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How to write a literature review paper.

This paper discusses the question about how to write a literature review paper (LRP). It stresses the primary importance of adding value, rather than only providing an overview, and it then discusses some of the reasons for (or not) actually writing an LRP, including issues relating to the nature and scope of the paper. It also presents different types of LRPs, advises on reporting the methodology used for the selection of papers for review, and the structure of an LRP. An important conclusio...

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Bad, Better, Best Examples of Literature Review

REVIEWING THE LITERATURE

In these examples we provide a small section from a larger literature review in order to demonstrate the style of writing and structure required in a literature review chapter. Each example is a segment of a literature review from a project which explored masculinity in sporting sites. The main research aim was to understand men’s perceptions of masculinity and the role of banter (joking) in this process. There is a bad example of a literature review, a better example, and a best example, with notes to explain why.

The literature review is a key component of a dissertation. As noted in Chapter 6, it serves to contextualise the aims and objectives of the project. This chapter is important as it creates the ‘knowledge gap’ and provides the foundation for the research questions.

There are different styles and forms of literature review and the decision on which approach you take should be discussed with your supervisor before you begin. Undergraduate dissertations tend to employ narrative reviews which ‘set the scene’ for you to tell the story of your research. The example provided below is in the narrative style. As noted in the book, the literature review is where you describe key research within the field, but also provide some critical commentary in relation to that literature.

In these examples we provide a small section from a larger literature review in order to demonstrate the style of writing and structure required in a literature review chapter. Each example is a segment of a literature review from a project which explored masculinity in sporting sites. The main research aim was to understand men’s perceptions of masculinity and the role of banter (joking) in this process. There is a bad example of a literature review, a better example, and a best example:

A Bad Example of a Literature Review A Better Example of a Literature Review A Best Example of a Literature Review

Remember, before writing your literature review you need to:

• Have a meeting with your supervisor to plan a strategy and style. You can also discuss the structure and content in this meeting.
• Think carefully about what sort of researcher you are, and what sort of approach you are taking in your research. Theory is an important part of the whole dissertation and informs the way you write the literature review too (see Chapter 6 for more details).

Here are some further tips about conducting a literature search and reviewing the literature:

Chapter 5 Conducting a Literature Search Chapter 6: Reviewing the Literature

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In This Article Expand or collapse the "in this article" section Literature Reviews

Introduction, what is a literature review.

• Literature Reviews for Thesis or Dissertation
• Stand-alone and Systemic Reviews
• Purposes of a Literature Review
• Texts on Conducting a Literature Review
• Identifying the Research Topic
• The Persuasive Argument
• Searching the Literature
• Creating a Synthesis
• Critiquing the Literature
• Building the Case for the Literature Review Document
• Presenting the Literature Review

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• Meta-Analysis and Research Synthesis in Education
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Literature Reviews by Lawrence A. Machi , Brenda T. McEvoy LAST REVIEWED: 27 October 2016 LAST MODIFIED: 27 October 2016 DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199756810-0169

Literature reviews play a foundational role in the development and execution of a research project. They provide access to the academic conversation surrounding the topic of the proposed study. By engaging in this scholarly exercise, the researcher is able to learn and to share knowledge about the topic. The literature review acts as the springboard for new research, in that it lays out a logically argued case, founded on a comprehensive understanding of the current state of knowledge about the topic. The case produced provides the justification for the research question or problem of a proposed study, and the methodological scheme best suited to conduct the research. It can also be a research project in itself, arguing policy or practice implementation, based on a comprehensive analysis of the research in a field. The term literature review can refer to the output or the product of a review. It can also refer to the process of Conducting a Literature Review . Novice researchers, when attempting their first research projects, tend to ask two questions: What is a Literature Review? How do you do one? While this annotated bibliography is neither definitive nor exhaustive in its treatment of the subject, it is designed to provide a beginning researcher, who is pursuing an academic degree, an entry point for answering the two previous questions. The article is divided into two parts. The first four sections of the article provide a general overview of the topic. They address definitions, types, purposes, and processes for doing a literature review. The second part presents the process and procedures for doing a literature review. Arranged in a sequential fashion, the remaining eight sections provide references addressing each step of the literature review process. References included in this article were selected based on their ability to assist the beginning researcher. Additionally, the authors attempted to include texts from various disciplines in social science to present various points of view on the subject.

