Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 8

Are you struggling to write a literature review for your thesis? If so, you're not alone.

Many students
find this task challenging and overwhelming. A literature review requires extensive research, critical
analysis, and synthesis of existing literature on your topic. It's not just summarizing what others have
said but also interpreting and evaluating their work in relation to your own research questions or
objectives.

To write a good literature review for your thesis, you need to:

1. Define your research question: Clearly articulate what you want to investigate or explore in
your thesis.
2. Conduct comprehensive research: Search for relevant scholarly articles, books, and other
sources related to your topic.
3. Evaluate the sources: Critically assess the credibility, reliability, and relevance of the literature
you've found.
4. Organize the literature: Group similar studies and findings together to identify key themes,
debates, or gaps in the existing research.
5. Write clearly and coherently: Present your findings in a structured and logical manner,
highlighting the significance of each study and its contribution to your thesis.
6. Synthesize the literature: Analyze the relationships between different sources and discuss
how they inform your research.

Writing a literature review requires time, patience, and advanced academic skills. If you're struggling
to complete this task on your own, consider seeking assistance from professionals. ⇒ StudyHub.vip
⇔ offers expert writing services to help you craft a high-quality literature review that meets your
academic requirements. With their assistance, you can save time and ensure that your literature
review is thorough, well-organized, and academically sound.

Don't let the challenges of writing a literature review derail your thesis progress. Order from ⇒
StudyHub.vip ⇔ today and get the support you need to succeed in your academic endeavors.
Always separate your source opinions out of your own hypothesis. In any case, when you try to
decide whether you can include a certain source into your paper, ask yourself: is this book (article)
suitable, relevant to the topic, and indispensable for the content. In addressing these points, you
argue for your place in the conversation, which tends to make the lit review more compelling than a
simple reporting of other sources. Literature review is a mandatory part of any research project.
Meta-analysis review Meta-analysis uses statistical methods to summarize the results of independent
studies. When it is just a chapter, sources should equal the total number of pages in your article's
body. Similarly, in courses at UCSD, you may be asked to write a research paper that is itself a
literature review (such as, with an instructor’s permission, in fulfillment of the B.S. Degree Research
Paper requirement). Outline of a Research Literature Review Irrespective of the type of literature
review, the three main components remain constant. Personality and Individual Differences, 53(1),
16-21 5. Additionally, you should know that the narrower your research topic is, the swifter it will be
for you to restrict the number of sources to be analyzed. 2. Search relevant literature Dig deeper into
search engines to discover what has already been published around your chosen topic. Print Friendly
Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS.
When writing literature reviews, you should avoid the usage of first-person pronouns. Providing
Methodological Insights: Another purpose of literature reviews is that it allows researchers to learn
about the methodologies employed in previous studies. Review the summary. 15. Revise the
summary Otherwise, choose one of the suggested questions or ask your own question to revise the
summary. Literature reviews are most commonly found in theses and dissertations. Review must
further the reader’s knowledge of the issue and whether it possesses a rationale for the research.
Examples 3-5: Effective introductions to literature review chapters The introduction to a literature
review chapter can vary in length, depending largely on the overall length of the literature review
chapter itself. A literature review is an assessment of the sources in a chosen topic of research.
Literature reviews can also “stand alone” as separate articles by themselves. Click the 'cite' button on
an article page, and you will receive preloaded citation text in multiple styles — all you've to do is
copy-paste it into your manuscript. The literature review usually comes near the beginning of your
thesis or dissertation. With dissertations, especially theses, it will likely be more lower to you in
deciding. If you are writing a review on, for example, how epidemiological approaches are used in
modelling the spread of ideas, you may be inclined to include material from both parent fields,
epidemiology and the study of cultural diffusion. This is the final step that involves putting down the
findings that you found after analyzing different resources. Other resources to help you write a
successful literature review. But the most helpful one is the AI-powered integration with the
different Microsoft 365 apps. They then emphasize the value of conducting a systematic literature
review to enhance our understanding of the topic. Again, you can use this to make an argument
about gaps in the research. The introduction to the literature review chapter in a thesis or dissertation
again adheres to different standards. It also helps in building a solid foundation for the new research.
