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• What is a Literature Review? | Guide, Template, & Examples

What is a Literature Review? | Guide, Template, & Examples

Published on 22 February 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on 7 June 2022.

What is a literature review? A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research.

There are five key steps to writing a literature review:

• Search for relevant literature
• Evaluate sources
• Identify themes, debates and gaps
• Outline the structure
• Write your literature review

A good literature review doesn’t just summarise sources – it analyses, synthesises, and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.

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Table of contents

Why 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, frequently asked questions about literature reviews, introduction.

• Quick Run-through
• Step 1 & 2

When you write a dissertation or thesis, you will have to conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge. The literature review gives you a chance to:

• Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and scholarly context
• Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research
• Position yourself in relation to other researchers and theorists
• Show how your dissertation addresses a gap or contributes to a debate

You might also have to write a literature review as a stand-alone assignment. In this case, the purpose is to evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge of scholarly debates around a topic.

The content will look slightly different in each case, but the process of conducting a literature review follows the same steps. We’ve written a step-by-step guide that you can follow below.

Prevent plagiarism, run a free check.

Writing literature reviews can be quite challenging! A good starting point could be to look at some examples, depending on what kind of literature review you’d like to write.

• Example literature review #1: “Why Do People Migrate? A Review of the Theoretical Literature” ( Theoretical literature review about the development of economic migration theory from the 1950s to today.)
• Example literature review #2: “Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines” ( Methodological literature review about interdisciplinary knowledge acquisition and production.)
• Example literature review #3: “The Use of Technology in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Thematic literature review about the effects of technology on language acquisition.)
• Example literature review #4: “Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Chronological literature review about how the concept of listening skills has changed over time.)

You can also check out our templates with literature review examples and sample outlines at the links below.

Download Word doc Download Google doc

Before you begin searching for literature, you need a clearly defined topic .

If you are writing the literature review section of a dissertation or research paper, you will search for literature related to your research objectives and questions .

If you are writing a literature review as a stand-alone assignment, you will have to choose a focus and develop a central question to direct your search. Unlike a dissertation research question, this question has to be answerable without collecting original data. You should be able to answer it based only on a review of existing publications.

Make a list of keywords

Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research topic. Include each of the key concepts or variables you’re interested in, and list any synonyms and related terms. You can add to this list if you discover new keywords in the process of your literature search.

• Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok
• Body image, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health
• Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth

Search for relevant sources

Use your keywords to begin searching for sources. Some databases to search for journals and articles include:

• Your university’s library catalogue
• Google Scholar
• Project Muse (humanities and social sciences)
• Medline (life sciences and biomedicine)
• EconLit (economics)
• Inspec (physics, engineering and computer science)

You can use boolean operators to help narrow down your search:

Read the abstract to find out whether an article is relevant to your question. When you find a useful book or article, you can check the bibliography to find other relevant sources.

To identify the most important publications on your topic, take note of recurring citations. If the same authors, books or articles keep appearing in your reading, make sure to seek them out.

You probably won’t be able to read absolutely everything that has been written on the topic – you’ll have to evaluate which sources are most relevant to your questions.

For each publication, ask yourself:

• What question or problem is the author addressing?
• What are the key concepts and how are they defined?
• What are the key theories, models and methods? Does the research use established frameworks or take an innovative approach?
• What are the results and conclusions of the study?
• How does the publication relate to other literature in the field? Does it confirm, add to, or challenge established knowledge?
• How does the publication contribute to your understanding of the topic? What are its key insights and arguments?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?

Make sure the sources you use are credible, and make sure you read any landmark studies and major theories in your field of research.

You can find out how many times an article has been cited on Google Scholar – a high citation count means the article has been influential in the field, and should certainly be included in your literature review.

The scope of your review will depend on your topic and discipline: in the sciences you usually only review recent literature, but in the humanities you might take a long historical perspective (for example, to trace how a concept has changed in meaning over time).

Remember that you can use our template to summarise and evaluate sources you’re thinking about using!

Take notes and cite your sources

As you read, you should also begin the writing process. Take notes that you can later incorporate into the text of your literature review.

It’s important to keep track of your sources with references to avoid plagiarism . It can be helpful to make an annotated bibliography, where you compile full reference information and write a paragraph of summary and analysis for each source. This helps you remember what you read and saves time later in the process.

You can use our free APA Reference Generator for quick, correct, consistent citations.

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To begin organising your literature review’s argument and structure, you need to understand the connections and relationships between the sources you’ve read. Based on your reading and notes, you can look for:

• Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results): do certain approaches become more or less popular over time?
• Themes: what questions or concepts recur across the literature?
• Debates, conflicts and contradictions: where do sources disagree?
• Pivotal publications: are there any influential theories or studies that changed the direction of the field?
• Gaps: what is missing from the literature? Are there weaknesses that need to be addressed?

This step will help you work out the structure of your literature review and (if applicable) show how your own research will contribute to existing knowledge.

• Most research has focused on young women.
• There is an increasing interest in the visual aspects of social media.
• But there is still a lack of robust research on highly-visual platforms like Instagram and Snapchat – this is a gap that you could address in your own research.

There are various approaches to organising the body of a literature review. You should have a rough idea of your strategy before you start writing.

Depending on the length of your literature review, you can combine several of these strategies (for example, your overall structure might be thematic, but each theme is discussed chronologically).

Chronological

The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time. However, if you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarising sources in order.

Try to analyse patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred.

If you have found some recurring central themes, you can organise your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic.

For example, if you are reviewing literature about inequalities in migrant health outcomes, key themes might include healthcare policy, language barriers, cultural attitudes, legal status, and economic access.

Methodological

If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods , you might want to compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:

• Look at what results have emerged in qualitative versus quantitative research
• Discuss how the topic has been approached by empirical versus theoretical scholarship
• Divide the literature into sociological, historical, and cultural sources

Theoretical

A literature review is often the foundation for a theoretical framework . You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts.

You might argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach, or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.

Like any other academic text, your literature review should have an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion . What you include in each depends on the objective of your literature review.

The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose of the literature review.

If you are writing the literature review as part of your dissertation or thesis, reiterate your central problem or research question and give a brief summary of the scholarly context. You can emphasise the timeliness of the topic (“many recent studies have focused on the problem of x”) or highlight a gap in the literature (“while there has been much research on x, few researchers have taken y into consideration”).

Depending on the length of your literature review, you might want to divide the body into subsections. You can use a subheading for each theme, time period, or methodological approach.

As you write, make sure to follow these tips:

• Summarise and synthesise: give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole.
• Analyse and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other researchers – add your own interpretations, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole.
• Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources.
• Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transitions and topic sentences to draw connections, comparisons and contrasts.

In the conclusion, you should summarise the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasise their significance.

If the literature review is part of your dissertation or thesis, reiterate how your research addresses gaps and contributes new knowledge, or discuss how you have drawn on existing theories and methods to build a framework for your research. This can lead directly into your methodology section.

A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources (such as books, journal articles, and theses) related to a specific topic or research question .

It is often written as part of a dissertation , thesis, research paper , or proposal .

There are several reasons to conduct a literature review at the beginning of a research project:

• To familiarise yourself with the current state of knowledge on your topic
• To ensure that you’re not just repeating what others have already done
• To identify gaps in knowledge and unresolved problems that your research can address
• To develop your theoretical framework and methodology
• To provide an overview of the key findings and debates on the topic

Writing the literature review shows your reader how your work relates to existing research and what new insights it will contribute.

