WRITING THE LITERATURE REVIEW FOR YOUR PROJECT REPORT

Reviews of previous literature in a project report are not summaries of every article or book you
have read on the topic, but rather a discussion of the existing knowledge and reasoning which led
you to believe that what you are doing is necessary and is worth doing in the way that you did it.
It is written to convince the reader of your idea.
Reviewing the literature is a valuable way to learn the about your topic so that you can extract
the relevant ideas from the vast writings to support your discussion /review. It is therefore
imperative that you read extensively on your topic to gain sound knowledge. A good literature
review which has depth and demonstrates the use of many sources as will be evident in your
references (in text and reference list).

Advice and Guideline on Writing the Literature Review

(From the UTT Electrical Engineering Department’s project handbook)
The literature review section addresses how others have attempted to solve the same problem or
similar problems identified in your project. As such, the literature review is a crucial element to
guide you in the early stages of the project.
Many students make the mistake of leaving the literature review for the end. They treat it is an
unnecessary formality. This is a very serious mistake! Once you have identified your project, you
will have a title and a very broad idea of what you need to do. Reading or reviewing the literature
helps you to streamline the project.
Once you have identified a project idea, commence your literature review by doing some general
reading. This will include basic internet searches: e.g. Wikipedia, and the library (text books,
encyclopedias etc.). Although Wikipedia is not considered a source, it still contains valuable
information, you just cannot cite it. Additionally, you can use the references in the draft articles
for your study. This general reading will give you a broad picture of what your topic is about.
For example, you are interested in doing a project on electric motor vehicles. This is very broad
and your project cannot address every aspect of the topic. You cannot realistically rebuild a car,
so you must narrow down your project to a specific problem and consider what you can do in a
project to solve the problem. Here you will have to consider your level of knowledge in the
specific area, the available time and your financial resources. You may decide, therefore, to
focus on the battery, the motor or the electromechanical propulsion system for the electric
vehicle.
Technology development
The literature review may also contain a chronological development of the technology.
Example: Various hybrid (gas-electric) vehicles were developed. These served as stepping
stones from gasoline vehicles to electric vehicles. At this time, various
technologies were competing for commercialization – electric vehicles,
 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, hydrogen combustion vehicles. Early electric
vehicles were low power. However, after the introduction of Tesla, electric
vehicles became associated with power and performance. As a result, electric
vehicles have now overtaken its earlier rivals in the race for development.

Limitations of present technology

It is also vital to critically analyze the literature, and not merely comment or summarize it. Every
technology has limitations – your job is to identify and state what they are. In other words, get
supporting literature that points out the shortcomings of the current technology. This is what
helps you to identify where you should focus your attention.
Although Tesla vehicles are powerful and fast, they are very high priced, and as such
out of the reach of the average person. The main factor responsible for its high cost is
the battery.
After the general reading, you need to consult some more technical literature (specialist
publications and journal articles). In the case of the above example, you will look for literature
that discusses the components of the battery and the reasons for its high cost. Additionally, you
will look for suggestions on how the battery can be made more affordable and retain its
efficiency. You can access scientific articles at sciencedirect.com. You may also be interested in
existing patents.
The literature review is supposed to gradually become narrower and lead up to the
objectives for your project (what you are going to do to address the problem/gap or loophole).
If you identify the battery as the main reason for the high cost in Tesla vehicles, you may wish to
propose a new battery design if you possess that expertise. However, this may be better suited for
chemical engineers. Alternatively, you may identify the induction motor as your main area of
focus (electrical engineers). Or the electromechanical propulsion system that converts electrical
energy to mechanical traction (mechanical engineers).
The literature review section can be subdivided topically, thematically or chronologically as you
see fit.