How to Write a Literature Review for Research: Guide, Structure & Template Examples
What Is a Literature Review: Definition
Before delving further, let’s first define what is a literature review in research. As a researcher, you might need to objectively synthesize, explore, and evaluate existing studies conducted by others. A literature review helps you identify gaps or areas that require further investigation. It boils down to analyzing and making sense of a massive body of knowledge.
It is crucial to be critical during the entire process as it is the most effective approach to engaging with texts. You need to objectively identify their strengths and weaknesses, and convey your positive or negative views.
In other words, literature reviews are about deducing specific sources and comparing relevant studies to find similarities and differences. This process may reveal new perspectives or offer a thorough outline for further developments in a specific field. It can also inform readers about the relevance and validity of existing documents to the statement of the problem.
You conduct a lit review to get an overview of concepts surrounding your subject, keep up to date with trends in your field, and enhance your credibility. Besides, it offers a solid background for a research paper, thesis or dissertation.
What Is the Purpose of a Literature Review?
A literature review must highlight your overall knowledge of a research subject and help you develop an argument, mostly by responding to a specific question. It is not just a summary of what you have read.
Commonly, the purpose of a literature review is to help you:
Understand and convey the current state of literature on your research topic.
Find adequate documents on your subject to form your perspective.
Create a framework for your paper based on research goals.
Identify gaps in studies and develop novel research questions.
Select appropriate methods by locating tried and tested techniques.
Note that keeping all these points in mind is important to get the most from an evaluation process when conducting the review.
Types of Literature Reviews
There are various types of literature reviews, each with specific expectations in terms of depth, structure, length, and scope. Here are the main ones:
Stand-alone literature review.
This type involves a comprehensive analysis of prior research related to a specific question. Here, your task is to evaluate and compare existing studies, identify trends, and recognize gaps, weaknesses, and controversies in the field.
Literature review for a journal article.
In this case, the analysis of literature focuses on providing background information for an inquiry being conducted. It is usually placed in an introduction or combined with the discussion of results.
Literature review assignment.
Students may be assigned a selective project to familiarize themselves with a theme and studies in their field. The intention could also be to identify gaps in the current knowledge base to suggest new questions, develop a theoretical framework in research, or determine a suitable methodology for future exploration. This type deals with a small part of research on a subject and stands as a complete work.
Research paper literature review.
The main objective here is to facilitate scholars in gathering, condensing, synthesizing, and examining current research on a specific issue. This is particularly beneficial to academics who are investigating a new area of study or seeking guidance on topics that have not yet been thoroughly explored.
Thesis or dissertation literature review.
This is a separate chapter placed after the Ph.D. thesis introduction and before the dissertation methodology section. It helps the author understand what has already been studied and what gaps exist in the current knowledge. By analyzing the existing research, a researcher can identify opportunities for further investigation and ensure that their study is original and significant. [Original source: https://studycrumb.com/literature-review]
