How to Write a Literature Review in 5 Simple Steps

TL;DR

To write a literature review, follow these five steps: search for relevant literature using scholarly databases, evaluate and select sources based on their relevance, identify key themes and gaps, outline the structure using chronological or thematic approaches, and then write the review with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion.

Transcript

Writing the literature review might be easier than you think. It's only a critical recap of what has already been researched on a topic, so no need to panic. In this video, you'll learn how to write a literature review in 5 simple steps. Hi, I'm Jessica from Scribbr, here to help you achieve your academic goals. We also zoom in on all of the steps ... Read More

Key Insights

• ✍️ Writing a literature review involves searching for relevant literature, evaluating and selecting sources, identifying themes and gaps, outlining the structure, and finally, getting started with the writing process.
• 👨‍🔬 Scholarly databases like Google Scholar, JSTOR, and science direct should be used to search for appropriate academic sources.
• 🫠 The relevance of sources can be determined by reading the abstract, checking the bibliography, and considering the citation count.
• 🥡 Taking notes on themes, debates, and gaps in the literature helps in organizing the arguments and structuring the literature review effectively.
• 👨‍🔬 The structure of a literature review can be chronological, thematic, methodological, or theoretical, depending on the findings and emphasis of the research.
• ℹ️ Writing a literature review involves an introduction, a main body that summarizes and synthesizes the sources, and a conclusion.
• ✍️ The literature review is an essential component of academic writing and requires careful selection and analysis of sources.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the first step in writing a literature review?

The first step is to search for relevant literature on the topic using scholarly databases and refine the search results with boolean operators to find academic sources.

Q: How should sources be evaluated and selected for inclusion in a literature review?

Sources should be evaluated based on their relevance to the topic. Abstracts should be scanned to determine relevancy, and the bibliography should be checked for other relevant sources. The citation count on Google Scholar can also indicate the importance of a source.

Q: What should be considered when identifying themes, debates, and gaps in the literature?

When reading the literature, notes should be taken on trends, patterns, debates, contradictions, influential studies, and gaps in the existing research. These connections between different sources will help in organizing the literature review's arguments.

Q: What are some common approaches to structuring a literature review?

There are four common approaches to structuring a literature review: chronological (from older to more recent publications), thematic (organized around key themes), methodological (comparing research methods used in different studies), and theoretical (discussing opposing theories or models).

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Step 1: Search for relevant literature using scholarly databases and refine search results with boolean operators.

• Step 2: Evaluate and select sources based on relevance, abstract scanning, bibliography analysis, and citation count.

• Step 3: Take notes on themes, debates, and gaps in the literature to organize arguments and structure the literature review more effectively.

• Step 4: Outline the literature review's structure using chronological, thematic, methodological, or theoretical approaches.

• Step 5: Write the literature review with an introduction, a main body summarizing and synthesizing sources, and a conclusion.