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What is a Literature Review? How to Write It (with Examples)

A literature review is a critical analysis and synthesis of existing research on a particular topic. It provides an overview of the current state of knowledge, identifies gaps, and highlights key findings in the literature. 1 The purpose of a literature review is to situate your own research within the context of existing scholarship, demonstrating your understanding of the topic and showing how your work contributes to the ongoing conversation in the field. Learning how to write a literature review is a critical tool for successful research. Your ability to summarize and synthesize prior research pertaining to a certain topic demonstrates your grasp on the topic of study, and assists in the learning process. 

Table of Contents

What is the purpose of literature review , a. habitat loss and species extinction: , b. range shifts and phenological changes: , c. ocean acidification and coral reefs: , d. adaptive strategies and conservation efforts: .

• Choose a Topic and Define the Research Question: 
• Decide on the Scope of Your Review: 
• Select Databases for Searches: 
• Conduct Searches and Keep Track: 
• Review the Literature: 
• Organize and Write Your Literature Review: 
• How to write a literature review faster with Paperpal? 

Frequently asked questions 

What is a literature review .

A well-conducted literature review demonstrates the researcher’s familiarity with the existing literature, establishes the context for their own research, and contributes to scholarly conversations on the topic. One of the purposes of a literature review is also to help researchers avoid duplicating previous work and ensure that their research is informed by and builds upon the existing body of knowledge.

A literature review serves several important purposes within academic and research contexts. Here are some key objectives and functions of a literature review: 2  

1. Contextualizing the Research Problem: The literature review provides a background and context for the research problem under investigation. It helps to situate the study within the existing body of knowledge. 

2. Identifying Gaps in Knowledge: By identifying gaps, contradictions, or areas requiring further research, the researcher can shape the research question and justify the significance of the study. This is crucial for ensuring that the new research contributes something novel to the field.

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3. Understanding Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks: Literature reviews help researchers gain an understanding of the theoretical and conceptual frameworks used in previous studies. This aids in the development of a theoretical framework for the current research. 

4. Providing Methodological Insights: Another purpose of literature reviews is that it allows researchers to learn about the methodologies employed in previous studies. This can help in choosing appropriate research methods for the current study and avoiding pitfalls that others may have encountered. 

5. Establishing Credibility: A well-conducted literature review demonstrates the researcher’s familiarity with existing scholarship, establishing their credibility and expertise in the field. It also helps in building a solid foundation for the new research. 

6. Informing Hypotheses or Research Questions: The literature review guides the formulation of hypotheses or research questions by highlighting relevant findings and areas of uncertainty in existing literature. 

Literature review example 

Let’s delve deeper with a literature review example: Let’s say your literature review is about the impact of climate change on biodiversity. You might format your literature review into sections such as the effects of climate change on habitat loss and species extinction, phenological changes, and marine biodiversity. Each section would then summarize and analyze relevant studies in those areas, highlighting key findings and identifying gaps in the research. The review would conclude by emphasizing the need for further research on specific aspects of the relationship between climate change and biodiversity. The following literature review template provides a glimpse into the recommended literature review structure and content, demonstrating how research findings are organized around specific themes within a broader topic. 

Literature Review on Climate Change Impacts on Biodiversity:  

Climate change is a global phenomenon with far-reaching consequences, including significant impacts on biodiversity. This literature review synthesizes key findings from various studies: 

Climate change-induced alterations in temperature and precipitation patterns contribute to habitat loss, affecting numerous species (Thomas et al., 2004). The review discusses how these changes increase the risk of extinction, particularly for species with specific habitat requirements. 

Observations of range shifts and changes in the timing of biological events (phenology) are documented in response to changing climatic conditions (Parmesan & Yohe, 2003). These shifts affect ecosystems and may lead to mismatches between species and their resources. 

The review explores the impact of climate change on marine biodiversity, emphasizing ocean acidification’s threat to coral reefs (Hoegh-Guldberg et al., 2007). Changes in pH levels negatively affect coral calcification, disrupting the delicate balance of marine ecosystems. 

Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the literature review discusses various adaptive strategies adopted by species and conservation efforts aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change on biodiversity (Hannah et al., 2007). It emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary approaches for effective conservation planning. 

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How to write a good literature review 

Writing a literature review involves summarizing and synthesizing existing research on a particular topic. A good literature review format should include the following elements. 

Introduction: The introduction sets the stage for your literature review, providing context and introducing the main focus of your review. 

• Opening Statement: Begin with a general statement about the broader topic and its significance in the field. 
• Scope and Purpose: Clearly define the scope of your literature review. Explain the specific research question or objective you aim to address. 
• Organizational Framework: Briefly outline the structure of your literature review, indicating how you will categorize and discuss the existing research. 
• Significance of the Study: Highlight why your literature review is important and how it contributes to the understanding of the chosen topic. 
• Thesis Statement: Conclude the introduction with a concise thesis statement that outlines the main argument or perspective you will develop in the body of the literature review. 

Body: The body of the literature review is where you provide a comprehensive analysis of existing literature, grouping studies based on themes, methodologies, or other relevant criteria. 

• Organize by Theme or Concept: Group studies that share common themes, concepts, or methodologies. Discuss each theme or concept in detail, summarizing key findings and identifying gaps or areas of disagreement. 
• Critical Analysis: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each study. Discuss the methodologies used, the quality of evidence, and the overall contribution of each work to the understanding of the topic. 
• Synthesis of Findings: Synthesize the information from different studies to highlight trends, patterns, or areas of consensus in the literature. 
• Identification of Gaps: Discuss any gaps or limitations in the existing research and explain how your review contributes to filling these gaps. 
• Transition between Sections: Provide smooth transitions between different themes or concepts to maintain the flow of your literature review. 

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Conclusion: The conclusion of your literature review should summarize the main findings, highlight the contributions of the review, and suggest avenues for future research. 

• Summary of Key Findings: Recap the main findings from the literature and restate how they contribute to your research question or objective. 
• Contributions to the Field: Discuss the overall contribution of your literature review to the existing knowledge in the field. 
• Implications and Applications: Explore the practical implications of the findings and suggest how they might impact future research or practice. 
• Recommendations for Future Research: Identify areas that require further investigation and propose potential directions for future research in the field. 
• Final Thoughts: Conclude with a final reflection on the importance of your literature review and its relevance to the broader academic community. 

Conducting a literature review 

Conducting a literature review is an essential step in research that involves reviewing and analyzing existing literature on a specific topic. It’s important to know how to do a literature review effectively, so here are the steps to follow: 1  

Choose a Topic and Define the Research Question:  

• Select a topic that is relevant to your field of study. 
• Clearly define your research question or objective. Determine what specific aspect of the topic do you want to explore? 

Decide on the Scope of Your Review:  

• Determine the timeframe for your literature review. Are you focusing on recent developments, or do you want a historical overview? 
• Consider the geographical scope. Is your review global, or are you focusing on a specific region? 
• Define the inclusion and exclusion criteria. What types of sources will you include? Are there specific types of studies or publications you will exclude? 

