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Education Resources: Writing a Literature Review

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What Is a Literature Review?

Preparing Your Literature Review

Writing the Literature Review

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A literature review is a summary and synthesis of existing research on a topic that gives the background of current knowledge on the topic, establishes a thesis, and provides credible evidence. Another way to think of a literature review is as an analysis of the discussion between authors. The literature review will contain common themes as well as agreeing and disagreeing perspectives.

Steps to Prepare Writing Your Literature Review

Frame your research area . Choose an area of research that interests you, considering recent issues, class discussions and topics you have encountered in your previous research.

Select resources and begin your search . Search the library’s catalog, and find the appropriate journal databases to explore for your particular topic. See your class’ topic guide for recommended databases and contact your librarian for additional help with selecting resources. Then, scan recent articles and reviews related to your research area. Remember to create reference lists of your resources.

Define your topic. Now that you have an overview of the existing research about your research area, define your topic. Consider what aspects of your research area interest you the most, which specific topics are discussed the most in the existing research, and whether you need to restrict your topic to a certain time period or field of study.

Survey the literature and select research most relevant to your topic. Read the articles and reviews you have already discovered and conduct additional research as necessary to select appropriate literature to include in your review. It is critical that you read all of your sources before you write your review.

Critique and analyze the literature . Evaluate the articles and reviews. Consider what assumptions researchers seem to be making, what procedures and methods they have used, and what findings and conclusions they have. Note any important trends revealed in the literature.

When preparing to write your literature review, you may find yourself completing these steps in a different order or even repeating steps. This is a natural part of the process as you learn more about your topic and the literature about it.

Often, one of the more difficult aspects of writing the literature review is figuring out how to structure it. Jonathan Cisco (2014) outlines a method for a “Theme-Based Literature Review” that helps you focus on analysis rather than description, leading to a true synthesis of the literature.

Define common themes

Theme cloud

Once your themes are defined and your literature organized, you can create an outline for your literature review, structuring it by using the most important themes as subheadings.

Your introduction should define the general topic and context for the focus of your literature review. It should also point out general trends, conflicts, and conclusions while presenting your thesis on the research. You may also include any necessary criteria for analyzing the literature and the scope of your research.

Each section should contain a topic sentence introducing the theme (subheading) and then should present an analysis of the different authors’ perspectives, approaches, theories, and conclusions. Provide summaries of studies or articles only as part of the analysis, and synthesize the research by drawing parallels, pointing out conflicting results, and providing “so what” brief explanations.

Conclude your literature review by summarizing the significant themes in the literature. Provide insight into the relationship between your themes and their relationship to the overall body of knowledge of your topic area.

Note. “Theme-Based Literature Review” structure, idea, explanations and illustrations are adapted from “Teaching the Literature Review: A Practical Approach for College Instructors,” by J. Cisco, 2014, Teaching & Learning Inquiry: The ISSOTL Journal , 2.2, pp. 41-57. Used with permission.

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  • Last Updated: Sep 6, 2023 1:05 PM

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What Will You Do Differently?

Please help your librarians by filling out this two-minute survey of today's class session..

Professor, this one's for you .

Introduction

Literature reviews take time. here is some general information to know before you start.  .

  •  VIDEO -- This video is a great overview of the entire process.  (2020; North Carolina State University Libraries) --The transcript is included --This is for everyone; ignore the mention of "graduate students" --9.5 minutes, and every second is important  
  • OVERVIEW -- Read this page from Purdue's OWL. It's not long, and gives some tips to fill in what you just learned from the video.  
  • NOT A RESEARCH ARTICLE -- A literature review follows a different style, format, and structure from a research article.  

Steps to Completing a Literature Review

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Literature Reviews: Write Your Review

Critical analysis.

A critical analysis of your sources is key to creating a quality literature review, and keeping your research question in mind as you read the literature will ensure that you are on track.

  • As you read, ask yourself "Why is my topic important?" You must evaluate and interpret the information to discover your own point of view.

