Literature Reviews
What this handout is about.
This handout will explain what literature reviews are and offer insights into the form and construction of literature reviews in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences.
Introduction
OK. You’ve got to write a literature review. You dust off a novel and a book of poetry, settle down in your chair, and get ready to issue a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” as you leaf through the pages. “Literature review” done. Right?
Wrong! The “literature” of a literature review refers to any collection of materials on a topic, not necessarily the great literary texts of the world. “Literature” could be anything from a set of government pamphlets on British colonial methods in Africa to scholarly articles on the treatment of a torn ACL. And a review does not necessarily mean that your reader wants you to give your personal opinion on whether or not you liked these sources.
What is a literature review, then?
A literature review discusses published information in a particular subject area, and sometimes information in a particular subject area within a certain time period.
A literature review can be just a simple summary of the sources, but it usually has an organizational pattern and combines both summary and synthesis. A summary is a recap of the important information of the source, but a synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information. It might give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old interpretations. Or it might trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates. And depending on the situation, the literature review may evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the most pertinent or relevant.
But how is a literature review different from an academic research paper?
The main focus of an academic research paper is to develop a new argument, and a research paper is likely to contain a literature review as one of its parts. In a research paper, you use the literature as a foundation and as support for a new insight that you contribute. The focus of a literature review, however, is to summarize and synthesize the arguments and ideas of others without adding new contributions.
Why do we write literature reviews?
Literature reviews provide you with a handy guide to a particular topic. If you have limited time to conduct research, literature reviews can give you an overview or act as a stepping stone. For professionals, they are useful reports that keep them up to date with what is current in the field. For scholars, the depth and breadth of the literature review emphasizes the credibility of the writer in his or her field. Literature reviews also provide a solid background for a research paper’s investigation. Comprehensive knowledge of the literature of the field is essential to most research papers.
Who writes these things, anyway?
Literature reviews are written occasionally in the humanities, but mostly in the sciences and social sciences; in experiment and lab reports, they constitute a section of the paper. Sometimes a literature review is written as a paper in itself.
Let’s get to it! What should I do before writing the literature review?
If your assignment is not very specific, seek clarification from your instructor:
- Roughly how many sources should you include?
- What types of sources (books, journal articles, websites)?
- Should you summarize, synthesize, or critique your sources by discussing a common theme or issue?
- Should you evaluate your sources?
- Should you provide subheadings and other background information, such as definitions and/or a history?
Find models
Look for other literature reviews in your area of interest or in the discipline and read them to get a sense of the types of themes you might want to look for in your own research or ways to organize your final review. You can simply put the word “review” in your search engine along with your other topic terms to find articles of this type on the Internet or in an electronic database. The bibliography or reference section of sources you’ve already read are also excellent entry points into your own research.
Narrow your topic
There are hundreds or even thousands of articles and books on most areas of study. 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 instructor will probably not expect you to read everything that’s out there on the topic, but you’ll make your job easier if you first limit your scope.
Keep in mind that UNC Libraries have research guides and to databases relevant to many fields of study. You can reach out to the subject librarian for a consultation: https://library.unc.edu/support/consultations/ .
And don’t forget to tap into your professor’s (or other professors’) knowledge in the field. 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.
Consider whether your sources are current
Some disciplines require that you use information that is as current as possible. In the sciences, for instance, treatments for medical problems are constantly changing according to the latest studies. Information even two years old could be obsolete. However, if you are writing a review in the humanities, history, or social sciences, a survey of the history of the literature may be what is needed, because what is important is how perspectives have changed through the years or within a certain time period. Try sorting through some other current bibliographies or literature reviews in the field to get a sense of what your discipline expects. You can also use this method to consider what is currently of interest to scholars in this field and what is not.
Strategies for writing the literature review
Find a focus.
A literature review, like a term paper, is usually organized around ideas, not the sources themselves as an annotated bibliography would be organized. This means that you will not just simply list your sources and go into detail about each one of them, one at a time. No. As you read widely but selectively in your topic area, consider instead what themes or issues connect your sources together. Do they present one or different solutions? Is there an aspect of the field that is missing? How well do they present the material and do they portray it according to an appropriate theory? Do they reveal a trend in the field? A raging debate? Pick one of these themes to focus the organization of your review.
Convey it to your reader
A literature review may not have a traditional thesis statement (one that makes an argument), but you do need to tell readers what to expect. Try writing a simple statement that lets the reader know what is your main organizing principle. Here are a couple of examples:
The current trend in treatment for congestive heart failure combines surgery and medicine. More and more cultural studies scholars are accepting popular media as a subject worthy of academic consideration.
Consider organization
You’ve got a focus, and you’ve stated it clearly and directly. Now what is the most effective way of presenting the information? What are the most important topics, subtopics, etc., that your review needs to include? And in what order should you present them? Develop an organization for your review at both a global and local level:
First, cover the basic categories
Just like most academic papers, literature reviews also must contain at least three basic elements: an introduction or background information section; the body of the review containing the discussion of sources; and, finally, a conclusion and/or recommendations section to end the paper. The following provides a brief description of the content of each:
- Introduction: Gives a quick idea of the topic of the literature review, such as the central theme or organizational pattern.
- Body: Contains your discussion of sources and is organized either chronologically, thematically, or methodologically (see below for more information on each).
- Conclusions/Recommendations: Discuss what you have drawn from reviewing literature so far. Where might the discussion proceed?
Organizing the body
Once you have the basic categories in place, then you must consider how you will present the sources themselves within the body of your paper. Create an organizational method to focus this section even further.
To help you come up with an overall organizational framework for your review, consider the following scenario:
You’ve decided to focus your literature review on materials dealing with sperm whales. This is because you’ve just finished reading Moby Dick, and you wonder if that whale’s portrayal is really real. You start with some articles about the physiology of sperm whales in biology journals written in the 1980’s. But these articles refer to some British biological studies performed on whales in the early 18th century. So you check those out. Then you look up a book written in 1968 with information on how sperm whales have been portrayed in other forms of art, such as in Alaskan poetry, in French painting, or on whale bone, as the whale hunters in the late 19th century used to do. This makes you wonder about American whaling methods during the time portrayed in Moby Dick, so you find some academic articles published in the last five years on how accurately Herman Melville portrayed the whaling scene in his novel.
Now consider some typical ways of organizing the sources into a review:
- Chronological: If your review follows the chronological method, you could write about the materials above according to when they were published. For instance, first you would talk about the British biological studies of the 18th century, then about Moby Dick, published in 1851, then the book on sperm whales in other art (1968), and finally the biology articles (1980s) and the recent articles on American whaling of the 19th century. But there is relatively no continuity among subjects here. And notice that even though the sources on sperm whales in other art and on American whaling are written recently, they are about other subjects/objects that were created much earlier. Thus, the review loses its chronological focus.
- By publication: Order your sources by publication chronology, then, only if the order demonstrates a more important trend. For instance, you could order a review of literature on biological studies of sperm whales if the progression revealed a change in dissection practices of the researchers who wrote and/or conducted the studies.
- By trend: A better way to organize the above sources chronologically is to examine the sources under another trend, such as the history of whaling. Then your review would have subsections according to eras within this period. For instance, the review might examine whaling from pre-1600-1699, 1700-1799, and 1800-1899. Under this method, you would combine the recent studies on American whaling in the 19th century with Moby Dick itself in the 1800-1899 category, even though the authors wrote a century apart.
- Thematic: Thematic reviews of literature are organized around a topic or issue, rather than the progression of time. However, progression of time may still be an important factor in a thematic review. For instance, the sperm whale review could focus on the development of the harpoon for whale hunting. While the study focuses on one topic, harpoon technology, it will still be organized chronologically. The only difference here between a “chronological” and a “thematic” approach is what is emphasized the most: the development of the harpoon or the harpoon technology.But more authentic thematic reviews tend to break away from chronological order. For instance, a thematic review of material on sperm whales might examine how they are portrayed as “evil” in cultural documents. The subsections might include how they are personified, how their proportions are exaggerated, and their behaviors misunderstood. A review organized in this manner would shift between time periods within each section according to the point made.
- 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. Instead, it focuses on the “methods” of the researcher or writer. For the sperm whale project, one methodological approach would be to look at cultural differences between the portrayal of whales in American, British, and French art work. Or the review might focus on the economic impact of whaling on a community. A methodological scope will influence either the types of documents in the review or the way in which these documents are discussed. Once you’ve decided on the organizational method for the body of the review, the sections you need to include in the paper should be easy to figure out. They should arise out of your organizational strategy. In other words, a chronological review would have subsections for each vital time period. A thematic review would have subtopics based upon factors that relate to the theme or issue.
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. What other sections you include in the body is up to you. Put in only what is necessary. Here are a few other sections you might want to consider:
- Current Situation: Information necessary to understand the topic or focus of the literature review.
- History: The chronological progression of the field, the literature, or an idea that is necessary to understand the literature review, if the body of the literature review is not already a chronology.
- Methods and/or Standards: The criteria you used to select the sources in your literature review or the way in which you present your information. For instance, you might explain that your review includes only peer-reviewed articles and journals.
Questions for Further Research: What questions about the field has the review sparked? How will you further your research as a result of the review?
Begin composing
Once you’ve settled on a general pattern of organization, you’re ready to write each section. There are a few guidelines you should follow during the writing stage as well. Here is a sample paragraph from a literature review about sexism and language to illuminate the following discussion:
However, other studies have shown that even gender-neutral antecedents are more likely to produce masculine images than feminine ones (Gastil, 1990). Hamilton (1988) asked students to complete sentences that required them to fill in pronouns that agreed with gender-neutral antecedents such as “writer,” “pedestrian,” and “persons.” The students were asked to describe any image they had when writing the sentence. Hamilton found that people imagined 3.3 men to each woman in the masculine “generic” condition and 1.5 men per woman in the unbiased condition. Thus, while ambient sexism accounted for some of the masculine bias, sexist language amplified the effect. (Source: Erika Falk and Jordan Mills, “Why Sexist Language Affects Persuasion: The Role of Homophily, Intended Audience, and Offense,” Women and Language19:2).
Use evidence
In the example above, the writers refer to several other sources when making their point. A literature review in this sense is just like any other academic research paper. Your interpretation of the available sources must be backed up with evidence to show that what you are saying is valid.
Be selective
Select only the most important points in each source to highlight in the review. The type of information you choose to mention should relate directly to the review’s focus, whether it is thematic, methodological, or chronological.
Use quotes sparingly
Falk and Mills do not use any direct quotes. That is because the survey nature of the literature review does not allow for in-depth discussion or detailed quotes from the text. Some short quotes here and there are okay, though, if you want to emphasize a point, or if what the author said just cannot be rewritten in your own words. Notice that Falk and Mills do quote certain terms that were coined by the author, not common knowledge, or taken directly from the study. But if you find yourself wanting to put in more quotes, check with your instructor.
Summarize and synthesize
Remember to summarize and synthesize your sources within each paragraph as well as throughout the review. The authors here recapitulate important features of Hamilton’s study, but then synthesize it by rephrasing the study’s significance and relating it to their own work.
Keep your own voice
While the literature review presents others’ ideas, your voice (the writer’s) should remain front and center. Notice that Falk and Mills weave references to other sources into their own text, but they still maintain their own voice by starting and ending the paragraph with their own ideas and their own words. The sources support what Falk and Mills are saying.
Use caution when paraphrasing
When paraphrasing a source that is not your own, be sure to represent the author’s information or opinions accurately and in your own words. In the preceding example, Falk and Mills either directly refer in the text to the author of their source, such as Hamilton, or they provide ample notation in the text when the ideas they are mentioning are not their own, for example, Gastil’s. For more information, please see our handout on plagiarism .
Revise, revise, revise
Draft in hand? Now you’re ready to revise. Spending a lot of time revising is a wise idea, because your main objective is to present the material, not the argument. So check over your review again to make sure it follows the assignment and/or your outline. Then, just as you would for most other academic forms of writing, rewrite or rework the language of your review so that you’ve presented your information in the most concise manner possible. Be sure to use terminology familiar to your audience; get rid of unnecessary jargon or slang. Finally, double check that you’ve documented your sources and formatted the review appropriately for your discipline. For tips on the revising and editing process, see our handout on revising drafts .
Works consulted
We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. 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. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.
Anson, Chris M., and Robert A. Schwegler. 2010. The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers , 6th ed. New York: Longman.
Jones, Robert, Patrick Bizzaro, and Cynthia Selfe. 1997. The Harcourt Brace Guide to Writing in the Disciplines . New York: Harcourt Brace.
Lamb, Sandra E. 1998. How to Write It: A Complete Guide to Everything You’ll Ever Write . Berkeley: Ten Speed Press.
Rosen, Leonard J., and Laurence Behrens. 2003. The Allyn & Bacon Handbook , 5th ed. New York: Longman.
Troyka, Lynn Quittman, and Doug Hesse. 2016. Simon and Schuster Handbook for Writers , 11th ed. London: Pearson.
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- How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates
How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates
Published on January 2, 2023 by Shona McCombes .
What is a literature review? A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research that you can later apply to your paper, thesis, or dissertation topic .
There are five key steps to writing a literature review:
- Search for relevant literature
- Evaluate sources
- Identify themes, debates, and gaps
- Outline the structure
- Write your literature review
A good literature review doesn’t just summarize sources—it analyzes, synthesizes , and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.
Table of contents
What is the purpose of a literature review, examples of literature reviews, step 1 – search for relevant literature, step 2 – evaluate and select sources, step 3 – identify themes, debates, and gaps, step 4 – outline your literature review’s structure, step 5 – write your literature review, free lecture slides, frequently asked questions, introduction.
- Quick Run-through
- Step 1 & 2
When you write a thesis , dissertation , or research paper , you will likely have to conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge. The literature review gives you a chance to:
- Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and its scholarly context
- Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research
- Position your work in relation to other researchers and theorists
- Show how your research addresses a gap or contributes to a debate
- Evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge of the scholarly debates around your topic.
Writing literature reviews is a particularly important skill if you want to apply for graduate school or pursue a career in research. We’ve written a step-by-step guide that you can follow below.
Writing literature reviews can be quite challenging! A good starting point could be to look at some examples, depending on what kind of literature review you’d like to write.
- Example literature review #1: “Why Do People Migrate? A Review of the Theoretical Literature” ( Theoretical literature review about the development of economic migration theory from the 1950s to today.)
- Example literature review #2: “Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines” ( Methodological literature review about interdisciplinary knowledge acquisition and production.)
- Example literature review #3: “The Use of Technology in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Thematic literature review about the effects of technology on language acquisition.)
- Example literature review #4: “Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Chronological literature review about how the concept of listening skills has changed over time.)
You can also check out our templates with literature review examples and sample outlines at the links below.
Download Word doc Download Google doc
Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.
Before you begin searching for literature, you need a clearly defined topic .
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 .
Make a list of keywords
Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research question. 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.
- Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok
- Body image, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health
- Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth
Search for relevant sources
Use your keywords to begin searching for sources. 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.
Make sure to read the abstract to find out whether an article is relevant to your question. When you find a useful book or article, you can check the bibliography to find other relevant sources.
You likely won’t be able to read absolutely everything that has been written on your topic, so it will be necessary to evaluate which sources are most relevant to your research question.
For each publication, ask yourself:
- What question or problem is the author addressing?
- What are the key concepts and how are they defined?
- What are the key theories, models, and methods?
- Does the research use established frameworks or take an innovative approach?
- What are the results and conclusions of the study?
- How does the publication relate to other literature in the field? Does it confirm, add to, or challenge established knowledge?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?
Make sure the sources you use are credible , and make sure you read any landmark studies and major theories in your field of research.
You can use our template to summarize and evaluate sources you’re thinking about using. Click on either button below to download.
Take notes and cite your sources
As you read, you should also begin the writing process. Take notes that you can later incorporate into the text of your literature review.
It is important to keep track of your sources with citations to avoid plagiarism . 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. This helps you remember what you read and saves time later in the process.
