Writing a Literature Review

This document is designed as a guide for students working on a literature review for a Master's Level paper or project.  It might also be adapted for smaller assignments requiring a literature review.

What is a Literature Review?

• It reviews a collection of published research related to a research question.
• It summarizes, evaluates, describes and/or integrates information on that research question.
• It provides an overview of significant literature published on a topic.

What is the value in writing a literature review?

A literature review helps you:

• Identify seminal works and authors in your topic area (i.e. the really important ones).
• Evaluate the current state of research in your field and identify trends.
• Identify possible gaps in the literature or the research.
• Give your research a conceptual framework.
• Understand divergent opinions on a topic if it is controversial.
• Demonstrate your understanding of your chosen field.

Getting started:

1)    Clarify the requirements of the assignment.

• How many sources should be included?
• What types of sources (books, journal articles, websites, etc.)?
• Should you summarize, synthesize, or critique sources?
• Should you evaluate your sources?
• Should you provide other background information such as definitions or a historical overview?

2)     Define your topic, keeping in mind that you may have to revise or change it as you go along.Writing down your topic in the form of a question or sentence can help you stay focused and avoid wandering off into unrelated areas.  Know when to broaden or narrow your topic.

• broaden: not finding enough citations
• narrow: finding too many citations

3)     Become familiar with the resources available at your library.

• Locate reference materials (encyclopedias, dictionaries, statistical sources, bibliographies, etc.)
• Use the online catalog to search for books and other sources.
• Become comfortable with research databases that are related to your topic and learn how to effectively search them.
• Learn how to export citations from the databases into RefWorks.
• If you are not familiar with any of the above, schedule an appointment with a reference librarian in your field of study.

4)      Gather data and organize it.

• Gather the books and journal articles related to your topic.
• If you have a lot of articles, you might develop a filing system to keep them in order.
• Set up a file in RefWorks to organize your citations.

5) Evaluate the information you have gathered.

• During the search process, reading the abstract can be helpful in determining if an item is useful to your topic or not.
• Use critical thinking skills to determine an item's biases, objectives, accuracy, or methodology.
• Concentrate on locating high quality items instead of a large quantity of items.  Some questions to ask:
  

  > What are the author's credentials?
  > Are the author's arguments supported by evidence (statistics, case studies, etc.)?
  > Is the author's perspective even-handed or prejudicial?
  > Is the author persuasive?
  > Does the item contribute significantly to an understanding of the subject?

The writing process:

Here are some general suggestions for organizing your paper.

1) Introduction:

• Identify the general topic or issue.
• Describe overall trends in what has been published about the topic.
• Establish your reason (point of view) for reviewing this literature.
• Explain any criteria you have used in comparing literature and the overall organization of the review (sequence).
• If necessary, state why certain literature is not included (scope).

2) Body:

• Group items by common factors (theme, school of thought, etc.). 
• Decide on an overall organization for your review.  It might be chronological, by method used, or by theme, for example.
• Summarize individual articles or items with as much or as little detail as the item merits, based on its comparative significance in the literature.  The more space you give something is a sign of its significance.
• Start each paragraph with a strong sentence, and provide summary statements periodically in the paper to help readers understand your analysis.

3) Conclusion:

• Summarize the major contributions from the significant studies in your review.
• Evaluate the current "state of the art" for the topic you reviewed, pointing out any gaps or flaws you found, inconsistencies in theory, and issues that need additional study.
• Wrap it up by showing how this review is related to a larger area of study, discipline, or profession.

4) Some final thoughts:

• Consider using a citation management software product such as RefWorks.  This will help you keep track of what you have read and will format your paper and bibliography in the style you need (APA, MLA, etc.).
• Organize your time and set intermediate deadlines as needed.
• Allow yourself time to read and digest material. 
• Allow time for editing and rewriting so that your writing is clear and consistent. 
• Remember your purpose is to review other author's writings, not to build a case for your personal preferences. In general, personal statements should be limited to the introduction and/or conclusion of your paper.
• Avoid jargon as much as possible. 
• Sometimes it is helpful to have an impartial outside party read your paper before you submit it.

Sources of additional information:

Check CLICnet for locations and holdings.

Galvin, Jose L. (2004). Writing Literature Reviews: a Guide for Students in the Social and Behavioral Sciences.  Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Pub.

Garson, G. David. (2002). Guide to Writing Empirical Papers, Theses and Dissertations.  New York: Marcel Dekker.

Mertens, Donna M. & McLaughlin, John A. (2004). Research and Evaluation Methods in Special Education.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. (2001). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Other online guides:

Lynchburg College. Writing a Literature Review.

University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Literature Reviews.

University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Review of Literature.

University of California-Santa Cruz. How to....Write a Literature Review.

Union Institute and University. Literature Review.

For additional assistance, contact the reference desk at a St. Thomas library, or contact a librarian in your subject area.

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For additional information or assistance, please contact:

Donna Nix
denix@stthomas.edu
Office: MOH 124, Mail: MOH 206, Charles J. Keffer Library
651-962-4662

This page was last updated on September 6, 2007.