The literature review usually comes near the beginning of your  dissertation . After the introduction , it grounds your research in a scholarly field and leads directly to your theoretical framework or methodology .

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McCombes, S. (2022, June 07). What is a Literature Review? | Guide, Template, & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 18 September 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/thesis-dissertation/literature-review/

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• Knowledge Base

Methodology

• How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates

How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates

Published on January 2, 2023 by Shona McCombes . Revised on September 11, 2023.

What is a literature review? A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research that you can later apply to your paper, thesis, or dissertation topic .

There are five key steps to writing a literature review:

• Search for relevant literature
• Evaluate sources
• Identify themes, debates, and gaps
• Outline the structure
• Write your literature review

A good literature review doesn’t just summarize sources—it analyzes, synthesizes , and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.

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Table of contents

What is the purpose of 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, free lecture slides, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions, introduction.

• Quick Run-through
• Step 1 & 2

When you write a thesis , dissertation , or research paper , you will likely have to conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge. The literature review gives you a chance to:

• Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and its scholarly context
• Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research
• Position your work in relation to other researchers and theorists
• Show how your research addresses a gap or contributes to a debate
• Evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge of the scholarly debates around your topic.

Writing literature reviews is a particularly important skill if you want to apply for graduate school or pursue a career in research. We’ve written a step-by-step guide that you can follow below.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Writing literature reviews can be quite challenging! A good starting point could be to look at some examples, depending on what kind of literature review you’d like to write.

• Example literature review #1: “Why Do People Migrate? A Review of the Theoretical Literature” ( Theoretical literature review about the development of economic migration theory from the 1950s to today.)
• Example literature review #2: “Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines” ( Methodological literature review about interdisciplinary knowledge acquisition and production.)
• Example literature review #3: “The Use of Technology in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Thematic literature review about the effects of technology on language acquisition.)
• Example literature review #4: “Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Chronological literature review about how the concept of listening skills has changed over time.)

You can also check out our templates with literature review examples and sample outlines at the links below.

Download Word doc Download Google doc

Before you begin searching for literature, you need a clearly defined topic .

If you are writing the literature review section of a dissertation or research paper, you will search for literature related to your research problem and questions .

Make a list of keywords

Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research question. Include each of the key concepts or variables you’re interested in, and list any synonyms and related terms. You can add to this list as you discover new keywords in the process of your literature search.

• Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok
• Body image, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health
• Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth

Search for relevant sources

Use your keywords to begin searching for sources. Some useful databases to search for journals and articles include:

• Your university’s library catalogue
• Google Scholar
• Project Muse (humanities and social sciences)
• Medline (life sciences and biomedicine)
• EconLit (economics)
• Inspec (physics, engineering and computer science)

You can also use boolean operators to help narrow down your search.

Make sure to read the abstract to find out whether an article is relevant to your question. When you find a useful book or article, you can check the bibliography to find other relevant sources.

You likely won’t be able to read absolutely everything that has been written on your topic, so it will be necessary to evaluate which sources are most relevant to your research question.

For each publication, ask yourself:

• What question or problem is the author addressing?
• What are the key concepts and how are they defined?
• What are the key theories, models, and methods?
• Does the research use established frameworks or take an innovative approach?
• What are the results and conclusions of the study?
• How does the publication relate to other literature in the field? Does it confirm, add to, or challenge established knowledge?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?

Make sure the sources you use are credible , and make sure you read any landmark studies and major theories in your field of research.

You can use our template to summarize and evaluate sources you’re thinking about using. Click on either button below to download.

Take notes and cite your sources

As you read, you should also begin the writing process. Take notes that you can later incorporate into the text of your literature review.

It is important to keep track of your sources with citations to avoid plagiarism . It can be helpful to make an annotated bibliography , where you compile full citation information and write a paragraph of summary and analysis for each source. This helps you remember what you read and saves time later in the process.

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To begin organizing your literature review’s argument and structure, be sure you understand the connections and relationships between the sources you’ve read. Based on your reading and notes, you can look for:

• Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results): do certain approaches become more or less popular over time?
• Themes: what questions or concepts recur across the literature?
• Debates, conflicts and contradictions: where do sources disagree?
• Pivotal publications: are there any influential theories or studies that changed the direction of the field?
• Gaps: what is missing from the literature? Are there weaknesses that need to be addressed?

This step will help you work out the structure of your literature review and (if applicable) show how your own research will contribute to existing knowledge.

• Most research has focused on young women.
• There is an increasing interest in the visual aspects of social media.
• But there is still a lack of robust research on highly visual platforms like Instagram and Snapchat—this is a gap that you could address in your own research.

There are various approaches to organizing the body of a literature review. Depending on the length of your literature review, you can combine several of these strategies (for example, your overall structure might be thematic, but each theme is discussed chronologically).

Chronological

The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time. However, if you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order.

Try to analyze patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred.

If you have found some recurring central themes, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic.

For example, if you are reviewing literature about inequalities in migrant health outcomes, key themes might include healthcare policy, language barriers, cultural attitudes, legal status, and economic access.

Methodological

If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods , you might want to compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:

• Look at what results have emerged in qualitative versus quantitative research
• Discuss how the topic has been approached by empirical versus theoretical scholarship
• Divide the literature into sociological, historical, and cultural sources

Theoretical

A literature review is often the foundation for a theoretical framework . You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts.

You might argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach, or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.

Like any other academic text , your literature review should have an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion . What you include in each depends on the objective of your literature review.

The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose of the literature review.

Depending on the length of your literature review, you might want to divide the body into subsections. You can use a subheading for each theme, time period, or methodological approach.

As you write, you can follow these tips:

• Summarize and synthesize: give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole
• Analyze and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other researchers — add your own interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole
• Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources
• Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transition words and topic sentences to draw connections, comparisons and contrasts

In the conclusion, you should summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance.

When you’ve finished writing and revising your literature review, don’t forget to proofread thoroughly before submitting. Not a language expert? Check out Scribbr’s professional proofreading services !

This article has been adapted into lecture slides that you can use to teach your students about writing a literature review.

Scribbr slides are free to use, customize, and distribute for educational purposes.

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If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• Sampling methods
• Simple random sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Cluster sampling
• Likert scales
• Reproducibility

 Statistics

• Null hypothesis
• Statistical power
• Probability distribution
• Effect size
• Poisson distribution

Research bias

• Optimism bias
• Cognitive bias
• Implicit bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Anchoring bias
• Explicit bias

A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources (such as books, journal articles, and theses) related to a specific topic or research question .

It is often written as part of a thesis, dissertation , or research paper , in order to situate your work in relation to existing knowledge.

There are several reasons to conduct a literature review at the beginning of a research project:

• To familiarize yourself with the current state of knowledge on your topic
• To ensure that you’re not just repeating what others have already done
• To identify gaps in knowledge and unresolved problems that your research can address
• To develop your theoretical framework and methodology
• To provide an overview of the key findings and debates on the topic

Writing the literature review shows your reader how your work relates to existing research and what new insights it will contribute.

The literature review usually comes near the beginning of your thesis or dissertation . After the introduction , it grounds your research in a scholarly field and leads directly to your theoretical framework or methodology .

A literature review is a survey of credible sources on a topic, often used in dissertations , theses, and research papers . Literature reviews give an overview of knowledge on a subject, helping you identify relevant theories and methods, as well as gaps in existing research. Literature reviews are set up similarly to other  academic texts , with an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion .

An  annotated bibliography is a list of  source references that has a short description (called an annotation ) for each of the sources. It is often assigned as part of the research process for a  paper .  