Reading and Evaluating Scholarly Literature (Oregon State University)

Evaluating Resources (University of Southern California)

Critically Analyzing Information Sources (Cornell University Library)

Literature Review Model

  • What Constitutes a Good Literature Review and Why Does its Quality Matter? A discussion of the state of literature reviews found in scholarly journals. The author discusses the need for clear identification of the "problem domain" or scope of a topic, and the critical need for "identifying and articulating knowledge gaps" in literature reviews. more... less... Maier, H. R. (May 01, 2013). What constitutes a good literature review and why does its quality matter?. Environmental Modelling & Software, 43, 3-4.

Once you identify your topic, check for existing literature reviews in your area of interest that can be used as models.

  • Search UW Libraries Catalog using your search terms in conjunction with "literature review" or "methods" or "research" or "bibliography".

What Does a Literature Review Look Like?

This sample literature review from the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL), provides an example in the field of psychology.

Structure of a Literature Review

A literature review has a format similar to other scholarly papers. It contains an introduction, body and conclusion, but is focused exclusively on the research of others.

The Basics of a Literature Review. (2014). Teaching and Learning Center University of Washington Tacoma. Retrieved from  https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/sites/default/files/2021-05/basics-of-lit-review1.pdf 

Guidelines for Writing Your Literature Review

The creation of a literature review involves reading articles , processing the information from the articles, and integrating that information in the larger context of the review

Literature Review Guidelines

The Basics of a Literature Review. (2014). Teaching and Learning Center University of Washington Tacoma. Retrieved from  https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/sites/default/files/2021-05/basics-of-lit-review1.pdf

Types of Source Materials

Primary Resources - These resources are the basic building blocks for the other types of resources. They include empirical research , firsthand accounts of events and other original materials .

Secondary Resources - These are resources that analyze or interpret primary and other secondary resources .

Tertiary Resources - These include encyclopedias, textbooks, dictionaries, handbooks, and indexes. They provide a summary and definitions of topics and are an effective and efficient way to begin to build your project.

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  • Last Updated: Mar 2, 2023 3:02 PM
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What is a literature review?

A literature review is a discussion of previously published information on a particular topic, providing summary and connections to help readers understand the research that has been completed on a subject and why it is important. Unlike a research paper, a literature review does not develop a new argument, instead focusing on what has been argued or proven in past papers. However, a literature review should not just be an annotated bibliography that lists the sources found; the literature review should be organized thematically as a cohesive paper.

Why write a literature review?

Literature reviews provide you with a handy guide to a particular topic. If you have limited time to conduct research, literature reviews can give you an overview or act as a stepping stone. For professionals, they are useful reports that keep them up to date with what is current in the field. For scholars, the depth and breadth of the literature review emphasizes the credibility of the writer in his or her field. Literature reviews also provide a solid background for a research paper’s investigation. Comprehensive knowledge of the literature of the field is essential to most research papers.

Who writes literature reviews?

Literature reviews are sometimes written in the humanities, but more often in the sciences and social sciences. In scientific reports and longer papers, they constitute one section of the work. Literature reviews can also be written as stand-alone papers.

How Should I Organize My Literature Review?

Here are some ways to organize a literature review from Purdue OWL: 

  • Chronological:  The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time, which helps familiarize the audience with the topic (for instance if you are introducing something that is not commonly known in your field). If you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order. 
  • Thematic:  If you have found some recurring central themes that you will continue working with throughout your piece, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic. For example, if you are reviewing literature about women and religion, key themes can include the role of women in churches and the religious attitude towards women.
  • Methodological:  If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods, you can compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example: Qualitative versus quantitative research, empirical versus theoretical scholarship, divide the research by sociological, historical, or cultural sources.
  • Theoretical:  In many humanities articles, the literature review is the foundation for the theoretical framework. You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts. You can argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.

Outline Your Literature Review's Structure

How to Write a Literature Review

Literature Reviews: An Overview for Graduate Students

Writing the Literature Review

Find a focus Just like a term paper, a literature review is organized around ideas, not just sources. Use the research question you developed in planning your review and the issues or themes that connect your sources together to create a thesis statement. Yes, literature reviews have thesis statements! But your literature review thesis statement will be presenting a perspective on the material, rather than arguing for a position or opinion. For example:

The current trend in treatment for congestive heart failure combines surgery and medicine.

