How To Write A Literature Review Step by Step

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Are you struggling with writing a literature review? You're not alone.

Many students and researchers


find this task challenging and overwhelming. Crafting a literature review requires thorough research,
critical analysis, and strong writing skills. It's not just summarizing a bunch of articles; it's about
synthesizing existing research to provide context, identify gaps, and contribute new insights to your
field.

Here's a step-by-step guide to help you navigate the process:

1. Define Your Scope: Determine the focus of your literature review. What specific topic or
research question are you addressing? Clarify the boundaries of your review to avoid getting
overwhelmed by irrelevant material.
2. Conduct Comprehensive Research: Use academic databases, journals, books, and other
reputable sources to gather relevant literature on your topic. Be systematic in your approach
and keep track of your sources for citation purposes.
3. Evaluate and Analyze Sources: Critically evaluate each source to assess its credibility,
relevance, and significance to your research. Look for key themes, methodologies, findings,
and debates within the literature.
4. Organize Your Literature: Develop a logical structure for your literature review. You can
organize it chronologically, thematically, or by theoretical framework, depending on what
best suits your topic.
5. Synthesize Information: Synthesize the findings from different sources to identify patterns,
contradictions, and gaps in the existing literature. Highlight the key arguments and
perspectives while providing a balanced overview of the field.
6. Write Clearly and Coherently: Present your ideas in a clear, concise, and coherent manner.
Use academic language and avoid jargon or overly complex sentences. Provide transitions
between paragraphs to guide the reader through your review.
7. Cite Your Sources: Properly cite all the sources you reference in your literature review using
the appropriate citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago). This not only gives credit to the
original authors but also adds credibility to your own work.
8. Revise and Edit: Review your literature review carefully, paying attention to clarity,
coherence, and accuracy. Make revisions as needed to strengthen your arguments and
improve the overall quality of your writing.

Writing a literature review can be a daunting task, but with careful planning, research, and
organization, you can produce a high-quality review that contributes valuable insights to your field
of study.

