Literature review
This video lecture explains how to write a literature review, and examines which elements are required in one.
Constructing a paragraph
This interactive online tutorial will help you learn how to structure paragraphs effectively.
Assignment pre-reading service
Get feedback on your assignment's structure, focus, style, use of sources and referencing before you submit it for marking.
Literature reviews provide a critical overview of a range of sources on a particular topic. This is often done in the context of a larger study, to provide a solid foundation for further research.
Purpose of a literature review
A literature review is often, but not always, part of a larger research project. A literature review allows you to:
Define and limit a problem
If it is part of a larger research project, the literature review helps you to identify the parameters of your study. A literature review allows you to identify the key issues within a broad research area so that you can define an area of interest which you might pursue.
Establish a conceptual or theoretical framework
You cannot build upon an established foundation unless you are aware of the work of others. A literature review can highlight gaps in current thinking and help position your research as part of the bigger picture of emerging knowledge in your chosen field.
Avoid unintentional replication of previous studies
Sometimes it is appropriate to replicate a previous study, but this should be done intentionally and for a particular purpose. A literature review helps you to make informed choices about a research topic within a scholarly context.
Select methods and measures
The success or failure of previous investigations can provide useful material for you when you are designing your own research methodology. You can assess what has worked (or not worked) in previous contexts and why. You may discover new methodologies and procedures.
Relate findings to previous knowledge and suggest areas for further research
The findings of your own research need to be related back to earlier studies. This places your work and can point to areas that need further investigation. Your thesis will be more coherent if your discussion section draws on, and contrasts with, your literature review.
Source: Research in education: A conceptual introduction (4th ed) (log in needed)
Before you start writing your literature review
The main attribute of a good literature review is that it is well-structured. Before you start your literature review:
- take the time to find good thesis examples
- look at literature reviews recommended by your supervisor.
When examining these pieces of work, try to identify the structure and see how they have linked their ideas together.
Reviewing other literature reviews
Be aware that plagiarism includes copying the structure of others' work. Cite and reference any influences on your literature review. The format of your thesis can impact the organisation of the literature review – for help identifying the format, ask your supervisor, lecturer or department.
Source: Guide to the successful thesis and dissertation: A handbook for students and faculty (5th ed.) (login required)
In your task instructions, you may be asked to 'synthesise' the information in the literature review – combine the information in a meaningful way to create new understandings or insights and demonstrate critical reasoning. Anyone who reads your review should be able to understand:
- your reasons for selecting your research area or question
- the relationship of your research area or question to past work
- the central procedures employed by any past studies and their weaknesses
- how your research contributes to advancing knowledge in this field.
Mind mapping
Create a mind map of the concepts that you will discuss in your own review, including key words and synonyms.
As you review books and journals, write down the topic words that you have selected. Create a mind map of the terms that apply to your topic before conducting a literature search. Use your mind map to guide your literature search to ensure you discuss pertinent concepts in the review itself.
This mind map and its sections can also be the subsections that you use for storing the results of your research, for example, in Endnote.
Critical evaluation
Your literature review should include a critical examination of the material you've read.
When reading a piece of work, there are many factors to consider. For example, the sample size, research design, measures used, biases, extraneous or confounding variables.
Design a checklist you can use for evaluating written material – this helps you to be consistent in your evaluations. To reduce your own biases, ask for input from your supervisor when designing a checklist.
Begin with the questions in the section on critical reading. Ask yourself how the research is relevant to your study and how it is different from your study.
Audience
Keep your audience in mind when you write the review – do not assume that readers will know the same things you know.
Remember that you have researched your topic in detail and may have immersed yourself in the subject. Even your supervisor or the committee may not have the same depth of knowledge to the level of detail that you do now. You may need to include definitions or to elaborate and expand on certain topics.
However, there is no need to state the obvious. If you're not sure whether to include something, ask your supervisor for feedback.
Scope
Don't over-read. Restrict the size of your reading so you can get on with the review. Read articles twice:
- The first time, read to understand themes and concepts.
- The second time, read with a critical eye.
You will be required to know a lot about your topic, especially for a PhD or other doctoral degree, but you may not have to write everything you know about it. You may be able to limit the scope of your literature review to the current state of the theory.
How far back is 'current theory' depends on the level of your research. A rough guide for Master's theses is about 10 years, unless a more extensive investigation is required.
Source: Guide to the successful thesis and dissertation: A handbook for students and faculty (5th ed.) (login required)
Length
The length and format of your review will vary. Discuss with your supervisor what is a suitable length.
The literature review should demonstrate your ability to synthesise a body of literature. It may be better to have a briefer, more focused review than a lengthy one. Whatever you decide, discuss this issue with your supervisor.
