Professional Documents
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Literature Review
Literature Review
Definitions
A literature review surveys books, scholarly articles, and any other sources relevant to
a particular issue, area of research, or theory, and by so doing, provides a description,
summary, and critical evaluation of these works in relation to the research problem
being investigated. Literature reviews are designed to provide an overview of sources
you have explored while researching a particular topic and to demonstrate to your
readers how your research fits within a larger field of study.
It is not a chronological catalog of all of the sources, but an evaluation, integrating the
previous research together, and also explaining how it integrates into the proposed
research program. All sides of an argument must be clearly explained, to avoid bias,
and areas of agreement and disagreement should be highlighted.
It is not a collection of quotes and paraphrasing from other sources. A good literature
review should also have some evaluation of the quality and findings of the research.
Reviews of the literature are not summaries, they are arguments (that there is a gap
that needs filling) plus an exposition of the particular background knowledge needed
to make progress with the research.
http://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/literaturereview