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It is often written as part of a thesis, dissertation, or research paper, in order to situate your work in
relation to existing knowledge. Additionally, verify the accuracy and consistency of citations and
references based on the chosen citation style (e.g., APA, MLA). This comprehensive revision process
guarantees a polished and well-structured literature review. Make sure you understand the 4 core
functions of the process. Content from video platforms and social media platforms is blocked by
default. I know it’s very tempting, but don’t try to kill two birds with one stone and write as you
read. At the very bottom of the sheet is a two-inch wide space. It is not only about giving out a
synopsis of existing information but also recording your interpretation of the same. Written report
them and stick to their requirements, so you don't get information technology incorrect. 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). External Media
Individual Privacy Preferences Cookie Details Privacy Policy Imprint Here you will find an
overview of all cookies used. There are so many issues in contemporary science that you could spend
a lifetime of attending conferences and reading the literature just pondering what to review. Look
for Gaps in the Literature As you evaluate the literature, try to look for gaps in your sources, areas
where no one has yet researched an aspect of your topic. However, it’s critically important to decide
on your structure and develop a detailed outline before you write anything. An interesting approach
for when we have a large amount of primary studies is to have a researcher to extract data and
another to check the data that has already been extracted. Have a language expert improve your
writing Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, automatically generate references for free. In this
case, you should dig around the thesis topic, enquiry objectives, and purpose. The purpose is to place
research in a historical context to show familiarity with state-of-the-art developments and identify
future research's likely directions. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research. Likewise,
if you’re a corporate office employee, you may be required to conduct research. Definition: A
literature review is a systematic examination and synthesis of existing scholarly research on a specific
topic or subject. The apa format is standard for literature reviews, as it is for dissertations, theses, or
published academic articles. A systematic literature review is one of the types of literature review
that aims to summarize all existing information about a phenomenon in an impartial and complete
manner. When comparing different sources, how do they relate to each other. In case your results are
different, you can use a literature review to discuss why your results are different and mention if the
difference is important in the research topic. Brand a confident beginning with a literature review.
The smaller column is to be used to create cue words or keywords that describe the information they
are taking notes about. In reviews written by multiple authors, this may be achieved by assigning the
review of the results of a coauthor to different coauthors. It demonstrates to your readers how your
research fits within a larger field of study. Make sure you thoroughly go through appropriate
reference sources like books, reports, journal articles, government docs, and web-based resources. As
somebody who has knowledge in that field, they are able to guide you to where the gaps are for
investigation.
How to write a literature review Information and services Student support Study skills and learning
advice Study skills and learning advice overview Assignment writing A literature review critically
analyses existing literature to develop an argument. Once you’ve done that, give your writing to a
friend or colleague who is not a subject matter expert and ask them if they understand the overall
discussion. Thus, they can give you credit for finding your facts, which is important when writing
any research. In addition to choosing your topic, you should also select a target audience. When a
husband and wife have a disagreement, the situation can escalate quickly if the husband. Make a list
of keywords Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research question. 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. Bila anda meninjau beberapa literatur
dalam 1 perenggan, gabung-jalinkan info utama. Suppose you’ve been tasked with writing a
literature review as a standalone assignment, in that case, you must come up with a primary question
to base your search on. A search strategy helps prevent that, by using punctuation and keywords to
make the database understand exactly what you want. This implies that literature reviewers would
do well to keep an eye on electronic lists of papers in press, given that it can take months before
these appear in scientific databases. Now streamline your literature review process with the help of
SciSpace Copilot. How can I further my research as a result of the review. Why is it useful? It
confirms that the theoretical framework is valid. 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. Connection: Not establishing a very clear connection between the
literature and your research even though it is extremely critical. Here are some pointers that you can
use when you find the whole process overwhelming. If writing the review as part of a thesis or
dissertation, you can research literature related to the critical research questions and objectives. To
maintain track of the scholarly articles and sources, use a bibliography or reference management
software like EndNote or Zotero. What challenges does this research paper pose to the existing
theory What are the possible contributions or benefits it adds to the subject domain. While this is
useful for demonstrating how theories evolve, make sure to include your own interpretation of
trends, turning points, or disagreements, demonstrating how they contributed shape where the
subject is headed. Do I need to include any background information or definitions. The exact
keywords can be extended to widen your research over other databases and academic search engines
like: Google Scholar Microsoft Academic Science.gov Besides, it is not advisable to go through
every resource word by word. In these cases, the lit review just needs to cover scholarship that is
important to the issue you are writing about; sometimes it will also cover key sources that informed
your research methodology. Once you go through all the scholarly materials, make a conclusion as to
which one of them was more convincing with their theory. Take notes that you can later incorporate
into the text of your literature review. It is essential to analyze each source critically to determine
their contribution to the themes being researched. Source: image.slidesharecdn.com A literature
review is not an annotated bibliography in which you summarize briefly each article that you have
reviewed. Lit reviews can also be standalone pieces, either as assignments in a class or as
publications. It is a formal piece of writing where you analyze the existing theoretical framework,
principles, and assumptions and use that as a base to shape your approach to the research question.
Does the author include literature taking positions she or he does not agree with. Divide the body
into subheadings for each methodological approach, theme, or period. The literature review chapter
of your dissertation, thesis or research project is where you synthesise this prior work and lay the
theoretical foundation for your own research. Ensure you understand the research topic inside out, or
else seek clarifications. How to Write a Literature Review in 6 Steps Nouns and Pronouns. Verbs.
Parts of speech. The literature review makes up a large portion of any research paper, so writing it
well is a valuable skill. Try to analyze patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the
direction of the field. What challenges does this research paper pose to the existing theory What are
the possible contributions or benefits it adds to the subject domain. You are not trying to list all the
material published, but to synthesize and evaluate it according to the guiding concept of your thesis
or research question. 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. Try to analyze patterns, turning points and
key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. You can use a subheading for each theme,
