Literature Review

What a Literature Review is:

A Literature Review is a look at what knowledge already exists on a given topic. In order to get a sense of
the topic, consult several diverse sources to help determine what information exists, what is missing on
the topic, and areas in which scholars agree/disagree. Overall, a literature review surveys scholarly
articles, books and other sources relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory, providing a
description, summary, and critical evaluation of each work.

What a Literature Review is NOT:

It is not a book review. When conducting a Literature Review, a writer does not simply summarize each
of their sources as in an annotated bibliography. Instead, the literature review should be organized around
main ideas and subtopics that come together to explain the larger topic.

Audience
Literature reviews can have different types of audiences, so consider why and for whom you are writing
your review. The audience will want to know in what way your research is important and original. A
literature review should convince the audience of the significance and worthiness of the proposed project.

Purpose
Generally, the literature review selects relevant past literature and DESCRIBES,SYNTHESIZES,
and EVALUATES these texts/studies, putting the authors in conversation with each other.
An effective literature review tends to fulfill many purposes:
1.Understand sources
2.Join Conversation
3.Selection and organization of sources in writing
4.Summing up existing works
5.Interpreting/Analyzing existing works
6.Drawing Connections
7.Finding gap in existing scholarship
8.Create own argument to frame research and help fill gap
Questions a Literature Review Should Answer:
The literature review organizes the previous research in the light of what you are planning to do in your
own project.
What's been done in this topic area to date? What are the significant discoveries, key concepts,
arguments, and/or theories that scholars have put forward? Which are the important works?

On which particular areas of the topic has previous research concentrated? Have there been
developments over time? What methodologies have been used?


Are there any gaps in the research? Are there areas that haven't been looked at closely yet, but
which should be? Are there new ways of looking at the topic? What contribution will your research make
to the field?

Stages of a Literature Review

Similar to primary research, development of the literature review requires four stages:
Problem formulationwhich topic or field is being examined and what are its component
issues?
Literature searchfinding materials relevant to the subject being explored.
Data evaluationdetermining which literature makes a significant contribution to the
understanding of the topic.
Analysis and interpretationdiscussing the findings and conclusions of pertinent literature.

Literature Review Synthesis Matrix

Using the table below, evaluate and synthesize different ideas that are discussed by the
researchers. Add extra source and idea boxes as needed.
Research Question/Topic:

Source #1
(Author last name, year)
Idea #1

Idea #2

Idea #3

Source #2
(Author last name, year)

Source #3
(Author last name, year)