To begin organizing your literature review’s argument and structure, be sure you understand the connections and relationships between the sources you’ve read. Based on your reading and notes, you can look for:
- Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results): do certain approaches become more or less popular over time?
- Themes: what questions or concepts recur across the literature?
- Debates, conflicts and contradictions: where do sources disagree?
- Pivotal publications: are there any influential theories or studies that changed the direction of the field?
- Gaps: what is missing from the literature? Are there weaknesses that need to be addressed?
This step will help you work out the structure of your literature review and (if applicable) show how your own research will contribute to existing knowledge.
- Most research has focused on young women.
- There is an increasing interest in the visual aspects of social media.
- But there is still a lack of robust research on highly visual platforms like Instagram and Snapchat—this is a gap that you could address in your own research.
There are various approaches to organizing the body of a literature review. 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).
Chronological
The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time. However, if you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order.
Try to analyze patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred.
If you have found some recurring central themes, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic.
For example, if you are reviewing literature about inequalities in migrant health outcomes, key themes might include healthcare policy, language barriers, cultural attitudes, legal status, and economic access.
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. 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 . You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts.
You might argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach, or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.
Like any other academic text , your literature review should have an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion . What you include in each depends on the objective of your literature review.
The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose of the literature review.
Depending on the length of your literature review, you might want to divide the body into subsections. You can use a subheading for each theme, time period, or methodological approach.
As you write, you can follow these tips:
- Summarize and synthesize: give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole
- Analyze and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other researchers — add your own interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole
- Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources
- Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transition words and topic sentences to draw connections, comparisons and contrasts
In the conclusion, you should summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance.
When you’ve finished writing and revising your literature review, don’t forget to proofread thoroughly before submitting. Not a language expert? Check out Scribbr’s professional proofreading services !
This article has been adapted into lecture slides that you can use to teach your students about writing a literature review.
Scribbr slides are free to use, customize, and distribute for educational purposes.
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A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources (such as books, journal articles, and theses) related to a specific topic or research question .
It is often written as part of a thesis, dissertation , or research paper , in order to situate your work in relation to existing knowledge.
There are several reasons to conduct a literature review at the beginning of a research project:
- To familiarize yourself with the current state of knowledge on your topic
- To ensure that you’re not just repeating what others have already done
- To identify gaps in knowledge and unresolved problems that your research can address
- To develop your theoretical framework and methodology
- To provide an overview of the key findings and debates on the topic
Writing the literature review shows your reader how your work relates to existing research and what new insights it will contribute.
The literature review usually comes near the beginning of your thesis or dissertation . After the introduction , it grounds your research in a scholarly field and leads directly to your theoretical framework or methodology .
A literature review is a survey of credible sources on a topic, often used in dissertations , theses, and research papers . Literature reviews give an overview of knowledge on a subject, helping you identify relevant theories and methods, as well as gaps in existing research. Literature reviews are set up similarly to other academic texts , with an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion .
An annotated bibliography is a list of source references that has a short description (called an annotation ) for each of the sources. It is often assigned as part of the research process for a paper .
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Learn how to write a review of literature
What is a review of literature.
The format of a review of literature may vary from discipline to discipline and from assignment to assignment.
A review may be a self-contained unit — an end in itself — or a preface to and rationale for engaging in primary research. A review is a required part of grant and research proposals and often a chapter in theses and dissertations.
Generally, the purpose of a review is to analyze critically a segment of a published body of knowledge through summary, classification, and comparison of prior research studies, reviews of literature, and theoretical articles.
Writing the introduction
In the introduction, you should:
Define or identify the general topic, issue, or area of concern, thus providing an appropriate context for reviewing the literature.
Point out overall trends in what has been published about the topic; or conflicts in theory, methodology, evidence, and conclusions; or gaps in research and scholarship; or a single problem or new perspective of immediate interest.
Establish the writer’s reason (point of view) for reviewing the literature; explain the criteria to be used in analyzing and comparing literature and the organization of the review (sequence); and, when necessary, state why certain literature is or is not included (scope).
Writing the body
In the body, you should:
Group research studies and other types of literature (reviews, theoretical articles, case studies, etc.) according to common denominators such as qualitative versus quantitative approaches, conclusions of authors, specific purpose or objective, chronology, etc.
Summarize individual studies or articles with as much or as little detail as each merits according to its comparative importance in the literature, remembering that space (length) denotes significance.
Provide the reader with strong “umbrella” sentences at beginnings of paragraphs, “signposts” throughout, and brief “so what” summary sentences at intermediate points in the review to aid in understanding comparisons and analyses.
Writing the conclusion
In the conclusion, you should:
Summarize major contributions of significant studies and articles to the body of knowledge under review, maintaining the focus established in the introduction.
Evaluate the current “state of the art” for the body of knowledge reviewed, pointing out major methodological flaws or gaps in research, inconsistencies in theory and findings, and areas or issues pertinent to future study.
Conclude by providing some insight into the relationship between the central topic of the literature review and a larger area of study such as a discipline, a scientific endeavor, or a profession.
For further information see our handouts on Writing a Critical Review of a Nonfiction Book or Article or Reading a Book to Review It .
To learn more about literature reviews, take a look at our workshop on Writing Literature Reviews of Published Research.
Sample Literature Reviews
An important strategy for learning how to compose literature reviews in your field or within a specific genre is to locate and analyze representative examples. The following collection of annotated sample literature reviews written and co-written by colleagues associated with UW-Madison showcases how these reviews can do different kind of work for different purposes. Use these successful examples as a starting point for understanding how other writers have approached the challenging and important task of situating their idea in the context of established research.
- Sample 1 (PDF) A brief literature review within a political scientists’ National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship grant
- Sample 2 (PDF) A several-page literature review at the beginning of a published, academic article about philosophy
- Sample 3 (PDF) A brief literature review at the beginning of a published, academic article about photochemistry
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Literature Review
- What is a literature review?
- What is its purpose?
- 1. Selecting your topic
- 2. Setting the topic in context
- 3. Looking at information sources
- 4. Using information sources
- 5. Getting the information
- 6. Organizing information (information management)
- 7. Positioning the literature review
- 8. Writing the literature review
About this guide
This research guide was developed for students at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.
If you are a student from another school, you are welcome to peruse the guide, using the links above, but please know that our librarians can only provide general help to non-BU students. Contact the librarians at your own institution for help in using the resources available to you.
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A literature review is a comprehensive summary of previous research on a topic. The literature review surveys scholarly articles, books, and other sources relevant to a particular area of research. The review should enumerate, describe, summarize, objectively evaluate and clarify this previous research. It should give a theoretical base for the research and help you (the author) determine the nature of your research. The literature review acknowledges the work of previous researchers, and in so doing, assures the reader that your work has been well conceived. It is assumed that by mentioning a previous work in the field of study, that the author has read, evaluated, and assimiliated that work into the work at hand.
A literature review creates a "landscape" for the reader, giving her or him a full understanding of the developments in the field. 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.
"In writing the literature review, the purpose is to convey to the reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. The literature review must be defined by a guiding concept (eg. your research objective, the problem or issue you are discussing, or your argumentative thesis). It is not just a descriptive list of the material available, or a set of summaries.( http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific-types-of-writing/literature-review )
Recommended Reading
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Kate Houston and Libbie Blanchard of CQ University Libraries, (Queensland, Australia) whose LibGuide on the Literature Review served as a framework for this guide.
Designed and updated by Michael Coffta
- Next: What is its purpose? >>
- Last Updated: Feb 24, 2023 1:50 PM
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Literature review, what is not a literature review, purpose of the literature review, types of literature review.
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- What is a Literature Review?
- Summarizes and analyzes previous research relevant to a topic
- Includes scholarly books and articles published in academic journals
- Can be an specific scholarly paper or a section in a research paper
- Help gather ideas or information
- Keep up to date in current trends and findings
- Help develop new questions
A literature review is important because it:
- Explains the background of research on a topic.
- Demonstrates why a topic is significant to a subject area.
- Helps focus your own research questions or problems
- Discovers relationships between research studies/ideas.
- Suggests unexplored ideas or populations
- Identifies major themes, concepts, and researchers on a topic.
- Tests assumptions; may help counter preconceived ideas and remove unconscious bias.
- Identifies critical gaps, points of disagreement, or potentially flawed methodology or theoretical approaches.
- Indicates potential directions for future research.
Keep in mind the following, a literature review is NOT:
Not an essay
Not an annotated bibliography in which you summarize each article you reviewed. A literature review goes beyond basic summarizing to critically analyze the reviewed works and their relationship to your research question.
Not a research paper where you select resources to support one side of an issue versus another. A lit review should explain and consider all sides of an argument to avoid bias, and areas of agreement and disagreement should be highlighted.
A literature review serves several purposes. For example, it
- provides thorough knowledge of previous studies; introduces seminal works.
- helps focus one’s own research topic.
- identifies a conceptual framework for one’s own research questions or problems; indicates potential directions for future research.
- suggests previously unused or underused methodologies, designs, and quantitative and qualitative strategies.
- identifies gaps in previous studies; identifies flawed methodologies and/or theoretical approaches; avoids replication of mistakes.
- helps the researcher avoid the repetition of earlier research.
- suggests unexplored populations.
- determines whether past studies agree or disagree; identifies controversy in the literature.
- tests assumptions may help counter preconceived ideas and remove unconscious bias.
As Kennedy (2007) notes*, it is important to think of knowledge in a given field as consisting of three layers. First, there are the primary studies that researchers conduct and publish. Second are the reviews of those studies that summarize and offer new interpretations built from and often extending beyond the original studies. Third, there are the perceptions, conclusions, opinion, and interpretations that are shared informally that become part of the lore of field. In composing a literature review, it is important to note that it is often this third layer of knowledge that is cited as "true" even though it often has only a loose relationship to the primary studies and secondary literature reviews.
Given this, while literature reviews are designed to provide an overview and synthesis of pertinent sources you have explored, there are several approaches to how they can be done, depending upon the type of analysis underpinning your study. Listed below are definitions of types of literature reviews:
Argumentative Review This form examines literature selectively in order to support or refute an argument, deeply imbedded assumption, or philosophical problem already established in the literature. The purpose is to develop a body of literature that establishes a contrarian viewpoint. Given the value-laden nature of some social science research [e.g., educational reform; immigration control], argumentative approaches to analyzing the literature can be a legitimate and important form of discourse. However, note that they can also introduce problems of bias when they are used to to make summary claims of the sort found in systematic reviews.
Integrative Review Considered a form of research that reviews, critiques, and synthesizes representative literature on a topic in an integrated way such that new frameworks and perspectives on the topic are generated. The body of literature includes all studies that address related or identical hypotheses. A well-done integrative review meets the same standards as primary research in regard to clarity, rigor, and replication.
Historical Review Few things rest in isolation from historical precedent. Historical reviews are focused on examining research throughout a period of time, often starting with the first time an issue, concept, theory, phenomena emerged in the literature, then tracing its evolution within the scholarship of a discipline. The purpose is to place research in a historical context to show familiarity with state-of-the-art developments and to identify the likely directions for future research.
Methodological Review A review does not always focus on what someone said [content], but how they said it [method of analysis]. This approach provides a framework of understanding at different levels (i.e. those of theory, substantive fields, research approaches and data collection and analysis techniques), enables researchers to draw on a wide variety of knowledge ranging from the conceptual level to practical documents for use in fieldwork in the areas of ontological and epistemological consideration, quantitative and qualitative integration, sampling, interviewing, data collection and data analysis, and helps highlight many ethical issues which we should be aware of and consider as we go through our study.
Systematic Review This form consists of an overview of existing evidence pertinent to a clearly formulated research question, which uses pre-specified and standardized methods to identify and critically appraise relevant research, and to collect, report, and analyse data from the studies that are included in the review. Typically it focuses on a very specific empirical question, often posed in a cause-and-effect form, such as "To what extent does A contribute to B?"
Theoretical Review The purpose of this form is to concretely examine the corpus of theory that has accumulated in regard to an issue, concept, theory, phenomena. The theoretical literature review help establish what theories already exist, the relationships between them, to what degree the existing theories have been investigated, and to develop new hypotheses to be tested. Often this form is used to help establish a lack of appropriate theories or reveal that current theories are inadequate for explaining new or emerging research problems. The unit of analysis can focus on a theoretical concept or a whole theory or framework.
* Kennedy, Mary M. "Defining a Literature." Educational Researcher 36 (April 2007): 139-147.
All content in this section is from The Literature Review created by Dr. Robert Larabee USC
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- Last Updated: Dec 22, 2022 1:47 PM
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Do you want to know how a book was received by scholars? Are you trying to determine the quality of a particular book? Or, are you just interested in knowing if a book is worth reading? Book reviews are a great place to start. This guide provides guidance on finding two types of book reviews, those for a general audience and those for a scholarly audience.
Reviews for a General Audience
Literature and popular works (memoirs, travel writing, manuals, etc.) are often reviewed by journalists or fellow authors upon publication in newspapers or magazines. Use the following databases to find reviews in these publications.
- Book Review Index This link opens in a new window » more less... A comprehensive online guide to book reviews with over five million review citations from thousands of publications.
- Book Review Digest Plus This link opens in a new window » more less... Book Review Digest is a reference database that provides review excerpts and book summaries for current English-language fiction and non-fiction books. Limit of 1 simultaneous user.
- Book Review Digest Retrospective This link opens in a new window 1903-1982 » more less... Indexes and abstracts reviews of English language adult and juvenile fiction and non-fiction titles. Reviews are selected from journals in the humanities, sciences, social sciences and library review media.
Other Sources for Book Reviews
Many reviews are published in newspapers and magazines. Use the guides below to find the best databases to search for reviews in these publications.
- How do I find magazines? by Ask a Librarian Updated Oct 14, 2022 110 views this year
- How do I find newspapers? by Ask a Librarian Updated Feb 9, 2023 1444 views this year
Reviews for a Scholarly Audience
Scholarly books are reviewed in academic or peer-reviewed journals and are written by academics. As these reviews place the work in the context of current scholarship, they can take several years to appear after the book was published.
Starting Points
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window Recommended Starting Point . Use Advanced Search and limit to "Reviews". You can also limit by discipline. » more less... A database of back issues of core journals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. All issues of each journal are included in full-text except for the most recent 2-to-5 years.
- IBR: International Bibliography of Book Reviews This link opens in a new window » more less... Multilingual and interdisciplinary index to book reviews, chiefly in the arts, humanities and social sciences.
- Web of Science This link opens in a new window Conduct your search for book or author, and then limit to "Book Reviews". » more less... Authoritative, multidisciplinary content covers over 10,000 of the highest impact journals worldwide, including Open Access journals and over 110,000 conference proceedings. You'll find current and retrospective coverage in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities, with coverage available to 1900. Includes the Science Citation Expanded, Social Sciences Citation Index, and Arts & Humanities Citation Index. Web of Science is especially useful for its citation linking.
- Periodicals Index Online This link opens in a new window » more less... Part of Nineteenth Century Index. Indexes the contents of thousands of periodicals in the humanities and social sciences from 1665 to 1995, including many European titles. Includes links to some full-text articles. Dates of full-text coverage vary by title.
- Humanities & Social Sciences Index Retrospective This link opens in a new window » more less... Database corresponds to International Index, 1907 - March 1965; Social Sciences & Humanities Index, April 1965 March 1974; Humanities Index, April 1974 March 1984; and Social Sciences Index, April 1974 March 1983
Other Databases for Book Reviews
We strongly recommend searching the article database or index that covers the academic literature in a specific field for reviews. Use the Advanced Search option and limit to "Book Reviews" or "Reviews". Find the best database for book reviews in your field by using our subject guides.
- Library Subject Guides
Book Review Indexes in Print
Below are a few print sources for finding book reviews.