More and more cultural studies scholars are accepting popular media as a subject worthy of academic consideration.

Consider organization Once you have your thesis statement, you will need to think about the best way to effectively organize the information you have in your review. Like most academic papers, literature reviews should have an introduction, body, and conclusion. 

Use evidence and be selective When making your points in your literature review, you should refer to several sources as evidence, just like in any academic paper. Your interpretation of the available information must be backed up with evidence to show that your ideas are valid. You also need to be selective about the information you choose to include in your review. Select only the most important points in each source, making sure everything you mention relates to the review's focus.

Summarize and synthesize Remember to summarize and synthesize your sources in each paragraph as well as throughout the review. You should not be doing in-depth analysis in your review, so keep your use of quotes to a minimum. A literature review is not just a summary of current sources; you should be keeping your own voice and saying something new about the collection of sources you have put together.

Revise, revise, revise When you have finished writing the literature review, you still have one final step! Spending a lot of time revising is important to make sure you have presented your information in the best way possible. Check your review to see if it follows the assignment instructions and/or your outline. Rewrite or rework your language to be more concise and double check that you have documented your sources and formatted your review appropriately.

The Literature Review Model

purdue literature review

Machi, Lawrence A, and Brenda T McEvoy. The Literature Review: Six Steps to Success. 2Nd ed. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press, 2012.

What the Literature Review IS and ISN'T:

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purdue literature review

Literature Review Sample Paper

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

Literature Review Tips

  • Taking Notes For The Literature Review
  • The Art of Scan Reading
  • UNC-Chapel Hill Writing Guide for Literature Reviews
  • Literature Review Guidelines from Purdue OWL

Organizing Your Review

As you read and evaluate your literature there are several different ways to organize your research . Courtesy of Dr. Gary Burkholder in the School of Psychology, these sample matrices are one option to help organize your articles. These documents allow you to compile details about your sources, such as the foundational theories, methodologies, and conclusions; begin to note similarities among the authors; and retrieve citation information for easy insertion within a document.

  • Literature Review Matrix 1
  • Literature Review Matrix 2
  • Spreadsheet Style

How to Create a Literature Matrix using Excel

Synthesis for Literature Reviews

Developing a Research Question 

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Writing a Literature Review

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

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Literature reviews typically include the following elements:

  • Citations for the referenced materials
  • A discussion of the materials' research purpose, methods, and findings
  • A discussion of how those findings relate to your research
  • A discussion of the differences between cited materials 
  • A discussion of the gaps created by the material referenced and how your research can close those gaps

Literature Reviews synthesize information available on a topic.

Annotated bibliography components:

  • A citation for the information source
  • A summary of the source
  • A reflection on how you think you will use the source in your project

Annotated bibliographies look at individual sources.

Be sure to review your assignment prompt and/or speak to your professor.

  • Annotated Bibliography and Literature Reviews (Stetson Writing Center) This Writing Center handout describes annotated bibliographies and literature reviews and how to write them.

17 - what is a literature review from Joshua Vossler on Vimeo .

What is a Literature Review? , Joshua Vossler:  https://vimeo.com/90324266

This video provides a definition and comprehensive overview of the literature review. Also explains how a literature review differs from an annotated bibliography, in that an annotated bibliography lists and evaluates sources individually, whereas a literature review is a synthesized analysis of sources.

  • Literature Reviews (Writing Center, UNC Chapel Hill) Overview of lit reviews and tips on writing one.
  • Writing a Literature Review (Dartmouth University Library) Overview of writing a literature review.
  • Writing a Literature Review (Purdue OWL) Describes when and how to write a Lit Review along with ways to organize one.
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  • Last Updated: Jul 20, 2023 3:05 PM
  • URL: https://guides.stetson.edu/litreview

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What is a literature review?

  • A literature review is a critical, analytical summary and synthesis of the current knowledge of a topic. As a researcher, you collect the available literature on a topic, and then select the literature that is most relevant for your purpose. Your written literature review summarizes and analyses the themes, topics, methods, and results of that literature in order to inform the reader about the history and current status of research on that topic.