Novice researchers often have a misguided perception of how to do a literature review and what the document should contain. Literature reviews are not narrative annotated bibliographies nor book reports (see Bruce 1994 ). Their form, function, and outcomes vary, due to how they depend on the research question, the standards and criteria of the academic discipline, and the orthodoxies of the research community charged with the research. The term literature review can refer to the process of doing a review as well as the product resulting from conducting a review. The product resulting from reviewing the literature is the concern of this section. Literature reviews for research studies at the master’s and doctoral levels have various definitions. Machi and McEvoy 2016 presents a general definition of a literature review. Lambert 2012 defines a literature review as a critical analysis of what is known about the study topic, the themes related to it, and the various perspectives expressed regarding the topic. Fink 2010 defines a literature review as a systematic review of existing body of data that identifies, evaluates, and synthesizes for explicit presentation. Jesson, et al. 2011 defines the literature review as a critical description and appraisal of a topic. Hart 1998 sees the literature review as producing two products: the presentation of information, ideas, data, and evidence to express viewpoints on the nature of the topic, as well as how it is to be investigated. When considering literature reviews beyond the novice level, Ridley 2012 defines and differentiates the systematic review from literature reviews associated with primary research conducted in academic degree programs of study, including stand-alone literature reviews. Cooper 1998 states the product of literature review is dependent on the research study’s goal and focus, and defines synthesis reviews as literature reviews that seek to summarize and draw conclusions from past empirical research to determine what issues have yet to be resolved. Theoretical reviews compare and contrast the predictive ability of theories that explain the phenomenon, arguing which theory holds the most validity in describing the nature of that phenomenon. Grant and Booth 2009 identified fourteen types of reviews used in both degree granting and advanced research projects, describing their attributes and methodologies.

Bruce, Christine Susan. 1994. Research students’ early experiences of the dissertation literature review. Studies in Higher Education 19.2: 217–229.

DOI: 10.1080/03075079412331382057

A phenomenological analysis was conducted with forty-one neophyte research scholars. The responses to the questions, “What do you mean when you use the words literature review?” and “What is the meaning of a literature review for your research?” identified six concepts. The results conclude that doing a literature review is a problem area for students.

Cooper, Harris. 1998. Synthesizing research . Vol. 2. 3d ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

The introductory chapter of this text provides a cogent explanation of Cooper’s understanding of literature reviews. Chapter 4 presents a comprehensive discussion of the synthesis review. Chapter 5 discusses meta-analysis and depth.

Fink, Arlene. 2010. Conducting research literature reviews: From the Internet to paper . 3d ed. Los Angeles: SAGE.

The first chapter of this text (pp. 1–16) provides a short but clear discussion of what a literature review is in reference to its application to a broad range of social sciences disciplines and their related professions.

Grant, Maria J., and Andrew Booth. 2009. A typology of reviews: An analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information & Libraries Journal 26.2: 91–108. Print.

DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x

This article reports a scoping review that was conducted using the “Search, Appraisal, Synthesis, and Analysis” (SALSA) framework. Fourteen literature review types and associated methodology make up the resulting typology. Each type is described by its key characteristics and analyzed for its strengths and weaknesses.

Hart, Chris. 1998. Doing a literature review: Releasing the social science research imagination . London: SAGE.

Chapter 1 of this text explains Hart’s definition of a literature review. Additionally, it describes the roles of the literature review, the skills of a literature reviewer, and the research context for a literature review. Of note is Hart’s discussion of the literature review requirements for master’s degree and doctoral degree work.