A course assignment is an example of a selective, stand-alone work. Body: The body of the literature
review is where you provide a comprehensive analysis of existing literature, grouping studies based
on themes, methodologies, or other relevant criteria. In addition to that, be aware that the narrower
your topic, the easier it will be to limit the number of sources you need to read in order to get a good
overview of the topic. Keep the writing obvious and concise, staying away from colloquialisms and
private language. You need to have an idea of what you will be reviewing in order to effectively
search for references and to write a coherent summary of the research on it. Learn how to write a
literature review for different purposes, disciplines, and formats, with tips on organization, structure,
synthesis, and evaluation. It requires extensive reading, plus you have to consider market trends and
technological and political changes, which tend to change in the blink of an eye. In addition, this
type of literature review is usually much longer than the literature review introducing a study. In
summary, this introduction stands as a solid example. Remember that you can use our template to
summarise and evaluate sources you’re thinking about using. Highlight the contributions of the
review and suggest directions for future research. Sometimes new findings are published before a
study is completed and need to be incorporated into the current work. Are you an instructor who has
received an exemplary literature review and have permission from the student to post. Summarize
and abstract: After completing the review, synthesize the findings and abstract key insights, trends,
and knowledge gaps from the literature. However, it’s critically important to decide on your structure
and develop a detailed outline before you write anything. A specific response is then generated
based on your request. Examples of Literature Reviews Research - Getting Started Ask the Libraries
Welcome to the Literature Reviews LibGuide. You can use a subheading for each theme, time
period, or methodological approach. For example, if you are researching the relationship between
ecological environments and human populations, provide models and theories that focus on specific
aspects of this connection to contextualize your study. Identify areas where there is a consensus in
the literature and where there are conflicting opinions. A competent proofreader who understands
academic writing conventions and the specific style guides used by academic journals will ensure
that your paper is ready for publication in your target journal. Should you thought something was
rubbish, use words for example sporadic, missing in a few areas or according to false assumptions!
(See Guide 1.21). The best way to cold emailing professors Why you cannot write a PhD thesis in 3-
6 months How to structure your viva presentation (with examples) How to paraphrase a quote: 4
simple strategies 'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean. The aim is to keep professionals
up to date by providing an understanding of ongoing developments within a specific field, including
research methods, and experimental techniques used in that field, and present that knowledge in the
form of a written report. Step 1: Choose a topic to write about—focus on and explore this topic. This
is crucial for ensuring that the new research contributes something novel to the field. A literature
review is an integrated analysis -- not just a summary-- of scholarly writings and other relevant
evidence related directly to your research question. A majority of journal articles start with a
selective literature review to provide context for the research reported in the study; such a literature
review is usually included in the Introduction section (but it can also follow the presentation of the
results in the Discussion section ). Inside your review, are you currently searching at problems with
theory, methodology, policy, quantitive research, or what. In what ways does it relate to other
sources on the same topic.
Some literature reviews are both comprehensive and stand as a separate work—in this case, the
entire article analyzes the literature on a given topic. The right choice depends on your topic, research
objectives and research questions, which we discuss in this article. Literature reviews help “set the
stage” for later reading about new research on a given topic (such as if they are placed in the
Introduction of a larger research paper). When comparing different sources, how do they relate to
each other. Check with your professor, or a subject expert in the field, if you are missing any key
works in the field. Take notes and cite your sources As you read, you should also begin the writing
process. 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.
