What is the purpose of a literature review?
A literature review is a piece of writing that summarizes the current state of existing research on a specific topic. Literature reviews are often located within or immediately after the introduction section in a published article. Some journal articles are entire standalone literature reviews (review articles).
Literature reviews help to bring readers up to speed on a specific topic. They also can help you as the writer by:
- Providing context for your own research
- Demonstrating your knowledge and understanding of the field of study
- Providing ideas for your own research
- Identifying methods which may be useful for your own research
Source: Brettle, A., & Koufogiannakis, D. (2018). C
What are the steps in creating a literature review?
In order to develop a literature review, you must locate sources that substantively discuss your topic. In the review you should:
- Identify seminal research (noteworthy scholarship).
- Develop themes or categories to organize the sources you find.
- Identify points where research findings have settled an issue and where disagreements still exist.
- Identify where "gaps" exist (ideas that are unexplored or under-explored). The gaps you identify should help to provide a justification for your own original research.