What purpose does a literature review serve?

  • The literature review informs the reader of the researcher's knowledge of the relevant research already conducted on the topic under discussion, and places the author's current study in context of previous studies.
  • As part of a senior project, the literature review points out the current issues and questions concerning a topic. By relating the your research to a knowledge gap in the existing literature, you should demonstrate how his or her proposed research will contribute to expanding knowledge in that field.

Take a look at our Literature Review Guide for more information. 

  • SAMPLE: Literature Review in ASA This is a sample literature review from a professional journal that publishes in ASA style. ***Lit review begins on page 384 and ends on page 387. DATA AND METHODS section is NOT part of the lit review.
  • Literature Review Matrix (Excel Doc) Excel file that can be edited to suit your needs.
  • Literature Review Matrix (PDF) Source: McLean, Lindsey. "Literature Review." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2015. https://www.projectcora.org/assignment/literature-review.
  • Academic Writer (formerly APA Style Central) This link opens in a new window This resource has templates available for literature reviews and other types of papers.
  • Sample Literature Reviews: Univ. of West Florida Literature review guide from the University of West Florida library guides.
  • Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) Sample literature review in APA from Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL)

purdue literature review

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Systematic Reviews

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SR Process Diagram

Systematic Review Diagram

Guide to the Systematic Review Process

Any successful project starts with a well-defined research question. 

1. Identify Research Question

Every successful research project starts with a well-defined research question.  The PICOS method is one way to structure a research question.  PICOS stands for Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes, and Study Design.  By specifying each of these components, a very specific and researchable question can be developed.

2. Create your Research Team

A systematic review requires a multifaceted research team to carry out.  Multiple reviewers of articles reduce biases and increase reliability of the results.  In addition, your team should have expertise in the following areas: Domain Knowledge of the subject (e.g., epidemiology or education), Research Methods of the studies being reviewed (as well as of the systematic review method itself), appropriate Statistics (to understand the results of the studies being reviewed), and Information Retrieval.  

3. Create (and register) a Protocol

Your protocol describes the steps you will use to conduct your review.  PRISMA provides guidelines for what a protocol should include.  Registering your protocol will improve transparency/reproducibility as well as alerting other researchers of your intentions, so efforts are not duplicated.  PROSPERO , BioMedCentral Protocols , and Open Science Framework are places. The protocol should be completed before you start, to ensure a level of objectivity of the review.  The protocol should include:

  •       Literature review to provide context for review (importance of the question, prior related reviews)
  •       Research Question
  •       Criteria for inclusion/exclusion of studies in the review
  •       Types of studies, populations, interventions, outcome measures considered
  •       Search strategy to identify studies
  •       Selection methods for studies
  •       Assessment method of quality
  •       Data Extraction and synthesis methods
  •       Timeframe for conducting review

Create a comprehensive search strategy, using multiple databases. Include synonyms and stemmed terms.  The advanced search features of databases will allow you to construct a precise, transparent search strategy.  Ask a librarian for assistance on how to access and utilize these search features.

​​ Determine which studies are relevant to your research question.  Utilize your inclusion/exclusion criteria.  Each study should be independently reviewed by different team members, resolving disagreement, to ensure reliability.

6. Appraise/Evaluate

Determine potential biases of studies, based on study design and reporting.  These can include selection bias, attrition bias, detection bias, and reporting bias. 

7. Extract/Synthesize

Extract data from all relevant studies.  There are several software programs that assist in organizing and visualizing your data.

Writing up your results!  Your methodology should be clearly documented so others can evaluate the validity of your work, and updates can easily be generated.  Your results can include recommendations for practice and policy and identification of gaps in research.

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Types of APA Papers

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This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Note:  This page reflects APA 6, which is now out of date. It will remain online until 2021, but will not be updated. There is currently no equivalent 7th edition page, but we're working on one. Thank you for your patience. Here is a link to our APA 7 "General Format" page .

There are two common types of papers written in fields using APA Style: the literature review and the experimental report (also known as a "research report"). Each has unique requirements concerning the sections that must be included in the paper.

