Key Parts of a Literature Review

A literature review is a critical component of academic research, providing an overview and analysis
of existing literature relevant to a particular topic or research question. It serves to demonstrate the
writer's understanding of the subject matter and their ability to engage with existing scholarship.
However, crafting a comprehensive literature review can be a daunting task, requiring extensive
research, analysis, and synthesis of information from various sources. Here are the key parts of a
literature review that you need to consider:

1. Introduction: The literature review typically begins with an introduction that outlines the
scope of the review, the purpose of the study, and the criteria used for selecting literature. It
sets the stage for the reader and provides context for the rest of the review.
2. Background Information: This section provides background information on the topic under
investigation, including key concepts, theories, and definitions. It helps readers understand
the context in which the research is situated and provides a foundation for the subsequent
analysis.
3. Synthesis of Literature: The main body of the literature review involves synthesizing and
analyzing the existing literature. This includes summarizing key findings, identifying themes
and patterns, and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of different studies. It may also
involve comparing and contrasting different perspectives or methodologies.
4. Critical Evaluation: A literature review should not only summarize existing research but also
critically evaluate it. This involves assessing the quality and reliability of the sources,
identifying gaps or inconsistencies in the literature, and discussing the implications of the
findings for the research topic.
5. Conclusion: The literature review concludes with a summary of the key findings and insights
drawn from the analysis. It may also suggest directions for future research or highlight areas
where further investigation is needed.

Writing a literature review requires time, effort, and expertise to ensure that it is thorough, coherent,
and well-organized. It can be challenging to navigate the vast amount of literature available on a
topic and to synthesize complex information into a coherent narrative. That's why many students and
researchers turn to professional writing services for assistance.

