A survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic.
Provides an overview of current knowledge.
Identifies relevant theories, methods, and research gaps.
Purpose of a Literature Review
Situates your research within existing knowledge.
Demonstrates familiarity with the topic.
Develops theoretical frameworks and methodologies.
Shows research contribution and addresses gaps.
Evaluates the state of research and scholarly debates.
Steps to Writing a Literature Review
Search for Relevant Literature
Define your topic and research problem/questions.
Use keywords to search resources like university libraries, Google Scholar, JSTOR.
Use boolean operators to refine searches.
Evaluate and Select Sources
Assess relevance and credibility.
Ask critical questions about each source.
Note strengths, weaknesses, and contributions to the field.
Keep track of sources and citations to avoid plagiarism.
Identify Themes, Debates, and Gaps
Organize sources by trends, themes, debates, and gaps.
Recognize pivotal publications and influential theories.
Outline the Structure of Your Review
Approaches include chronological, thematic, methodological, and theoretical.
Ensure a coherent structure by linking themes and topics.
Write Your Literature Review
Introduction: Establish focus and purpose.
Body: Divide into subsections, summarize, synthesize, and critically evaluate sources.
Conclusion: Summarize key findings and highlight contributions.
Examples and Templates
Example reviews cover topics like migration, technology in education, and language learning.
Templates available for structuring and outlining a literature review.
Tips and Tools
Use tools like Chat PDF for insights and APA/MLA citation generators for referencing.
Scribbr's academic proofreading tool for language mistakes and citations.
Additional Resources
Lecture slides for teaching purposes.
Articles on research processes, methodologies, and statistics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Purposes of literature reviews.
Insights for applying literature reviews in academic writing.
Citation for Source
McCombes, S. (2025, January 22). How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates. Scribbr. Retrieved April 28, 2025, from Scribbr's website