Literature review structure
Most commonly, the literature review will form a single chapter of your thesis – particularly when the research problem is defined early on and remains relatively unchanged. However, if the direction of the study changes due to new research findings, you may need to include new literature in subsequent sections or chapters. Your literature review should:
- Introduce the topic, key concepts and terms, clarify the purpose of the study and the general hypothesis to be tested.
- Review the past and present literature in relation to your research purpose.
- Outline the relevant theories that impact your study.
- Review the literature on the instruments you will use in your research.
- Summarise the current state of knowledge on your topic and the instruments used in the study.
Source: Theses and dissertations: A guide to writing in the social and physical sciences (login required)
General background information
This section is most likely the longest section of the thesis. It includes:
- an introduction
- a review of the past and present literature in relation to your research purpose
- clarification of the purpose of study
- general hypotheses to be tested.
The review begins with an introduction that discusses the topic, key concepts and terms, and describes the scope and organisation of the review. You can use the 2-topic format or the funnel format.
Both formats identify key topics that will be covered in the review and guide the way the review is structured. This may make it easier to write your review because you can focus on writing 1 section at a time and keep on track with your review topics.
Theory
This section outlines relevant theories that impact your study.
You may find it difficult to find information for this section, especially in new fields of research. Still, even in ground-breaking research, there should be some theoretical foundation upon which your work rests. There may not be a strong link in this case, but it does help if there is some basis for your work, albeit indirect. Whatever topics you include in your review, they must bear some relationship to your focus. Though you may not find literature that specifically relates to your topic you should integrate key points from related studies that to allow you to make inferences and indicate what you expect to happen in your study.
Review of the literature
This section is a review of the literature on the instruments or measures you will use as part of your study.
Present evidence that supports your choice of instrument over those not chosen. This section should be focused on relevant literature specific to the study. One suggestion is to examine the most current instruments first and work back from there. You need to include reliability and validity estimates and a description of the samples that have received the instrument. When dealing with many variables, it is useful to write a separate section on each variable in the review.
Source: Dissertations and theses from start to finish: Psychology and related fields (2nd ed.) (login required)
Summary
Summarise what has been written about in the chapter. It should not be verbose, or a repetition of the entire contents of that chapter, but rather a succinct account of the current state of knowledge on your topic and the instruments used in the study. Explain the background of your study in a way that supports and justifies why you chose your topic.
How to structure your sections
Don't just synthesise the literature – present it in a logical sequence or order. Your aim is to demonstrate an understanding of the problem you're investigating.
However you choose to organise it, your review should highlight important aspects of the literature, particularly areas that you wish to address or improve on. You can organise your review by:
- moving from general concepts to the more specific concepts
- chronology
- topic
- type of research
- any structure that makes sense.
Source: Dissertations and theses from start to finish: Psychology and related fields (2nd ed.) (login required)
Cover studies that examine related independent variables.
For example, 'What strategies enhance organisational effectiveness?'. You can organise the review according to the strategy type.
Cover studies that examine related dependent variables.
For example, 'Characteristics of adult children of alcoholics'. You could organise the review according to personality studies, drinking patterns, relationship skills, and so on.
Organise by type of design.
The order usually moves from weaker to stronger designs, for example correlational before experimental designs.
Organise by chronology.
Particular theories may develop according to strict chronological changes perhaps due to technology, expansion of theories, or social changes.
Organise by theoretical premises.
This is useful if you are dealing with competing explanations or when different theories contribute to your research question.
Organise by findings.
You may wish to use findings to develop a rationale for your studies. This can be the most difficult way to organise your review.
Alternative methods
There are alternative ways to organise your literature review.
- If your thesis is a 2-topic thesis, use these 2 variables as your guide for organising the literature review.
- If your thesis examines many variables, organise your review using the funnel-format.
2-topic thesis structure
The 2-topic format thesis examines the relationship between 2 variables. This thesis tends to be simpler to organise because of the lack of variables you need to discuss. This does not mean the review is less extensive or necessarily easier.
Examples of two-topic formats:
- Does depression relate to quality of life?
- Does anxiety relate to learning?
If you choose to use the 2-topic format, you may choose to organise your review as follows:
- introductory paragraph
- literature review on topic 1
- literature review on topic 2
- review of the literature linking topics 1 and 2
- statement of the purpose of the proposed study.
In some cases, this may be included in the summary.
Funnel format
The funnel format is commonly used in essay writing but may be used to structure your literature review. Begin by discussing the topic in the most general of terms, and then gradually narrow the focus of the discussion to become closer and closer to the topic or purpose of the present study.
Literature review checklist
Did you prepare before writing your literature review?
Is your literature review well structured?
Does your literature review include:
- general background information
- theory
- review of the literature on the instruments
- summary.
Have you presented the literature in a logical sequence or order?
For example, you may choose to organise your review by:
- moving from general concepts to the more specific concepts
- chronology
- topic
- type of research.
Does your literature review include a critical examination of the material that you have read?
Related content