It’s like a roadmap for the reader, outlining the main areas of focus within the review. Ten Simple
Rules for Writing a Literature Review Rule 1: Define a Topic and Audience How to choose which
topic to review. Nevertheless, it is a matter determined by a number of factors, including the
dissertation structure and scope of available sources. In other cases, research is discussed by category
(such as in groupings of closely related studies) without regard for chronological order. Always
separate your source opinions out of your own hypothesis. In this comprehensive guide, we will
explore everything from the definition of a literature review, its appropriate length, various types of
literature reviews, and how to write one. Your structure ought to be determined rather by subject
areas, questionable issues or by inquiries to which you will find different approaches and theories.
Purpose: It serves to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge within a
particular field. Rule 9: Include Your Own Relevant Research, but Be Objective In many cases,
reviewers of the literature will have published studies relevant to the review they are writing. You
should also make sure to understand how to paraphrase scientific literature to avoid plagiarism in
your work. The goals and objectives of the research question determine what goes inside these three
sections. In a stand alone review this thesis statement will summarize and evaluate the state of the art
in this field of research. Most lit reviews use a basic introduction-body-conclusion structure; if your
lit review is part of a larger paper, the introduction and conclusion pieces may be just a few
sentences while you focus most of your attention on the body. Second, you'll need the subscription to
Copilot Pro if you don't already have one. Have you ever focussed on primary sources with simply
selective utilization of secondary sources. In this post, I’ll show you exactly how to write a literature
review in three straightforward steps, so you can conquer this vital chapter (the smart way). This
material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.
Long story short, this chapter is a pretty big deal, which is why you want to make sure you get it
right. What you mustn’t do is simply describe what one author states, after which will continue to
provide a general summary of another author, after which another, and so forth. For example, if you
are researching the relationship between ecological environments and human populations, provide
models and theories that focus on specific aspects of this connection to contextualize your study.
This is further analysis of the scholarly resources to establish the main arguments and possible gaps
in research. Refer to the literature review example for a better understanding. Third, add transitions
between the paragraphs, as well as an introductory and concluding.
To accomplish this, you must discover and identify the relations and connections between various
resources while drafting your abstract. Usually you will need to synthesize research rather than just
summarizing it. It’s important, therefore, to choose the parameters of the research. Also, it helps in
marking the loops or gaps of previous research. Summarize key findings and arguments from each
source. Make sure to read the abstract to find out whether an article is relevant to your question. In
an RRL, you discuss knowledge and findings from existing literature relevant to your study topic.
Learn how to write a literature review for different purposes, disciplines, and formats, with tips on
organization, structure, synthesis, and evaluation. Some articles will be free to access, while others
will require an account, which brings us to the next method. In other words, they provide helpful
background and context. Once you read it, you will not need a second document or guidance for
writing a custom literature review. 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. Make sure you thoroughly go through appropriate reference sources
like books, reports, journal articles, government docs, and web-based resources. It is best to try to be
objective and sincere of others’ opinions this isn’t the area for emotive language or strong personal
opinions. The choice of strategy depends on the research question, the nature of the literature
available, and the goals of the review. This aids in the development of a theoretical framework for
the current research. Narrative or Traditional Literature Reviews A narrative or traditional literature
review is a comprehensive, critical, and objective analysis of existing knowledge of the topic. At the
end of the review follows a conclusion that once again explicitly ties all of the cited works together
to show how this analysis is itself a contribution to the literature. This is very good video which is
well explained with detailed explanation Thank you excellent piece of work and great mentoring
Thanks, it was useful Thank you very much. It describes what is currently known, understood, or
agreed upon regarding the research topic and highlights where there are still disagreements. It
analyzes the state of the field on a given topic and creates a scholarly foundation for you to make
your own intervention. If you are having troubles with your research paper i might have a solution
for you. Thank you Coach, you have greatly enriched and improved my knowledge Great piece, so
enriching and it is going to help me a great lot in my project and thesis, thanks so much This is THE
BEST site for ANYONE doing a masters or doctorate. Methodological approach: A methodological
approach focuses on the methods used by the researcher. Really helpful, Thank you for the effort in
showing such information This is super helpful thank you very much. In a standard 8000-word
journal article, the literature review section typically spans between 750 and 1250 words. 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. It’s important to note though that copyright
restrictions apply to these resources, just as they would with published papers. Is it manageable?
