A literature review is an organized analysis and evaluation of a topic or group of related topics. It is often part of a research paper but can also be used to support an article, thesis, or dissertation. Readers understand a literature review as a summary of the relevant secondary sources on a topic. It aims to answer a specific research question by summarizing. What has been written about it previously? The purpose of a literature review is central to writing a relevant research review that meets its objective. The states of knowledge regarding the topic under study, as well as what future research needs to be done.
A literature review helps you formulate your ideas and arguments more clearly and thoroughly. It also helps you avoid repeating information that has already been published. This document adds depth and context to your final project by demonstrating your ability to analyze sources critically while also demonstrating that you are aware of previous work on the topic at hand.
In This Article – Literature review purpose
- What is a literature review?
- Why is a Literature Review Important?
- Literature Review Purpose
- Writing the purpose literature review
- Types of Literature Reviews
- Limitations of a Literature Review
- Key Takeaways
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What is a literature review?
A literature review is a process of researching the academic literature related to your research topic and writing, a brief summary of what has been written about it previously. It is most often part of a research paper but can also be used to support an article, thesis, or dissertation. A literature review is not meant to be a comprehensive review of all the literature on a topic—that is the job of a comprehensive review (see below). Rather, it is meant to be a targeted selection of the literature relevant to your research topic.
A literature review can be qualitative or quantitative. Quantitative research is meant to explore relationships between variables while qualitative research is meant to explore themes and concepts across a variety of topics and disciplines.
Why is a Literature Review Important?
A literature review is a critical part of any research project. It allows you to situate your research within the broader field and provides a roadmap for your paper. A literature review is particularly important in research projects that draw on a range of sources—such as your own analysis, secondary sources, and original data. A literature review allows you to critically examine the sources available for your project.
Most importantly, a literature review is your opportunity to situate your research, in a broader context, demonstrating your understanding of the bigger picture. This is particularly important if you are drawing on your own analysis. While your ideas may be very compelling for you, the broader field may not be aware of them.
Literature Review Purpose
A literature review is an organized analysis and evaluation of a topic or group of related topics. It is most often part of a research paper but can also be used to support an article, thesis, or dissertation. A literature review is not meant to be an exhaustive list of all the literature on a topic. Rather it is a targeted selection of the literature relevant to your research topic. In your literature review, you should simply be presenting the most important, representative, and helpful sources on your topic.
The literature review explores the state of knowledge regarding the topic and what future research needs to be done. It aims to answer a specific research question by summarizing what has been written about it previously.
Writing the purpose literature review
While a literature review is not a summary of all of the research regarding your topic, it should include a brief summary of the most important and representative studies in your field. In addition to summarizing what has been written about, you should also consider how the literature supports your research question and what it suggests about the current state of knowledge on the topic. You can use the following questions to frame your review: – What is the current state of knowledge regarding the topic? –
How do the various sources on your topic support particular arguments or research questions? – What do these sources suggest about the broader state of knowledge in the field?
Types of Literature Reviews
– Comprehensive review – A comprehensive review of the literature on a topic is meant to present a comprehensive overview of what has been written about a topic. A comprehensive review is often used for research projects, that are highly theoretical and do not draw on a range of sources. – Critical review – A critical review is meant to critically examine and evaluate the sources for your research project. It is a targeted selection of the most important, representative, and helpful sources on your topic. A critical review can be quantitative or qualitative. – Descriptive review –
A descriptive review is meant to provide a chronological, or thematic overview of the sources in the field. It is most often used for research projects that draw on multiple sources. – Narrative review – A narrative review highlights one or two major themes or concepts across a variety of sources and disciplines. – Position review – A position review is meant to examine the debate in the field over a specific question or topic. It can also be used to examine opposing or contrasting viewpoints on a topic.
Limitations of a Literature Review
A literature review is not meant to be an exhaustive list of every single source on a topic. Rather, it is meant to be a targeted selection of the most important, representative, and helpful sources. A literature review is not a summary of the literature. but rather an analysis of the sources in the context of your research project. A literature review is not meant to be a critical evaluation of the sources—that is the job of the research paper.
Key Takeaways
A literature review is a process of researching the academic literature related to your research topic and writing a brief summary of what has been written about it previously. It is most often part of a research paper. A literature review is meant to explore the state of knowledge regarding the topic and what future research needs to be done. It aims to answer a specific research question. by summarizing what has been written about it previously.
The value of this document lies in its ability to establish the state. A literature review allows you to clearly state your argument, cite evidence, and demonstrate your ability to analyze sources critically. It also shows your awareness of previous work on the topic at hand.