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

McCombes, S. (2023, September 11). How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates. Scribbr. Retrieved September 18, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/literature-review/

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Shona McCombes

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• Schools & departments

Literature review

A general guide on how to conduct and write a literature review.

Please check course or programme information and materials provided by teaching staff, including your project supervisor, for subject-specific guidance.

What is a 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.  A literature review also includes a critical evaluation of the material; this is why it is called a literature review rather than a literature report. It is a process of reviewing the literature, as well as a form of writing.

To illustrate the difference between reporting and reviewing, think about television or film review articles.  These articles include content such as a brief synopsis or the key points of the film or programme plus the critic’s own evaluation.  Similarly the two main objectives of a literature review are firstly the content covering existing research, theories and evidence, and secondly your own critical evaluation and discussion of this content. 

Usually a literature review forms a section or part of a dissertation, research project or long essay.  However, it can also be set and assessed as a standalone piece of work.

What is the purpose of a literature review?

…your task is to build an argument, not a library. Rudestam, K.E. and Newton, R.R. (1992)Surviving your dissertation: A comprehensive guide to content and process. California: Sage, p49.

In a larger piece of written work, such as a dissertation or project, a literature review is usually one of the first tasks carried out after deciding on a topic.  Reading combined with critical analysis can help to refine a topic and frame research questions.  Conducting a literature review establishes your familiarity with and understanding of current research in a particular field before carrying out a new investigation. After doing a literature review, you should know what research has already been done and be able to identify what is unknown within your topic.

When doing and writing a literature review, it is good practice to:

• summarise and analyse previous research and theories;
• identify areas of controversy and contested claims;
• highlight any gaps that may exist in research to date.

Conducting a literature review

Focusing on different aspects of your literature review can be useful to help plan, develop, refine and write it.  You can use and adapt the prompt questions in our worksheet below at different points in the process of researching and writing your review.  These are suggestions to get you thinking and writing.

Developing and refining your literature review (pdf)

Developing and refining your literature review (Word)

Writing a literature review has a lot in common with other assignment tasks.  There is advice on our other pages about thinking critically, reading strategies and academic writing.  Our literature review top tips suggest some specific things you can do to help you submit a successful review.

Literature review top tips (pdf)

Literature review top tips (Word rtf)

Our reading page includes strategies and advice on using books and articles and a notes record sheet grid you can use.

Reading at university

The Academic writing page suggests ways to organise and structure information from a range of sources and how you can develop your argument as you read and write.

Academic writing

The Critical thinking page has advice on how to be a more critical researcher and a form you can use to help you think and break down the stages of developing your argument.

Critical thinking

As with other forms of academic writing, your literature review needs to demonstrate good academic practice by following the Code of Student Conduct and acknowledging the work of others through citing and referencing your sources.  

Good academic practice

As with any writing task, you will need to review, edit and rewrite sections of your literature review.  The Editing and proofreading page includes tips on how to do this and strategies for standing back and thinking about your structure and checking the flow of your argument.

Editing and proofreading

Guidance on literature searching from the University Library

The Academic Support Librarians have developed LibSmart I and II, Learn courses to help you develop and enhance your digital research skills and capabilities; from getting started with the Library to managing data for your dissertation.

Searching using the library’s DiscoverEd tool: DiscoverEd

Finding resources in your subject: Subject guides

The Academic Support Librarians also provide one-to-one appointments to help you develop your research strategies.

1 to 1 support for literature searching and systematic reviews

Advice to help you optimise use of Google Scholar, Google Books and Google for your research and study: Using Google

Managing and curating your references

A referencing management tool can help you to collect and organise and your source material to produce a bibliography or reference list. 

Referencing and reference management

Information Services provide access to Cite them right online which is a guide to the main referencing systems and tells you how to reference just about any source (EASE log-in may be required).

Cite them right

Published study guides

There are a number of scholarship skills books and guides available which can help with writing a literature review.  Our Resource List of study skills guides includes sections on Referencing, Dissertation and project writing and Literature reviews.

Study skills guides

This article was published on 2024-02-26

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CAW LibGuides: Writing a Literature Review

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Writing a Literature Review

• Writing a Report
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Resource focus 

This aim of this handout is to provide a general guidance to writing a literature review.  It does not cover the systematic literature reviews that form part of the dissertation research project for healthcare students .  You can refer to your course literature, tutor, or the Centre for Academic Writing for guidance on this task.   This resource uses the APA 7 th edition referencing style; however, the guidance applies to writing adhering to any academic referencing requirements.

What is a literature review?

 A literature review is a key component of most academic papers. Some assignments will ask you to provide a separate literature review section, while others will require you to weave a review of important literature on a topic into the introduction or body section of your paper. A literature review should offer an overview of the relevant and significant literature on a research area. It is usually carefully limited to a particular problem, issue or timeframe and should include a description, summary and critical evaluation of the scholarship and research studies you choose to discuss.

What is the purpose of a literature review?

The purpose of a literature review is to convey to your reader a sense of what knowledge and ideas have already been established on a topic, and what the strengths and weaknesses of these contributions are. As a piece of writing, the literature review must be defined by a guiding concept (e.g. your research objective for your own research project, the main problem or issue you are discussing, or the major argument you are exploring). A literature review should show the reader your ability to identify the relevant information and outline existing knowledge on a topic, and to identify the ‘gap’ in the research that your paper or research project will address. The literature review should provide a rationale or justification for your argument or study.

The function of a literature review, therefore, is to:

• Demonstrate to your reader your understanding and awareness of current research in the area;
• Locate your own research within the context of current research and theory;
• Demonstrate your capacity to critically evaluate the research of others;
• Indicate how your own scholarship and research builds on what is already known in the area.

How you write your literature review will depend on your particular topic, the writing conventions of your degree discipline, and your level or year of study. Be sure to check with your department and your supervisor/tutor for the particular requirements appropriate to your discipline.

What counts as ‘literature’?

‘Literature’ covers all relevant and authoritative scholarship and research on a topic. This includes scholarly arguments and research studies discussed in books, journal articles, historical records, government reports, etc., and on scholarly or professional websites. Check with your supervisor or tutor when in doubt of the validity of a research source.

Why write a literature review?

Completing a literature review brings you up to date on the current extent of knowledge and ideas—including contrasting debates, approaches, methodologies, perspectives and viewpoints—that exist in a topic. A well-researched and well-written literature review provides your reader with this knowledge and demonstrates to your reader that you are in command of your subject knowledge. A literature review also provides you with a backdrop against which to define and defend the topic you are discussing, by requiring you to explain how your own research fits into the ‘the bigger picture’ and to justify your own approach to the topic.

Undergraduate literature reviews

A literature review is an essential part of undergraduate dissertations, project reports and long essays, particularly in the final year. At undergraduate level, a literature review is expected to:

• Offer an accurate account of the key points, methodologies and conclusions of current research on your topic;
• Demonstrate your awareness and understanding of the main theoretical approaches and how they relate to your topic;
• Justify why you are taking a particular approach to your chosen topic and possibly to show how your approach adds something that is not already known or understood within the area.

Masters literature reviews

A literature review is an integral component of Masters essays, reports, and dissertations. At Masters level, a literature review will take a substantial amount of time and effort to produce and may, in itself, represent a useful piece of scholarship. A Masters level literature review is expected to:

• Offer a coherent, analytical account of the current state of research in the area that evaluates the relative strengths and weaknesses of various theories and approaches;
• Discuss the advantages/disadvantages of various research methodologies that scholars have applied in the area;
• Provide a reflective consideration of your own methodological criteria;
• Reflect critically upon the assumptions, implications and premises associated with the relevant theoretical approaches adopted by other scholars and by yourself.

