literature review for students

Writing a Literature Review. 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 ...

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.

Have you written a stellar literature review you care to share for teaching purposes? Are you an instructor who has received an exemplary literature review and have permission from the student to post? Please contact Britt McGowan at [email protected] for inclusion in this guide. All disciplines welcome and encouraged. <<

A literature review is a critical analysis and synthesis of existing research on a particular topic. It provides an overview of the current state of knowledge, identifies gaps, and highlights key findings in the literature. 1 The purpose of a literature review is to situate your own research within the context of existing scholarship, demonstrating your understanding of the topic and showing ...

at each of these in turn.IntroductionThe first part of any literature review is a way of inviting your read. into the topic and orientating them. A good introduction tells the reader what the review is about – its s. pe—and what you are going to cover. It may also specifically tell you.

Most students understand the first point but don’t give any thought to the rest. To get the most from the literature review process, you must keep all four points front of mind as you review the literature (more on this shortly), or you’ll land up with a wonky foundation. Okay – with the why out the way, let’s move on to the how. As ...

Rule 5: Keep the Review Focused, but Make It of Broad Interest. Whether your plan is to write a mini- or a full review, it is good advice to keep it focused 16, 17. Including material just for the sake of it can easily lead to reviews that are trying to do too many things at once.

The Literature Review by Diana Ridley The Literature Review is a step-by-step guide to conducting a literature search and writing up the literature review chapter in Masters dissertations and in Ph.D. and professional doctorate theses. The author provides strategies for reading, conducting searches, organizing information and writing the review.

Depending on your area of research, the type of literature review you do for your thesis will vary. Consult with your advisor about the requirements for your discipline. You can view theses and dissertations from your field in the library's Digital Repository can give you ideas about how your literature review should be structured.

A literature review has a beginning, middle and end (like an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion). It requires you to analyse and evaluate key literature on a given topic - to identify, compare and contrast common themes explored in the literature. In contrast, an annotated bibliography is a list of short descriptive summaries of ...