What do I write in a literature review?
John Castro
Published Mar 10, 2026
What do I write in a literature review?
A literature review consists of an overview, a summary, and an evaluation (“critique”) of the current state of knowledge about a specific area of research. It may also include a discussion of methodological issues and suggestions for future research.
What is a literature review based on?
The literature review is a written overview of major writings and other sources on a selected topic. Sources covered in the review may include scholarly journal articles, books, government reports, Web sites, etc. The literature review provides a description, summary and evaluation of each source.
What is literature review and example?
1. A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources that provides an overview of a particular topic. It generally follows a discussion of the paper’s thesis statement or the study’s goals or purpose. *This sample paper was adapted by the Writing Center from Key, K.L., Rich, C., DeCristofaro, C., Collins, S. (2010).
How do you begin a literature review?
Write the review
- Start by writing your thesis statement. This is an important introductory sentence that will tell your reader what the topic is and the overall perspective or argument you will be presenting.
- Like essays, a literature review must have an introduction, a body and a conclusion.
How do we do a literature review?
Literature Review: Conducting & Writing
- Choose a topic. Define your research question.
- Decide on the scope of your review.
- Select the databases you will use to conduct your searches.
- Conduct your searches and find the literature. Keep track of your searches!
- Review the literature.
Why do we use literature review in research?
Why do we do a literature review? Reviewing the literature lets you see what came before, and what did and didn’t work for other researchers. To demonstrate your understanding, and your ability to critically evaluate research in the field. To provide evidence that may be used to support your own findings.
What are the types of literature review?
Systematic literature review can be divided into two categories: meta-analysis and meta-synthesis. Integrative literature review reviews, critiques, and synthesizes secondary data about research topic in an integrated way such that new frameworks and perspectives on the topic are generated.
What are the 5 C’s of writing literature review?
Is including the five C’s(Cite, Compare, Contrast, Critique and Connect) really important in writing a literature review for your research project?
What is a university literature review?
A literature review is a piece of academic writing demonstrating knowledge and understanding of the academic literature on a specific topic placed in context. Usually a literature review forms a section or part of a dissertation, research project or long essay.
What are the best ways to write a literature review?
Search for relevant literature. Before you begin searching for literature,you need a clearly defined topic.
What are the steps in writing a literature review?
Define the area you will be studying. Before you begin to search for articles or books, decide beforehand what areas you are going to research.
What are the steps in conducting a literature review?
The major steps in conducting research are: Identification of research problem. Literature review. Specifying the purpose of research. Determining specific research questions. Specification of a conceptual framework, sometimes including a set of hypotheses. Choice of a methodology (for data collection) Data collection.
How can you write a literature review?
So in order to write a literature review, you have to read research articles, books, and journals regarding your specific topic. Then decide what information is most relevant to the topic. Then you can summarize, analyze and compare this information. This systematic analysis will also help you to find research gaps in the field.