Doctoral literature reviews

At the Doctoral level a literature review is expected to be written to a very high standard. It will take a considerable amount of time and effort to produce and will in itself be a definitive piece of scholarship. The literature review you write for your doctoral thesis will be read by experts in your field, and must, therefore, show that you have knowledge of the field in terms of both depth and breadth. A Doctoral literature review is expected to:

• Go beyond recording and evaluating the research of others, to infer the possibility of further possible research approaches to the topic or problem;
• Demonstrate a high level of conceptual understanding within and across theories;
• Demonstrate your capacity to provide an evaluative account of the historical development of scholarship which has led to the current state of research in your field;
• Show that you are an authority on the current state of research in your area, wherever it is published and in whatever language it appears.

Ignorance of a significant piece of research may cast doubt upon your entire research project. For this reason, the writing of your doctoral literature review must be an evolving, ongoing process, which involves adding to and refining your document throughout your doctoral study.

How to conduct a literature review

Whatever level you are working at, writing your literature review will involve selecting the sources you want to write about, analysing them, and presenting your findings in a focused and well-organised manner. Let’s briefly consider what is involved in each of these steps.

Establishing your focus

The sources that you select for your literature review will depend upon the problem that you have formulated and the issues or themes that you intend to examine. Start by considering what components your topic can be divided into. These should be general enough to allow you to compare approaches and points of view, but not so general that they lack any kind of focus. Your initial list will help you select texts that suit your purposes, but you should expect that it will evolve as you analyse them and gain a better understanding of your topic.

Conducting a literature search

As noted above, the sources discussed in your literature review may take a variety of forms, and these will determine where you look for them. For most students, however, a literature review will involve at least some engagement with scholarly books and articles. These can often be found on subject-specific databases (consult your subject librarian if you are unsure about how to use these), but can also be found using Locate and search engines like Google Scholar and Google Books. When sourcing articles via search engines, it is important to ensure that they come from a reputable source. For books, this will include academic publishers. For journal articles, you should look for peer-reviewed published in quality journals. If you are sourcing information from websites, you should prioritise sites with university domain names (sites that end in .co.uk or .edu, for example) or reports drawn directly from the websites of companies you may be investigating.

Selecting sources

Your search will likely turn up many more sources than you could hope to engage with (if this isn’t the case, you may be using overly narrow search criteria). This means that you will need to be selective in your approach. Consider prioritising sources:

• From respected journals and publishers
• Published in the last decade
• Written by established figures in your field
• That have been frequently cited in other work (Google Scholar will tell you how many times an article has been cited and by whom)
• That are drawn directly from an organisation you are investigating or respected third parties (if your literature review is intended to contain company reports, industry studies, etc.)

This initial selection will likely still contain more texts than you can comfortably engage with in the space of your literature review. The next step is to reduce it down to the most pertinent sources. Use something like the following process:

• Read abstracts or executive summaries where available to assess the relevance of a text to your needs
• Read the introductions and conclusions to the sources you have selected (or any texts that do not have abstracts or summaries) and discard any that are not useful
• Skim the body text of the remaining sources to assess their value to you. It is useful here to have a sense of the key phrases or references that you are hoping to find.

Analysing your sources

At this point, you should have established a manageable set of pertinent sources that you can use to inform the rest of your project. The next step is to undertake the analysis that will form the content of your literature review. This will involve reading your sources multiple times, taking notes, and bringing these notes together in a way that facilitates comparison and abstraction. Starting with whatever source you consider easiest to work with, consider the following process:

• Read the whole text through once to establish the basic ‘story’ being told.
• What is the author’s purpose?
• What is the author’s main point?
• Who is the author’s intended audience?
• What arguments does the author use to support the main point?
• Are they persuasive? If not, could they be made so?
• What evidence does the author present to support the arguments?
• Is it adequate? If not, what evidence would be required to support the argument?

Don’t worry if your answers are vague at this point, you can return to them as you re-read the source.

• If the text is difficult, consider writing a descriptive title for each paragraph so that you can track the development of the argument
• Underline or highlight key claims in the text
• Note elements of the text that you think are interesting, problematic, or controversial (you might want to use different colours for each)
• Note points in the text that agree or disagree with other texts in your literature review
• Repeat this process until you feel that you have a command of the text.

Comparing your sources

By this point you will have carefully read through a number of sources. The next step is to establish relationships between them in a way that will facilitate writing your literature review. There are various ways in which you could bring your notes together, but one tried and tested method is a synthesis matrix . This is a table that allows you to compare the position of different sources on various themes of interest. For example:

Example synthesis matrix

The texts listed in the above synthesis matrix have been made up, but the principle should be clear:

• Along the top of the table we have three sources (your table may have considerably more). These are written in full APA 7th edition style   to make things easier when we come to write the literature review.
• On the left hand side, we have a list of topics or themes that are of interest for our project.
• Most boxes use quotations with accompanying APA citations, although it is also fine to simply summarise a source’s position if there is no obvious quote to use.
• Key terms have been highlighted.
• Certain boxes have been colour coded to show whether they completely accept, partially accept, or reject different types of euthanasia. In this way, it is immediately obvious which theory is the most permissive, which is the most restrictive, and which type of euthanasia is the most controversial.

Structuring your literature review

Having worked through your sources and identified common themes and points of interest, you are now in a position to organise and write your literature review. Looking at our example synthesis matrix above, it is clear that we already have a blueprint for what we want to write. Devoting one or more paragraphs to each of the themes listed in the left-most column, we can compare and contrast the various sources in a way that draws out their similarities and differences and presents the reader with a background against which we can develop our own work in later sections. If your own synthesis matrix has many more sources, then it may be necessary to break your discussion down into two or more paragraphs, perhaps grouping sources together in terms of a shared position or focus, or breaking the theme down into components that are exemplified by different sets of texts.

Once you have done this, you will then be able to write an introductory paragraph that tells the reader how you plan to proceed, and a concluding paragraph that draws together your key findings.

An example literature review paragraph

As an example, let’s consider a paragraph developed from one row on our synthesis matrix above:

The term ‘voluntary euthanasia’ refers to ‘those instances of euthanasia in which a clearly competent person makes a voluntary and enduring request to be helped to die’ (Young, 2022). The question of its moral permissibility produces diverse responses from across the spectrum of moral theory that we are considering here. As we might expect from a deontological perspective, Smith (2021) rejects any form of euthanasia on the grounds that it violates two non-negotiable moral duties, namely the duty to treat all human life as inherently valuable, and the duty not to kill. At the other extreme, Johnson’s commitment to the consequentialist position of preference utilitarianism makes him amenable to any meaningfully voluntary request for euthanasia, since he holds this to be the best means to ‘maximise preference satisfaction […] for the individual and others involved’ (Johnson, 2022). Situated between these two poles, virtue ethicists argue that the permissibility is context-dependent, locating the site of ethical concern neither in universal duties, nor in particular satisfactions, but in relation to the virtues of ‘compassion and respect for autonomy guiding decision making’ (Thompson, 2019) exhibited by those who are to facilitate the procedure.

A more complex synthesis matrix will yield a greater number of sources and perspectives, but this example already allows us to note the following:

• The focus of the paragraph is not on any one particular source, but rather on capturing the spectrum of opinion on the moral permissibility of voluntary euthanasia.
• The sources are juxtaposed with one another to produce a sense of what that spectrum might look like.
• The paragraph moves freely between direct quotations and paraphrases with citations to develop this picture.
• The various sources are related back to the various moral theories that they exemplify, which will have been introduced earlier in the essay.