Begin writing down terms that are related to your question. It helps to trace the development of a
topic over time, showing how ideas, theories, and research have evolved.
In this post, I’ll show you exactly how to write a literature review in three straightforward steps, so
you can conquer this vital chapter (the smart way). This is an important aspect that cannot be omitted
prior to actual literature analysis. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the studies.
Methodological Review: This strategy involves organizing the literature based on the research
methods employed in different studies. You are looking for the content that is directly relevant;
otherwise, your own work will lack clarity. Do I need to provide any definitions or background
information. Write a clear and coherent narrative that synthesizes the information gathered. You must
prepare a list of keywords and their different variations. Read your assignment carefully and seek
clarification from your professor or instructor if needed. There are some subject areas, in which the
classic texts do not lose in their reliability even after the centuries, while others require only cutting
edge sources, not obsolete ones. Some might argue that you should be sending your work to your
supervisor sooner than this (indeed your university might formally require this), but in my experience,
supervisors are extremely short on time (and often patience), so, the more refined your chapter is, the
less time they’ll waste on addressing basic issues (which you know about already) and the more time
they’ll spend on valuable feedback that will increase your mark-earning potential. It’s important to
note though that copyright restrictions apply to these resources, just as they would with published
papers. Avoid wasting precious hours and days by having direct aims and specific questions to raise.
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. Types of Literature Reviews Literature reviews can differ in
structure, length, amount, and breadth of content included. Please share few words with us by
writing your suggestions, feedbacks, and queries in the comment box. Have you ever faced any
challenges in writing a research literature review. For example, a master’s thesis typically features a
more concise literature review, thus necessitating a shorter introduction. When conducting a
literature review, the process can be broken down into five key stages. Making it the most accurate
and reliable proofreading tool for students. However, the degree of emphasis that is given to
individual studies may vary (more or less detail may be warranted depending on how critical or
unique a given study was). When you find a specific resource recurring in the resources, it means it is
very relevant. If you want to work smart, you don't want to miss this. Your literature review will not
only cover publications on your topics but will include your own ideas and contributions. We’ve
written a step-by-step guide that you can follow below. If you’re grouping together authors
concentrating on the same opinions, you would employ phrases or words for example. Depending on
the length of your literature review, you might want to divide the body into subsections. In other
words literature reviews are secondary sources, and as such, do not report any new or original
experimental work. Here is a thesis literature review example paragraph. Additionally, other
strategies, such as integrative reviews or systematic reviews, may be employed depending on the
specific requirements of the research.
Identify patterns, trends, and gaps in the existing research. When doing your studying and making
notes, it may be a concept to make use of different colours to differentiate involving the ideas and
individuals of others. (See Guide 1.13). Now’s the time to try to improve the linkage from each
section to the next, tighten up the writing to be more concise, trim down word count and sand it
down into a more digestible read. Check a list of sample literature review documents below and
learn writing custom literature reviews. The most interesting literature reviews are often written as
arguments (again, as mentioned at the beginning of the page, this is discipline-specific and doesn’t
work for all situations). It is practiced in almost all fields including arts, computer science, science,
history, and social science etc. Focus on the questions you want to raise and analyze whether the part
of a review is too general or insufficiently wide. Types of Literature Reviews Literature reviews can
differ in structure, length, amount, and breadth of content included. Thematic Review: Thematic
reviews focus on identifying and analyzing themes or topics that cut across different studies. Refine
your second draft and get a layman’s perspective on it. This is checking for different resources, such
as journals and books, which are related to your study. Use a range of keywords to search databases
such as PsycINFO and any others that may contain relevant articles. Instead of organizing the
literature chronologically, it is grouped by key themes or concepts, allowing for a comprehensive
exploration of various aspects of the topic. There are a number of different situations where you
might write a literature review, each with slightly different expectations; different disciplines, too,
have field-specific expectations for what a literature review is and does. To help you build a
conceptual framework for empirical testing (if applicable to your research topic). Writing a literature