- Combined Retrospective Index to Book Reviews in Humanities Journals, 1802-1974 » more less... 10 vols. Ed by Evan Ira Farber. Woodbridge: Research Publications, 1982-1984. Covers 150 literature, philosophy, classics, folklore, linguistics & music journals, from England and the US Organized by primary authors or editors and then by book titles.
- Literary and Historical index to American Magazines, 1800-1850 » more less... Ed by Daniel A. Wells & Jonathan Daniel Wells. Westport: Praeger, 2004.
Ask a Librarian
Publications with Book Reviews
- London Review of Books Library has on microfilm 1979 - present.
- New York Review of Books This link opens in a new window » more less... New York Review of Books reviews contemporary books in all subject areas.
- New Yorker Library has in print 1925 - present.
- Publishers Weekly Library has in print and microfilm 1873 - present. Recent issues available online via Find It!
- TLS: Times Literary Supplement Historical Archive This link opens in a new window » more less... Covers 1902-2006. This easy-to-navigate, fully-searchable resource is a witness to the cultural revolutions of the last 100 years and offers unparalleled opportunities for tracking the views of influential opinion-makers, the response of their peers, the controversies of the day and how they developed. --Publisher's website
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Book Review: The Book of Bihari Literature by Abhay K.
A book that explains the rich literary heritage of Bihar
Book Title: The Book of Bihari Literature Author: Abhay K. Publisher: HarperCollins India
Book Review The book, published by HarperCollins India, features a vivid mix of writings-poems, essays, and stories-penned by some of the finest poets, thinkers, and authors from millennia who were born or lived in what is now Bihar. Angika, Bajjika, Bhojpuri, English, Farsi, Hindi, Magahi, Maithili, Pali, Sanskrit, and Urdu are the languages included in ‘The Book of Bihari Literature,’ compiled and edited by poet-diplomat Abhay K.
Going back into history, Bihar has a rich and diverse literary tradition that spans centuries. Some of the most prominent figures in Indian literature, such as Vidyapati and Guru Gobind Singh hailed from Bihar. Bihar has also given birth to several well-known authors and poets who have made significant contributions to literature. Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, a notable Hindi poet and essayist; Phanishwar Nath, an influential Hindi novelist, and journalist; Bhikhari Thakur, and others are among them.
This collection makes the abundance of Bihari literature available to English-speaking readers and works in forgotten languages by ancient philosophers and prominent modern authors. With the comfortable font size and accessible translation, this book by Abhay K stands out in the translated works published recently.
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A must-read for all the enthusiasts who want to explore Bihar Literature.
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How to Write a Literature Review
As every student knows, writing informative essay and research papers is an integral part of the educational program. You create a thesis, support it using valid sources, and formulate systematic ideas surrounding it. However, not all students know that they will also have to face another type of paper known as a Literature Review in college. Let's take a closer look at this with our custom essay writer .
Literature Review Definition
As this is a less common academic writing type, students often ask: "What is a literature review?" According to the definition, a literature review is a body of work that explores various publications within a specific subject area and sometimes within a set timeframe.
This type of writing requires you to read and analyze various sources that relate to the main subject and present each unique comprehension of the publications. Lastly, a literature review should combine a summary with a synthesis of the documents used. A summary is a brief overview of the important information in the publication; a synthesis is a re-organization of the information that gives the writing a new and unique meaning.
Typically, a literature review is a part of a larger paper, such as a thesis or dissertation. However, you may also be given it as a stand-alone assignment.
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The Purpose
The main purpose of a literature review is to summarize and synthesize the ideas created by previous authors without implementing personal opinions or other additional information.
However, a literature review objective is not just to list summaries of sources; rather, it is to notice a central trend or principle in all of the publications. Just like a research paper has a thesis that guides it on rails, a literature review has the main organizing principle (MOP). The goal of this type of academic writing is to identify the MOP and show how it exists in all of your supporting documents.
Why is a literature review important? The value of such work is explained by the following goals it pursues:
- Highlights the significance of the main topic within a specific subject area.
- Demonstrates and explains the background of research for a particular subject matter.
- Helps to find out the key themes, principles, concepts, and researchers that exist within a topic.
- Helps to reveal relationships between existing ideas/studies on a topic.
- Reveals the main points of controversy and gaps within a topic.
- Suggests questions to drive primary research based on previous studies.
Here are some example topics for writing literature reviews:
- Exploring racism in "To Kill a Mockingbird," "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," and "Uncle Tom's Cabin."
- Isolationism in "The Catcher in the Rye," "Frankenstein," and "1984"
- Understanding Moral Dilemmas in "Crime and Punishment," "The Scarlet Letter," and "The Lifeboat"
- Corruption of Power in "Macbeth," "All the King's Men," and "Animal Farm"
- Emotional and Physical survival in "Lord of the Flies," "Hatchet," and "Congo."
How Long Is a Literature Review?
When facing the need to write a literature review, students tend to wonder, "how long should a literature review be?" In some cases, the length of your paper's body may be determined by your instructor. Be sure to read the guidelines carefully to learn what is expected from you.
Keeping your literature review around 15-30% of your entire paper is recommended if you haven't been provided with specific guidelines. To give you a rough idea, that is about 2-3 pages for a 15-page paper. In case you are writing a literature review as a stand-alone assignment, its length should be specified in the instructions provided.
Literature Review Format: APA, MLA, and Chicago
The essay format you use should adhere to the citation style preferred by your instructor. Seek clarification from your instructor for several other components as well to establish a desired literature review format:
- How many sources should you review, and what kind of sources should they be (published materials, journal articles, or websites)?
- What format should you use to cite the sources?
- How long should the review be?
- Should your review consist of a summary, synthesis, or a personal critique?
- Should your review include subheadings or background information for your sources?
If you want to format your paper in APA style, then follow these rules:
- Use 1-inch page margins.
- Unless provided with other instructions, use double-spacing throughout the whole text.
- Make sure you choose a readable font. The preferred font for APA papers is Times New Roman set to 12-point size.
- Include a header at the top of every page (in capital letters). The page header must be a shortened version of your essay title and limited to 50 characters, including spacing and punctuation.
- Put page numbers in the upper right corner of every page.
- When shaping your literature review outline in APA, don't forget to include a title page. This page should include the paper's name, the author's name, and the institutional affiliation. Your title must be typed with upper and lowercase letters and centered in the upper part of the page; use no more than 12 words, and avoid using abbreviations and useless words.
For MLA style text, apply the following guidelines:
- Double your spacing across the entire paper.
- Set ½-inch indents for each new paragraph.
- The preferred font for MLA papers is Times New Roman set to 12-point size.
- Include a header at the top of your paper's first page or on the title page (note that MLA style does not require you to have a title page, but you are allowed to decide to include one). A header in this format should include your full name; the name of your instructor; the name of the class, course, or section number; and the due date of the assignment.
- Include a running head in the top right corner of each page in your paper. Place it one inch from the page's right margin and half an inch from the top margin. Only include your last name and the page number separated by a space in the running head. Do not put the abbreviation p. before page numbers.
Finally, if you are required to write a literature review in Chicago style, here are the key rules to follow:
- Set page margins to no less than 1 inch.
- Use double spacing across the entire text, except when it comes to table titles, figure captions, notes, blockquotes, and entries within the bibliography or References.
- Do not put spaces between paragraphs.
- Make sure you choose a clear and easily-readable font. The preferred fonts for Chicago papers are Times New Roman and Courier, set to no less than 10-point size, but preferably to 12-point size.
- A cover (title) page should include your full name, class information, and the date. Center the cover page and place it one-third below the top of the page.
- Place page numbers in the upper right corner of each page, including the cover page.
Read also about harvard format - popular style used in papers.
Structure of a Literature Review
How to structure a literature review: Like many other types of academic writing, a literature review follows a typical intro-body-conclusion style with 5 paragraphs overall. Now, let’s look at each component of the basic literature review structure in detail:
- Introduction
You should direct your reader(s) towards the MOP (main organizing principle). This means that your information must start from a broad perspective and gradually narrow down until it reaches your focal point.
Start by presenting your general concept (Corruption, for example). After the initial presentation, narrow your introduction's focus towards the MOP by mentioning the criteria you used to select the literature sources you have chosen (Macbeth, All the King's Men, and Animal Farm). Finally, the introduction will end with the presentation of your MOP that should directly link it to all three literature sources.
Body Paragraphs
Generally, each body paragraph will focus on a specific source of literature laid out in the essay's introduction. As each source has its own frame of reference for the MOP, it is crucial to structure the review in the most logically consistent way possible. This means the writing should be structured chronologically, thematically or methodologically.
Chronologically
Breaking down your sources based on their publication date is a solid way to keep a correct historical timeline. If applied properly, it can present the development of a certain concept over time and provide examples in the form of literature. However, sometimes there are better alternatives we can use to structure the body.
Thematically
Instead of taking the "timeline approach," another option can be looking at the link between your MOP and your sources. Sometimes, the main idea will just glare from a piece of literature. Other times, the author may have to seek examples to prove their point. An experienced writer will usually present their sources by order of strength. For example, in "To Kill A Mockingbird," the entire novel was centralized around racism; in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," racism was one of many themes.
Methodologically
As made obvious by the terminology, this type of structuring focuses on the methods used to present the central concept. For example, in "1984", George Orwell uses the law-and-order approach and shows the dangers of a dystopia for a social species.
In "Frankenstein," Mary Shelley exposes the character's physical traits as repulsive and horrifying, forcing him to suffer in an isolated environment. By showcasing the various methods used to portray the MOP, the writer can compare them based on things like severity, ethicality, and overall impact.
After presenting your key findings in the body paragraphs, there are 3 final objectives to complete in the essay's conclusion. First, the author should summarize the findings they have made or found, in other words, and briefly answer the question: "What have you learned?"
After discussing that information, the next step is to present the significance of the information about our current world today. In other words, how can the reader take the information and apply it to today's society? From that point, we finish off with a breadcrumb trail.
As the author, you want to leave the readers' trail of thought within the actual essay topic. This provides them with a means of further investigation—meaning that the reader may consider where the discussion will go next.
Writing an Outline for a Literature Review
Students often underestimate the importance of planning the structure of their papers in advance. However, this is not a wise approach. Having a rough APA literature review outline (or other style outlines) will not only help you follow the right format and structure but will also make the writing process simpler and help ensure that you include all of the important information without missing anything.
How to write a literature review outline: As you already know from the Structure section of this guide, every part of your literature review performs its own important role. Therefore, you should create your outline while keeping the general introduction-body-conclusion structure in mind and ensuring that each section meets its own objectives. However, it is important to remember that a literature review outline is slightly different from outlines of other types of essays because it does not provide new information. Instead, it focuses on existing studies relevant to the main topic.
Here is a literature review outline example on the subject of the Ebola virus to help you get it right:
- Introduce the general topic. Provide background information on the Ebola virus: genome, pathogenesis, transmission, epidemiology, treatment, etc.
- Shape the main research question: What is the potential role of arthropods (mechanical or biological vectors) in the distribution of the Ebola virus?
- Methodology: For example, the information was searched through X databases to find relevant research articles about the Ebola virus and arthropods' role in its spreading. The data was extracted using a standardized form.
- Expected outcomes
- Overall trends in the literature on this topic: While the natural reservoir of the virus is still not known with certainty, many researchers believe that arthropods (and fruit bats, in particular) pay a significant role in the distribution of the virus.
- Subject 1: A brief overview of the particular piece of literature in general terms; an analysis of the key aspects of the study; a review of the research questions, methods, procedures, and outcomes; and an overview of the strong and weak points, gaps, and contradictions.
- Subject 2: A brief overview of the particular piece of literature in general terms; an analysis of the key aspects of the study; a review of the research questions, methods, procedures, and outcomes; and an overview of the strong and weak points, gaps, and contradictions.
- Subject 3: A brief overview of the particular piece of literature in general terms; an analysis of the key aspects of the study; a review of the research questions, methods, procedures, and outcomes; and an overview of the strong and weak points, gaps, and contradictions.
- Indicate the relationships between the pieces of literature discussed. Emphasize key themes, common patterns, and trends. Talk about the pros and cons of the different approaches taken by the authors/researchers.
- State which studies seem to be the most influential.
- Emphasize the major contradictions and points of disagreement. Define the gaps still to be covered (if any).
- If applicable: define how your own study will contribute to further disclosure of the topic.
Hopefully, this sample outline will help you to structure your own paper. However, if you feel like you need some more advice on how to organize your review, don’t hesitate to search for more literature review outline examples in APA or other styles on the Web, or simply ask our writers to get a dissertation help .
How to Write a Good Literature Review
Whether you are writing a literature review within the framework of a large research project (e.g. thesis, dissertation, or other) or as a stand-alone assignment, the approach you should take to writing generally remains the same.
Whether you are writing a literature review within the framework of a large research project (e.g., thesis, dissertation, or other) or as a stand-alone assignment, the approach you should take to writing generally remains the same.
Now, as you know about the general rules and have a basic literature review outline template, let's define the steps to take to handle this task right with our service:
Step 1: Identifying the Topic
This is probably the only matter you may approach differently depending on whether your literature review comes within a research paper or a separate assignment altogether. If you are creating a literature review as a part of another work, you need to search for literature related to your main research questions and problems. Respectively, if you are writing it as a stand-alone task, you will have to pick a relevant topic and central question upon which you will collect the literature. Earlier in this guide, we suggested some engaging topics to guide your search.
Step 2: Conducting Research
When you have a clearly defined topic, it is time to start collecting literature for your review. We recommend starting by compiling a list of relevant keywords related to your central question—to make the entire research process much simpler and help you find relevant publications faster.
When you have a list of keywords, use them to search for valid and relevant sources. At this point, be sure to use only trusted sources, such as ones from university libraries, online scientific databases, etc.
Once you have found some sources, be sure to define whether or not they are actually relevant to your topic and research question. To save time, you can read abstracts to get general ideas of what the papers are about instead of the whole thing.
Pro Tip: When you finally find a few valid publications, take a look at their bibliographies to discover other relevant sources as well.
Step 3: Assess and Prioritize Sources
Throughout your research, you will likely find plenty of relevant literature to include in your literature review. At this point, students often make the mistake of trying to fit all the collected sources into their reviews. Instead, we suggest looking at what you've collected once more, evaluating the available sources, and selecting the most relevant ones. You most likely won't be able to read everything you find on a given topic and then be able to synthesize all of the sources into a single literature review. That's why prioritizing them is important.
To evaluate which sources are worth including in your review, keep in mind the following criteria:
- Credibility;
- Innovation;
- Key insights;
Furthermore, as you read the sources, don’t forget to take notes on everything you can incorporate into the review later. And be sure to get your citations in place early on. If you cite the selected sources at the initial stage, you will find it easier to create your annotated bibliography later on.
Step 4: Identify Relationships, Key Ideas, and Gaps
Before you can move on to outlining and writing your literature review, the final step is determining the relationships between the studies that already exist. Identifying the relationships will help you organize the existing knowledge, build a solid literature outline, and (if necessary) indicate your own research contribution to a specific field.
Some of the key points to keep an eye out for are:
- Main themes;
- Contradictions and debates;
- Influential studies or theories;
- Trends and patterns;
Here are a few examples: Common trends may include a focus on specific groups of people across different studies. Most researchers may have increased interest in certain aspects of the topic regarding key themes. Contradictions may include some disagreement concerning the theories and outcomes of a study. And finally, gaps most often refer to a lack of research on certain aspects of a topic.
Step 5: Make an Outline
Although students tend to neglect this stage, outlining is one of the most important steps in writing every academic paper. This is the easiest way to organize the body of your text and ensure that you haven't missed anything important. Besides, having a rough idea of what you will write about in the paper will help you get it right faster and more easily. Earlier in this guide, we already discussed the basic structure of a literature review and gave you an example of a good outline. At this workflow stage, you can use all of the knowledge you've gained from us to build your own outline.
Step 6: Move on to Writing
Having found and created all of your sources, notes, citations, and a detailed outline, you can finally get to the writing part of the process. At this stage, all you need to do is follow the plan you've created and keep in mind the overall structure and format defined in your professor's instructions.