Editing and proofreading your literature review

Once you have a completed draft of your literature review it will be necessary to edit and proofread it before submitting your assignment.

Editing is the process of identifying substantive changes that need to be made to your work. These may include altering, reordering, or removing sections to ensure that your work flows and retains its focus. This is the time to ensure that each part of your review is of a reasonable length and makes a meaningful contribution to the whole. In particular, you will want to revisit your introduction to make sure that your description of what you intend to do matches the edited form of the essay.

Proofreading is the final stage in completing an assignment. The goal is to read over the entire piece of work carefully to remove spelling, grammar and formatting errors. For further advice on proofreading see the Centre for Academic Writing’s resource  ‘Tips for Polishing and Proofreading’ .

Having considered formal and procedural aspects of literature review writing, it will be useful to consolidate your understanding through some practical exercises. Consider the following:

Create a synthesis table comparing literature reviews from several sources in your discipline. Consider including rows discussing tone, style, structure, depth of analysis, conclusions, etc.

Use the synthesis table you made in exercise 2 to practice writing a short literature review using the format set out above.

References and Recommended Reading

Further reading.

Students looking for in depth guides to writing literature reviews may find the following books useful:

Ridley, D. (2012).  The literature review: A step-by-step guide for students.  SAGE Publications.

Efron, S. E. & Ravid, R. (2018).  Writing the literature review: A practical guide.  Guilford Publications.

Berdanier, C. & Lenart, J. (2020).  So, you have to write a literature review: A guided workbook for engineers.   Wiley.

Citing this resource

Coventry University. (2023). Writing a literature review [Resource]. Centre for Academic Writing. https://www.coventry.ac.uk/globalassets/media/global/writing-a-literature-review.pdf

List of References

Hart, C. (1998). Doing a literature review: Releasing the social science imagination . Palgrave Macmillan

Further Support

CAW offers writing development workshops across all genres of academic writing, including Writing a Literature  workshops.   To view available workshops and book online, visit: https://libcal.coventry.ac.uk/calendar/caw  

To book a one-to-one tutorial with the Centre for Academic Writing, visit: https://libguides.coventry.ac.uk/cawlibcalhome   

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Literature reviews: Stand-alone review

• Reviewing for research
• Stand-alone review
• Scoping and planning
• Screening and appraising
• The process of reviewing
• Planning a search strategy

On these pages:

“Simple [stand-alone] literature review - A written document that critically reviews the relevant literature on a research topic, presenting a logical case that establishes a thesis delineating what is currently known about the subject.” Lawrence Machi & Brenda McEvoy , The Literature Review: Six Steps to Success

Literature reviews do not have to be part of a larger research project. Sometimes you are asked to undertake a stand-alone (sometimes referred to as 'simple') literature review as an separate assignment. In such cases, the review should summarise, synthesise and evaluate existing knowledge on a specific topic and come to a conclusion about current understanding.

Structure of a stand-alone literature review

A stand-alone review has a similar structure to a standard essay:

• Introduction - Show how the topic of your review fits in with the wider field, indicate how you conducted the review (details about specific search strategies are not needed, more an overview of the process) and summarise your main findings about the literature.
• Main body - Analyse the literature, identifying themes, gaps in understanding and areas of disagreement.
• Conclusion  - Summarise the main points and how they relate to each other. Restate your main findings in a bit more detail than you did in the introduction. Give any implications for the wider field.

Essay vs stand-alone literature review

The main different between an essay and a literature review is that an essay is focused on answering a question through a series of arguments supported by the literature; whereas, in a stand-alone literature review the focus is on the literature itself —what it tells you, but also its reliability and quality.

Another important difference is that with an essay you have more freedom about choosing literature that supports the argument you are making.

With a literature review, it is far more important to make sure you are representing all aspects of the topic.

This is not to say you are not making your own argument - it is just that your argument is about what you think the literature shows.

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Literature reviews

Reviewing the literature is a process of comparing and contrasting the existing work in the field to show any gaps in the research that your research question may fill. Sometimes literature reviews are set as stand-alone assignments, and sometimes they are part of doing the research for a longer project or dissertation. Where the literature review goes in a final project write-up may vary depending on your subject and type of research, so always check with your department or supervisor.

Scroll down for our recommended strategies and resources. 

Purpose and position of a literature review

Literature reviews can vary depending on the purpose and subject. See the list below for some of the common forms a literature review may take:

• A stand-alone assignment designed to help develop literature searching, researching, and analysis skills, often as preparation for doing longer projects later on.  
•  A separate chapter at the start of a dissertation, usually in a report-style dissertation in the Sciences.
•  A smaller introductory chapter at the start of a dissertation when the whole dissertation is based on reviewing secondary literature. In this type of dissertation, the findings and discussion sections provide a more in-depth review of the literature.
• A rigorous process within a scientific systematic review, often in Healthcare subjects. A systematic review has rigorous inclusion criteria to identify the results of a range of clinical trials and performs statistical meta-analysis on the collected data. See this video explaining t he steps of a systematic review [video] (Centre for Evidence Synthesis in Health)
• In Humanities subjects, there might not be a separate literature review chapter. Instead, discussion of the secondary literature is woven throughout each thematic chapter and is used to help interpret primary sources such as literary texts, artworks, or historical sources.

Where to begin?

It can be hard if you don’t have a clear idea of your research question or topic. However, it’s a circular process, as the more you read, the more you can narrow your focus. Start by listing or mind-mapping some related sub-topics and plan to do a short period of exploratory reading. This guide gives a good introductory overview:

Starting your literature review (University of Reading)

A literature review is usually organised into themes relating to your overall topic. Always follow any guidance you’ve been given by your lecturer, but this page gives a useful outline literature review structure:

Structure of a literature review (Royal Literary Fund)

Not book summaries

A literature review isn’t just a set of summaries stitched together. Using sub-headings to group the literature by theme can make it easier to compare and contrast, as opposed to just describe. Don’t get confused with book reviews or annotated bibliographies .

Where’s the gap?

The main purpose of a literature review is to identify areas that haven’t yet been researched fully. These don’t have to be amazingly new areas, but could be a slightly different angle or context on some existing research. Look at this guide on writing gap statements:

Identifying the gap (Write like a Scientist)

Your own voice

If you find you’re just writing ‘Bloggs (2016) states…’, ‘Jin (2017) argues…’ your voice may be missing. You also need to comment on the research and form a judgement about what it shows about your topic. See this guide on how to develop your own voice - particularly useful for postgraduate students:

Developing authority (RMIT University)

Use reporting verbs

Reporting verbs (Newcastle University)

Links to the discussion

If your literature review is part of a report-style dissertation (often in science and social science subjects) see this guide on how it is connected to the discussion section:

Connection with discussion chapter (University of Reading)

Further resources

If you’d like to read more about how to undertake a literature review, see this resource and book list from Brookes Library:

Dissertations and independent research book list

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Written by: Katherine Watson

Starting a literature review can be a daunting task. A literature review is a foundational aspect of a dissertation, but you may also be asked to produce a standalone literature review. You may be unfamiliar with the term literature review, and the first thing to note is that it is not that different to essays you are used to writing….

What is a literature review?