Jesson, Jill, Lydia Matheson, and Fiona M. Lacey. 2011. Doing your literature review: Traditional and systematic techniques . Los Angeles: SAGE.

Chapter 1: “Preliminaries” provides definitions of traditional and systematic reviews. It discusses the differences between them. Chapter 5 is dedicated to explaining the traditional review, while Chapter 7 explains the systematic review. Chapter 8 provides a detailed description of meta-analysis.

Lambert, Mike. 2012. A beginner’s guide to doing your education research project . Los Angeles: SAGE.

Chapter 6 (pp. 79–100) presents a thumbnail sketch for doing a literature review.

Machi, Lawrence A., and Brenda T. McEvoy. 2016. The literature review: Six steps to success . 3d ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

The introduction of this text differentiates between a simple and an advanced review and concisely defines a literature review.

Ridley, Diana. 2012. The literature review: A step-by-step guide for students . 2d ed. Sage Study Skills. London: SAGE.

In the introductory chapter, Ridley reviews many definitions of the literature review, literature reviews at the master’s and doctoral level, and placement of literature reviews within the thesis or dissertation document. She also defines and differentiates literature reviews produced for degree-affiliated research from the more advanced systematic review projects.

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Systematic Reviews and Evidence Syntheses: Home

• Planning a Review
• Help and training
• Searching for studies

Purpose of this guide

This guide is intended for students and researchers at the University of Oxford and staff in Oxford University Hospitals Trust seeking up to date information on how to carry out systematic reviews.

Use this guide to find out about this research technique and learn where to go for more help.

If you are planning to carry out a systematic review, it is worth contacting your outreach librarian (medical sciences and NHS staff and students) or subject librarian  (other disciplines) at the start. They can help advise you on all aspects of the review process and in some cases work with you on the review directly.

*Coming soon, further information on data extraction, risk of bias and writing up. Please ask your outreach librarian for help in the meantime.

What is a systematic review?

A systematic review is a high-level overview of primary research on a particular research question that tries to identify, select, synthesize and appraise all high quality research evidence relevant to that question in order to answer it.

Systematic reviews are an approach used in health, education and social policy (as part of evidence based policy or practice). It's much more than a literature review - it follows a strict methodology which means it's transparent, rigorous and replicable.

Systematic reviews are a resource intensive research project as they require collaboration between a group of subject and methodological experts and involve a significant time commitment. The Cochrane Handbook recommends that screening of studies for inclusion, data extraction and quality should be conducted independently by at least two individuals.

In recent years, the field of evidence reviews has evolved, and the systematic review is just one type of evidence review within a broader family of reviews that follows a rigorous and transparent methodology. The methods we describe in this guide are applicable to a greater or lesser extent to systematic reviews, scoping reviews, rapid reviews, qualitative evidence syntheses, mapping reviews and realist reviews.

The process includes:

   1. Formulating a question

   2. Preparing and registering a protocol (research plan)

   3. Searching for studies

   4. Selecting studies according to predefined inclusion / exclusion criteria

   5. Extracting data from included studies

   6. Undertaking a quality assessment (Risk of Bias) assessment of included studies

   7. Synthesising the evidence from included studies

   8. Writing up methods and presenting conclusions / recommendations

Are literature reviews still useful?

As outlined above, a systematic review will address a specific question and use replicable and transparent methods in identifying, selecting, appraising and synthesizing the evidence. Literature reviews are more likely to provide overviews of a topic area and will use iterative methods in the process.

As the purposes of the reviews are different, many would advocate that narrative reviews have a place in providing a critical reflection and promoting greater understanding of developments within a field of research. If you’re new to a field, then a traditional literature review can be a valuable first step. The methods for searching the literature in this guide are still applicable, but there’s no expectation to identify all the research on your question, to have pre-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria, to conduct a quality assessment or to report your search methods in detail.