Step 7: Adding the Final Touches
Most students make a common mistake and skip the final stage of the process, which includes proofreading and editing. We recommend taking enough time for these steps to ensure that your work will be worth the highest score. Do not underestimate the importance of proofreading and editing, and allocate enough time for these steps.
Pro Tip: Before moving on to proofreading and editing, be sure to set your literature review aside for a day or two. This will give you a chance to take your mind off it and then get back to proofreading with a fresh perspective. This tip will ensure that you won't miss out on any gaps or errors that might be present in your text.
These steps will help you create a top-notch literature review with ease! Want to get more advice on how to handle this body of work? Here are the top 3 tips you need to keep in mind when writing a literature review:
1. Good Sources
When working on a literature review, the most important thing any writer should remember is to find the best possible sources for their MOP. This means that you should select and filter through about 5-10 different options while doing initial research.
The stronger a piece of literature showcases the central point, the better the quality of the entire review.
2. Synthesize The Literature
Make sure to structure the review in the most effective way possible, whether it be chronologically, thematically, or methodologically. Understand what exactly you would like to say, and structure the source comparison accordingly.
3. Avoid Generalizations
Remember that each piece of literature will approach the MOP from a different angle. As the author, make sure to present the contrasts in approaches clearly and don't include general statements that offer no value.
Literature Review Examples
You can find two well-written literature reviews by the EssayPro writing team below. They will help you understand what the final product of a literature review should ideally look like.
The first literature review compares monolingual and bilingual language acquisition skills and uses various sources to prove its point:
The second literature review compares the impact of fear and pain on a protagonist’s overall development in various settings:
Both reviews will help you sharpen your skills and provide good guidelines for writing high-quality papers.
Get Help from an Essay Writer
Still aren’t sure whether you can handle literature review writing on your own? No worries because you can pay for essay writing and our service has got you covered! By choosing EssayPro, you will acquire a reliable friend who can help you handle any kind of literature review or other academic assignments of any level and topic. All you need to do to get help from the best academic writers now and boost your grades is to place an order in a few quick clicks and we will satisfy your write my paper request.
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How-to books may help to get you started but there is no perfect process for writing your dissertation. Consider reading this article:
Kamler, B. & Thomson, P. (2008). The failure of dissertation advice books: Toward alternative pedagogies for doctoral writing . Educational Researcher (8), 507. doi: 10.3102/0013189X08327390
Types of Literature Reviews
Strategies for getting started, composition guidelines, how to locate reviews by discipline.
We also provide the following:
Types of Literature Reviews [Refresher]
The previous page provided an introduction to literature reviews and guidelines for determining the scope and purpose of your review. Next, we take a look at the different types of literature reviews and why a researcher might select one type over another.
A literature review helps your reader understand the relationship of your research to the scholarly work of others. Not all humanities research projects contain literature reviews, but many do. Keep in mind that the type of literature review you choose (see list below) pertains to the secondary research – other scholarly sources – and not to the primary literary work. For instance, an argumentative literature review presents and takes sides in scholarly arguments about the literary work. It makes arguments about other scholars’ work. It does not necessarily involve a claim that the literary work is itself making an argument. Likewise, a chronological literature review presents the secondary literature in chronological order.
If your research involves two or more subject areas, such as psychology and genre studies, you may need to create multiple literature reviews, one for each subject area. If the subject areas overlap with each other significantly (i.e., Marxism and Cultural Studies), you may combine them. Your literature review need not include everything about the subject area – you would need to write a book to cover a single theory – but only those concepts and methods that are most relevant to your research question.
Factors to Consider When Developing Your Literature Review
- Establish Criteria : We discussed the importance of defining the purpose and scope of your review on the previous page, but it’s worth reviewing here as well. This step will help you establish important criteria and focus your searching. For example, how many sources will you need? What types of sources (primary, secondary, statistics, media)? Is currency important? Do you know who the prominent authors or theorists are in your subject area? Take some time to map out these or other important factors before you begin searching journals and databases.
- Consider Your Audience : Unlike a work cited page or an annotated bibliography, both of which are lists of sources, a literature review is essayistic and can be considered a precursor to your final paper. therefore, it should be written in your own voice, and it should be geared toward a specific audience. Considering audience during this early stage will help focus your final paper as well.
- Find Models : We’ll discuss the different types of literature reviews and how to locate examples in the section below. However, even if you’re undecided about what type of review will work best for you, you may want to review some example literature reviews to get a sense of what they look like before you begin your own.
Maria J. Grant and Andrew Booth’s “A Typology of Reviews” identifies 14 distinct types of literature reviews. Further, the UCLA library created a chart to complement the article and for easy comparison of those 14 types of reviews. This section provides a brief summary of the most common literature reviews. For a more complete analysis, please see the full article and the chart .
To choose the most appropriate structure, put yourself in your reader’s shoes and think through their need for information. The literature review is about providing context for your contribution. How much context do people need? Keep it to the minimum necessary. These structures are not meant to be straightjackets but tools to help you organize your research. If you find that the tool is working, then keep using it. If not, switch tools or modify the one you are using. Keep in mind that the types of literature reviews are just different ways of organizing information. So, you can discuss literary trends without organizing your review of secondary literature by trend. It could be organized by theory or theme, for examples. In our literature reviews, we are not recounting other scholars’ arguments at length but merely providing key concepts so we can summarize the discussion so far and position our own claims.
Types of Reviews
- Traditional or narrative reviews : This approach will generate a comprehensive, critical analysis of the published research on your topic. However, rather than merely compiling as many sources as possible, use this approach to establish a theoretical framework for your paper, establish trends, and identify gaps in the research. This process should bring your research question into clearer focus and help define a thesis that you will argue for in your paper. This is perhaps the most common and general type of literature review. The examples listed below are all designed to serve a more specific purpose.
- Argumentative : The purpose of an argumentative literature review is to select sources for the purpose of supporting or refuting a specific claim. While this type of review can help the author make a strong case for or against an issue, they can also be prone to claims of bias.
- Chronological : A chronological review is used when the author wants to demonstrate the progression of how a theory, methodology, or issue has progressed over time. This method is most effective when there is a clear chronological path to the research about a specific historical event or trend as opposed to a more recursive theoretical concept.
- By trend : This is similar to the chronological approach except it focuses on clearly-defined trends rather than date ranges. This would be most appropriate if you want to illustrate changing perspectives or attitudes about a given issue when specific date ranges are less important than the ebb and flow of the trend.
- Thematic : In this type of literature review, the author will select specific themes that he or she feels are important to understanding a larger topic or concept. Then, the author will organize the sources around those themes, which are often based on relevance or importance. The value of this method is that the process of organizing the review by theme is similar to constructing an argument. This can help the author see how resources connect to each other and determine how as well as why specific sources support their thesis.
- Theoretical : The goal of this type of review is to examine how theory has shaped the research on a given topic. It establishes existing theoretical models, their connections, and how extensively they have been developed in the published research. For example, Jada applied critical race theory to her analysis of Sonny’s Blues , but she might also consider conducting a more comprehensive review of other theoretical frameworks such as feminism, Marxism, or postmodernism. Doing so could provide insight into alternate readings, and help her identify theoretical gaps such as unexplored or under-developed approaches to Baldwin’s work.
- Methodological : The approach focuses on the various methods used by researchers in a specific area rather than an analysis of their findings. In this case, you would create a framework of approaches to data collection related to your topic or research question. This is perhaps more common in education or the social and hard sciences where published research often includes a methods section, but it is sometimes appropriate for the digital humanities as well.
- Scoping : The aim of a scoping review is to provide a comprehensive overview or map of the published research or evidence related to a research question. This might be considered a prelude to a systematic review that would take the scoping review one step further toward answering a clearly defined research question. See below for more details.
- Systematic : The systematic review is most appropriate when you have a clearly-defined research question and have established criteria for the types of sources you need. In this way, the systematic review is less exploratory than other types of reviews. Rather, it is comprehensive, strategic, and focused on answering a specific research question. For this reason, the systematic review is more common in the health and social sciences, where comprehensiveness is more important than interpretation, than the humanities.
- Meta-analysis : Does your research deal with statistics or large amounts of data? If so, then a meta-analysis might be best for you. rather than providing a critical review, the meta-analysis will summarize and synthesize the results of numerous studies that involve statistics or data to provide a more comprehensive picture than would be possible from just one study.
You don’t need to keep strictly to one type. Scholars often combine features from various types of literature reviews.
When writing your literature review, please follow these pointers:
- Conduct systematic searches
- Use Evidence
- Be Selective
- Use Quotes Sparingly
- Summarize & Synthesize
- Use Caution when Paraphrasing
- Use Your Own Voice
Literature reviews can be published as part of a scholarly article, often after the introduction and sometimes with a header, but they can also be published as a standalone essay. To find examples of what reviews look like in your discipline, choose an appropriate subject database (such as MLA for literary criticism) and conduct a keyword search with the term “Literature Review” added in quotes:
Not only do these examples demonstrate how to structure different types of literature reviews, but some offer insights into trends and directions for future research. In the next section, we’ll take a closer look at some reading strategies to help guide you through this process.
- What types of literature review will you be using for your paper? Why did you make this selection over others? If you haven’t made a selection yet, which types are you considering?
- What specific challenges do you face in following a literature review structure?
- If there are any elements of your assignment that need clarification, please list them.
- What was the most important lesson you learned from this page? What point was confusing or difficult to understand?
Strategies for Conducting Literary Research, 2e by Barry Mauer & John Venecek is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.
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Book review: 'The Exceptions' an inspiring and infuriating story
"The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science" by Kate Zernike. Courtesy of Scribner
"The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science" by Kate Zernike (Scribner)
Kate Zernike had been covering higher education at The Boston Globe for about six months when she was tipped off to a major story: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was about to admit to years of gender discrimination against female faculty members.
The school's admission and the report detailing its pattern of discriminatory practices sent shock waves through higher education. Zernike -- now a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter at The New York Times -- goes deeper into the story more than two decades later with her new book "The Exceptions."
Zernike's book is an inspiring but often infuriating account of the ways that MIT had discriminated against some of the brightest scientists in their fields. It's also a cautionary tale of how easily workplace discrimination can take root, even among academics who consider themselves well-intentioned.
The book is centered around Nancy Hopkins, a molecular biologist who spearheaded the effort to force MIT to admit to its practices after experiencing years of discrimination herself.
Zernike's book deftly describes the way women in science had been marginalized and discriminated against over the years. Zernike makes Hopkins' work and accomplishments clearly accessible to most readers, which helps underscore the impact of the discrimination against such a skilled scientist.
Some of the most inspiring sections of the book are when Hopkins and other women faculty begin meeting and sharing their stories, which eventually leads to the study on the school's discrimination patterns.
The book is an important read for anyone who wants to better understand the dynamics of discrimination in any workplace. It also helps underscore the importance of efforts to encourage more women in STEM fields after years of unfair treatment by some of the country's most respected institutions.
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- 1. A JOURNEY THROUGH LITERATURE
- 2. INTRODUCTION ❖ The review of literature is a summary of all the reviews from various research literatures related to the current study carried out by a researcher. ❖ It helps to discover what is already known about the research problem and what more has to be done. ❖ According to Abdellah and Levine, the material gathered in literature review should be included as a part of the research data, since it influence the problem and research design it can be used to compare the results and findings for the current study.
- 3. DEFINITION ❖ A literature review is an assessment of a body of research that addresses a research question. ❖ An organized written presentation of what has been published on a topic by the scholars. (Burns and Grove, 2005) ❖ An Account of what has been published by accredited scholars and researchers. (Taylor, 2011)
- 4. Characteristics of a Good Quality Review of Literature ❖ A good review of literature must be comprehensive. ❖ It should include up-to-date references. ❖ It should be systemic. ❖ It should be reproducible. ❖ It should be free from bias. ❖ It should be well written. ❖ It should be in the form of sum of its parts. ❖ It should be clearly searched and selected. ❖ Accurate references should be given in the review.
- 5. Factors Affecting Review of Literature ❖Researcher’s Background An experienced researcher finds it easy to prepare a review of literature than a beginner. ❖Complexity of the research project It is easy to collect review of literature for simple and easy research projects than complex ones. ❖Availability of resources Availability of resources like computer, internet facility, online and offline journal subscription makes it easy to prepare a good review of literature.
- 6. Cont… ❖Study time frame To conduct a relevant review of literature sufficient time is needed. ❖Availability of support system If there are many research scholars involved in the research then a good review of literature can be gathered.
- 7. Purpose of Review of Literature ❖ It helps to identify what is already known about a research problem. ❖ It helps to build on previous knowledge. ❖ Many published research studies contain recommendation for future research, from which we can get idea for a new research study. ❖ It makes researcher know what research has already been done in a particular area so as to avoid duplication. ❖ It is necessary to narrow the problem to be studied. ❖ Identify questions a body of research does not answer
- 8. ❖ It helps researcher to get acquainted with the relevant theory, strategies, tools and instruments for conducting the research. ❖ It helps to understand the different ways of conducting the research study. ❖ It helps to identify comparative data so helps in interpretation and discussion of previous study. Cont…
- 9. Types of Review of Literature: •This type Critique and summarize literature to draw conclusion about a topic. Traditional or Narrative Review of Literature •This method uses more well defined approach, mainly used for making a complete list of all published and unpublished studies relating to a particular topic. Systemic Review of Literature • This type of review takes large quantitate findings and conducts a statistical analysis to integrate those findings enhance understanding. Meta Analysis • This is a non-statistical method used to integrate and evaluate and interpret the findings of multiple similar quantitative studies, to identify the common elements. Meta Synthesis
- 10. Sources of Review of Literature ❖Literature sources may be classified as primary source and secondary source PRIMARY SOURCE: ❖A primary Source is a literature resource of a study written by the original researcher. It is research publication written by the person or people who conducted the research. ❖Examples: Research Articles, Unpublished Thesis/Dissertation, Personal Diary, hand written records and reports, etc.
- 11. SECONDARY SOURCE: ❖These are second hand information prepared or written by someone other than the original author. ❖Examples: Newspaper, Book Chapters, Television, Radio, Magazine, Wikipedia, Journals, etc. TERTIARY SOURCE: ❖These are excellent sources that can provide general background information to help narrow or broaden the focus of a topic. Cont…
- 12. Primary Source Literature review mostly relies on primary sources, i.e. research reports, which are description of studies written by researchers who conducted them. A primary sources is written by a person who developed the theory or conducted the research, or is the description of an investigation written by the person who conducted it. For example, a nursing research article. A credible literature review reflects the use of mainly primary sources. Example of a primary source: An original qualitative on patient experiences in the ICU: Hupcey, J. E. (2000). Feeling safe the psychosocial needs of ICU patients. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 32:361-367.
- 13. Secondary Sources Secondary source research documents are description of studies prepared by someone other than the original researcher. They are written by people other than the individuals who developed the theory or conducted the research. The secondary sources may be used when primary sources are not available or if researchers want external opinions on an issue or problem or even the results of their own research. Example of a Secondary Source: A literature review on patient experiences in the ICU: Stein-Parbury, J. & Mckinley, S. (2000) patient experiences of being in an intensive care unit: a select literature review. American Journal of critical care, 9:20-27.
- 14. Resources of Literature Review
- 15. 1. Electronic Sources Computer-assisted literature search has revolutionized the review of literature. These searches, however, for a variety of reasons may not provide the desired references. Electronic literature search through web may be very useful, but sometimes it can be time consuming & unpredictable because there are many website & web pages that can lead to information overload & confusion. However, currently it is one of the most important sources of literature search.
- 16. Cont… General literature search can be conducted through search engines like Yahoo (www.yahoosearch.com), Google (www.google.com), MSN search, Lycos, WebCrawler, Alta Vista, or Excite. The most relevant nursing databases are as follows: CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature): Accessible at http://www.cinahl.com it citations of nursing literature published after 1988. Even full-text articles are available on CINAHL plus, a paid web page.