Literature review

A literature review is a critical summary of what the scientific literature says about your specific topic or question. Often student research in APA fields falls into this category. Your professor might ask you to write this kind of paper to demonstrate your familiarity with work in the field pertinent to the research you hope to conduct. 

While the APA Publication Manual does not require a specific order for a literature review, a good literature review typically contains the following components:

  • Introduction
  • Thesis statement
  • Summary and synthesis of sources
  • List of references

Some instructors may also want you to write an abstract for a literature review, so be sure to check with them when given an assignment. Also, the length of a literature review and the required number of sources will vary based on course and instructor preferences.

NOTE:  A literature review and an annotated bibliography are  not  synonymous. While both types of writing involve examining sources, the literature review seeks to synthesize the information and draw connections between sources. If you are asked to write an annotated bibliography, you should consult the  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association  for the APA Format for Annotated Bibliographies.

Experimental/Research report

In many of the social sciences, you will be asked to design and conduct your own experimental research. If so, you will need to write up your paper using a structure that is more complex than that used for just a literature review. We have a complete resource devoted to writing an experimental report in the field of psychology  here .

This structure follows the scientific method, but it also makes your paper easier to follow by providing those familiar cues that help your reader efficiently scan your information for:

  • Why the topic is important (covered in your introduction)
  • What the problem is (also covered in your introduction)
  • What you did to try to solve the problem (covered in your methods section)
  • What you found (covered in your results section)
  • What you think your findings mean (covered in your discussion section)

Thus an experimental report typically includes the following sections.

  • Multiple experiments (if you conduct more than one)
  • Appendices (if necessary)
  • Tables and/or figures (if necessary)

Make sure to check the guidelines for your assignment or any guidelines that have been given to you by an editor of a journal before you submit a manuscript containing the sections listed above.

As with the literature review, the length of this report may vary by course or by journal, but most often it will be determined by the scope of the research conducted.

Other papers

If you are writing a paper that fits neither of these categories, follow the guidelines about  General Format , consult your instructor, or look up advice in the  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association .

When submitting a manuscript to a journal, make sure you follow the guidelines described in the submission policies of that publication, and include as many sections as you think are applicable to presenting your material. Remember to keep your audience in mind as you are making this decision. If certain information is particularly pertinent for conveying your research, then ensure that there is a section of your paper that adequately addresses that information.

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Literature Reviews

  • "The Literature Review," in Destination Dissertation
  • Literature Review Tutorial [PPT], BU Alumni Medical Library
  • Literature Reviews (Bowie State University)
  • Literature Reviews (University of the Pacific)
  • Literature Reviews: Introduction (Georgia State University)
  • Literature Review (UConn Libraries)
  • Six Steps to Writing a Literature Review
  • The Literature Review (University of Toronto)

Annotated Bibliographies

  • Annotated Bibliography (University of South Carolina Upstate)
  • Annotated Bibliographies (Purdue OWL)
  • Writing an Annotated Bibliography (University of Toronto)

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Writing Literature Reviews

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Find your librarian, schedule a research appointment, today's hours : , what is a literature review.

A literature review ought to be a clear, concise synthesis of relevant information. A literature review should introduce the study it precedes and show how that study fits into topically related studies that already exist. Structurally, a literature review ought to be something like a funnel: start by addressing the topic broadly and gradually narrow as the review progresses.

from Literature Reviews by CU Writing Center

Why review the literature?

Reference to prior literature is a defining feature of academic and research writing. Why review the literature?