Select Databases for Searches:  

• Identify relevant databases for your field. Examples include PubMed, IEEE Xplore, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. 
• Consider searching in library catalogs, institutional repositories, and specialized databases related to your topic. 

Conduct Searches and Keep Track:  

• Develop a systematic search strategy using keywords, Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT), and other search techniques. 
• Record and document your search strategy for transparency and replicability. 
• Keep track of the articles, including publication details, abstracts, and links. Use citation management tools like EndNote, Zotero, or Mendeley to organize your references. 

Review the Literature:  

• Evaluate the relevance and quality of each source. Consider the methodology, sample size, and results of studies. 
• Organize the literature by themes or key concepts. Identify patterns, trends, and gaps in the existing research. 
• Summarize key findings and arguments from each source. Compare and contrast different perspectives. 
• Identify areas where there is a consensus in the literature and where there are conflicting opinions. 
• Provide critical analysis and synthesis of the literature. What are the strengths and weaknesses of existing research? 

Organize and Write Your Literature Review:  

• Literature review outline should be based on themes, chronological order, or methodological approaches. 
• Write a clear and coherent narrative that synthesizes the information gathered. 
• Use proper citations for each source and ensure consistency in your citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.). 
• Conclude your literature review by summarizing key findings, identifying gaps, and suggesting areas for future research. 

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A literature review is a critical and comprehensive analysis of existing literature (published and unpublished works) on a specific topic or research question and provides a synthesis of the current state of knowledge in a particular field. A well-conducted literature review is crucial for researchers to build upon existing knowledge, avoid duplication of efforts, and contribute to the advancement of their field. It also helps researchers situate their work within a broader context and facilitates the development of a sound theoretical and conceptual framework for their studies.

Literature review is a crucial component of research writing, providing a solid background for a research paper’s investigation. The aim is to keep professionals up to date by providing an understanding of ongoing developments within a specific field, including research methods, and experimental techniques used in that field, and present that knowledge in the form of a written report. Also, the depth and breadth of the literature review emphasizes the credibility of the scholar in his or her field.  

Before writing a literature review, it’s essential to undertake several preparatory steps to ensure that your review is well-researched, organized, and focused. This includes choosing a topic of general interest to you and doing exploratory research on that topic, writing an annotated bibliography, and noting major points, especially those that relate to the position you have taken on the topic. 

Literature reviews and academic research papers are essential components of scholarly work but serve different purposes within the academic realm. 3 A literature review aims to provide a foundation for understanding the current state of research on a particular topic, identify gaps or controversies, and lay the groundwork for future research. Therefore, it draws heavily from existing academic sources, including books, journal articles, and other scholarly publications. In contrast, an academic research paper aims to present new knowledge, contribute to the academic discourse, and advance the understanding of a specific research question. Therefore, it involves a mix of existing literature (in the introduction and literature review sections) and original data or findings obtained through research methods. 

Literature reviews are essential components of academic and research papers, and various strategies can be employed to conduct them effectively. If you want to know how to write a literature review for a research paper, here are four common approaches that are often used by researchers.  Chronological Review: This strategy involves organizing the literature based on the chronological order of publication. It helps to trace the development of a topic over time, showing how ideas, theories, and research have evolved.  Thematic Review: Thematic reviews focus on identifying and analyzing themes or topics that cut across different studies. Instead of organizing the literature chronologically, it is grouped by key themes or concepts, allowing for a comprehensive exploration of various aspects of the topic.  Methodological Review: This strategy involves organizing the literature based on the research methods employed in different studies. It helps to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of various methodologies and allows the reader to evaluate the reliability and validity of the research findings.  Theoretical Review: A theoretical review examines the literature based on the theoretical frameworks used in different studies. This approach helps to identify the key theories that have been applied to the topic and assess their contributions to the understanding of the subject.  It’s important to note that these strategies are not mutually exclusive, and a literature review may combine elements of more than one approach. The choice of strategy depends on the research question, the nature of the literature available, and the goals of the review. Additionally, other strategies, such as integrative reviews or systematic reviews, may be employed depending on the specific requirements of the research.

The literature review format can vary depending on the specific publication guidelines. However, there are some common elements and structures that are often followed. Here is a general guideline for the format of a literature review:  Introduction:   Provide an overview of the topic.  Define the scope and purpose of the literature review.  State the research question or objective.  Body:   Organize the literature by themes, concepts, or chronology.  Critically analyze and evaluate each source.  Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the studies.  Highlight any methodological limitations or biases.  Identify patterns, connections, or contradictions in the existing research.  Conclusion:   Summarize the key points discussed in the literature review.  Highlight the research gap.  Address the research question or objective stated in the introduction.  Highlight the contributions of the review and suggest directions for future research.

Both annotated bibliographies and literature reviews involve the examination of scholarly sources. While annotated bibliographies focus on individual sources with brief annotations, literature reviews provide a more in-depth, integrated, and comprehensive analysis of existing literature on a specific topic. The key differences are as follows: 

References 

• Denney, A. S., & Tewksbury, R. (2013). How to write a literature review.  Journal of criminal justice education ,  24 (2), 218-234. 
• Pan, M. L. (2016).  Preparing literature reviews: Qualitative and quantitative approaches . Taylor & Francis. 
• Cantero, C. (2019). How to write a literature review.  San José State University Writing Center . 

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What is a literature review?

A literature review is an integrated analysis -- not just a summary-- of scholarly writings and other relevant evidence related directly to your research question.  That is, it represents a synthesis of the evidence that provides background information on your topic and shows a association between the evidence and your research question.

A literature review may be a stand alone work or the introduction to a larger research paper, depending on the assignment.  Rely heavily on the guidelines your instructor has given you.

Why is it important?

A literature review is important because it:

• Explains the background of research on a topic.
• Demonstrates why a topic is significant to a subject area.
• Discovers relationships between research studies/ideas.
• Identifies major themes, concepts, and researchers on a topic.
• Identifies critical gaps and points of disagreement.
• Discusses further research questions that logically come out of the previous studies.

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1. Choose a topic. Define your research question.

Your literature review should be guided by your central research question.  The literature represents background and research developments related to a specific research question, interpreted and analyzed by you in a synthesized way.

• Make sure your research question is not too broad or too narrow.  Is it manageable?
• Begin writing down terms that are related to your question. These will be useful for searches later.
• If you have the opportunity, discuss your topic with your professor and your class mates.

2. Decide on the scope of your review

How many studies do you need to look at? How comprehensive should it be? How many years should it cover? 

• This may depend on your assignment.  How many sources does the assignment require?

3. Select the databases you will use to conduct your searches.

Make a list of the databases you will search. 