Choosing the right review

As discussed above, the type of review chosen can be influenced by the reason for conducting the review. Additional factors can also influence the choice; some examples given below:

• Scoping review vs systematic review This would be a choice between a broad or narrowly focused question.
• Rapid review vs systematic review This would be a choice if you had less than six months in which to complete a review.
• Realist review vs systematic review This would be a choice if you are interested to see how an intervention works, for who and in what circumstances.
• Umbrella review vs systematic review This would be a choice if there are already several systematic reviews addressing your questions.
• The Right Review tool If you are not sure what type of review to choose, this tool can walk you through some of these questions, suggesting appropriate review types and their accompanying methodologies.

Guidance for conducting evidence reviews

Systematic reviews: 

Health Care - Cochrane Handbook for systematic reviews of interventions & Cochrane Methods Groups for amongst others, reviews of Diagnostic Test Accuracy , Prognosis & Qualitative Research  

Education, Social Care, Social Policy, Crime & Justice and International Development - Campbell Collaboration and EPPI-Centre  

Environmental Sciences - Collaboration for Environmental Evidence  

Scoping reviews - Joanna Briggs Institute    

Rapid Reviews - Cochrane Methods Group: Rapid Reviews  

Realist Reviews & Meta-Narrative Evidence Synthesis - RAMESES  

Contact our team of Outreach Librarians for help with anything in this guide.

[email protected]

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Dissertations: Researching, literature reviews and methods

A dissertation assesses your research skills. These skills include being able to find and critique existing research on your topic; this process can be called reviewing the literature or doing a literature review. Research skills also involve being able to select and justify an appropriate way to conduct your research; this process is often called your methodology or methods. It is important to have reasons for why your methods are suitable for answering your research question rather than just selecting the easiest or most familiar approach.

Scroll down for our recommended strategies and resources: 

Plan your time

Some long- and short-term planning is essential when working on a larger project. Have a look at this video for advice on planning your dissertation with some flexibility for the unexpected!

Managing time for your dissertation [video] (University of Reading).

Have a search strategy

A key aspect of dissertations is demonstrating your wider reading and your ability to find a range of suitable sources. Have a look at this guide to creating, refining and saving your search strategy:

Developing a search strategy (University of Leeds)

Literature reviews

A dissertation will usually involve reviewing the literature that relates to your topic. See our guide for more on what literature reviews are and how to do them:

Literature review resources (Centre for Academic Development)

Library resources

Your Academic Liaison Librarian is a good contact for help with finding sources for your dissertation. Use the course resource help page below to find your course-specific databases, journals, referencing information and support as well as your Academic Liaison Librarian's contact details.

Course resource help (Oxford Brookes University Library)

What and how?

Having a clear idea of what you want to find out and how you will find this out makes researching much easier. Look at this guide to prompt you to think about the primary and secondary research you may need to do:

Primary and secondary research (University of Reading)

Methodology

A dissertation will involve selecting, justifying and explaining the process that you use to gather your data and find an answer to your research question. This is usually called your methodology. Look at this guide to the methodology of a dissertation:

Dissertations: Methodology (University of Westminster)

Understand more about research skills

If you are confused about research methods or how to structure literature reviews, it is worth investing time in reading more to understand these processes. Brookes Library have compiled a useful list of study skills books on dissertations that are available at Brookes: 

Dissertations and independent research study skills book list

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'literature review' can also refer to....

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literature review

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(social sciences) A formal, reflective survey of the most significant and relevant works of published and peer-reviewed academic research on a particular topic, summarizing and discussing their findings and methodologies in order to reflect the current state of knowledge in the field and the key questions raised. Literature reviews do not themselves present any previously unpublished research. They may be published as review articles in academic journals or as an element in a thesis or dissertation: in the case of the latter, they serve to situate the current study within the field.

From:   literature review   in  A Dictionary of Media and Communication »

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