- 17. Cont… PubMed: PubMed can be used to search research abstracts, available at http://pubmed.com MEDLINE (Medical Literature Analysis & Retrieved System Online): It is another electronic source of literature review commonly used by nurses. The National Library of Medicine provides free access to MEDLINE through PubMed, available at www.pubmed.com or http://ncbi.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi. generally, abstracts of research articles are provided free of cost; some of the full-text copies are also freely available & some others are available for a free.
- 18. Cont… Cochrane Database of System Reviews: Health care-related literature can be searched from this source, available at http://www.cochrane.org. ERIC: The ERIC database is the largest source of education information. A free search may be carried out at http://www.eric.ed.gov.
- 19. Cont… Registry of Nursing Research: Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing makes this database available through its Virginia Henderson International Nursing Library. Access to this database has been redesigned & made easier for users to obtain evidence & scientific findings from more than 2,200 research article & conference abstracts. The research abstracts are searched via key words, author, & title of the research study. Free access to this database may be found at http://www.nursinglibrary.org
- 20. Cont… psycINFO: The psycINFO database belongs to American Psychological Association, & covers literature from psychological or related disciplines. It may be searched at http://www.psychinfo.com.
- 21. Cont… Online Journals: Following are the website addresses for journals & magazines that are available online: http://www.nursefriendly.com/ http://www.nsna.org http://www.healthweb.org http://www.ispub.com/ostia/index.php http://www.healthweb.org.browse.cfm?catergy=1727 http://www.juns.nursing.arizona.edu http://www.medbioworld.com http://www.nursingworld.org.ojin http://www.eaa-knowledge.com.ojni/# http://www.nursingweek.com
- 22. Cont… Other online databases: Many other online database can be searched for free by nurses from the following websites: http://www.aidsinfo.nih.gov (HIV/AIDS information) http://www.hazmap.nlm.nih.gov (information on hazardous agents) http://www.child.nih.gov (combined health information database) http://www.toxinet.nlm.nih.gov (toxicology database network) Cancer Lit (Cancer literature) EMBASE (exerpta Medica Database) ETOH (Alcohol & alcohol problems science database) Health STAR (Health services technology administration & research) Radix (Nursing managed care databse) CD-ROM (Compact disc-read only memory) with research
- 23. 2. Printed Sources Printed research summary may be located from published abstracts such as Nursing Research, Abstract, Psychological Abstracts, Dissertation Abstract International, Masters Abstract International, etc. References of the other printed sources may be located through indexes such as cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature, Nursing Studies Index, & Index Medicus. Following are the main printed sources that can be used to review the relevant literature: Journals: There are several National & International journals which can be used to review the researchrelated
- 24. Cont… Name of national nursing journals Nursing & Midwifery Research Journal Indian journal of Nursing Research & Midwifery The nursing Journal of India Nightingale Nursing Times International Journal of Nursing Education Indian Journal of Nursing Studies
- 25. Cont… Names of international journals Nursing Research Research in Nursing & Health Nursing Sciences Quarterly Western Journal of Nursing Research Applied Nursing Research Biological Research for Nursing Advances in Nursing Sciences Clinical Nursing Research Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing Journal of Qualitative Research American Journal of Nursing
- 26. Cont… Research reports Unpublished dissertations & theses Magazines & newspapers Conference papers & proceedings Encyclopedias & dictionaries Books
- 27. Steps of Literature Review
- 28. Stages of Literature Review Stage I – Annotated Bibliography At this stage, researchers read articles, books & other types of literature related to the topic of research & write a brief critical synopsis of each review. After going through the reading list, researchers will have an annotation of each source of related literature. Later, annotations are likely to include more references of other work since previous readings will be available to compare, but at this point the important goal is to get accurate
- 29. Stage II – Thematic Organization At this stage, researchers try to find common themes of research topic & organize the literature under these themes, subthemes, or categories. Here, researchers try to organize literature under themes, which relate to each other & are arranged in a chronological manner. Researchers try to establish coherence between themes & literature discussed under theses themes.
- 30. Stage III – More Reading Based on the knowledge gained through primary reading, researchers have a better understanding about the research topic & the literature related to it. At this stage, researchers try to discover specific literature materials relevant to the field of study or research methodologies which are more relevant for their research. They look for more literature by those authors, on those methodologies, etc. Also, the researchers may be able to set aside some less relevant areas or articles which they pursued initially. They integrate the new readings into their literature review draft, reorganize themes.
- 31. Stage IV – Write Individual Sections At this stage, researchers start writing the literature under each thematic section by using previously collected draft of annotations. Here they organize the related articles under each theme by ensuring that every article is related to each other. Furthermore, related articles may be grouped together by ensuring the coherence between different segments of the literature abstracts. For each thematic sections, draft annotations are used to write a section which discusses the articles relevant to that theme.
- 32. Stage V – Integrate Sections In this section, researchers have a list of the thematic sections & they tie them together with an introduction, conclusion, & some additions & revisions in the sections to show how they relate to each other & to the overall theme.
- 33. Content of the Review Introduction Body Conclusion
- 34. Writing the Introduction While writing the introduction, following steps should be taken care of: Define or identify the general topic, issue, or area of concern, thus, providing appropriate context for reviewing the literature. Point out overall trends in what has been published about the topic or conflicts in theory, methodology, evidence, & conclusion or gaps in research & scholarship, or a single problem or new perspective of immediate interest. Establish the writer’s point of view for reviewing the literature, explain the criteria to be used in analysing & comparing literature & organization or review (sequence).
- 35. Writing the Body Following measures need to be undertaken while writing the body of the literature. Group research studies & other types of literature (reviews, theoretical articles, case studies) according to common denominators such as qualitative versus quantitative approaches, conclusions of authors, specific purposes or objectives, chronology, & so on. Summarize individual studies or articles with as much as or as little detail as each merits according to its comparative importance in the literature, remembering that space denotes significance. Assist the reader with strong ‘umbrella' sentences at the beginning of paragraphs, signpost throughout, & brief summary sentences at intermediate points.
- 36. Writing the Conclusion The points to be taken care of in the conclusion are as follows: Summarize major contributions of significant studies & articles to the body of knowledge under review, maintaining the focus established in the introduction. Evaluate the current ‘state of the art’ for the body of knowledge reviewed, pointing out major methodological flaws or gaps in research, inconsistencies in theory, & finding & areas or issues pertinent to future study. Conclude by providing some insight into the relationship between central topic of the literature
- 37. Examples Example of a Bad Review: Sexual harassment has many consequences. Adams, Kottke, & Padgitt (1983) found that some women students said that they avoided taking a class or working with certain professors because of the risk of harassment. They also found that men & women students reacted differently. Their research was conducted through a survey of 1,000 men & women graduate & undergraduate students. Benson & Thomson’s study in social Problem (1982) lists many problems created by sexual harassment. In their excellent book, the Lecherous Professor, Dziech & Weiner (1990) give a long list of difficulties that victims have suffered.
- 38. Examples Example of a Good Review: The victims of sexual harassment suffer a range of consequences, from lowered self-esteem & loss of self-confidence to withdrawal from social interaction, changed career goals, & depression (Adams, Kottke, & Padgitt, 1983; Benson & Thomson, 1982; Dziech & Weiner, 1990). For example, Adams, Kottke, & Padgitt (1983) noted that 13% of women students said that they avoided taking a class or working with certain professors because of the risk of harassment.
- 39. Points To Be Considered Be specific & be succinct: Briefly state specific findings listed in an article, specific methodologies used in a study, or other important points. Literature reviews are not the place for long quotes or in-depth analysis of each point. Be selective: Researcher should narrow down a lot of information into a small space for literature review. Just the most important points (i.e. those most relevant to the review’s focus) must be mentioned in each work of review.
- 40. Points To Be Considered Focus of current topics: Researcher needs to analyse points such as if it is a current article, & if not, how old it is: has its claims, evidence, or arguments been superseded by more recent work; if it is not current, then if it is important for historical background ; etc. Ensure evidence for claims: Researcher should focus on what support is given for claims made in literature. What evidence & what type (experimental, statistical, anecdotal, etc.) of evidences are offered? Is the evidence relevant & sufficient? What arguments are given? What assumptions are made?
- 41. Points To Be Considered Focus on sources of evidences: Researchers should ensure the reliability of the sources of the evidence or other information – if they are from author’s own experiments, surveys, historical records, government documents, etc. He should check how reliable those sources are. Account of contrary evidences: Does the author take into account contrary or conflicting evidence & arguments? How does the author address disagreements with other researchers?
- 42. Points To Be Considered Reference citation: Any references cited in the literature review must be included in the bibliography. The common practice is that the reviewer does not list references in the bibliography that are not directly cited in the literature review or elsewhere in the paper /thesis. Avoid abbreviations: Avoid technical terms, jargons & abbreviations. Simple & accurate sentence structure: A researcher should use simple sentences & must avoid errors of grammar & punctuation
- 43. Points To Be Considered Organization of literature review: A literature review is organized by subtopic, not by individual references. In a typical literature review, the writers may cite several references in the same paragraph & may cite the same reference in more than one paragraph, if that source address more than one of the subtopics in the literature review. Typically, discussion of each sources is quite brief. The contribution the present reviewers make is organizing the ideas from the sources into a cogent argument or narrative that includes their perspectives.
- 44. Points To Be Considered Referring original source: The reviewer should focus on citing the material that originates with each reference. This may require a careful reading of the reference. If the reference author refers to another source whose ideas are relevant or interesting, it is better to track & use that original reference.
- 45. Conclusion A literature review is an account of the previous efforts and achievements of researchers on a phenomenon. It helps to compare with other previous study. And a good review of literature is the foundation for a good research.
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- University of Texas Libraries
Literature Reviews
- What is a literature review?
- Steps in the Literature Review Process
- Define your research question
- Determine inclusion and exclusion criteria
- Choose databases and search
- Review Results
- Synthesize Results
- Analyze Results
- Librarian Support
What is a Literature Review?
A literature or narrative review is a comprehensive review and analysis of the published literature on a specific topic or research question. The literature that is reviewed contains: books, articles, academic articles, conference proceedings, association papers, and dissertations. It contains the most pertinent studies and points to important past and current research and practices. It provides background and context, and shows how your research will contribute to the field.
A literature review should:
- Provide a comprehensive and updated review of the literature;
- Explain why this review has taken place;
- Articulate a position or hypothesis;
- Acknowledge and account for conflicting and corroborating points of view
From S age Research Methods
Purpose of a Literature Review
A literature review can be written as an introduction to a study to:
- Demonstrate how a study fills a gap in research
- Compare a study with other research that's been done
Or it can be a separate work (a research article on its own) which:
- Organizes or describes a topic
- Describes variables within a particular issue/problem
Limitations of a Literature Review
Some of the limitations of a literature review are:
- It's a snapshot in time. Unlike other reviews, this one has beginning, a middle and an end. There may be future developments that could make your work less relevant.
- It may be too focused. Some niche studies may miss the bigger picture.
- It can be difficult to be comprehensive. There is no way to make sure all the literature on a topic was considered.
- It is easy to be biased if you stick to top tier journals. There may be other places where people are publishing exemplary research. Look to open access publications and conferences to reflect a more inclusive collection. Also, make sure to include opposing views (and not just supporting evidence).
Source: Grant, Maria J., and Andrew Booth. “A Typology of Reviews: An Analysis of 14 Review Types and Associated Methodologies.” Health Information & Libraries Journal, vol. 26, no. 2, June 2009, pp. 91–108. Wiley Online Library, doi:10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x.
Meryl Brodsky : Communication and Information Studies
Hannah Chapman Tripp : Biology, Neuroscience
Carolyn Cunningham : Human Development & Family Sciences, Psychology, Sociology
Larayne Dallas : Engineering
Janelle Hedstrom : Special Education, Curriculum & Instruction, Ed Leadership & Policy
Susan Macicak : Linguistics
Imelda Vetter : Dell Medical School
For help in other subject areas, please see the guide to library specialists by subject .
Periodically, UT Libraries runs a workshop covering the basics and library support for literature reviews. While we try to offer these once per academic year, we find providing the recording to be helpful to community members who have missed the session. Following is the most recent recording of the workshop, Conducting a Literature Review. To view the recording, a UT login is required.
- October 26, 2022 recording
- Last Updated: Oct 26, 2022 2:49 PM
- URL: https://guides.lib.utexas.edu/literaturereviews
- USC Libraries
- Research Guides
Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper
- 5. The Literature Review
- Purpose of Guide
- Design Flaws to Avoid
- Independent and Dependent Variables
- Glossary of Research Terms
- Reading Research Effectively
- Narrowing a Topic Idea
- Broadening a Topic Idea
- Extending the Timeliness of a Topic Idea
- Academic Writing Style
- Choosing a Title
- Making an Outline
- Paragraph Development
- Research Process Video Series
- Executive Summary
- The C.A.R.S. Model
- Background Information
- The Research Problem/Question
- Theoretical Framework
- Citation Tracking
- Content Alert Services
- Evaluating Sources
- Primary Sources
- Secondary Sources
- Tiertiary Sources
- Scholarly vs. Popular Publications
- Qualitative Methods
- Quantitative Methods
- Insiderness
- Using Non-Textual Elements
- Limitations of the Study
- Common Grammar Mistakes
- Writing Concisely
- Avoiding Plagiarism
- Footnotes or Endnotes?
- Further Readings
- Bibliography
A literature review surveys books, scholarly articles, and any other sources relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory, and by so doing, provides a description, summary, and critical evaluation of these works in relation to the research problem being investigated. Literature reviews are designed to provide an overview of sources you have explored while researching a particular topic and to demonstrate to your readers how your research fits within a larger field of study.
Fink, Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper . Fourth edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2014.
Importance of a Good Literature Review
A literature review may consist of simply a summary of key sources, but in the social sciences, a literature review usually has an organizational pattern and combines both summary and synthesis, often within specific conceptual categories . A summary is a recap of the important information of the source, but a synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information in a way that informs how you are planning to investigate a research problem. The analytical features of a literature review might:
- Give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old interpretations,
- Trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates,
- Depending on the situation, evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the most pertinent or relevant research, or
- Usually in the conclusion of a literature review, identify where gaps exist in how a problem has been researched to date.
Given this, the purpose of a literature review is to:
- Place each work in the context of its contribution to understanding the research problem being studied.
- Describe the relationship of each work to the others under consideration.
- Identify new ways to interpret prior research.
- Reveal any gaps that exist in the literature.
- Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory previous studies.
- Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort.
- Point the way in fulfilling a need for additional research.
- Locate your own research within the context of existing literature [very important].
Fink, Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2005; Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998; Jesson, Jill. Doing Your Literature Review: Traditional and Systematic Techniques . Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2011; Knopf, Jeffrey W. "Doing a Literature Review." PS: Political Science and Politics 39 (January 2006): 127-132; Ridley, Diana. The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students . 2nd ed. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2012.
Types of Literature Reviews
It is important to think of knowledge in a given field as consisting of three layers. First, there are the primary studies that researchers conduct and publish. Second are the reviews of those studies that summarize and offer new interpretations built from and often extending beyond the primary studies. Third, there are the perceptions, conclusions, opinion, and interpretations that are shared informally among scholars that become part of the body of epistemological traditions within the field.
In composing a literature review, it is important to note that it is often this third layer of knowledge that is cited as "true" even though it often has only a loose relationship to the primary studies and secondary literature reviews. Given this, while literature reviews are designed to provide an overview and synthesis of pertinent sources you have explored, there are a number of approaches you could adopt depending upon the type of analysis underpinning your study.
Argumentative Review This form examines literature selectively in order to support or refute an argument, deeply embedded assumption, or philosophical problem already established in the literature. The purpose is to develop a body of literature that establishes a contrarian viewpoint. Given the value-laden nature of some social science research [e.g., educational reform; immigration control], argumentative approaches to analyzing the literature can be a legitimate and important form of discourse. However, note that they can also introduce problems of bias when they are used to make summary claims of the sort found in systematic reviews [see below].
