Writing a Literature Review

• Introduce your topic
  • Define and explain your research problem or question
• Signal, or explain, what you will be doing in the paper
• Write simply and directly
• Use past tense
• Follow your organizational scheme
• Use words that are accurate, suitable, and familiar

You may find guides developed by other libraries useful.  The James C. Kirkpatrick library may not have resources mentioned on these guides.

• Literature Review Tutorial from American University Library
• Write a Literature Review from UC Santa Cruz Library

UCM's Learning Commons offers Writing Center support for all students. Due to the high volume of requests, Writing Center tutors are able to review 5-6 pages of writing at a time. You can use their Online Writing Lab to submit your work and mark areas you'd like the reviewer to focus on, such as "Analysis and critical thinking," "Incorporating quotations and evidence," "Thesis statement and proving my thesis," "Word choice, vocabulary, and academic language" and more. 

You can also schedule a time to meet one-on-one with a Writing Center tutor to go over any questions and get answers. The Writing Center uses the Penji app to schedule these appointments and they are available via Zoom or in-person in the Learning Commons, located inside the James C. Kirkpatrick Library.