Literature Reviews: FAQs

A literature review summarizes existing scholarly research on a topic from peer-reviewed articles, books, dissertations, and other sources. The reviewer searches for important research in a particular area of study, and then recaps their key findings in the article. It’s important to note that a literature review doesn’t simply describe what academic sources say on the topic.

Instead, the reviewer details what is already known by discussing trends found in the literature, identifying gaps or inconsistencies in the research, and may even draw conclusions about a subject based on the research presented in the literature. View the below sources to learn more:

• Do I Do My Literature Review Before I Decide on What Methods I'll Use? From the Sage Research Methods Collection.
• How Planning the Project Follows From the Literature Review. From the Sage Research Methods Collection.
• Literature Review Advice. From YouTube. By Grant Ingram.

The literature review is a valuable resource for students and scholars because they assist with our understanding of a research topic. Students new to a subject can consult literature reviews as a starting point in their research. Since high-quality academic sources are summarized in one article, the literature review can help students expand their knowledge in a particular area of study, and form their own ideas.

Researchers can use literature reviews to keep up-to-date, and find out what has already been investigated in their field of study. By knowing what has been investigated, researchers can build upon the existing body of research instead of duplicating experiments conducted by other scholars. Learn more by clicking on the below resources:

• The Literature Review. From Doing Your Undergraduate Project. By Reardon, D.F.
• The Purpose of the Literature Review. From Youtube. By Transformation Project.

The way a literature review is organized varies depending on discipline, but commons ways to structure them include publication date, theme, or research methodology. Check out the resource below for more idea on how to structure your review:

• How to Conduct a Literature Review: Organizing/Writing. From the Web. By University of Alabama Libraries.
• Organizing the Review. From the Web. By Boston College.
• Writing the Literature Review (Part One): Step-by-Step Tutorial for Graduate Students. From the YouTube. By David Taylor, University of Maryland University College.
• Writing the Literature Review (Part Two): Step-by-Step Tutorial for Graduate Students. From the YouTube. By David Taylor, University of Maryland University College.

There are many types of literature reviews based on your academic discipline. View the links below to learn more:

• How to Conduct a Literature Review: Types of Literature Reviews. From the Web. By University of Alabama Libraries.
• Literature Reviews, Introduction to Different Types of. From the Web. By Western Libraries.
• Types of Literature Reviews. From the Web. By USC - University of Southern California.

Use a citation management tool allows users to easily import, organize, and create bibliographies of their references for academic assignments like literature reviews. Visit Sheridan Library's Citation Managers Guide to learn more.

Have you gone through this guide, but still need more help with literature reviews? Check out the below resources:

• Conducting a Literature Review in Education and the Behavioral Sciences. From the Web. By The Libraries of Adelphi University.
• The Literature Review: A Few Tips on Conducting it. From the Web. By Dena Taylor, Health Sciences Writing Centre, University of Toronto.
• Literature Reviews: An Overview for Graduate Students. From YouTube. By libncsu.
• Undertaking a Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Approach. From British Journal of Nursing. By Cronin, P; Ryan, F; Coughlan, M.