Integrative Review Considered a form of research that reviews, critiques, and synthesizes representative literature on a topic in an integrated way such that new frameworks and perspectives on the topic are generated. The body of literature includes all studies that address related or identical hypotheses or research problems. A well-done integrative review meets the same standards as primary research in regard to clarity, rigor, and replication. This is the most common form of review in the social sciences.
Historical Review Few things rest in isolation from historical precedent. Historical literature reviews focus on examining research throughout a period of time, often starting with the first time an issue, concept, theory, phenomena emerged in the literature, then tracing its evolution within the scholarship of a discipline. The purpose is to place research in a historical context to show familiarity with state-of-the-art developments and to identify the likely directions for future research.
Methodological Review A review does not always focus on what someone said [findings], but how they came about saying what they say [method of analysis]. Reviewing methods of analysis provides a framework of understanding at different levels [i.e. those of theory, substantive fields, research approaches, and data collection and analysis techniques], how researchers draw upon a wide variety of knowledge ranging from the conceptual level to practical documents for use in fieldwork in the areas of ontological and epistemological consideration, quantitative and qualitative integration, sampling, interviewing, data collection, and data analysis. This approach helps highlight ethical issues which you should be aware of and consider as you go through your own study.
Systematic Review This form consists of an overview of existing evidence pertinent to a clearly formulated research question, which uses pre-specified and standardized methods to identify and critically appraise relevant research, and to collect, report, and analyze data from the studies that are included in the review. The goal is to deliberately document, critically evaluate, and summarize scientifically all of the research about a clearly defined research problem . Typically it focuses on a very specific empirical question, often posed in a cause-and-effect form, such as "To what extent does A contribute to B?" This type of literature review is primarily applied to examining prior research studies in clinical medicine and allied health fields, but it is increasingly being used in the social sciences.
Theoretical Review The purpose of this form is to examine the corpus of theory that has accumulated in regard to an issue, concept, theory, phenomena. The theoretical literature review helps to establish what theories already exist, the relationships between them, to what degree the existing theories have been investigated, and to develop new hypotheses to be tested. Often this form is used to help establish a lack of appropriate theories or reveal that current theories are inadequate for explaining new or emerging research problems. The unit of analysis can focus on a theoretical concept or a whole theory or framework.
NOTE : Most often the literature review will incorporate some combination of types. For example, a review that examines literature supporting or refuting an argument, assumption, or philosophical problem related to the research problem will also need to include writing supported by sources that establish the history of these arguments in the literature.
Baumeister, Roy F. and Mark R. Leary. "Writing Narrative Literature Reviews." Review of General Psychology 1 (September 1997): 311-320; Mark R. Fink, Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper . 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2005; Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998; Kennedy, Mary M. "Defining a Literature." Educational Researcher 36 (April 2007): 139-147; Petticrew, Mark and Helen Roberts. Systematic Reviews in the Social Sciences: A Practical Guide . Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2006; Torracro, Richard. "Writing Integrative Literature Reviews: Guidelines and Examples." Human Resource Development Review 4 (September 2005): 356-367; Rocco, Tonette S. and Maria S. Plakhotnik. "Literature Reviews, Conceptual Frameworks, and Theoretical Frameworks: Terms, Functions, and Distinctions." Human Ressource Development Review 8 (March 2008): 120-130; Sutton, Anthea. Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review . Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, 2016.
Structure and Writing Style
I. Thinking About Your Literature Review
The structure of a literature review should include the following in support of understanding the research problem :
- An overview of the subject, issue, or theory under consideration, along with the objectives of the literature review,
- Division of works under review into themes or categories [e.g. works that support a particular position, those against, and those offering alternative approaches entirely],
- An explanation of how each work is similar to and how it varies from the others,
- Conclusions as to which pieces are best considered in their argument, are most convincing of their opinions, and make the greatest contribution to the understanding and development of their area of research.
The critical evaluation of each work should consider :
- Provenance -- what are the author's credentials? Are the author's arguments supported by evidence [e.g. primary historical material, case studies, narratives, statistics, recent scientific findings]?
- Methodology -- were the techniques used to identify, gather, and analyze the data appropriate to addressing the research problem? Was the sample size appropriate? Were the results effectively interpreted and reported?
- Objectivity -- is the author's perspective even-handed or prejudicial? Is contrary data considered or is certain pertinent information ignored to prove the author's point?
- Persuasiveness -- which of the author's theses are most convincing or least convincing?
- Validity -- are the author's arguments and conclusions convincing? Does the work ultimately contribute in any significant way to an understanding of the subject?
II. Development of the Literature Review
Four Basic Stages of Writing 1. Problem formulation -- which topic or field is being examined and what are its component issues? 2. Literature search -- finding materials relevant to the subject being explored. 3. Data evaluation -- determining which literature makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the topic. 4. Analysis and interpretation -- discussing the findings and conclusions of pertinent literature.
Consider the following issues before writing the literature review: Clarify If your assignment is not specific about what form your literature review should take, seek clarification from your professor by asking these questions: 1. Roughly how many sources would be appropriate to include? 2. What types of sources should I review (books, journal articles, websites; scholarly versus popular sources)? 3. Should I summarize, synthesize, or critique sources by discussing a common theme or issue? 4. Should I evaluate the sources in any way beyond evaluating how they relate to understanding the research problem? 5. Should I provide subheadings and other background information, such as definitions and/or a history? Find Models Use the exercise of reviewing the literature to examine how authors in your discipline or area of interest have composed their literature review sections. Read them to get a sense of the types of themes you might want to look for in your own research or to identify ways to organize your final review. The bibliography or reference section of sources you've already read, such as required readings in the course syllabus, are also excellent entry points into your own research. Narrow the Topic The narrower your topic, the easier it will be to limit the number of sources you need to read in order to obtain a good survey of relevant resources. Your professor will probably not expect you to read everything that's available about the topic, but you'll make the act of reviewing easier if you first limit scope of the research problem. A good strategy is to begin by searching the USC Libraries Catalog for recent books about the topic and review the table of contents for chapters that focuses on specific issues. You can also review the indexes of books to find references to specific issues that can serve as the focus of your research. For example, a book surveying the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may include a chapter on the role Egypt has played in mediating the conflict, or look in the index for the pages where Egypt is mentioned in the text. Consider Whether Your Sources are Current Some disciplines require that you use information that is as current as possible. This is particularly true in disciplines in medicine and the sciences where research conducted becomes obsolete very quickly as new discoveries are made. However, when writing a review in the social sciences, a survey of the history of the literature may be required. In other words, a complete understanding the research problem requires you to deliberately examine how knowledge and perspectives have changed over time. Sort through other current bibliographies or literature reviews in the field to get a sense of what your discipline expects. You can also use this method to explore what is considered by scholars to be a "hot topic" and what is not.
III. Ways to Organize Your Literature Review
Chronology of Events If your review follows the chronological method, you could write about the materials according to when they were published. 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. For example, a literature review that focuses on continuing research about the emergence of German economic power after the fall of the Soviet Union. By Publication Order your sources by publication chronology, then, only if the order demonstrates a more important trend. For instance, you could order a review of literature on environmental studies of brown fields if the progression revealed, for example, a change in the soil collection practices of the researchers who wrote and/or conducted the studies. Thematic [“conceptual categories”] Thematic reviews of literature are organized around a topic or issue, rather than the progression of time. However, progression of time may still be an important factor in a thematic review. For example, a review of the Internet’s impact on American presidential politics could focus on the development of online political satire. While the study focuses on one topic, the Internet’s impact on American presidential politics, it will still be organized chronologically reflecting technological developments in media. The only difference here between a "chronological" and a "thematic" approach is what is emphasized the most: the role of the Internet in presidential politics. Note however that more authentic thematic reviews tend to break away from chronological order. A review organized in this manner would shift between time periods within each section according to the point made. Note that this is the most common approach in the social and behavioral sciences. Methodological A methodological approach focuses on the methods utilized by the researcher. For the Internet in American presidential politics project, one methodological approach would be to look at cultural differences between the portrayal of American presidents on American, British, and French websites. Or the review might focus on the fundraising impact of the Internet on a particular political party. A methodological scope will influence either the types of documents in the review or the way in which these documents are discussed.
Other Sections of Your Literature Review Once you've decided on the organizational method for your literature review, the sections you need to include in the paper should be easy to figure out because they arise from your organizational strategy. In other words, a chronological review would have subsections for each vital time period; a thematic review would have subtopics based upon factors that relate to the theme or issue. However, sometimes you may need to add additional sections that are necessary for your study, but do not fit in the organizational strategy of the body. What other sections you include in the body is up to you. However, only include what is necessary for the reader to locate your study within the larger scholarship about the research problem.
Here are examples of other sections, usually in the form of a single paragraph, you may need to include depending on the type of review you write:
- Current Situation : Information necessary to understand the current topic or focus of the literature review.
- Sources Used : Describes the methods and resources [e.g., databases] you used to identify the literature you reviewed.
- History : The chronological progression of the field, the literature, or an idea that is necessary to understand the literature review, if the body of the literature review is not already a chronology.
- Selection Methods : Criteria you used to select (and perhaps exclude) sources in your literature review. For instance, you might explain that your review includes only peer-reviewed articles and journals.
- Standards : Description of the way in which you present your information.
- Questions for Further Research : What questions about the field has the review sparked? How will you further your research as a result of the review?
IV. Writing Your Literature Review
Once you've settled on how to organize your literature review, you're ready to write each section. When writing your review, keep in mind these issues.
Use Evidence A literature review section is, in this sense, just like any other academic research paper. Your interpretation of the available sources must be backed up with evidence [citations] that demonstrates that what you are saying is valid. Be Selective Select only the most important points in each source to highlight in the review. The type of information you choose to mention should relate directly to the research problem, whether it is thematic, methodological, or chronological. Related items that provide additional information but that are not key to understanding the research problem can be included in a list of further readings . Use Quotes Sparingly Some short quotes are appropriate if you want to emphasize a point, or if what an author stated cannot be easily paraphrased. Sometimes you may need to quote certain terminology that was coined by the author, is not common knowledge, or taken directly from the study. Do not use extensive quotes as a substitute for using your own words in reviewing the literature. Summarize and Synthesize Remember to summarize and synthesize your sources within each thematic paragraph as well as throughout the review. Recapitulate important features of a research study, but then synthesize it by rephrasing the study's significance and relating it to your own work and the work of others. Keep Your Own Voice While the literature review presents others' ideas, your voice [the writer's] should remain front and center. For example, weave references to other sources into what you are writing but maintain your own voice by starting and ending the paragraph with your own ideas and wording. Use Caution When Paraphrasing When paraphrasing a source that is not your own, be sure to represent the author's information or opinions accurately and in your own words. Even when paraphrasing an author’s work, you still must provide a citation to that work.
V. Common Mistakes to Avoid
These are the most common mistakes made in reviewing social science research literature.
- Sources in your literature review do not clearly relate to the research problem;
- You do not take sufficient time to define and identify the most relevant sources to use in the literature review related to the research problem;
- Relies exclusively on secondary analytical sources rather than including relevant primary research studies or data;
- Uncritically accepts another researcher's findings and interpretations as valid, rather than examining critically all aspects of the research design and analysis;
- Does not describe the search procedures that were used in identifying the literature to review;
- Reports isolated statistical results rather than synthesizing them in chi-squared or meta-analytic methods; and,
- Only includes research that validates assumptions and does not consider contrary findings and alternative interpretations found in the literature.
Cook, Kathleen E. and Elise Murowchick. “Do Literature Review Skills Transfer from One Course to Another?” Psychology Learning and Teaching 13 (March 2014): 3-11; Fink, Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper . 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2005; Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998; Jesson, Jill. Doing Your Literature Review: Traditional and Systematic Techniques . London: SAGE, 2011; Literature Review Handout. Online Writing Center. Liberty University; Literature Reviews. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J. and Rebecca Frels. Seven Steps to a Comprehensive Literature Review: A Multimodal and Cultural Approach . Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2016; Ridley, Diana. The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students . 2nd ed. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2012; Randolph, Justus J. “A Guide to Writing the Dissertation Literature Review." Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation. vol. 14, June 2009; Sutton, Anthea. Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review . Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, 2016; Taylor, Dena. The Literature Review: A Few Tips On Conducting It. University College Writing Centre. University of Toronto; Writing a Literature Review. Academic Skills Centre. University of Canberra.
Writing Tip
Break Out of Your Disciplinary Box!
Thinking interdisciplinarily about a research problem can be a rewarding exercise in applying new ideas, theories, or concepts to an old problem. For example, what might cultural anthropologists say about the continuing conflict in the Middle East? In what ways might geographers view the need for better distribution of social service agencies in large cities than how social workers might study the issue? You don’t want to substitute a thorough review of core research literature in your discipline for studies conducted in other fields of study. However, particularly in the social sciences, thinking about research problems from multiple vectors is a key strategy for finding new solutions to a problem or gaining a new perspective. Consult with a librarian about identifying research databases in other disciplines; almost every field of study has at least one comprehensive database devoted to indexing its research literature.
Frodeman, Robert. The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity . New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.
Another Writing Tip
Don't Just Review for Content!
While conducting a review of the literature, maximize the time you devote to writing this part of your paper by thinking broadly about what you should be looking for and evaluating. Review not just what scholars are saying, but how are they saying it. Some questions to ask:
- How are they organizing their ideas?
- What methods have they used to study the problem?
- What theories have been used to explain, predict, or understand their research problem?
- What sources have they cited to support their conclusions?
- How have they used non-textual elements [e.g., charts, graphs, figures, etc.] to illustrate key points?
When you begin to write your literature review section, you'll be glad you dug deeper into how the research was designed and constructed because it establishes a means for developing more substantial analysis and interpretation of the research problem.
Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1 998.
Yet Another Writing Tip
When Do I Know I Can Stop Looking and Move On?
Here are several strategies you can utilize to assess whether you've thoroughly reviewed the literature:
- Look for repeating patterns in the research findings . If the same thing is being said, just by different people, then this likely demonstrates that the research problem has hit a conceptual dead end. At this point consider: Does your study extend current research? Does it forge a new path? Or, does is merely add more of the same thing being said?
- Look at sources the authors cite to in their work . If you begin to see the same researchers cited again and again, then this is often an indication that no new ideas have been generated to address the research problem.
- Search Google Scholar to identify who has subsequently cited leading scholars already identified in your literature review [see next sub-tab]. This is called citation tracking and there are a number of sources that can help you identify who has cited whom, particularly scholars from outside of your discipline. Here again, if the same authors are being cited again and again, this may indicate no new literature has been written on the topic.
Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J. and Rebecca Frels. Seven Steps to a Comprehensive Literature Review: A Multimodal and Cultural Approach . Los Angeles, CA: Sage, 2016; Sutton, Anthea. Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review . Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, 2016.
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- Next: Citation Tracking >>
- Last Updated: Feb 16, 2023 1:36 PM
- URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide
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കരയിപ്പിച്ച കഥകൾ മതി; വായിക്കാം മീരയുടെ തകർത്തെറിയുന്ന കഥകൾ
ജി. പ്രമോദ് March 04, 2023 10:14 AM IST
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ഡി സി ബുക്സ്
വില 190 രൂപ
പാമ്പിൻകുഞ്ഞിനെ ചവിട്ടിയതുപോലെയാണ് ഞാൻ കഥയെയും അറിയാതെ ഒരിക്കൽ ചവിട്ടി ഉണർത്തിയത്. പാമ്പിൻകുഞ്ഞ് ഇഴഞ്ഞുപോയി. കഥ എന്നെ എല്ല് നുറുങ്ങുംവിധം ചുറ്റിവരഞ്ഞ് പാടേ വിഴുങ്ങിക്കളഞ്ഞു. അതിൽപിന്നെ ഞാനില്ല. കഥയേയുള്ളൂ.