Where to find databases:

• use the tabs on this guide
• Find other databases in the Nursing Information Resources web page
• More on the Medical Library web page
• ... and more on the Yale University Library web page

4. Conduct your searches to find the evidence. Keep track of your searches.

• Use the key words in your question, as well as synonyms for those words, as terms in your search. Use the database tutorials for help.
• Save the searches in the databases. This saves time when you want to redo, or modify, the searches. It is also helpful to use as a guide is the searches are not finding any useful results.
• Review the abstracts of research studies carefully. This will save you time.
• Use the bibliographies and references of research studies you find to locate others.
• Check with your professor, or a subject expert in the field, if you are missing any key works in the field.
• Ask your librarian for help at any time.
• Use a citation manager, such as EndNote as the repository for your citations. See the EndNote tutorials for help.

Review the literature

Some questions to help you analyze the research:

• What was the research question of the study you are reviewing? What were the authors trying to discover?
• Was the research funded by a source that could influence the findings?
• What were the research methodologies? Analyze its literature review, the samples and variables used, the results, and the conclusions.
• Does the research seem to be complete? Could it have been conducted more soundly? What further questions does it raise?
• If there are conflicting studies, why do you think that is?
• How are the authors viewed in the field? Has this study been cited? If so, how has it been analyzed?

Tips: 

• Review the abstracts carefully.  
• Keep careful notes so that you may track your thought processes during the research process.
• Create a matrix of the studies for easy analysis, and synthesis, across all of the studies.
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Steps in the literature review process.

• What is a literature review?
• Define your research question
• Determine inclusion and exclusion criteria
• Choose databases and search
• Review Results
• Synthesize Results
• Analyze Results
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• You may need to some exploratory searching of the literature to get a sense of scope, to determine whether you need to narrow or broaden your focus
• Identify databases that provide the most relevant sources, and identify relevant terms (controlled vocabularies) to add to your search strategy
• Finalize your research question
• Think about relevant dates, geographies (and languages), methods, and conflicting points of view
• Conduct searches in the published literature via the identified databases
• Check to see if this topic has been covered in other discipline's databases
• Examine the citations of on-point articles for keywords, authors, and previous research (via references) and cited reference searching.
• Save your search results in a citation management tool (such as Zotero, Mendeley or EndNote)
• De-duplicate your search results
• Make sure that you've found the seminal pieces -- they have been cited many times, and their work is considered foundational 
• Check with your professor or a librarian to make sure your search has been comprehensive
• Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of individual sources and evaluate for bias, methodologies, and thoroughness
• Group your results in to an organizational structure that will support why your research needs to be done, or that provides the answer to your research question  
• Develop your conclusions
• Are there gaps in the literature?
• Where has significant research taken place, and who has done it?
• Is there consensus or debate on this topic?
• Which methodological approaches work best?
• For example: Background, Current Practices, Critics and Proponents, Where/How this study will fit in 
• Organize your citations and focus on your research question and pertinent studies
• Compile your bibliography

Note: The first four steps are the best points at which to contact a librarian. Your librarian can help you determine the best databases to use for your topic, assess scope, and formulate a search strategy.

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• What is a Literature Review? | Guide, Template, & Examples

What is a Literature Review? | Guide, Template, & Examples

Published on 22 February 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on 7 June 2022.

What is a literature review? A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research.

There are five key steps to writing a literature review:

• Search for relevant literature
• Evaluate sources
• Identify themes, debates and gaps
• Outline the structure
• Write your literature review

A good literature review doesn’t just summarise sources – it analyses, synthesises, and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.

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Table of contents

Why write a literature review, examples of literature reviews, step 1: search for relevant literature, step 2: evaluate and select sources, step 3: identify themes, debates and gaps, step 4: outline your literature review’s structure, step 5: write your literature review, frequently asked questions about literature reviews, introduction.

• Quick Run-through
• Step 1 & 2

When you write a dissertation or thesis, you will have to conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge. The literature review gives you a chance to:

• Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and scholarly context
• Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research
• Position yourself in relation to other researchers and theorists
• Show how your dissertation addresses a gap or contributes to a debate

You might also have to write a literature review as a stand-alone assignment. In this case, the purpose is to evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge of scholarly debates around a topic.

The content will look slightly different in each case, but the process of conducting a literature review follows the same steps. We’ve written a step-by-step guide that you can follow below.

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Writing literature reviews can be quite challenging! A good starting point could be to look at some examples, depending on what kind of literature review you’d like to write.

• Example literature review #1: “Why Do People Migrate? A Review of the Theoretical Literature” ( Theoretical literature review about the development of economic migration theory from the 1950s to today.)
• Example literature review #2: “Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines” ( Methodological literature review about interdisciplinary knowledge acquisition and production.)
• Example literature review #3: “The Use of Technology in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Thematic literature review about the effects of technology on language acquisition.)
• Example literature review #4: “Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Chronological literature review about how the concept of listening skills has changed over time.)

You can also check out our templates with literature review examples and sample outlines at the links below.

Download Word doc Download Google doc

Before you begin searching for literature, you need a clearly defined topic .

If you are writing the literature review section of a dissertation or research paper, you will search for literature related to your research objectives and questions .

If you are writing a literature review as a stand-alone assignment, you will have to choose a focus and develop a central question to direct your search. Unlike a dissertation research question, this question has to be answerable without collecting original data. You should be able to answer it based only on a review of existing publications.

Make a list of keywords

Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research topic. Include each of the key concepts or variables you’re interested in, and list any synonyms and related terms. You can add to this list if you discover new keywords in the process of your literature search.

• Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok
• Body image, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health
• Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth

Search for relevant sources

Use your keywords to begin searching for sources. Some databases to search for journals and articles include:

• Your university’s library catalogue
• Google Scholar
• Project Muse (humanities and social sciences)
• Medline (life sciences and biomedicine)
• EconLit (economics)
• Inspec (physics, engineering and computer science)

You can use boolean operators to help narrow down your search:

Read the abstract to find out whether an article is relevant to your question. When you find a useful book or article, you can check the bibliography to find other relevant sources.

To identify the most important publications on your topic, take note of recurring citations. If the same authors, books or articles keep appearing in your reading, make sure to seek them out.

You probably won’t be able to read absolutely everything that has been written on the topic – you’ll have to evaluate which sources are most relevant to your questions.

For each publication, ask yourself:

• What question or problem is the author addressing?
• What are the key concepts and how are they defined?
• What are the key theories, models and methods? Does the research use established frameworks or take an innovative approach?
• What are the results and conclusions of the study?
• How does the publication relate to other literature in the field? Does it confirm, add to, or challenge established knowledge?
• How does the publication contribute to your understanding of the topic? What are its key insights and arguments?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?

Make sure the sources you use are credible, and make sure you read any landmark studies and major theories in your field of research.

You can find out how many times an article has been cited on Google Scholar – a high citation count means the article has been influential in the field, and should certainly be included in your literature review.

The scope of your review will depend on your topic and discipline: in the sciences you usually only review recent literature, but in the humanities you might take a long historical perspective (for example, to trace how a concept has changed in meaning over time).