A literature review is a critical summary of existing work on a chosen topic. Importantly, it is not a list or description of ALL texts relevant to your topic. Your literature review should pick up on important ideas, debates, theories, methods and omissions across this body of literature. Rather than repeating or re-wording this information, a literature review represents your own evaluations and comparisons between these texts and should highlight your key take-aways from those readings.

What are the main functions of a literature review?

• Demonstrate that you have read widely on your topic and have a strong understanding.
• Recognise existing work.
• (In the context of a dissertation) Create the foundation for your research and justify the direction, methods and questions you pursue.
• (In the context of a dissertation) Introduce the background concepts and theories which will underpin your discussion chapter.

Step 1: Gathering literature

• Key words / search terms. Devise several key words or search terms that encapsulate your research topic.
• Use online research engines. Input your key words into free online search engines. iFind  by Swansea University is a great place to start. Other options include Google Scholar, ResearchGate, ScienceDirect and Social Science Research Network. There are also discipline specific search engines such as PubMed Central for healthcare and science. There are pros and cons to different search engines in terms of their coverage and accuracy, so it’s worth using at least two to gain access to a fuller range of literature. Be very systematic!
• Check bibliographies. Utilise the bibliography of relevant journal articles or books to gather even more references. This can be particularly useful for locating older publications which may not be flagged on search engines.
• Talk to a librarian. Librarians are experts in conducting literature searches. If you are lost about where and how to find literature contact them early and discuss the questions you’re asking, the problem you’re addressing and area you’re working on. They may be able to suggest online databases, journals and books.

Step 2: Organising literature

• Start collating an accurate record of sources on a Word document or Excel spreadsheet. Be sure to note the title, author(s), and date. You may copy and paste the abstract and key words or write your own summary. However, keep space to add your own evaluation of the literature (see below).
• Create a logical structure whether that be chronological or thematic. The advantage of creating a table in an Excel spreadsheet is that you can reorder your sources according to when they were published or another criterion.

Step 3: Critical reading

It is important to be selective, you don’t have time to read everything. Tips on how to be a more effective and efficient reader can be found on  Read Right, Write Right.

While the body of literature may be large, you will typically find repetition and common ground between texts. Make a note of these similarities, as well as where approaches or arguments diverge and contrast.

Weed out any sources which are not relevant after your reading and consolidate your list/table of core literature.

Step 4: Critical analysis

This is your opportunity to elaborate on your record of core literature by producing your own summary and reflection of the texts. Return to any notes you’ve written already and re-read relevant sections of the texts if necessary. Don’t just repeat their arguments (though you may note down a small number of quotations). Keep your focal topic at the front of your mind!

The questions listed below can be used as prompts to get you thinking critically:

• What are the main theories/concepts/methods/approaches being used? How are they justified? What are its key features?
• Are the conclusions logical and well supported?
• Does the information fit with what you already know?
• Does it contradict or dispute other evidence or arguments?
• Are there gaps or limitations? Has the author overlooked or misunderstood anything?
• How can you use this in your own work?

As you think, WRITE !  What to do with all of those notes  will help you process your ideas, and these notes will likely find their way into your literature review as your start to write it up formally.

Literature Reviews

• What is a Literature Review?
• Steps for Creating a Literature Review
• Providing Evidence / Critical Analysis
• Challenges when writing a Literature Review
• Systematic Literature Reviews

Developing a Literature Review

1. Purpose and Scope

To help you develop a literature review, gather information on existing research, sub-topics, relevant research, and overlaps. Note initial thoughts on the topic - a mind map or list might be helpful - and avoid unfocused reading, collecting irrelevant content.  A literature review serves to place your research within the context of existing knowledge. It demonstrates your understanding of the field and identifies gaps that your research aims to fill. This helps in justifying the relevance and necessity of your study.

To avoid over-reading, set a target word count for each section and limit reading time. Plan backwards from the deadline and move on to other parts of the investigation. Read major texts and explore up-to-date research. Check reference lists and citation indexes for common standard texts. Be guided by research questions and refocus on your topic when needed. Stop reading if you find similar viewpoints or if you're going off topic.

You can use a "Synthesis Matrix" to keep track of your reading notes. This concept map helps you to provide a summary of the literature and its connections is produced as a result of this study. Utilizing referencing software like RefWorks to obtain citations, you can construct the framework for composing your literature evaluation.

2. Source Selection

Focus on searching for academically authoritative texts such as academic books, journals, research reports, and government publications. These sources are critical for ensuring the credibility and reliability of your review. 

• Academic Books: Provide comprehensive coverage of a topic.
• Journal Articles: Offer the most up-to-date research and are essential for a literature review.
• Research Reports: Detailed accounts of specific research projects.
• Government Publications: Official documents that provide reliable data and insights.

3. Thematic Analysis

Instead of merely summarizing sources, identify and discuss key themes that emerge from the literature. This involves interpreting and evaluating how different authors have tackled similar issues and how their findings relate to your research.

4. Critical Evaluation

Adopt a critical attitude towards the sources you review. Scrutinize, question, and dissect the material to ensure that your review is not just descriptive but analytical. This helps in highlighting the significance of various sources and their relevance to your research.

Each work's critical assessment should take into account:

Provenance:  What qualifications does the author have? Are the author's claims backed up by proof, such as first-hand accounts from history, case studies, stories, statistics, and current scientific discoveries? Methodology:  Were the strategies employed to locate, collect, and evaluate the data suitable for tackling the study question? Was the sample size suitable? Were the findings properly reported and interpreted? Objectivity : Is the author's viewpoint impartial or biased? Does the author's thesis get supported by evidence that refutes it, or does it ignore certain important facts? Persuasiveness:  Which of the author's arguments is the strongest or weakest in terms of persuasiveness? Value:  Are the author's claims and deductions believable? Does the study ultimately advance our understanding of the issue in any meaningful way?

5. Categorization

Organize your literature review by grouping sources into categories based on themes, relevance to research questions, theoretical paradigms, or chronology. This helps in presenting your findings in a structured manner.

6. Source Validity

Ensure that the sources you include are valid and reliable. Classic texts may retain their authority over time, but for fields that evolve rapidly, prioritize the most recent research. Always check the credibility of the authors and the impact of their work in the field.

7. Synthesis and Findings

Synthesize the information from various sources to draw conclusions about the current state of knowledge. Identify trends, controversies, and gaps in the literature. Relate your findings to your research questions and suggest future directions for research.

Practical Tips

• Use a variety of sources, including online databases, university libraries, and reference lists from relevant articles. This ensures a comprehensive coverage of the literature.
• Avoid listing sources without analysis. Use tables, bulk citations, and footnotes to manage references efficiently and make your review more readable.
• Writing a literature review is an ongoing process. Start writing early and revise as you read more. This iterative process helps in refining your arguments and identifying additional sources as needed.  

Brown University Library (2024) Organizing and Creating Information. Available at: https://libguides.brown.edu/organize/litreview (Accessed: 30 July 2024).

Pacheco-Vega, R. (2016) Synthesizing different bodies of work in your literature review: The Conceptual Synthesis Excel Dump (CSED) technique . Available at: http://www.raulpacheco.org/2016/06/synthesizing-different-bodies-of-work-in-your-literature-review-the-conceptual-synthesis-excel-dump-technique/ (Accessed: 30 July 2024).

Study Advice at the University of Reading (2024) Literature reviews . Available at: https://libguides.reading.ac.uk/literaturereview/developing (Accessed: 31 July 2024).

Further Reading

Frameworks for creating answerable (re)search questions  How to Guide

Literature Searching How to Guide

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• Our Process

Writing A Literature Review – Step-By-Step Guide

What Is A Literature Review?

