarly works published on a topic. It is different from an annotated bibliography - and far more interesting at that. Instead of being just a list of summaries, a literature review synthesizes the information from all available sources in an overall relationship to your guiding concept.

  2. 100+ Greatest Business Research Topics for Students

    Social entrepreneurship, corporate social responsibility, business ethics, sustainable development, resources management, and technology and innovation management are other notable topics you could use for your business research paper. They're some of the hottest and most in-demand areas of business research these days.

  3. Six tips for your (systematic) literature review in business and

    1. Motivate the topic and state the research question The abstract and introduction are crucial elements of any research article. Usually, the reader decides after looking at the abstract and/or introduction whether he will read the entire article or not. Additionally, a literature review needs a crisp and concise motivation.

  4. How to Write 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.

  5. 105 Literature Review Topics + How-to Guide [2024]

    StudyCorgi Blog Lit.Reviews 105 Literature Review Topics + How-to Guide [2024] by StudyCorgi Updated: Dec 27th, 2023 A literature review is a variant of curtsy in scientific circles. It presents your acknowledgment that you are not the first to tackle the issue.

  6. Business Research Topics

    Conduct a literature review to see what other researchers have discovered and how your research can add to the existing body of knowledge. Sort your ideas: After your preliminary research, take your ideas and sort them into categories. For instance, keep topics on business law separate from international business topics.

  7. LibGuides: Business Research Methods: Literature Review

    1. What subject areas does you topic fall into? 2. What possible sources could you use? Think broadly, for example: Company reports Industry profiles Market research Financial reports Newspaper articles Journal articles 3. What don't you want? What are the limits? For example, geographical restrictions or time periods. 2. Search systematically

  8. Find Articles

    Business and Economics Literature Review Article Databases Business Source Premier - Essential article database for business research, providing the full text for more than 2,000 periodicals, including about 1,000 scholarly journals.

  9. How to Conduct an Efficient Business Literature Review

    Publication year: 2023 Online pub date: March 21, 2023 Discipline: Business and Management Methods: Literature review, Journal articles, Grey literature DOI: https:// doi. org/10.4135/9781529669213 Keywords: libraries, search strategies, students, systematic search More information Guide Abstract

  10. PDF Writing a literature review Business School

    Business School Writing a Literature Review What is a literature review? A literature review is a compilation of previous research and writing on a particular topic. It provides a critical analysis of this research and writing through summary, classification, comparison and evaluation. In a literature review you are required to present:

  11. How to Pick a Topic

    Whether you are writing a literature review as a standalone work or as part of a paper, choosing a topic is an important part of the process. If you haven't select a topic yet for your literature view or you feel that your topic is too broad, this page is for you!

  12. 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).

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  15. How To Write A Literature Review (+ Free Template)

    Step 1: Find the relevant literature. Naturally, the first step in the literature review journey is to hunt down the existing research that's relevant to your topic. While you probably already have a decent base of this from your research proposal, you need to expand on this substantially in the dissertation or thesis itself.. Essentially, you need to be looking for any existing literature ...

  16. Research Guides: Literature Reviews: Choosing a Topic

    Identify and read seminal works in your field. Your professors may be able to point you to important works you should know about, and reading these may give you an idea for how you might build on that previous research. Talk to your professor/advisor/editor. They might have suggestions for what angle you might take for your literature review.

  17. Literature review as a research methodology: An ...

    Although rare, examples of this type of review can be identified in the business literature (e.g., Covington, 2000; Gross, 1998; Mazumdar, Raj, & Sinha, 2005). Most integrative literature reviews are intended to address mature topics or new, emerging topics. ... Conducting a literature review is hard work, so the topic must be one that is of ...

  18. How do I Write a Literature Review?: Step #1: Choosing a Topic

    Here are a few helpful tips on how to choose a research topic: Brainstorm. Choose a strong topic & one that interests you. Try a preliminary search on your topic. Refine your topic. Write it out as a statement. Identifying the Scope of Your Lit. Review. In the early phase of planning your literature review, you will want to identify the scope ...

  19. The importance of literature reviews in small business and

    The articles in this special issue. Dabić et al. (Citation 2021) present an innovative way of reviewing literature that combines elements of bibliometric analysis with systematic literature review in their article, "Serial entrepreneurs: A review of literature and guidance for future research."This combined method allows the authors to shed light on research into serial entrepreneurship ...

  20. (PDF) Literature Reviews: What are the Challenges, and ...

    Literature Reviews: What are the Challenges, and how can Students and new Business Researchers be Successful? CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Authors: Anthony John Mitchell Martin Rich Abstract The...

  21. Subject Guides: Literature Review Basics: Tutorials & Samples

    Business Literature Review Example One. Sharing economy: A comprehensive literature review. Business Literature Review Example Two. Internet marketing: a content analysis of the research. Education Literature Review Sample One. Teachers' perception of STEM integration and education: a systematic literature review.

  22. Literature Review: Conducting & Writing

    This guide will provide research and writing tips to help students complete a literature review assignment.

  23. 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 ...

  24. How Fast Should Your Company Really Grow?

    Gary P. Pisano is the Harry E. Figgie Jr. Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and the author of Creative Construction: The DNA of Sustained Innovation (PublicAffairs ...

  25. Why Collaboration Is Critical in Uncertain Times

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  26. How Machine Learning Will Transform Supply Chain Management

    A version of this article appeared in the March-April 2024 issue of Harvard Business Review. Read more on Supply chain management or related topics AI and machine learning ...

  27. Political Science Subject Guide: Literature Reviews

    Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review by Andrew Booth; Anthea Sutton; Diana Papaioannou Showing you how to take a structured and organized approach to a wide range of literature review types, this book helps you to choose which approach is right for your research. Packed with constructive tools, examples, case studies and hands-on exercises, the book covers the full range of ...

  28. People Probably Like You More Than You Think

    Erica Boothby is a postdoctoral researcher at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where she teaches negotiations. Her research broadly focuses on social connection and the ...