Remember that you can use our template to summarise and evaluate sources you’re thinking about using!

Take notes and cite your sources

As you read, you should also begin the writing process. Take notes that you can later incorporate into the text of your literature review.

It’s important to keep track of your sources with references to avoid plagiarism . It can be helpful to make an annotated bibliography, where you compile full reference information and write a paragraph of summary and analysis for each source. This helps you remember what you read and saves time later in the process.

You can use our free APA Reference Generator for quick, correct, consistent citations.

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To begin organising your literature review’s argument and structure, you need to understand the connections and relationships between the sources you’ve read. Based on your reading and notes, you can look for:

• Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results): do certain approaches become more or less popular over time?
• Themes: what questions or concepts recur across the literature?
• Debates, conflicts and contradictions: where do sources disagree?
• Pivotal publications: are there any influential theories or studies that changed the direction of the field?
• Gaps: what is missing from the literature? Are there weaknesses that need to be addressed?

This step will help you work out the structure of your literature review and (if applicable) show how your own research will contribute to existing knowledge.

• Most research has focused on young women.
• There is an increasing interest in the visual aspects of social media.
• But there is still a lack of robust research on highly-visual platforms like Instagram and Snapchat – this is a gap that you could address in your own research.

There are various approaches to organising the body of a literature review. You should have a rough idea of your strategy before you start writing.

Depending on the length of your literature review, you can combine several of these strategies (for example, your overall structure might be thematic, but each theme is discussed chronologically).

Chronological

The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time. However, if you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarising sources in order.

Try to analyse patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred.

If you have found some recurring central themes, you can organise your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic.

For example, if you are reviewing literature about inequalities in migrant health outcomes, key themes might include healthcare policy, language barriers, cultural attitudes, legal status, and economic access.

Methodological

If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods , you might want to compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:

• Look at what results have emerged in qualitative versus quantitative research
• Discuss how the topic has been approached by empirical versus theoretical scholarship
• Divide the literature into sociological, historical, and cultural sources

Theoretical

A literature review is often the foundation for a theoretical framework . You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts.

You might argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach, or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.

Like any other academic text, your literature review should have an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion . What you include in each depends on the objective of your literature review.

The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose of the literature review.

If you are writing the literature review as part of your dissertation or thesis, reiterate your central problem or research question and give a brief summary of the scholarly context. You can emphasise the timeliness of the topic (“many recent studies have focused on the problem of x”) or highlight a gap in the literature (“while there has been much research on x, few researchers have taken y into consideration”).

Depending on the length of your literature review, you might want to divide the body into subsections. You can use a subheading for each theme, time period, or methodological approach.

As you write, make sure to follow these tips:

• Summarise and synthesise: give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole.
• Analyse and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other researchers – add your own interpretations, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole.
• Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources.
• Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transitions and topic sentences to draw connections, comparisons and contrasts.

In the conclusion, you should summarise the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasise their significance.

If the literature review is part of your dissertation or thesis, reiterate how your research addresses gaps and contributes new knowledge, or discuss how you have drawn on existing theories and methods to build a framework for your research. This can lead directly into your methodology section.

A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources (such as books, journal articles, and theses) related to a specific topic or research question .

It is often written as part of a dissertation , thesis, research paper , or proposal .

There are several reasons to conduct a literature review at the beginning of a research project:

• To familiarise yourself with the current state of knowledge on your topic
• To ensure that you’re not just repeating what others have already done
• To identify gaps in knowledge and unresolved problems that your research can address
• To develop your theoretical framework and methodology
• To provide an overview of the key findings and debates on the topic

Writing the literature review shows your reader how your work relates to existing research and what new insights it will contribute.

The literature review usually comes near the beginning of your  dissertation . After the introduction , it grounds your research in a scholarly field and leads directly to your theoretical framework or methodology .

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Literature review

How to write a literature review in 6 steps

How do you write a good literature review? This step-by-step guide on how to write an excellent literature review covers all aspects of planning and writing literature reviews for academic papers and theses.

How to write a systematic literature review [9 steps]

How do you write a systematic literature review? What types of systematic literature reviews exist and where do you use them? Learn everything you need to know about a systematic literature review in this guide

What is a literature review? [with examples]

Not sure what a literature review is? This guide covers the definition, purpose, and format of a literature review.

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How to write a literature review

Are you writing a literature review as part of a final year project, dissertation, or thesis, or as a standalone piece of work? This page will work through a process of organising and synthesising your sources and then writing a clear and critical final review.

What is a literature review?

A literature review is an account of the current thinking in a specific area of study. Its purpose is to introduce the reader to what has gone before and often to provide you with a foundation that you can build on with your own research. This traditional form of review is sometimes also referred to as a narrative review.

A literature review will often form a section or chapter of a larger piece of research work, such as a dissertation, thesis, or final year project.  It can also be a standalone piece of work.  

A literature review will usually do some or all of the following:

• Introduce the reader to a specific area of interest.
• Organise relevant sources thematically, starting with the more general, broader themes and narrowing towards the most specific themes.
• Introduce key theories relevant to the area of study.
• Define your understanding of important terms or language used in the research.
• Include only the most relevant, important or influential sources, carefully selected. It is about quality not quantity!
• Identify gaps or limitations in existing research.

Considering a body of scholarship as a whole (or in relation to each of your themes) will allow you to 'synthesise' multiple sources and produce an overall summary.

Developing a literature review will help you to develop a level of expertise in your chosen area. By consulting and including a unique combination of sources, you will be able to formulate an informed and original perspective.  Where relevant, this can drive forward your ongoing research.

Writing a Literature Review workshop: book here

A systematic review is a research methodology, often following a standardised and replicable search method and reporting structure that is specific to your discipline. Visit our guidance on systematic reviews for more information.

Organising your sources

As you encounter more and more relevant sources, you will face an ever-expanding amount of reading for yourself. It would take years to read through all of the literature in a specific field from start to finish.

Academic reading, and particularly the process of 'reading around' a topic, is about selective, or targeted reading. Visit our Reading and understanding information Hub to explore approaches to reading for different purposes.

Creating a Literature Matrix can help you to identify the key things that you want to take away from each source. A literature matrix is a simple spreadsheet where you select column titles to suit the aims of your literature review. Are you interested in the research methodology, the scale of the research, the main conclusions, or something else entirely?

Once you have scanned through a source and pulled out the points you are interested in, you can move onto the next source. Organising your reading in this way will also allow you to identify key themes that are emerging in your reading, which you will be able to use later on to plan your review.

You may want to use a reference management tool to help organise and produce your bibliography. Visit the University of Sheffield Library Reference Management pages here .

Make a copy of our Literature matrix template (Google Sheet) and add/delete columns based on the information you want to collect during your search.  Using a spreadsheet means that you can filter and sort your sources, for example, into chronological order, or alphabetically by author.

This downloadable example literature matrix shows how you can lay out your columns.

