A literature review is an account of what has

Review of Literature been published on a topic by accredited scholars

and researchers. Literature reviews synthesize
the research that has been written on a
particular subject.  Reviewers bring that work
together, classify it, and (at times) critically
analyze it. The literature review should be in a
narrative format. Connect major areas of
research together with transition sentences so
that your ideas flow.  The basic idea is to give
the reader a sense of what has already been
found/written about with regard to your topic.
The review of literature helps “frame” your
study by telling us up front what has already
been said, which in the end will point to the gap
you are filling with your study.

_____________________
References:
http://www.bk.psu.edu/faculty/ramsey/Review_of_Literature.html
Review of Literature
In summary, Review of Literature gives a history of discoveries
and/or relevant research on the topic
- shows how different people build on each others work
- reports on previous studies (doesn't have to be chronological)
- compares & contrasts studies, points out conflict &
contradictions as well as overlap & agreement
- shows contrast between what has been done & what this author
will do
- shows source of theoretical framework, lays out theoretical
construct
- makes generalizations on basis of studies, summarizes
evidence
- points out problems with past research
- points out what's not known & suggest areas for future
research

Available from:http://www.deil.uiuc.edu/eslservice/units/401finalpaper/literaturereview.htm
 "In writing the literature review, the purpose is to
convey to the reader what knowledge and ideas
have been established on a topic, and what their
Purpose

strengths and weaknesses are. The literature

review must be defined by a guiding concept
(eg. 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.”

(http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/litrev.html)
 The Purpose of a Literature Review:

(For the RESEARCHER and READER)

- to provide background or history of research on the topic
- to provide a theoretical framework for what follows
- to identify what others have said, done, or discovered about a
Purpose

topic
- to extract & synthesize the main points, issues, findings,
research methods of previous studies (show the relationship
between them)
- to place the specific topic of a paper in the context of other
scholarship and research in the field

- to show a gap: to establish need for research in this area

- to identify possibilities for further research
- to become familiar with difficulties in research in this area and
to avoid potential pitfalls others have faced
Skills Gained in Writing
a Review of Literature
1.The ability to seek useful
information

2. critical appraisal: the

ability to apply principles of
analysis to identify unbiased
and valid studies.
Identifying Resources Books
Reference Materials
Journals
Conference Papers
Dissertations
Internet
Indexes/Abstracts Printed
Electronic Databases
Government publications
Theses
the Literature Review Ask yourself questions like
Guidelines in Writing

these:
1 What is the specific thesis,
.

problem, or research question

that my literature review helps to
define?
the Literature Review
Guidelines in Writing
2. What type of literature review
am I conducting? Am I looking at
issues of theory? methodology?
policy? quantitative research (e.g.
on the effectiveness of a new
procedure)? qualitative research
(e.g., studies )?
the Literature Review
Guidelines in Writing
3. What is the scope of my
literature review? What types of
publications am I using (e.g.,
journals, books, government
documents, popular media)?
What discipline am I working in
(e.g., nursing psychology,
sociology, medicine)?
the Literature Review
Guidelines in Writing
4. How good was my information
seeking? Has my search been
wide enough to ensure I’ve found
all the relevant material? Has it
been narrow enough to exclude
irrelevant material? Is the number
of sources I’ve used appropriate
for the length of my paper?
the Literature Review
Guidelines in Writing
5. Have I critically analyzed the
literature I used? Do I follow
through a set of concepts and
questions, comparing items to
each other in the ways they deal
with them? Instead of just listing
and summarizing items, do I
assess them, discussing strengths
and weaknesses?
?
the Literature Review 6.Have I cited and
Guidelines in Writing

discussed studies
contrary to my
perspective?
How to do a literature
search?

Strategy
1.Develop a
 Ask yourself questions like these
the Literature Review
Guidelines in Writing
about each book or article you
read:
Summarize each of the articles in your
1.
own words:

What did the researchers want to find

out?
How did they set up the study? Who,
where, when, etc.
Specifically, what did they observe or
discover ?
What do they think their discovery
 2. Arrange your summaries into
the Literature Review
Guidelines in Writing
themes or categories

3. Write an introductory
paragraph, several body
paragraphs, a closing paragraph, a
reference page that lists all the
sources you've discussed using
CSE Style. Hint: it's often easier to
write the body before you attempt
the introduction and conclusion.
the Literature Review 4. What ways does this book or
Guidelines in Writing
article contribute to our
understanding of the problem
under study, and in what ways is
it useful for practice? What are
the strengths and limitations?
 The review should be in
your own words. Mixing
some to the words of the
Reminders

source with some of your

own words is
plagiarism. Any word
that you take from the
source must have
quotation marks and page