time period, or methodological approach. This entire process enables you to determine what is
relevant to your research. Literature Review- Educational Technology (chronological literature).
Whether the research theory used some conventional or new innovative approach. Your literature
review should be guided by your central research question. Demonstrates why a topic is significant
to a subject area. Here are the different types of literature reviews: Argumentative review It is called
an argumentative review when you carefully present literature that only supports or counters a
specific argument or premise to establish a viewpoint. Also, without the bird’s eye view that a
catalogue provides, you’ll miss connections between various articles, and have no view of how the
research developed over time. But before you go, Six Online Tools for Easy Literature Review
Evaluating literature review: systematic vs. At this stage, it’s common to feel a bit of writer’s block
and find yourself procrastinating under the pressure of finally having to put something on paper.
Every time you visit an article page, it provides you links to related papers. A literature review is a
survey of scholarly sources (such as books, journal articles, and theses) related to a specific topic or
research question. Are there any weaknesses that should be addressed. The format of a literature
review varies and depends upon the length of the research. Rely heavily on the guidelines your
instructor has given you. A literature review is meant to help your readers understand the relevance
of your research question and where it fits within the existing body of knowledge. Evidence of
plagiarism can get students suspended or otherwise disciplined (this includes a failing paper). As you
are writing the literature review, mention the author names and the year of publication, but you will
still need to compile a list to complete citations for each entry at the end of your review. What are the
consequences of the patterns and holes in today's sources. Does the study help me understand the
topic better.
Example of digital libraries: Google Scholar, Citeseer Library, Scopus, Science Direct, PubMed,
Scielo, CAPES Journal Portal, BVS, etc. It may benefit you to get support from a literature review
writing service to obtain a complete, professional literature review formatted in APA style as a
guideline to show you the right way to review any and all research sources included in it. It is
conducted before the research to highlight gaps in the existing body of knowledge and explains why
the project should be greenlit. The ability of your hereafter text is in the proper planning. Besides
that, it helps you understand what’s trending, who are the top authors, and who are the leading
publishers on a topic. For an overview of Mendeley, have a look at the video below. My proposal was
accepted late last year but I honestly did not know where to start Like the name of your YouTube
implies you are GRAD (great,resource person, about dissertation). Literature review is a mandatory
part of any research project. It also describes the structure of the material you create and provides
the author’s (your) reasons for reviewing the chosen sources. Information seeking Critical Reading
Synthesis and structure Reflections on your literature review. As you work your way to the right, the
information grows increasely more detailed. Historical review Historical literature reviews focus on
examining research throughout a period, often starting with the first time an issue, concept, theory, or
phenomenon emerged in the literature, then tracing its evolution within the scholarship of a
discipline. Make certain that all of the citations and references are correct and that you are
referencing in the appropriate style for your discipline. Sources covered in the review may include
scholarly journal articles, books, government reports, web sites, etc. It is important to be careful in
noting the references already at this stage, so as to avoid misattributions. Ideally, the literature
review should take up 15%-40% of the total length of your manuscript. A literature review is a
thorough review and analysis of the literature available in a chosen or given subject area. Like other
forms of academic writing, your literature review should take this format: Sources covered in the
review may include scholarly journal articles, books, government reports, web sites, etc. There are a
variety of possible approaches that you can take. Make sure you don't just stick to one type of
source. Does the research use established frameworks or take an innovative approach. Step One:
Decide on your areas of research: Before you begin to search for articles or books, decide beforehand
what areas you are going to research. We will uncover these and other possible questions. It is an
excellent repository where you can find millions of only peer-reviewed articles and full-text PDF
files. Whether the research theory used some conventional or new innovative approach. The practice
of citing a source that you haven’t read directly is known as “grandfathering,” and it’s not allowed.
Plan a structure. Write the review. In this section, we review each step of the process of creating a
literature review. 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. 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. Alternatively, you can use a
database, or keywords to find sources fast.
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.
Meta-synthesis goes along with the inductive research approach. There are various approaches to
organising the body of a literature review. The data quality links to the credibility of the study, so it is
important to note, especially in this day of predatory journals where not all articles found are
credible. For instance, rather than researching on WW III, you can opt to focus on France’s Role
during WW III. Now you lot understand the core milestones regarding the introduction to the
literature review. Final tips on how to write a literature review A massive chunk of time and effort is
required to write a good literature review. Such contextual attributes equally goal, construction, and
components differ a lot. Thematic Approach This approach categorizes your review based on themes
or key concepts related to your topic. Ensure the topic sentence presents a clear though or position,
which the paragraph will focus on. You've learned what a literature review is all about. Take notes
that you can later incorporate into the text of your literature review. Remember, before writing; you
need to come up with a research question. Rule 1: Define a Topic and Audience How to choose
which topic to review. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice. You’ll
invariably end up wasting huge amounts of time re-writing and re-shaping, or you’ll just land up
with a disjointed, hard-to-digest mess. Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of
your sources. A basic literature review includes the introduction with the research topic definition, its
arguments, and problems. Then, information technology has a synthesis of the picked pieces of
literature. Show Cookie Information Hide Cookie Information Statistics cookies collect information
anonymously. It can be difficult in a saturated field to find many areas that have not yet been
covered, but when you do, it will be much easier to explain why your topic and approach are
essential and original. The goal of the Lit Review is not to list as many books, papers, and reports as
feasible. Example: If reviewing the development of technology in the last decade, you might
organize your sections based on each year or significant milestones. At the beginning of any paper,
describe your paper’s purpose so that the literature review will state a specific point of view. A body,
which divides your literature review into different sections. Question: You must state a question
based on your comprehensive understanding of all studies; it can act as a starting point for your
research. You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts. Better
Analysis: Since your framework will determine the methods that you need to adopt to measure the
variables of your research, you will end up analysing better. Scope: Make an effort to understand the
extent of scope that your topic offers. Begin the Literature Research Process There is no getting
around the most challenging part of the literature review process, which is researching the literature.
Themes: what questions or concepts recur across the literature.

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