Synthesising your sources

Once you have a number of sources to work with, you will start to identify key themes emerging. At this point you can start to organise your sources systematically to develop and explore those themes. Can you organise your themes from the broadest to the narrowest and most specific?

A synthesis matrix will help you to identify a thematic structure for your literature review and to understand how the sources that you have found relate to one another. A synthesis matrix is a further spreadsheet that organises your sources by theme and includes a synthesis column, where you can begin to draw out comparisons between the sources. 

Once you have identified a number of sources for each theme in your matrix, you should be able to identify the following:

• Do the sources build on or develop one another? This may be a chronological process.
• Do the sources challenge or contradict one another? Do they reveal a debate within the field?
• Do the sources identify an area of particular interest or a gap in the field?
• Do the sources help to fill in gaps or complete a bigger picture?

Your synthesis column provides an opportunity for you to comment on multiple sources considered as a whole. It is a space for your critical voice and interpretation, which is a key part of writing a successful literature review.

Make a copy of our synthesis matrix (Google Sheet) to organise your themes and plan how the relevant sources can be synthesised.

Download a completed example synthesis matrix from NC State University (PDF, 34Kb)

Visit our Producing a literature review interactive tutorial - for further guidance.

View tutorial as a DOCX (349 KB)

Writing your review

Once you have done the background reading and organised your sources using a synthesis matrix, the job of writing your review is simply about adding flesh to the bones. You will need to write your review as a narrative account, but you can use your matrix as a framework to help you do so.

A literature review will usually follow a simple structure:

• Introduction: what is the overall topic area and how have you broken your review down into themes?
• Theme 1: the broadest, most top-level area (perhaps including some background theory that may have influenced your thinking).
• Theme 2, theme 3, theme 4, etc. Your themes should get progressively more specific and closer to the focus of your research.
• Conclusion: how has this informed your thinking and (if the review is part of a bigger project) what are your research aims and objectives? 

Your review may be broken down by section headings or be a continuous flow with themes clearly separated in a paragraph structure. Each section or paragraph will describe that theme and finish by summarising your overview of a theme (the synthesis part of the matrix above, which includes your critical analysis). 

Our web page How to structure a paragrap h has further guidance to ensure your paragraphs are clear and contain your synthesis and critical analysis.

For advice and feedback on your own review, including referencing, synthesis and academic arguments, please book a writing advisory service appointment.

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Conducting a Literature Review

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A-Z List of Databases

Click here to access the A-Z List of Databases . This is where you will find the licensed library content: scholarly journal articles, dissertations & theses, ebooks, multimedia and more. The Librarians recommend starting your research in  ProQuest Central . Questions? Contact us for help at: [email protected]

Critical Questions for a Literature Review

• Who are the key researchers on this topic?
• What has been the focus of the research efforts so far, and what is the current status?
• How have certain studies built on prior studies? Where are the connections? Are there new interpretations of the research?
• Have there been any controversies or debates about the research? Is there a consensus? Are there any contradictions?
• Which areas have been identified as needing further research? Have any pathways been suggested?
• How will your topic uniquely contribute to this body of knowledge?
• Which methodologies have researchers used, and which appear to be the most productive?
• What sources of information or data were identified that might be useful to you?
• How does your topic fit into the larger context of what has already been done?
• How has the research that has already been done help frame your current investigation ?

The Literature Review Process

For comprehensive literature searching, it is important to be systematic in your approach. This includes developing a plan for your search (including the search terms you will use and the resources you will search) and keeping records of the searches you carry out.

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How to Write a Literature Review: Comprehensive Strategies and AI Tools

Discover how to craft an effective literature review using comprehensive strategies and AI tools. This guide offers step-by-step advice on organizing sources, synthesizing information, and leveraging AI to streamline the literature review process.

How to Write a Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide

A literature review is an essential part of academic research that involves summarizing, analyzing, and synthesizing existing research on a particular topic. It serves as a critical component of the research process, helping you to build a solid foundation for your study by demonstrating your understanding of the current state of knowledge. Whether you are writing a thesis, dissertation, or research paper, a strong literature review not only establishes the foundation of your work but also helps to articulate the significance of your research by highlighting existing gaps, showcasing what has been done, and creating a clear context for your own research to fit into. This means that you are not just summarizing existing literature; you are actively engaging with it to justify the importance of your study and show where your research contributes to advancing the field.

A well-crafted literature review enables you to identify patterns, contradictions, and trends in the research, which ultimately helps you position your own work within the larger academic conversation. It showcases your ability to critically engage with the literature, assess the quality of existing studies, and synthesize information from a wide array of sources to present a cohesive overview. This process of summarizing, analyzing, and synthesizing is essential not just for understanding what has already been discovered, but for demonstrating to your readers and reviewers that you have a thorough grasp of the topic and are aware of the ongoing debates in the field.

In addition to identifying gaps and shaping the framework of your research, a literature review also plays an important role in avoiding redundancy. By thoroughly exploring existing studies, you can ensure that your research addresses new or underexplored areas, thereby making a unique contribution to the field. Whether you are conducting a systematic review to support a hypothesis or providing an overview to set the stage for new questions, an effective literature review is an invaluable tool that guides your entire research process.

In this guide, we will take you through the key steps to writing a comprehensive and well-structured literature review, from formulating a research question to evaluating sources, organizing themes, and writing up your findings. Our aim is to help you approach the task methodically and confidently, ensuring that your literature review not only meets academic standards but also adds significant value to your research project.

What is a Literature Review?

A literature review is a critical examination of the body of literature related to a particular research topic. It is not merely a summary of past research but a careful and deliberate selection of sources that collectively help shape the narrative of your research. The literature review goes beyond simply presenting what has been said on the topic; it contextualizes your research within the existing body of knowledge, showing how your work builds on, challenges, or fills gaps in the current understanding.

The purpose of a literature review is multifaceted. First and foremost, it demonstrates that you understand the key debates, discussions, and the broader landscape of scholarship in your field. This means critically engaging with the theories, findings, and methodologies of other researchers. By doing so, you establish the relevance of your own research, showing that you are informed about the topic and aware of the ongoing conversations that your study contributes to. Additionally, a literature review identifies gaps that your study aims to fill, helping to justify the need for your research.

A well-conceived literature review involves a careful balance of summarizing, analyzing, and synthesizing the information gathered from different sources. You need to present what each source says, evaluate its strengths and weaknesses, and relate it to the overall themes and direction of your study. This requires not only a clear understanding of each individual source but also an ability to draw connections between them, identify common threads, and highlight areas of disagreement or contention. By identifying patterns and drawing comparisons, you create a coherent picture of the existing research and set the stage for your own contributions.

Moreover, a good literature review should guide the reader through the evolution of thought on a topic, showcasing how ideas have developed over time and what questions remain unanswered. You can highlight how different scholars approach the same problem in various ways, thus adding nuance to your discussion. This is especially important for showing that you can critically assess the quality and credibility of existing studies. For example, you might point out methodological strengths in certain works and limitations in others, helping to make a case for the robustness of your approach.