review is not usually a linear process—authors often go back and check the literature while
reformulating their ideas or making adjustments to their study. Resources Home ?? Try SciSpace
Copilot Search research papers Add Copilot Extension Try AI Detector Try Paraphraser Try Citation
Generator April Papers June Papers July Papers How To Write A Literature Review - A Complete
Guide Table of Contents A literature review is much more than just another section in your research
paper. Reigeluth1994 have altered societys educational needs and in turn are driving schools to
redesign their curricula. In the conclusion, you should summarise the key findings you have taken
from the literature and emphasise their significance. This includes choosing a topic of general interest
to you and doing exploratory research on that topic, writing an annotated bibliography, and noting
major points, especially those that relate to the position you have taken on the topic. A literature
review serves several important purposes within academic and research contexts. It’s important,
therefore, to choose the parameters of the research. Alternatively, what you can do is you can start by
reading the abstract and then decide whether that source is relevant to your research or not. It is a
great solution for those who are short of time. Since I have been watching and reading instructions, I
have started my research proposal to write. It is also helpful to use as a guide is the searches are not
finding any useful results. If you have the opportunity, discuss your topic with your professor and
your class mates. 2. Decide on the scope of your review How many studies do you need to look at.
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). It
received an a. An example of a literature review introduction is. Literature Review Example In the
video below, we unpack an actual literature review so that you can see how all the core components
come together in reality.
This PDF contains a red highlighter mark that describes the key points. Final tips on how to write a
literature review A massive chunk of time and effort is required to write a good literature review.
Creating them can provide inspiration for one’s own research, as well as some practice in writing. It
is conducted before the research to highlight gaps in the existing body of knowledge and explains
why the project should be greenlit. The literature review section tends to be longer for secondary
research projects than primary research projects. Literature review is a mandatory part of any
research project. Does the quantity of detail incorporated with an issue connect with its importance.
Historical background for your research Analyze what has been written about your field of research
to highlight what is new and significant in your study—or how the analysis itself contributes to the
understanding of this field, even in a small way. Here’s more on how you can use it: Find the right
information Find what you want quickly and easily with comprehensive search filters that let you
narrow down papers according to PDF availability, year of publishing, document type, and affiliated
institution. While the authors deviate from previewing their key findings (which is a common
practice at least in the social sciences), they do effectively cover all the other previously mentioned
points. Consider searching in library catalogs, institutional repositories, and specialized databases
related to your topic. How to write a good literature review Writing a literature review involves
summarizing and synthesizing existing research on a particular topic. You can do this by assessing the
citation count of any given article in Google Scholar. Within all these sections, you would discuss
exactly what the different literature argues, remembering to link this for your own purpose. This aids
in the development of a theoretical framework for the current research. Thank you for a very useful
literature review session. Have you written a stellar literature review you care to share for teaching
purposes. Besides that, it helps you understand what’s trending, who are the top authors, and who
are the leading publishers on a topic. In a stand alone review this thesis statement will summarize and
evaluate the state of the art in this field of research. Identify patterns, connections, or contradictions
in the existing research. Many of these repositories, however, may require you to log in through your
university account. Moreover, you can sort the results based on the publishing date, citation count,
and relevance. In other words literature reviews are secondary sources, and as such, do not report
any new or original experimental work. How can you organize the flow of the main body of the
review so that the reader will be drawn into and guided through it. In an RRL, you discuss
knowledge and findings from existing literature relevant to your study topic. Once you read it, you
will not need a second document or guidance for writing a custom literature review. A well-
conducted literature review is crucial for researchers to build upon existing knowledge, avoid
duplication of efforts, and contribute to the advancement of their field. Finally, tighten it up and
send it off to your supervisor for comment. How to write a Literature Review: Home What is a
literature review. What you will have to do would be to group together and assess the different
opinions of various authors on certain topics.

You might also like