Elements of a good Literature Review
A good literature review will:
1. Be selective, relevant, focused, and up-to-date
2. Allow the reader to understand why you have covered certain areas and omitted others
3. Use the literature to establish facts and set the context for the present research
4. Have the organization (of the literature review) explained (signaled) in an introductory paragraph
5. State the research question/hypothesis
6. End with a summarization
Different Approaches to a Literature Review
1. Review the literature around the variables of your study.
2. Provide a historical or chronological approach to the topic.
3. Discuss pros and cons on the topic.
4. Report on, or critique, the literature
5. Use a thematic approach (from themes you discovered when reviewing the literature)
Additional sources:
- Writing a literature review from the University of Madison-Wisconsin Writing Center
- “Literature Reviews" from the University of North Carolina Writing Center
- “Undertaking a Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Approach.” (2008). British Journal of Nursing 17(1), 38-43.
Books about literature reviews
Doing a Literature Review in Health and Social Care by
This popular book demystifies literature reviewing and answers the questions students have about how to tackle the process.
ISBN: 9780335263080Publication Date: 2014-01-01
How to Do a Systematic Literature Review in Nursing by ISBN: 9780335242283Publication Date: 2012-03-01
Succeeding with Your Literature Review by
"An excellent and accessible text that will help all students and scholars to develop a strong review and enable them to outline and analyse the key ideas for their study. The structure of the book is really well thought out and the chapters are written in a way which readers will find helpful and easy to understand. I would highly recommend this book to research students." Professor Mark Brundrett, Liverpool John Moores University, UK This step-by-step handbook provides comprehensive and practical guidance on the process of researching a range of relevant literature on a subject, as well as planning and writing a literature review. The book takes a student friendly approach to offer complete novices a simple review of a process which is often central to producing a research study. Succeeding with your Literature Review will enable you to: Design a literature review which is related to the main facets of a research project Conduct a logically-planned search for relevant literature Determine which literature is most suited to inclusion in your study Analyse the literature, drawing comparisons and connections where appropriate Appraise the strengths and weaknesses of relevant literature Write logically and rationally about the key features of literature Write a literature review in a sound academic style Understand how to relate a literature review to other elements of your study or dissertation Written by an author with extensive experience of supervising and examining undergraduate, Masters and doctoral dissertations, this book covers the latest trends, such as: RSS feeds, wikis, grey literature, blogs and forms of open access publishing. The book also includes examples of common pitfalls, good practice, key terms and questions to reinforce student learning and reflection. Succeeding with your Literature Review is relevant in all subject areas and is essential reading for third year undergraduate and postgraduate students.
ISBN: 9780335243686Publication Date: 2012-02-01