Furthermore, the literature review isn't static—it's part of an ongoing process. New studies and data can emerge even as you conduct your research, which might influence the direction of your study. Therefore, a literature review also requires staying up-to-date with the latest developments, indicating that your research is relevant and responsive to the newest findings in the field. Engaging with the most current literature showcases that your work is informed and that it pushes the boundaries of what is already known.

In addition to these functions, a literature review can also help highlight diverse viewpoints. In some fields, debates and differing opinions are prevalent, and a strong literature review will not shy away from acknowledging these controversies. Instead, it will provide a balanced overview of varying perspectives, indicating the richness and complexity of the research landscape. By addressing these differing viewpoints, you add credibility to your own research, as it shows that you are not ignoring dissenting voices but rather are critically engaging with them to arrive at a well-supported conclusion.

A successful literature review is, therefore, a roadmap for your entire research project. It tells the reader where your research fits in, what it aims to address, and how it plans to do so. It is the bridge between what is already known and what your study aims to discover, and it sets up the foundation upon which your research is built.

Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Literature Review

1. define your research question or topic.

The first step in creating a literature review is to clearly define your research question or topic. Knowing exactly what you are trying to explore will help you focus on finding the right sources. Your topic should be specific enough to limit the scope but broad enough to encompass significant research. Spend some time refining your research question, making sure it is neither too narrow nor too vague. A well-defined topic will serve as the guiding light throughout your literature review process, allowing you to determine what is relevant and what is not.

Consider breaking down your research question into smaller, manageable components. For instance, if your topic is broad, think of sub-questions that can help give your review a more detailed focus. Ask yourself questions like: What are the main concepts or variables involved? Are there specific populations or settings that you want to focus on? Defining these parameters early on will save you time later and will make your literature review more targeted and effective.

It is also helpful to frame your research question in a way that allows for a critical approach. Instead of simply asking "What is the impact of X on Y?" try asking questions that allow for exploration, comparison, or evaluation, such as "How does X compare to Y in terms of impact?" or "What factors influence the relationship between X and Y?" This type of question provides more scope for discussion and synthesis of multiple sources, which is essential for a robust literature review.

Furthermore, take time to review preliminary literature to ensure that your research question is feasible. If you find that there is too much information available, you may need to narrow your focus. Conversely, if there is too little information, you might need to broaden the scope or choose a different angle. The goal is to find a balance where your topic is sufficiently covered in existing literature, but still offers room for your unique contributions. This preparation step will make it much easier to navigate the subsequent phases of your literature review and will help ensure that your efforts are well-directed from the outset.

2. Search for Relevant Literature

The next step is to conduct a thorough search for relevant literature. Start by consulting academic databases such as Google Scholar, JSTOR, or PubMed to find credible sources. These platforms provide access to a wide variety of academic journals, books, and conference papers that are crucial for a well-rounded review. Make sure to use a combination of keywords, including synonyms and related concepts, to ensure you cover a broad range of research. Experiment with Boolean operators like AND, OR, and NOT to refine your searches effectively and obtain more precise results.

In addition to these databases, consider looking at specialized repositories that are specific to your field of study. For example, PsycINFO is an excellent resource for psychology-related research, while IEEE Xplore is perfect for those focusing on engineering and technology topics. Exploring multiple databases will ensure that your literature search is comprehensive and not restricted to a limited range of sources.

It's also helpful to set aside dedicated time to perform iterative searches. Often, initial searches may not yield all the information needed, and it's necessary to refine your keywords or try new combinations to discover more relevant literature. Keep an organized list of your search terms and the databases you have already explored, as this will help you avoid redundant work and ensure a systematic approach.

Consider keeping an organized list of your sources, including key information like the author, publication year, key arguments, and relevance to your topic. Tools like reference managers (e.g., Zotero, Mendeley) can be invaluable for this task. These tools allow you to store references, take notes, and easily format your bibliography, saving you considerable time in the long run. You may also want to create an annotated bibliography at this stage, summarizing the key points of each source and its relevance. This will help you stay organized and make it easier to integrate these sources into your literature review later.

Don't forget to check the reference lists of the articles you find particularly relevant. This technique, known as 'backward searching,' can lead you to other important studies that you might have missed during your initial search. Similarly, consider 'forward searching,' where you look at newer papers that have cited the article you're reading. This can help you find recent developments and ensure your literature review is up-to-date with the latest research in the field.

3. Evaluate and Select Sources

Not every source is worth including in your literature review. It is important to evaluate the credibility and relevance of the literature you find carefully. Look at several factors, including the methodology used, the reliability of data presented, the author's background and qualifications, and whether the research has been peer-reviewed. Understanding the research design, data collection, and analysis methods will help you determine whether the source is reliable and applicable to your work. Sources with rigorous methodologies are generally more trustworthy and contribute more valuable insights to your review.

Another critical aspect to consider is the publication date. Focus on sources that are up-to-date, particularly in rapidly evolving fields such as technology or medicine. However, older, foundational sources may still be valuable for providing historical context or explaining the evolution of theories over time. Balancing newer sources with seminal works can help provide a well-rounded understanding of your topic, demonstrating both breadth and depth in your literature review.

Additionally, consider the relevance of each source to your specific research question. Not all sources that mention your topic are equally valuable; prioritize those that directly contribute to the argument or context you are building. Ask yourself: Does this source address the specific aspects of my research question? Does it add new insights, support my thesis, or offer a contrasting viewpoint that is worth discussing? Being selective is key, as including too many irrelevant sources can dilute the impact of your literature review.

Evaluate the impact of the research within the field as well. Some studies have a greater influence and are frequently cited by other researchers. These high-impact sources are often critical to understanding the state of research on a topic. Tools like Google Scholar can help you determine how often a source has been cited, which can serve as an indicator of its significance. Including these well-cited sources in your literature review can strengthen the credibility of your arguments.

Don't forget to assess the author's background and potential biases. Knowing the author's credentials, institutional affiliations, and other publications can help you gauge the perspective from which the research is conducted. Authors affiliated with reputable academic institutions or organizations are generally more reliable, but it's still important to be aware of any potential biases that might affect the research. For example, industry-funded studies might be more likely to support outcomes favorable to the sponsor, which is something you should note in your evaluation.

Discard sources that do not meet these criteria. Sources with unclear methodologies, outdated information, questionable reliability, or that lack relevance to your specific research question should be excluded from your review. The goal is to include sources that provide robust, high-quality, and relevant information that helps build a solid foundation for your own research. By being diligent in this evaluation process, you ensure that your literature review is both comprehensive and trustworthy, ultimately supporting the credibility and value of your research project.