A literature review examines published studies done by scholars on a particular topic. It gives an overview of available and published information.

A literature review should be formatted similarly to any essay, with an introduction, the main body, and a conclusion.

Introduction

• Briefly describe the topic you have chosen.
• Establish an argument
• Identify the research gaps
• Discuss the relevant studies published by scholars
• Link your selected issue to the larger subject area
• Sum up the research you have done in favour of your topic
• Summarise the key points
• Evaluate the examined data
• Connect your findings to the collected information

Types Of Literature Review

There are several types of literature reviews, and they can be written in many distinct styles. These may differ in how the initial research is evaluated and the literature review is arranged.

Narrative Literature Review

A narrative literature review criticise and summaries an existing body of literature. A narrative review makes judgments about the issue and exposes gaps or contradictions in the existing literature.

Systematic Literature Review

A more rigorous and well-defined technique is required for a systematic literature review . It is comprehensive and describes the era for which the information was selected. A systematic literature review can be further divided into two categories.

• Meta-analysis
• Meta-synthesis

Meta-analysis is the process of analysing the findings of multiple research published on the same issue using recognised statistical procedures.

While meta-synthesis is based on non-statistical processes. The data from many qualitative research studies are combined, analysed, and interpreted using this approach.

Literature Review Vs Systematic Review

The difference between literature review and systematic review is that a literature review provides an overview of existing research on a specific topic. It summarises and synthesises relevant studies. In comparison, a systematic review follows a structured methodology as it gathers, evaluates, and analyses literature . It aims for an unbiased and rigorous assessment of evidence.

Scoping Literature Review

A scoping literature review determines the scope or the span of existing literature in a particular field of research. The key difference between scoping and systematic reviews is that systematic reviews address more specific research questions, while scoping reviews are undertaken to evaluate more broad research topics.

Argumentative Literature Review

To write an argumentative literature review , you will need to study material selectively to support or disprove a previously established argument, presumptions, or research gaps in the literature.

Integrative Literature Review

An integrative literature review examines, evaluates, and synthesises secondary material on the topic in order to provide new dimensions and perspectives on the subject.

Theoretical Literature Reviews

Theoretical literature reviews focus on knowledge accumulated on a specific topic or area of study. Theoretical literature reviews aid in determining what ideas are already available, their connections, the amount to which existing theories have been explored, and developing new ideas.

Rapid Review

Rapid review help with time-sensitive decision-making. Some phases in traditional systematic review processes are eliminated or changed. They are basically carried out to quickly obtain information on a topic to support your argument.

Umbrella Review

Umbrella reviews gather reviews that answer several questions on a common theme. These reviews find, compare, and analyse the results and conclusions of existing literature. Umbrella reviews are developed to give you a better understanding of a vast area of research in a limited time.

Also read: Dissertation writing guidelines , How to write dissertation introduction

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Steps To Complete The Literature Review

No matter what type of Literature review you have to complete for your academic purpose, the process to get over it remains the same. Below are 5 simple steps to successfully complete your literature review:

• Collect relevant data
• Evaluate the collected data
• Work out themes, arguments, and research gaps
• Prepare an outline
• Start writing the Literature review.

A professional literature review researches , analyses, and critically evaluates sources in order to present a complete picture of the studies available on the subject.

Step 1. Collect Relevant Data

Before you start collecting data, you need a well-researched and well-defined topic. Collect the data based on your research questions and aims of research if you are writing the literature review for your dissertation. This means that you should have a clear search strategy for literature review . If you still have not decided on the topic, you can review our database for thousands of free dissertation topics in every field of research.

Make a list of keywords and their synonyms relevant to your topic/ research questions to help collect the data quickly. Before you add any of the article/ paper or journal to your sources, read the abstract to make sure they are related to your scope of research and check the bibliography for more related literature.

If you are unfamiliar with where to search for literature , here are some very useful sources:

• Google Scholar
• Project Muse

Step 2: Evaluate the Collected Data

You will not be able to read through all the articles and publications you have collected for your literature review. Evaluating sources that are more relevant to your topic will save time and the effort it will take to skim through all the articles.

To check which article is more relevant, review the problem the author of the article is addressing, and check the key concepts and their definitions provided by the author. Check if the author has raised a new concern or addressed the already existing research gap. Going through the results and conclusions of the study will also help in determining the article’s relevance to your field of study and its strengths and weaknesses.

Making notes as you read through will help you incorporate these into your writing easily and will help you remember what you have read, which will contribute to time management.

Notice that a literature review follows similar steps as a critically appraised topic when analysing and summarising existing information.

Step 3: Work Out Themes, Arguments, And Research Gaps

Develop a connection between the sources you have gathered by reading and making notes. A clear understanding of it will help you build up your argument, decide on a theme and identify the gaps in the literature that you can fill in your research.

This will also help you structure your literature review in the best manner.

Step 4: Prepare An Outline

Depending on the length of your literature review, you can adopt one or a combination of several different strategies to prepare an outline for your literature review. For example, you can discuss each theme chronically for a thematic literature review.

Step 5: Start Writing the Literature Review

As we discussed in the beginning, your literature review comprises 3 major steps, including the introduction, the main body and the conclusion. What you write in each part depends on the topic of your research.

The introduction part of your literature review should give a clear and concise image of the following part and what you aim to achieve in it. The main body can be divided into subsections depending on the length of your literature review. You can use subheadings for each theme, era and methodological approach that you are about to discuss in it. In the conclusion section, you should summarise your key findings and provide insight into the significance of your research.

Make sure that your conclusion gives a clear message to the reader that your research addresses the gaps in the literature and contributes to the topic significantly, and discuss how you built a framework for your study by drawing on existing ideas and methodologies.

Literature Review Example

The effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy for depression.

Numerous studies have investigated the effectiveness of CBT for depression, and overall, the results have been positive. A meta-analysis by Cuijpers et al. (2013) found that CBT was more effective than other psychotherapy and medication for treating depression. The authors concluded that CBT should be the first-line treatment for depression.

Other studies have also shown promising results for CBT. A randomised controlled trial by Beck et al. (1979) found that CBT was more effective than a placebo for reducing symptoms of depression. Another randomised controlled trial by DeRubeis et al. (2005) found that CBT was equally effective as medication for treating severe depression. However, some studies suggest that CBT may not be effective for everyone.

A study by Elkin et al. (1989) found that CBT was less effective for individuals with more severe depression. Additionally, a review by Hofmann et al. (2012) found that CBT may not be as effective for older adults or individuals with comorbidities.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should be the length of the literature review for phd dissertation.

The literature review is normally one chapter (8-10,000 words) in a PhD thesis, roughly 2-3,000 words in a Masters dissertation, and no more than 2,000 words in an undergraduate dissertation.

Can EssaysUK write the literature review for my PhD dissertation?

We have several PhD qualified experts with over 5 years of experience in the field who can help you with your literature review for any academic level.

How long will it take to deliver my literature review?

With a guarantee of never missing a deadline, we will deliver your literature review on or before the deadline specified by you.

What is a literature review?

A literature review is a critical summary and analysis of existing research and scholarly works on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, identifies gaps, and highlights key findings, helping researchers understand the context and contribute to the existing body of literature in their field.

How to write a literature review?

• Define the scope and purpose.
• Conduct a comprehensive literature search.
• Organize sources thematically.
• Summarize key findings.
• Analyze and critique methodologies.
• Identify gaps and research questions.
• Synthesize information coherently.

What is a literature review in research?