ബാല്യത്തിൽ തുടങ്ങി കൗമാരത്തിലൂടെ വളർന്ന് യൗവ്വനത്തിലും കഥ തന്നിൽ തഴച്ചുവളർന്നതിനെക്കുറിച്ച് മീര എഴുതുമ്പോൾ, ആ വാക്കുകളിലെ സത്യവും സൗന്ദര്യവും ആഹ്ലാദിപ്പിക്കുകയും വേദനിപ്പിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നു. ഓർത്തിരിക്കുന്ന മികച്ച കഥകളെല്ലാം വേദനയെക്കുറിച്ചുള്ളതാണ്. വേദനയുടെ ഒഴുക്ക് കടഞ്ഞു സൗമ്യമാക്കിയ വെള്ളാരംകല്ലുകൾ. അവ ശേഖരിക്കുന്ന എഴുത്തുകാർ. വായനക്കാർ.
ആഴത്തിൽ മനസ്സിൽ പതിഞ്ഞ കഥകളാണ് മീരയുടേത്. സർപ്പദംശനം പോലെ കടുത്ത ആഘാതമേൽപിച്ചവ. അതിജീവിച്ചവർക്കുപോലും സമ്പൂർണ മുക്തി ഒരിക്കലും അനുവദിക്കാതിരുന്നവ.
അതിഭാവുകത്വത്തിലേക്കു വഴുതിവീഴാതെ, എന്നാൽ അതിലോലമായ വികാരങ്ങളെപ്പോലും അക്ഷരങ്ങളാൽ നിയന്ത്രിച്ചും ഉൾക്കാഴ്ചകളാൽ നയിച്ചും പുതുലോകങ്ങൾ തുറന്ന കഥകൾ.
ഓർമയുടെ ഞരമ്പിൽ തുടങ്ങി ആരാച്ചാരിലൂടെ ഖബർ വരെ എത്തിനിൽക്കുന്ന പുസ്തകങ്ങൾ പകർന്നത് സവിശേഷമായ ഭാവവും ഭാവുകത്വവുമാണ്. നോവലുകളെക്കുറിച്ച് അധികമൊന്നും ഈ പുസ്തകത്തിൽ പറയുന്നില്ലെങ്കിലും താൻ എങ്ങനെ കഥാകാരിയായി എന്ന സത്യവാങ്മൂലമാണ് കഥയെഴുത്ത്. കഥയക്കു മുമ്പും ശേഷവും അനുഭവിച്ച മാനസിക പീഡനങ്ങൾ. കഥാകൃത്തിന്റെ പിറവിയും വളർച്ചയും കൃത്യമായി രേഖപ്പെടുത്തുന്ന നാൾവരിപ്പുസ്തകം. ഡയറി പോലെ പല കാലങ്ങളിൽ, പല സ്ഥലങ്ങളിൽ അക്ഷരങ്ങളിലൂടെ എഴുത്തുകാരിയുടെ വ്യക്തിത്വം ഉരുവം കൊണ്ടതിന്റെ ചരിത്രം.
സർപ്പയജ്ഞം എന്ന ആദ്യകാല കഥ മലയാളത്തിലെ പ്രമുഖ പ്രസിദ്ധീകരണത്തിൽ വന്നതിനുശേഷമുള്ള പ്രതികരണങ്ങളാണ് മീര എന്ന എഴുത്തുകാരിയുടെ പിൽക്കാല വ്യക്തിത്വം രൂപപ്പെടുത്തിയത്. പ്രമുഖർ ഉൾപ്പെടെ പലരും മികച്ച അഭിപ്രായങ്ങൾ പറഞ്ഞെങ്കിലും ഒരു സഹപ്രവർത്തകന്റെ വിമർശനം എഴുത്തുകാരിയെ പ്രകോപിപ്പിച്ചു.
കഥ വായിച്ചു. പൊതുവെ പെണ്ണുങ്ങൾ എഴുതുന്ന കഥകൾ ഞാൻ വായിക്കാറില്ല. അടുക്കളയിൽ ആരംഭിച്ച് വരാന്തയിൽ അവസാനിക്കുന്ന കഥകളാണ് എല്ലാം.
പ്രായവും വിദ്യാഭ്യാസവും ലോകപരിചയവും ജോലിപരിചയവും കുറവുള്ള ഒരു ചെറുപ്പക്കാരൻ അവന്റെ ആണത്തത്തിന്റെയും അതു നൽകുന്ന പ്രിവിലേജുകളുടെയും ചാരുകസേരയിലിരുന്ന് നടത്തിയ പുശ്ഛം. അടുക്കളയിൽ നിന്നു വരാന്തയോളമല്ലാതെ മുറ്റത്തേക്കും പൊതുനിരത്തിലേക്കും ഇറങ്ങാൻ എന്തുകൊണ്ടാണ് പെണ്ണുങ്ങൾക്കു കഴിയാത്തത് എന്നറിയാൻ അയാൾ ശ്രമിച്ചില്ല. അതു താൻ കൂടി ഉൾപ്പെടുന്ന സമൂഹത്തിന്റെ പോരായ്മയാണ് എന്ന് അംഗീകരിച്ചിട്ടില്ല. അടുക്കള മുതൽ വരാന്ത വരെയുള്ള ഇടത്തുനിന്നാണ് അയാൾ ഉൾപ്പെടെയുള്ള ആങ്കുട്ട്യോളെ പെറ്റുവളർത്തിയ പെണ്ണുങ്ങൾ ലോകം കാണാറുള്ളതെന്നും ആ കാഴ്ച ഇൻസൈഡ് വ്യൂ ആണെന്നും ലോകം മുഴുവൻ ചുറ്റിക്കറങ്ങുന്ന ആണുങ്ങളെക്കാൾ തീവ്രവും കൃത്യവുമാണ് അവരുടെ ഉൾക്കാഴ്ചയെന്നും പത്രപ്രവർത്തകനായിട്ടും അയാൾ മനസ്സിലാക്കിയിട്ടില്ല. അയാളെപ്പോലെയുള്ള ആൺകുട്ടികൾ എഴുതുന്ന കഥകളും നോവലുകളുമാണ് ഇക്കാലമത്രയും വായിച്ചത്. അവരുടെ സ്ത്രീസങ്കൽപമാണ് മിക്കവരെയും രൂപപ്പെടുത്തിയതും.
പെണ്ണുങ്ങളിൽ നിന്ന് ഈ ആങ്കുട്ട്യോൾ കേട്ടിട്ടില്ലാത്തതും പ്രതീക്ഷിക്കാത്തതുമായ കഥകൾ പറയണമെന്ന് ഇതിനുശേഷമാണ് മീര തീരുമാനിക്കുന്നത്. പെണ്ണുങ്ങളിൽ ഏറെപ്പേരും പറഞ്ഞിട്ടുള്ളത് ആങ്കുട്ട്യോൾ കേൾക്കാൻ ഇഷ്ടപ്പെടുന്ന കഥകളാണ്. തങ്ങൾ പ്രതീക്ഷിക്കാത്ത കഥകളും ഈ ലോകത്തുണ്ടെന്ന് അവർ മനസ്സിലാക്കണം. അത്തരം കഥകൾ കേട്ടുതുടങ്ങുമ്പോൾ ഭൂമി അവർക്കുമാത്രമുള്ളതല്ലെന്നും ഉമ്മറത്തെ ചാരുകസേര അവരുടെ നീതിബോധമില്ലായ്മയുടെ പ്രതീകമാണെന്നും ആങ്കുട്ടോൾക്കു മനസ്സിലാകും. കുറഞ്ഞപക്ഷം, പെണ്ണുങ്ങൾ പറഞ്ഞ കഥകളാണ് ആണുങ്ങളായ എഴുത്തുകാർ രേഖപ്പെടുത്തിയിട്ടുള്ളത് എന്നെങ്കിലും അവർ തിരിച്ചറിയണം. പെണ്ണുങ്ങൾ കഥകളിൽ നിന്നു പിൻവാങ്ങിയാൽ പിന്നെ ഈ ലോകത്ത് കഥകളില്ലെന്നും.
മീര വ്യക്തമാക്കുന്നു: എനിക്കു വായനക്കാരെ കരയിപ്പിച്ചാൽ മാത്രം പോരാ. അവരെ തകർത്ത് എറിയുകയും വേണം. തരിതരിയായി തകർക്കണം. അങ്ങനെ തകർത്തുകഴിഞ്ഞാൽ മാത്രമേ ഒരാൾക്കു സ്വയം നവീകരിക്കാനും സ്വയം സ്നേഹിക്കാനും സാധിക്കുകയുള്ളൂ എന്ന് എനിക്ക് നന്നായറിയാം.
Content Summary: Malayalam Book ' Kathayezhuthu ' written by K R Meera
- Malayalam Books
- Malayalam Literature
‘ഇന്ത്യൻ സിനിമയില് ഏറ്റവും കൂടുതൽ എഴുത്തുകാരുള്ളത് മലയാളത്തില്'
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Writing a Book Review
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This resource discusses book reviews and how to write them.
Book reviews typically evaluate recently-written works. They offer a brief description of the text’s key points and often provide a short appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of the work.
Readers sometimes confuse book reviews with book reports, but the two are not identical. Book reports commonly describe what happens in a work; their focus is primarily on giving an account of the major plot, characters, and/or main idea of the work. Most often, book reports are a K-12 assignment and range from 250 to 500 words. If you are looking to write a book report, please see the OWL resource, Writing a Book Report.
By contrast, book reviews are most often a college assignment, but they also appear in many professional works: magazines, newspapers, and academic journals. They typically range from 500-750 words, but may be longer or shorter. A book review gives readers a sneak peek at what a book is like, whether or not the reviewer enjoyed it, and details on purchasing the book.
Before You Read
Before you begin to read, consider the elements you will need to included in your review. The following items may help:
- Author: Who is the author? What else has s/he written? Has this author won any awards? What is the author’s typical style?
- Genre: What type of book is this: fiction, nonfiction, romance, poetry, youth fiction, etc.? Who is the intended audience for this work? What is the purpose of the work?
- Title: Where does the title fit in? How is it applied in the work? Does it adequately encapsulate the message of the text? Is it interesting? Uninteresting?
- Preface/Introduction/Table of Contents: Does the author provide any revealing information about the text in the preface/introduction? Does a “guest author” provide the introduction? What judgments or preconceptions do the author and/or “guest author” provide? How is the book arranged: sections, chapters?
- Book Jacket/Cover/Printing: Book jackets are like mini-reviews. Does the book jacket provide any interesting details or spark your interest in some way? Are there pictures, maps, or graphs? Do the binding, page cut, or typescript contribute or take away from the work?
As You Read
As you read, determine how you will structure the summary portion or background structure of your review. Be ready to take notes on the book’s key points, characters, and/or themes.
- Characters: Are there characters in the work? Who are the principal characters? How do they affect the story? Do you empathize with them?
- Themes/Motifs/Style: What themes or motifs stand out? How do they contribute to the work? Are they effective or not? How would you describe this author’s particular style? Is it accessible to all readers or just some?
- Argument: How is the work’s argument set up? What support does the author give for her/findings? Does the work fulfill its purpose/support its argument?
- Key Ideas: What is the main idea of the work? What makes it good, different, or groundbreaking?
- Quotes: What quotes stand out? How can you demonstrate the author’s talent or the feel of the book through a quote?
When You Are Ready to Write
Begin with a short summary or background of the work, but do not give too much away. Many reviews limit themselves only to the first couple of chapters or lead the reader up to the rising action of the work. Reviewers of nonfiction texts will provide the basic idea of the book’s argument without too much detailed.
The final portion of your review will detail your opinion of the work. When you are ready to begin your review, consider the following:
- Establish a Background, Remember your Audience: Remember that your audience has not read the work; with this in mind, be sure to introduce characters and principles carefully and deliberately. What kind of summary can you provide of the main points or main characters that will help your readers gauge their interest? Does the author’s text adequately reach the intended audience? Will some readers be lost or find the text too easy?
- Minor principles/characters: Deal only with the most pressing issues in the book. You will not be able to cover every character or idea. What principles/characters did you agree or disagree with? What other things might the author have researched or considered?
- Organize: The purpose of the review is to critically evaluate the text, not just inform the readers about it. Leave plenty room for your evaluation by ensuring that your summary is brief. Determine what kind of balance to strike between your summary information and your evaluation. If you are writing your review for a class, ask your instructor. Often the ratio is half and half.
- Your Evaluation: Choose one or a few points to discuss about the book. What worked well for you? How does this work compare with others by the same author or other books in the same genre? What major themes, motifs, or terms does the book introduce, and how effective are they? Did the book appeal to you on an emotional or logical way?
- Publisher/Price: Most book reviews include the publisher and price of the book at the end of the article. Some reviews also include the year published and ISBN.
When making the final touches to your review, carefully verify the following:
- Double-check the spelling of the author name(s), character names, special terms, and publisher.
- Try to read from the vantage point of your audience. Is there too much/enough summary? Does your argument about the text make sense?
- Should you include direct quotes from the reading? Do they help support your arguments? Double-check your quotes for accuracy.
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A treasure trove, in verse and prose | Book Review – The Book of Bihari Literature by Abhay K
In an attempt to trace the journey of his state’s literary legacy, the author goes on his own, bringing to the fore the best of known and not-so-known poets and storytellers..
By Amitabh Ranjan
Free, fabulously free… free from three trifles… pounder, pounding bowl and my wicked lord… free from endless births and deaths… the chains that fettered me down are suddenly no more
Penned in the 6th century BCE by Mutta, a Buddhist nun, it is the first poem in The Book of Bihari Literature edited by Abhay K. The contemporaneousness of the theme is a refreshing surprise when you realise the antiquity of the composition.
Literature does not merely chronicle a people’s history and culture. The ink that recounts a tale, one of evolution, emancipation, beauty, ugliness, courage, frailty or passion, also breathes life into characters and their surroundings. The word picture thus created brings you up close and personal with your bygone, or the present.
That’s exactly what the book achieves. An anthology of English translation of poems and short stories written over centuries, it mirrors the aspiration of the Bihari society, its contradictions, its reformist zeal, its perseverance in coming to terms with the changing times down the ages. By selecting works from a range of languages—from the ancient Pali, Prakrit and Sanskrit to Hindi, Maithili, Bhojpuri, Magahi and lesser known Bajjika and Angika—the book has managed to capture between its covers a kind of literary legacy that is not commonly found.
In the range of themes, too, Abhay K has been impressive. So, while Mutta writes about women’s emancipation, Vidyapati sings an ode to the woman’s body in his inimitable style. While Kautilya offers you some worldly wisdom, Vatsyayana guides you in the art of love-making. While an excerpt from Ramdhari Singh Dinkar’s ‘mahakavya’ Rashmirathi leaves you wanting for more, his short story Through the Prism of Time makes you aware about a changing social equation.
Jankavi Nagarjun’s poem Famine and After comprises just eight lines. Written during a phase in his life when his theme shifted from lyrical romanticism to rebellion, it’s about famine, hunger, anguish and government apathy. The translation of Chalni ke Chalal Dulha, a poem composed by Bhikhari Thakur, who earned the sobriquet Shakespeare of Bhojpuri, is about how a bridegroom is welcomed when he reaches the bride’s home.
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Fish by Rajkamal Chaudhary comes with the message that love has the power to bridge cultural chasm. Mithilesh’s Chilled to the Bone is a heart-rending account of an old destitute couple in mortal combat with biting cold on a winter night. The following morning only one wakes up.
The book ends with the editor’s twin Nalanda Poems—one of despair arising out of the loss of a priceless heritage, the other of hope and determination of rising from the ashes phoenix-like.
These are just a glimpse of a very rich fare that awaits you in case you decide to partake of this delectable potpourri.