4. Identify Key Themes and Gaps

Once you have gathered your literature, start identifying common themes, areas of agreement, and areas of debate. Look closely at the different aspects of your topic that have been explored and note how various studies relate to one another. Are there consistent findings that point to a general consensus? Conversely, are there areas where researchers disagree, presenting conflicting evidence or different interpretations of the data? Recognizing these points of agreement and contention will help you create a balanced and nuanced literature review.

Are there patterns emerging across different studies? For instance, you might find that many researchers have focused on a particular population or context, which can indicate a trend or bias in the field. Highlighting these patterns can help you identify where the majority of research effort has been concentrated and where there may be gaps that need to be addressed. Also, pay attention to methodological similarities or differences—do researchers tend to use the same approaches, or are there contrasting methods that yield different results? Understanding these methodological patterns will give you insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the existing body of research.

Are there gaps or inconsistencies in the research? Identifying gaps in the literature is crucial, as it shows where further exploration is needed. Look for areas that have been overlooked or not sufficiently explored, and think about how your research could fill these voids. Gaps can include under-researched populations, overlooked variables, or even questions that have not been answered satisfactorily. Additionally, inconsistencies in findings are another important aspect to consider—are there studies that contradict one another? If so, why might these discrepancies exist? Could they be due to different methodologies, sample sizes, or interpretations? Highlighting these inconsistencies will not only help you position your work but also indicate the complexity of the topic.

Identifying these aspects will help you organize your review effectively and determine where your own research fits in. By clearly defining the key themes and gaps, you can create a literature review that does more than summarize existing research—it actively critiques and synthesizes the body of work, providing a meaningful context for your own study. This comprehensive approach will help demonstrate the value of your research and show that you are contributing to an ongoing scholarly conversation rather than simply reiterating what has already been done.

5. Structure Your Literature Review

A well-structured literature review typically follows a clear organizational pattern. There are several approaches you can choose from, depending on the nature of your research question and the body of literature available. One common method is the chronological approach , which organizes sources by publication date. This approach is particularly useful when you want to demonstrate how research has evolved over time or when there has been a significant shift in perspectives within your field. For example, you can show how early studies laid the groundwork for later research, or how advancements in technology influenced newer studies and methodologies.

Alternatively, a thematic approach groups sources by major topics, themes, or concepts rather than by time. This is especially useful when multiple studies address similar topics but from different angles or methodologies. By grouping sources thematically, you can highlight the different facets of your topic, such as recurring themes, points of agreement, and areas of debate. This approach can help you provide a more cohesive understanding of the literature, demonstrating how various aspects of the topic connect and interact with one another.

Another option is to use a methodological approach , which organizes sources based on the research methods used. This is particularly effective if you want to highlight how different research methods have contributed to the understanding of a topic. By categorizing studies based on qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods, you can analyze the strengths and limitations of each approach and show how different methodologies offer complementary insights. This type of structure can help underscore the robustness of your research question and position your study as filling a methodological gap in the literature.

You may also opt for a theoretical framework approach , where you organize your literature review based on the theoretical perspectives that guide the research. This approach is beneficial when discussing different theoretical lenses, such as social constructivism, positivism, or feminist theory, and how these theories shape the interpretation of findings. By using a theoretical approach, you can give your reader a better understanding of the various frameworks that inform the current body of literature and how your research contributes to or challenges these perspectives.

Make sure your structure makes it easy for readers to understand the evolution of research on your topic. Begin with broader concepts and foundational studies before narrowing down to more specific issues directly related to your research question. Providing a logical flow from general to specific allows your reader to grasp the bigger picture before delving into the finer details, thereby enhancing overall comprehension. Additionally, using subheadings for each section within your chosen structure can improve readability and help your readers navigate the review more effectively.

Regardless of the approach you choose, clarity and logical progression are key. The structure should guide your reader smoothly from one point to the next, helping them understand not only what has been studied but also why each piece of research is important. A well-structured literature review will naturally lead your reader to see the gaps that your research aims to fill, setting up a strong foundation for your research objectives and questions.

6. Write Your Review

Once you have an organized structure, start writing your literature review. Begin with an introduction that explains the scope of your review and outlines the main themes. The introduction should also include the reasons why this literature is relevant to your research, highlighting the gaps that your study will address. Establishing a clear rationale helps orient the reader and sets expectations for what is to come. Mention briefly the methodologies and key concepts that will be explored in your literature review to give the reader a roadmap of the discussion ahead.

In the body , summarize each source and discuss its contributions to the field, providing critical analysis where necessary. Each section of the body should cover a different theme or sub-topic, depending on the organizational approach you have chosen. For each source, consider summarizing the main arguments, but also add your own critical perspective on how the research contributes to the field and how it relates to other studies. Highlight the strengths of each study, such as innovative methodologies or significant findings, as well as the weaknesses, such as limited sample sizes or potential biases. This critical engagement not only adds depth to your literature review but also demonstrates your ability to think analytically about the literature.

Use subheadings to organize themes and make it easier for readers to follow. Subheadings also help to create a logical flow, making it clear how different areas of research link together. When transitioning between sections, use transitional sentences that help the reader understand how the literature evolves from one theme to the next. For instance, after discussing one theme, you could introduce the next by showing how it builds on or contrasts with the previous findings. This approach ensures that the reader is not only absorbing information but also understanding the connections between different pieces of research.

Be sure to include direct quotes where they add value, but use them sparingly and ensure that they are well-integrated into your own writing. Paraphrasing and summarizing are usually more effective because they demonstrate your understanding of the material. When you do use direct quotes, follow them up with a critical interpretation to explain why that particular point is important for your research.

Finish your literature review with a conclusion that ties everything together. Recap the main themes, highlight gaps, and explain how your research will address those gaps. A strong conclusion will reinforce the importance of your research and show that you have laid the foundation for your own work. In addition, the conclusion should reiterate how your findings contribute to the broader field of study and why addressing the identified gaps is essential. This not only establishes the value of your work but also helps the reader see the path forward for future research. If applicable, propose areas for further investigation that arise from your review, which will demonstrate a forward-thinking approach and highlight potential contributions beyond your immediate research.

7. Cite Your Sources Properly

Proper citation is crucial in a literature review. Using the correct citation style required by your institution or publication (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago) ensures that your work adheres to academic standards and makes it easy for readers to locate the original sources. The choice of citation style is often based on the discipline—for example, APA is commonly used in social sciences, while MLA is favored in the humanities. Familiarizing yourself with the nuances of your required style will help ensure that your citations are formatted correctly, which reflects positively on your attention to detail.

Correct citation not only adds credibility to your literature review but also helps you avoid plagiarism, which is a serious offense in academic work. Properly acknowledging the contributions of other researchers shows that you have engaged with the existing body of literature and gives credit where it is due. It also allows your readers to verify your sources, which strengthens the reliability of your arguments and demonstrates transparency in your research process. To maintain accuracy, make sure to cite not just direct quotes but also paraphrased ideas and any data or insights that are not your own.