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Five key elements of a literature review play an essential role: Elements Purposes 1. While it is
important to consider the methods that other researchers have employed, it is equally important, if
not more so, to consider what methods have not been employed but could be. If it’s your first time
writing a literature review, you definitely want to use this link to get 50% off the course (limited-
time offer). Authors from our team are degree holders and also have considerable writing experience.
In their turn, students might have to do that to get. Information Technology Example Information
Technology Comp Architecture 52. Analyze the articles and studies that explore the acceptability of
genetic engineering. Kindly share more such articles so that I can get better insight. Make sure that
you let your work put its best foot forward (metaphorically) by making it look its best. Some people
do this in a word document, others use index cards so they can shuffle them. Are you an instructor
who has received an exemplary literature review and have permission from the student to post. Their
model follows the systematic data processing approach comprised of three steps, namely: (a)
literature search and screening; (b) data extraction and analysis; and (c) writing the literature review.
Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match
the citation style you are using. In addition to providing the reader with background information
relevant to the topic or research question, a literature review may help to identify gaps in the current
body of knowledge or criticize previous research practices as a way to present potential for future
research. 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. What’s important to understand is that the research gap (or gaps) needs to
emerge from your previous discussion of the theoretical and empirical literature. Examine the
literature discussing British imperialism in India. Please leave Feedback USC Libraries Research
Guides Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper 5. If there are conflicting studies, why do
you think that is. Gordon REST and RESTful Services REST and RESTful Services Damian T.
Moreover, it gives you chance to develop a methodology and theoretical framework for the research.
This landscape informs the reader that the author has indeed assimilated all (or the vast majority of)
previous, significant works in the field into her or his research. One of the best ways for students to
use the thematic way is by asking a certain question to themselves. 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). Methods A chronological model has
different paragraphs for different time periods; a thematic model has subtopics based on the
different themes. Literature Review Chapter 3. Design 5. Thesis Structure Chapter 1. Like
descriptive reviews, the research questions are generic and usually relate to publication patterns and
trends. This is because you’ve just finished reading Moby Dick, and you wonder if that whale’s
portrayal is really real. In other words, your theoretical framework should reveal some insights about
what answers you might expect to find to your research questions. A literature review may be a
stand alone work or the introduction to a larger research paper, depending on the assignment.
For example, MLA requires a Works Cited page, whereas the Chicago Manual of Style requires a
Bibliography. Knowledge Management Example Knowledge Management Web 2.0 Knowledge
Sharing Agile Methods Elicitation Knowledge Maps Decision Support Breadth of Domain 25.
Somewhere at the beginning of the paper, mention why your topic is crucial. Begin composing Once
you’ve settled on a general pattern of organization, you’re ready to write each section. A service of
the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. Start intro by describing problem
area (5.1; 5.2; 5.3; 5.4) Lit review is a persuasive review of literature (5.6; 5.15) Use direct
quotations sparingly (5.14). In other words, you want to connect the dots between the different
“things” of interest that you’ll be exploring in your study. What are the key concepts and how are
they defined. Similarly, this study considers the current knowledge and skills humanities librarians
possess as well as future knowledge and skills required in order to meet the challenges of a changing
academic library environment. University of Wisconsin. (2006). UW-madison writing center writer's
handbook. Should I evaluate the sources in any way beyond evaluating how they relate to
understanding the research problem? 5. There are several common mistakes that students make when
writing a literature review. Note that more authentic thematic reviews tend to break away from
chronological order. From proactively monitoring and fixing your system remotely to enabling you to
reset your own system easily, we have you covered. 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 survey of the material. Your
literature review should have a strong structure, and this is where you need to think carefully about
your argument. It is not possible to discuss all of the sources you have discovered. If the review is a
stand-alone assignment for a course, the conclusion should suggest any practical applications of the
research as well as the implications and possibilities for future research. In the fields of health
sciences and medical informatics, reviews that focus on examining the range, nature and evolution of
a topic area are described by Anderson, Allen, Peckham, and Goodwin (2008) as mapping reviews.
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. Information Technology Example
Information Technology Agent Development 51. Remember that the main purpose of a literature
review is to demonstrate what existing knowledge is out there on your topic, and to evaluate it. Two
members of the research team selected the articles using a pre-established list of inclusion and
exclusion criteria and following a two-step procedure. Sometimes a literature review is written as a
paper in itself. Outline and Write Do you still think you can do without a literature review outline
when translating your research into writing. Literature review. How to write a literature review. Part
1. Keep careful notes so that you may track your thought processes during the research process. Try
to analyse patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. For
example, what methods have been used by other researchers in similar studies. We’ve written a step-
by-step guide that you can follow below.
Information Technology Example Information Technology Databases Computer Architecture
Networks Assistive Technology Image Synthesis Agent Development Breadth of Domain Indicate
your awareness of the broader field, and you know where your specific topic fits into the domain 43.
Identifying Gaps: Aims to pinpoint areas where there is a lack of research or unresolved questions,
highlighting opportunities for further investigation. This approach should only be followed if a clear
path of research building on previous research can be identified and that these trends follow a clear
chronological order of development. Specifically, it is a review and synthesis of prior research that is
related to the problem you are setting forth to investigate. One cannot overlook any of these
components otherwise it would make the research incomplete. The Writing Center. University of
North Carolina; Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J. Gordon Introduction to Interviewing Introduction to
Interviewing Damian T. Fingerprinting Climate Change Fingerprinting climate change is a useful tool
to identify the causes of global warming because different factors leave unique marks on climate
records. APA7 Style resources APA Style Blog - for those harder to find answers 1. In contrast, a
bibliography, is a list of everything you used or cited in your research proposal, with additional
citations to any key sources relevant to understanding the research problem. Contextualization:
Enables researchers to understand how their work fits into the broader academic conversation and
contributes to the existing body of knowledge. Literature Review Chapter 3. Design 5. Thesis
Structure Chapter 1. Or the review might focus on the economic impact of whaling on a community.
It provides an overview of various research areas within the discipline. Literature reviews are set up
similarly to other academic texts, with an introduction, a main body, and a conclusion. Thousand
Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998; Jesson, Jill. This session. Introductions What do you hope to get
from this session. Is contrary data considered or is certain pertinent information ignored to prove the
author's point. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper. 2nd ed.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2005; Hart, Chris. One more idea is to create a review of related
literature on study habits, considering their role in the student’s life and academic outcomes. A basic
guide to writing a literature review Here are the most common ones: 1. Gordon Introduction to
ChatGPT Introduction to ChatGPT Damian T. Ask your professor questions such as: “If you had to
read only one book from the 90’s on topic X, what would it be?” Questions such as this help you to
find and determine quickly the most seminal pieces in the field. It must be proficient in a manner
that the readers are able to synthesize the results into a summary and are aware of everything
possible. Education, Leadership, and Management: Literature Review. These authors reviewed the
existing literature on personal health record ( phr ) systems including design, functionality,
implementation, applications, outcomes, and benefits. Information Technology Example Information
Technology Image Synthesis 49. Save the relevant sources using folders or Refworks. What types of
sources should I review (books, journal articles, websites; scholarly versus popular sources)? 3. Lit
reviews can take many different organizational patterns depending on what you are trying to
accomplish with the review.
Literature Review Overview A literature review discusses published information in a particular
subject area. Explain the difference between your research and that of other sources. Help readers
understand your approach, describe the criteria used to select the sources or the way in which you
have presented information. You also provide dialogue about additional sources of information that
helped to frame your action research study. 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. We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback. Body Summarize the main
contributions of significant studies, raise and discuss questions about the topic and field, clearly
mention gaps in research, if any, and possible suggestions for further study. Sometimes, though, you
might need to add additional sections that are necessary for your study, but do not fit in the
organizational strategy of the body. The main procedures of a systematic review involve:
Formulating a review question and developing a search strategy based on explicit inclusion criteria
for the identification of eligible studies (usually described in the context of a detailed review
protocol). Write a literature review of the articles examining the problem of digital signature. Identify
areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort. Gordon Designing Teaching: ADDIE
Designing Teaching: ADDIE Damian T. The Purpose of a Literature Review A literature review
demonstrates your ability to research; it also showcases your expertise on your chosen topic.
Education, Leadership, and Management: Literature Review. The right choice will make the
researching and writing process more pleasurable and rewarding in the end. Go ahead and create an
outline before you start writing your paper. The library was pro-active in adopting a new service
model as it took cognisance of the fact that there would be a greater emphasis on supporting
academics and their research; and ensuring that library staff were appropriately skilled to support
these services into the future (Kealy, 2009: 573). Let’s get to it! What should I do before writing the
literature review. The basic research question — what works? — which is usually associated with
systematic reviews changes to: what is it about this intervention that works, for whom, in what
circumstances, in what respects and why. Does it confirm, add to, or challenge established
knowledge. Methodological: A methodological approach differs from the two above in that the
focusing factor usually does not have to do with the content of the material. 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. Searching the extant literature: The next step
consists of searching the literature and making decisions about the suitability of material to be
considered in the review ( Cooper, 1988 ). However, this can be easier to state and harder to do,
simply due to the fact there is usually a plethora of related research to sift through. Thematic
Literature Review A thematic literature review is arranged around central themes or issues discussed
in the sources. Rely on feedback Avoid sounding as though you are overly critical or in favor of
previous research; objectively present the strengths and weaknesses of previous studies. Be sure to
carefully follow your citation style guide for reference list formatting. This approach should only be
followed if a clear path of research building on previous research can be identified and that these
trends follow a clear chronological order of development. Write interesting bits of information or
ideas as you read so that you don’t miss important points when writing the review. Take notes and
cite your sources As you read, you should also begin the writing process.