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It is well-neigh impossible to capture within a span of 350-odd pages the literary accomplishments of a land as ancient and as diverse as that of Bihar . Some may miss names like Gopal Singh Nepali (Hindi), Harimohan Jha and Upendranath Jha (Maithili) and Dharikshan Mishra (Bhojpuri) among others. The book nevertheless has done a commendable job of bringing together the works of authors and poets, many of whom remain unknown and, therefore, unsung. It has also shown light on quite a few figures from Bihar who can claim a seat in the country’s literary pantheon with equal ease. An addition to this volume would be an idea worth undertaking.
If you are literary inclined and a proud Bihari, this is a kaleidoscope you can’t afford to miss.
The Book of Bihari Literature
HarperCollins
Pp 408, Rs 699
A former journalist, Amitabh Ranjan teaches at Patna Women’s College
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Opinion: ron desantis’ new book offers a powerful warning to the us electorate.
Editor’s Note: Jay Parini, a poet and novelist, teaches at Middlebury College. His most recent book, the memoir “ Borges and Me ,” is an account of his travels through the Scottish Highlands of Scotland with Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges in 1971. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. Read more opinion articles on CNN.
As is increasingly apparent in many of his public appearances, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is rather like Donald Trump, only without the charm. And that charmless demeanor seeps through his latest book, “The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival,” a grievance-laden tome written in advance of a presumed bid for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election.
The question is, will it help his chances?
That’s unlikely. Only fans or parties actively looking for someone to back in 2024 will read the book, and within a few months unsold copies will lie on the remainder tables, rubbing shoulders with Mike Pompeo’s new memoir, “Never Give an Inch,” or past examples of campaign self-advertisements such as “A Call to Service” by John Kerry, “A Time for Truth” by Ted Cruz or even Trump’s “Crippled America.”
I’ve read a number of these books and they’re rarely good. Nevertheless, DeSantis takes the usual dullness to a fresh level, redefining what cliched writing can sound like. It’s one thing to offer the public a bit of wooden prose, but DeSantis gives us an entire lumber yard.
DeSantis has a new book coming out next week. Here's what his first one said
I don’t blame DeSantis entirely for that lousy prose. Like most politicians, he’s a busy man who will have likely farmed out the writing of his book to nameless minions. The governor doubtless talked at length to the “hardworking team of literary professionals” mentioned in his acknowledgments; these ghostwriters will have also had his speeches, social media feeds, appearances and policy papers to draw on.
And we can be sure the governor read the book and approved of its contents before publication. So we must assume the ideas (and “ideals”) in this book, such as they are, belong to him.
That’s not a good thing.
As one might expect, the book runs through DeSantis’ life and times, talking about his love of baseball and hard work; about his parents and their working-class roots in Pennsylvania and Ohio. They were Italian-Americans — a family of immigrants, although DeSantis has shown little interest in helping recently-arrived migrants on their American journey: he famously flew two planeloads, primarily comprised of Venezuelan migrants, from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard in 2022, a cruel, calculated political stunt designed to embarrass the Biden administration and liberal elites with their “sanctuary cities.” That he would play politics with the lives of these poor souls doesn’t, I fear, speak well for him – nor that he performed throughout the ensuing media cycle with such glee.
But this hard-heartedness is a core part and parcel of the narrative, which offers a litany of resentfulness. “Before my time at Yale,” DeSantis writes of his undergraduate years studying history at the Ivy League school, “I had never seen a limousine, much less a limousine liberal. Those students who were the most strident in their leftism… came from the most privileged background.” He experienced “unbridled leftism” on campus, and this pushed him far to the right, where he has remained.
Everywhere in the book, one senses his rage against political correctness. He rails, on nearly every page, about “the woke agenda” that he sees permeating almost every level of life in America.
Ron DeSantis' use of government power to implement agenda worries some conservatives
In DeSantis’ mind, a dire phalanx of “woke” fanatics is led “by the likes of Dr. Anthony Fauci,” who is seen as public enemy #1. He devotes a whole chapter of this book to railing against Dr. Fauci and people who used the powers of the federal government to implement “heavy-handed public health ‘interventions’” during the Covid-19 pandemic. These measures did little, in the governor’s opinion, to slow the course of the disease — rather, they “destroyed livelihoods, hurt children, and harmed overall public health.”
(The jury is probably still out on how DeSantis governed with regard to the pandemic . It’s possible he had some good instincts at work.)
The title of this book must surely be ironic: “The Courage to Be Free.” DeSantis is all about the restriction of freedoms wherever possible. He wants to cancel librarians who allow kids to read certain Black or LGBTQ writers and to fire tenured professors in the state university system who teach “woke” ideas. He wants to restrict the rights of women seeking abortions and those of LGBTQ people seeking to live their lives. He hopes to punish corporations, such as the Walt Disney Company , for criticizing his policies.
Again and again, DeSantis shows little interest in the First Amendment — except when his own free speech is concerned. He seems not to have heard the great words of Thomas Jefferson, who wrote : “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.” Jefferson understood that we each have a right, even a patriotic duty, to speak without permission from the authorities.
Instead, DeSantis rails against the “legacy media” — by which he means The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic and so forth. These are “the praetorian guard of the nation’s failed ruling class, running interference for elites who share their vision and smearing those who dare of oppose it.” (I suspect he would, no doubt, wish to exempt Rupert Murdoch’s media empire from this judgment.)
Four takeaways from DeSantis' new book rehashing his culture clashes as Florida governor
So, if “The Courage to Be Free” is a sign of things to come, DeSantis will likely hang his presidential campaign on efforts to find what he calls the “pressure points” in the system, finding ways to “leverage” his authority to advance his agenda. He’s a lawyer, as he reminds us, educated at the famous Harvard Law School. If the book is any guide, he’s going to use his lawyerly skills to dismantle our heritage and, in his Orwellian manner, he’s going to proclaim that he’s freeing us by doing so.
Overall, I found the hectoring quality of DeSantis oppressive. He’s a chilly man, with a heart of ice and — like so many politicians on both the right and left these days — full of resentments, grudges and the urge to destroy anyone who doesn’t agree with him . The courage he claims for himself he would deny to many others. I shudder to think what he might do if handed the presidential bully pulpit.
The good news, I suppose, is that the lack of charm this book illustrates could well severely limit his chances of success on the national stage.
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‘A tough place to make a difference’: New book recounts progressive struggles in St. Louis
Roland klose.
- Mar 5, 2023
Clockwise from top left: Anti-war activists protest ROTC at Washington University (1970); Percy Green pickets the Veiled Prophet Ball (1969); a pro-Equal Rights Amendment march (1977); protesters oppose the closing of Homer G. Phillips hospital (1979).
The United States ended combat operations in Vietnam 50 years ago this month, setting the stage for its withdrawal two years later — and the end of what was then the nation’s longest war and costliest defeat.
St. Louis played a major role. It sent its young men to fight and die. Its big employers — companies like McDonnell Douglas and Monsanto — were major military contractors. And its universities — especially Washington University — saw their share of antiwar protests, some violent.
The antiwar movement — the biggest and most organized in U.S. history — is the focus of just two of 15 chapters of “Left in the Midwest,” a new scholarly look at progressive activism in St. Louis in the 1960s and ’70s.
The Vietnam chapters are largely about Washington University activists, the destruction of the ROTC buildings there and Howard Mechanic, the student protester turned fugitive.
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The rest of the book — edited by two St. Louis University faculty members, Amanda Izzo, associate professor of Women’s and Gender Studies, and Benjamin Looker, associate professor of American Studies — deals with other battles.
Some will be familiar to most St. Louisans. The newspapers covered them as they unfolded. The famous Baby Tooth Survey of the early 1960s that helped confirm alarming levels of strontium-90 caused by above-ground atomic testing. The long campaign by Percy Green’s ACTION to shame the Veiled Prophet organization . The unsuccessful effort to keep City Hall from closing Homer G. Phillips, the northside hospital that served the African American community.
Less familiar are stories of how gay St. Louisans fought discrimination — and their allies in the religious community. How women networked to support access to abortion before the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. How they called out rape culture and organized the first “Take Back the Night” march in 1979. How the lesbian community, facing constant harassment, created and defended safe spaces.
“Left in the Midwest: St. Louis Progressive Activism in the 1960s and 1970s”
Edited by Amanda L. Izzo and Benjamin Looker
Published by the University of Missouri Press, 554 pages, $50 (hardcover)
It’s hard to exaggerate the hostility the gay community faced in the 1970s. As the book recounts, A Woman’s Place — a Lesbian Alliance-sponsored venue near Gravois Park — didn’t last a year before it was firebombed. Four years later, Mor or Les, a new lesbian bar in Dutchtown, also was hit by an arsonist. A police sergeant told the Post-Dispatch at the time, “ South St. Louis just isn’t ready for a lesbian bar .”
The book is a reminder that the groundwork for some stories was laid many years earlier. Long before Ferguson erupted in 2014, St. Louis activists worked to end police violence. One long-ago case mentioned in the book: Dennis Benson, a 23-year-old man who died July 9, 1980, two days after he struggled with police responding to a disturbance call. Fourteen witnesses told the Post-Dispatch that officers beat Benson repeatedly with flashlights and nightsticks after he was handcuffed. The case sparked protests, but a grand jury refused to indict any officers.
While it covers a lot of ground, “Left in the Midwest” leaves a lot out. For example, the push for economic conversion, trying to get manufacturers like McDonnell Douglas to shift away from military production. Activists — not all progressives or left-wingers — opposed Union Electric’s nuclear plant in Callaway County (and lost) and the Meramec Dam (and won). Groups like ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) fought redlining in the 1970s. And late in the decade came campaigns to end apartheid in South Africa and against U.S. meddling in Central America.
The book also could have benefited from a deeper look at some of the economic changes that were transforming St. Louis during this time, the loss of major employers, local ownership, offshoring and plant closings.
For most of Missouri, especially the GOP leadership in the Legislature, St. Louis is a hotbed of progressive tomfoolery. At the same time, some progressives who live here think the place is culturally conservative and politically stagnant — and they despair.
As one longtime activist quoted in the book says, “It’s a great place to organize, but a tough place to make a difference.”
Still, “Left in the Midwest” shows a lot can be accomplished by regular folks, pushing to make things a little better.
- Left In The Midwest
- Local-history
- Armed Forces
- Social Science
- The Economy
Roland Klose is an editor at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
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A “somewhat true” road trip tale and a “mostly true” memoir brought tears of laughter, while a novel about a split-second decision hit a serious note.
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A literature review can be just a simple summary of the sources, but it usually has an organizational pattern and combines both summary and synthesis. A summary is a recap of the important information of the source, but a synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information.
A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research that you can later apply to your paper, thesis, or dissertation topic. There are five key steps to writing a literature review:
What is a review of literature? The format of a review of literature may vary from discipline to discipline and from assignment to assignment. A review may be a self-contained unit — an end in itself — or a preface to and rationale for engaging in primary research.
A literature review is a comprehensive summary of previous research on a topic. The literature review surveys scholarly articles, books, and other sources relevant to a particular area of research. The review should enumerate, describe, summarize, objectively evaluate and clarify this previous research.
A literature review is a document or section of a document that collects key sources on a topic and discusses those sources in conversation with each other (also called synthesis ). The lit review is an important genre in many disciplines, not just literature (i.e., the study of works of literature such as novels and plays).
Literature Review is a comprehensive survey of the works published in a particular field of study or line of research, usually over a specific period of time, in the form of an in-depth, critical bibliographic essay or annotated list in which attention is drawn to the most significant works.
A literature review is a review or discussion of the current published material available on a particular topic. It attempts to synthesize and evaluate the material and information according to the research question(s), thesis, and central theme(s). In other words, instead of supporting an
A literature review is a compilation of current knowledge on a particular topic derived from critical evaluation of different scholarly sources such as books, articles, and publications, which is then presented in an organized manner to relate to a specific research problem being investigated.
Reviews for a General Audience. Literature and popular works (memoirs, travel writing, manuals, etc.) are often reviewed by journalists or fellow authors upon publication in newspapers or magazines. Use the following databases to find reviews in these publications. Book Review Index.
The Perils of Antoinette. January 11, 2007 issue. Hilary Mantel. Not 'Everybody's Dear Jane'. February 5, 1998 issue. Hilary Mantel. The War Against Women. April 30, 2009 issue. Hilary Mantel.
Book Review. The book, published by HarperCollins India, features a vivid mix of writings-poems, essays, and stories-penned by some of the finest poets, thinkers, and authors from millennia who were born or lived in what is now Bihar. Angika, Bajjika, Bhojpuri, English, Farsi, Hindi, Magahi, Maithili, Pali, Sanskrit, and Urdu are the languages ...
A literature review is a search and evaluation of the available literature in your given subject or chosen topic area [22]. At the end of the study, it was emphasized that the prepared sections ...
According to the definition, a literature review is a body of work that explores various publications within a specific subject area and sometimes within a set timeframe. This type of writing requires you to read and analyze various sources that relate to the main subject and present each unique comprehension of the publications.
This bestselling book is a step-by-step guide to doing a literature review in health and social care. It is vital reading for all those undertaking their undergraduate or postgraduate dissertation or any research module which involves a literature review. The book provides a practical guide to doing a literature review from start to finish.
Argumentative: The purpose of an argumentative literature review is to select sources for the purpose of supporting or refuting a specific claim. While this type of review can help the author make a strong case for or against an issue, they can also be prone to claims of bias. Chronological: A chronological review is used when the author wants ...
Zernike -- now a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter at The New York Times -- goes deeper into the story more than two decades later with her new book "The Exceptions." Zernike's book is an inspiring ...
Review of Literature 1. A JOURNEY THROUGH LITERATURE 2. INTRODUCTION The review of literature is a summary of all the reviews from various research literatures related to the current study carried out by a researcher. It helps to discover what is already known about the research problem and what more has to be done. According to Abdellah and Levine, the material gathered in literature review ...
Written by Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths, this book draws on real-world examples and insights from a variety of fields to demonstrate how algorithms can be applied to optimize our choices and improve our lives. The authors provide strategies for dealing with common decision-making challenges, such as how to avoid getting stuck in "analysis ...
A literature or narrative review is a comprehensive review and analysis of the published literature on a specific topic or research question. The literature that is reviewed contains: books, articles, academic articles, conference proceedings, association papers, and dissertations.
A literature review surveys books, scholarly articles, and any other sources relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory, and by so doing, provides a description, summary, and critical evaluation of these works in relation to the research problem being investigated.
KR Meera Book Review. Books by K R Meera. Best Book of K R Meera. Kathayezhuthu Book Summary. Malayalam Book Kathayezhuthu Summary.Book Reviews. മലയാളം സാഹിത്യം. Malayalam Literature. Manorama Online.
By contrast, book reviews are most often a college assignment, but they also appear in many professional works: magazines, newspapers, and academic journals. They typically range from 500-750 words, but may be longer or shorter. A book review gives readers a sneak peek at what a book is like, whether or not the reviewer enjoyed it, and details ...
Penned in the 6th century BCE by Mutta, a Buddhist nun, it is the first poem in The Book of Bihari Literature edited by Abhay K. The contemporaneousness of the theme is a refreshing surprise when ...
In this special bonus episode of the Book Review's podcast, best-selling thriller writers Lee Child, Megan Abbott, Meg Gardiner, Lisa Gardner and Lisa Scottoline discuss the tricks of their best-selling trade. Duration: 00:21:19. 7/13/2018. Beck Dorey-Stein discusses "From the Corner of the Oval," and Caroline Weber talks about "Proust ...
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' book "The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival," is seen for sale on a store shelf on February 28 in Titusville, Florida. The title of this book ...
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Published by the University of Missouri Press, 554 pages, $50 (hardcover) It's hard to exaggerate the hostility the gay community faced in the 1970s. As the book recounts, A Woman's Place ...
Voice of the Stranger (2023) Book Review: An Unsettling, Intoxicating Voice in Horror Literature; Electric Dragon 80.000 V (2001) Film Review - New Kids on the Shock; Serial Experiments Lain (1998) Video Game Review - Welcome Back to the Wired; Invitation Only (2009) Film Review - An Invitation You Cant Refuse