  • To help you understand a research topic
  • To establish the importance of a topic
  • To help develop your own ideas
  • To make sure you are not simply replicating research that others have already successfully completed
  • To demonstrate knowledge and show how your current work is situated within, builds on, or departs from earlier publications

from Literature Review Basics from University of La Verne

Tips & Tricks

Before writing your own literature review, take a look at these resources which share helpful tips and tricks:

Lectures & Slides

  • Literature Reviews | CU Writing Center
  • Writing a Literature Review | CU Writing Center
  • Revising a Literature Review | CU Writing Center
  • Literature Reviews: How to Find and Do Them
  • Literature Reviews: An Overview

How-To Guides

  • Literature Reviews | Purdue OWL
  • Literature Reviews | University of North Carolina
  • Learn How to Write a Review of Literature | University of Wisconsin
  • Literature Review: The What, Why and How-to Guide | University of Connecticut
  • Literature Reviews | Florida A & M
  • Conduct a Literature Review | SUNY
  • Literature Review Basics | University of LaVerne

Sample Literature Reviews

  • Sample Literature Reviews | University of West Florida
  • Sample APA Papers: Literature Review | Purdue OWL
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  • Last Updated: Apr 24, 2020 3:12 PM
  • URL: https://libguides.cedarville.edu/c.php?g=969394

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COMMENTS

  1. Writing a Literature Review

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

  2. Literature Review

    A good literature review finds relevant academic literature and places it in a context that supports future research. In other words, what background does the audience need to know in order to understand the innovation that you are presenting in your thesis or article? Reed, L. (1998).

  3. Writing a Literature Review

    Writing the Literature Review. Often, one of the more difficult aspects of writing the literature review is figuring out how to structure it. Jonathan Cisco (2014) outlines a method for a "Theme-Based Literature Review" that helps you focus on analysis rather than description, leading to a true synthesis of the literature.

  4. Welcome to the Purdue Online Writing Lab

    The Purdue OWL offers global support through online reference materials and services. A Message From the Assistant Director of Content Development The Purdue OWL® is committed to supporting students, instructors, and writers by offering a wide range of resources that are developed and revised with them in mind. To do this, the OWL team is ...

  5. START HERE

    Steps to Completing a Literature Review. Find. Conduct searches for relevant information. Evaluate. Critically review your sources. Summarize. Determine the most important and relevant information from each source, theories, findings, etc. Synthesize. Create a synthesis matrix to find connections between resources, and ensure your sources ...

  6. Literature Reviews: Write Your Review

    This sample literature review from the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL), provides an example in the field of psychology. Structure of a Literature Review. A literature review has a format similar to other scholarly papers. It contains an introduction, body and conclusion, but is focused exclusively on the research of others.

  7. Tools for Academic Writing: Literature Review

    Here are some ways to organize a literature review from Purdue OWL: Chronological: The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time, which helps familiarize the audience with the topic (for instance if you are introducing something that is not commonly known in your field).If you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order.

  8. Writing the Literature Review

    For more suggestions on how to write a literature review, visit the Purdue OWL Literature Reviews page. Meeting Your Writing Goals. Set writing goals to keep you on track. Small, specific, and frequent goals are often the most realistic and encourage continued progress. Some examples of goals include:

  9. PDF Purdue Writing Lab

    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).

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

    Literature Reviews vs. Annotated Bibliographies. Literature reviews typically include the following elements: Citations for the referenced materials. A discussion of the materials' research purpose, methods, and findings. A discussion of how those findings relate to your research. A discussion of the differences between cited materials.

  11. Literature Reviews

    The literature review informs the reader of the researcher's knowledge of the relevant research already conducted on the topic under discussion, and places the author's current study in context of previous studies. ... Sample literature review in APA from Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL) Literature Review Resources << Previous: ASA ...

  12. Getting Started

    PICOS stands for Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes, and Study Design. By specifying each of these components, a very specific and researchable question can be developed. 2. Create your Research Team. A systematic review requires a multifaceted research team to carry out. Multiple reviewers of articles reduce biases and increase ...

  13. Types of APA Papers

    A literature review is a critical summary of what the scientific literature says about your specific topic or question. Often student research in APA fields falls into this category. Your professor might ask you to write this kind of paper to demonstrate your familiarity with work in the field pertinent to the research you hope to conduct.

  14. Writing Literature Reviews & Annotated Bibliographies

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

  15. Literature Review Overview

    A literature review ought to be a clear, concise synthesis of relevant information. A literature review should introduce the study it precedes and show how that study fits into topically related studies that already exist. Structurally, a literature review ought to be something like a funnel: start by addressing the topic broadly and gradually ...

  16. 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.