A literature review in research is a comprehensive examination and synthesis of existing scholarly works and studies relevant to a specific research topic. It serves to establish the context, identify gaps, and inform the development of new research by building on existing knowledge.

What is a preliminary literature review?

A preliminary literature review is an early exploration and evaluation of existing research on a chosen topic. It helps researchers identify key themes, gaps, and potential research questions before conducting an in-depth and comprehensive literature review for a study.

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Literature review.

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What is a literature review?

A literature review is a collection of literature that is analysed (reviewed) and compared against each other to demonstrate an understanding of a topic. In a literature review you identify relevant theories and previous research in the area. Bell states that  "literature reviews should be succinct and.. give a picture of the state of knowledge and major questions in your topic area."

Literature reviews are usually a part of a dissertation, although some modules may require a standalone literature review.

Why are literature reviews important?

Literature reviews are important as they allow you to gain a thorough awareness and understanding of current work and perspectives in a research area to support and justify your research, as well as illustrating that there is a research gap and assisting in the analysis and interpretation of data.

What should I put into a literature review?

• The historical context.
• The contemporary context of your research.
• A discussion of the relevant underpinning concepts and theories.
• Definitions of the key terminology used in your own work.
• Current research in the field that can be challenged or extended by your own research.
• Justification of the significance of your research.

How do I structure a literature review?

Look carefully at what is expected from you for your literature review. Sometimes they might focus heavily on one piece of literature, while others may focus on two or three, and some would like a vast body of literature to be included. Whatever the expectation, they usually follow the same structure as an essay:

10% Introduction

80% Main Body

10% Conclusion

The introduction should explain how your literature review is organised.

The main body should be made up of headings and sub headings that map out your argument.

The conclusion should summarise the key arguments in a concise way.

When should I start writing my literature review?

Starting writing your literature review as early as possible can help you in understanding the research and understanding how it will be used. This will help in creating an overall structure when writing later versions of the literature review and in comparing and linking different pieces of research. 

There are example essay extracts available on Do It Write ( click here ) to help you understand what they're asking from you. 

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What is a literature review?

• Why write a literature review?
• Key points to remember
• The structure of a literature review
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• What is a dissertation? How is it different from an essay?
• Getting it down on paper
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If you have to write an undergraduate dissertation, you may be required to begin by writing a literature review. A literature review is a search and evaluation of the available literature in your given subject or chosen topic area. It documents the state of the art with respect to the subject or topic you are writing about.

A literature review has four main objectives:

• It surveys the literature in your chosen area of study
• It synthesises the information in that literature into a summary
• It critically analyses the information gathered by identifying gaps in current knowledge; by showing limitations of theories and points of view; and by formulating areas for further research and reviewing areas of controversy
• It presents the literature in an organised way

A literature review shows your readers that you have an in-depth grasp of your subject; and that you understand where your own research fits into and adds to an existing body of agreed knowledge.

Here’s another way of describing those four main tasks. A literature review:

• demonstrates a familiarity with a body of knowledge and establishes the credibility of your work;
• summarises prior research and says how your project is linked to it;
• integrates and summarises what is known about a subject;
• demonstrates that you have learnt from others and that your research is a starting point for new ideas.

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Undergraduate dissertations are not available in the library. We are currently working on selecting and digitising a selection of USW undergraduate dissertations.

You will find our postgraduate dissertations in our research repository USW Pure.

Ask your supervisor if they have any good examples of past dissertations that you can have a look at.

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Unlocking Success with UK-Specific Literature Review Examples

Table of Contents

Introduction

When it comes to academic research and writing in the United Kingdom, the literature review is a cornerstone of success. It provides the essential foundation for your research, demonstrating your grasp of existing knowledge in your field. However, crafting a compelling literature review can be a daunting task, especially if you’re new to the academic scene. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the power of UK-specific literature review examples and how they can unlock the doors to academic success.

Chapter 1: The Significance of UK-Specific Literature Review Examples

1.1. tailored relevance.

Using literature review examples from the UK ensures that the content you’re studying is not only academically rigorous but also directly relevant to your local context and academic standards.

1.2. Cultural Insights

UK-specific examples often provide insights into the nuances of research in the UK, such as key scholars, institutions, and trends, which can greatly enrich your understanding.

1.3. Academic Excellence

Emulating the standards set by UK-specific literature review examples can elevate your work and help you strive for academic excellence.

Chapter 2: Finding UK-Specific Literature Review Examples

2.1. university databases.

Many UK universities maintain extensive databases of past student dissertations and theses. These can be treasure troves of UK-specific literature review examples.

2.2. Online Repositories

Numerous online repositories and academic platforms house UK-specific literature review examples, providing easy access to a wide range of subjects and disciplines.

2.3. Academic Journals

Journals published by UK institutions often contain exemplary literature reviews, showcasing the highest standards of academic research and writing.

Chapter 3: Analyzing UK-Specific Literature Review Examples

3.1. assess quality.

Not all examples are created equal. Prioritize examples that exhibit strong academic rigor, clarity, and thoroughness.

3.2. Structure and Organization

Examine how UK-specific literature review examples are structured. Observe the introduction, subheadings, transitions, and the way the literature is synthesized.

3.3. Citation Practices

Pay close attention to how sources are cited and referenced in these examples, as adhering to proper citation practices is crucial in academic writing.

Chapter 4: Leveraging UK-Specific Literature Review Examples

4.1. template for structure.

Use these examples as templates for structuring your own literature review , incorporating elements like the introduction, body, and conclusion.

4.2. Emulate Writing Style

Study the writing style employed in UK-specific examples. Note how complex ideas are conveyed clearly and concisely.

4.3. Synthesize Information

Learn how to effectively synthesize information from various sources, presenting a coherent narrative that supports your research question.

Chapter 5: Avoiding Plagiarism

5.1. paraphrasing.

Never copy content from UK-specific literature review examples verbatim. Instead, focus on paraphrasing and citing correctly to avoid plagiarism.

5.2. Proper Citation

Master the art of citing sources using the preferred citation style in your UK institution (e.g., Harvard, APA, or Oxford).

Chapter 6: Seeking Feedback

6.1. consult your advisor.

Regularly share your progress with your dissertation advisor or mentor. They can provide invaluable insights and guidance.

6.2. Peer Review

Engage in peer review with fellow students. Their perspectives and feedback can help refine your work.

Chapter 7: Refining Your Literature Review

7.1. continuous revision.

Strive for multiple drafts of your literature review , refining it with each iteration. Be open to making changes based on feedback.

7.2. Customization

While UK-specific examples are excellent templates, ensure your literature review aligns with your unique research question and objectives.

Chapter 8: Conclusion

UK-specific literature review examples are invaluable assets in your academic journey. When utilized effectively, they can help you craft a literature review that not only meets the highest academic standards but also reflects the unique academic landscape of the United Kingdom. Remember, these examples are more than templates; they are guiding lights that can lead you to academic success. Embrace the opportunity to learn and grow as a scholar, and let UK-specific literature review examples be your companions on the path to excellence in the UK’s academic world.

What you can read next

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Top 10 Business Management Dissertation Topics for a Competitive Edge in 2023

Unlocking Success: A Comprehensive Guide to Crafting an Outstanding Literature Review for Your UK Dissertation

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Example Literature Reviews

The example literature reviews below were submitted to UKDiss.com to help you with your own studies. If you are looking for literature review examples to help inspire your own then take a look at the below examples covering various subjects.

For help with writing your literature review, see our guide on how to write a literature review . We also offer a comprehensive writing service provided by fully qualified academics in your field of study.

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