To make this process more manageable, consider using reference managers like Zotero, EndNote, or Mendeley. These tools can help you organize your citations efficiently, allowing you to easily store, organize, and retrieve references. They also enable you to create bibliographies in the required style automatically, saving considerable time when finalizing your literature review. In addition, reference managers can be used to add notes to each reference, helping you keep track of why each source is relevant and how it contributes to your overall review.

Another important consideration is consistency. Ensure that all in-text citations and references in your bibliography follow the same format and meet the guidelines of the chosen citation style. Even minor inconsistencies, such as misplaced commas or incorrect italics, can detract from the professionalism of your work. Taking the time to double-check each citation for consistency will enhance the quality of your literature review.

It may also be beneficial to familiarize yourself with tools like citation guides or online resources (e.g., Purdue OWL) that provide examples and rules for specific citation styles. These resources can be particularly useful when you are unsure about how to cite unusual sources, such as government documents, personal interviews, or multimedia sources. Remember that accurate citation not only validates your work but also contributes to the academic community by making it easier for others to follow the research trail.

Tips for a Successful Literature Review

• Be selective : Don’t try to include everything you find. Focus on high-quality, relevant sources. Prioritize peer-reviewed journal articles, well-regarded books, and foundational texts that provide significant insights into your topic. Selectivity ensures that your literature review remains focused and directly contributes to your research goals.
• Stay organized : Keep a detailed record of your searches and sources. Annotated bibliographies are a useful tool. Tools like Mendeley, EndNote, or Zotero can help you keep your sources organized and allow you to easily insert citations as you write. Creating a system to tag or categorize your sources can make it easier to retrieve information when needed.
• Balance summary with critical analysis : Your literature review should not be a mere collection of summaries. Aim to synthesize and analyze, showing the relationships between different studies. Make connections between sources by highlighting how they build on, support, or contradict each other. This approach will help to provide depth to your review and illustrate the broader conversations happening within your research field.
• Revise and refine : Writing a literature review is an iterative process. Revise your draft to ensure it flows logically and effectively communicates your points. Revisiting and refining the organization of your review can help ensure that your argument builds logically and that your findings are presented in a compelling manner.
• Use mind maps or charts : Visual tools such as mind maps or thematic charts can help you organize ideas and see relationships among various studies more clearly. These tools are particularly useful for identifying themes, gaps, and patterns across multiple sources, and they can make the writing process smoother by providing a visual roadmap of your arguments.
• Keep track of evolving research : Stay updated on new publications even as you are working on your literature review. Use alerts on academic databases to receive notifications of new studies related to your topic. Incorporating the most recent research shows that your review is current and relevant, which can be especially important in rapidly changing fields.
• Consult with peers or advisors : Don’t hesitate to seek feedback on your literature review from peers, advisors, or mentors. They may provide insights or identify gaps that you’ve missed, helping to strengthen the quality of your work. Peer feedback is also helpful for identifying areas where the flow or clarity of your review could be improved.
• Define and refine your scope : Clearly define the scope of your literature review at the outset. Are you focusing on a specific time period, demographic, methodology, or geographic area? Being explicit about your scope will make it easier to decide which sources to include and which to exclude, ensuring that your review remains focused and relevant.
• Develop a critical voice : Don’t simply report what other studies have said; evaluate their contributions. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the methodologies used? Are the conclusions justified by the data? Developing a critical voice means that you are actively engaging with the literature and providing your own interpretation rather than passively summarizing.
• Be mindful of biases : Evaluate potential biases in the literature, such as funding sources, publication bias, or the author's background. Addressing these biases in your literature review adds depth and shows your ability to critically engage with the literature, enhancing the credibility of your work.
• Link to your research question : Throughout your review, continually link back to your own research question. Explicitly state how each study relates to or informs your research. This makes your literature review more cohesive and ensures that every source you include serves a purpose in building the foundation for your study.

Final Thoughts

Writing a literature review can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re new to academic research. However, by breaking it down into manageable steps and staying organized, you can create a literature review that provides a solid foundation for your research. Remember, the goal is not just to summarize existing studies but to synthesize the information and create a compelling narrative that supports your research question.

It's important to remember that a literature review is not a one-time task but rather an iterative process. You may need to revisit your review multiple times as new studies emerge or as your research takes on a clearer direction. Each iteration allows you to refine your synthesis, making your arguments stronger and your narrative more compelling. Flexibility is key—be open to changing your perspective if new evidence suggests a better approach or reveals a different gap in the literature.

Another valuable approach is to continuously question the relevance of the literature you include. Ask yourself: Does this source add real value to my argument? Does it strengthen the rationale behind my research question? By being selective and ensuring that each source is directly relevant to your objectives, you can create a focused and impactful literature review. This level of discernment is what differentiates a well-crafted literature review from one that simply lists sources without a cohesive purpose.

Don't underestimate the power of collaboration during the literature review process. Discussing your findings, interpretations, and gaps with peers or mentors can provide new insights that you may not have considered. Feedback from colleagues can help pinpoint areas that need more depth or clarify arguments that are not as strong. Collaboration is particularly helpful when synthesizing diverse viewpoints, as it allows you to gain a different perspective on the same body of literature, adding richness to your review.

Additionally, managing your time effectively is crucial. Set milestones for each stage of your literature review—from identifying your research question to finalizing your written review. Breaking the task into smaller, time-bound goals will not only make it more manageable but will also ensure that you stay on track and do not become overwhelmed by the volume of information. Time management also allows you to allocate periods for revising and refining, which are critical to producing a polished final product.

Finally, remember that a well-written literature review does more than serve as a backdrop for your research; it sets the stage for everything that follows. By establishing a clear context, identifying gaps, and linking existing knowledge to your research objectives, your literature review becomes the foundation that justifies your study. The more effort you put into crafting a cohesive and thorough review, the more effectively it will support your research, helping to establish your credibility as a scholar and making a meaningful contribution to your field.

With practice and careful planning, your literature review can become a powerful part of your academic writing, adding depth and context to your work.

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Write a Literature Review

1. narrow your topic and select papers accordingly, 2. search for literature, 3. read the selected articles thoroughly and evaluate them, 4. organize the selected papers by looking for patterns and by developing subtopics, 5. develop a thesis or purpose statement, 6. write the paper, 7. review your work.

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• Resources for Writing and Revising
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Consider your specific area of study. Think about what interests you and what interests other researchers in your field.

Talk to your professor, brainstorm, and read lecture notes and recent issues of periodicals in the field.

Limit your scope to a smaller topic area (ie. focusing on France's role in WWII instead of focusing on WWII in general).

• Four Steps to Narrow Your Research Topic (Video) This 3-minute video provides instructions on how to narrow the focus of your research topic.
• Developing a Research Question + Worksheet Use this worksheet to develop, assess, and refine your research questions. There is also a downloadable PDF version.

Define your source selection criteria (ie. articles published between a specific date range, focusing on a specific geographic region, or using a specific methodology).

Using keywords, search a library database.

Reference lists of recent articles and reviews can lead to other useful papers.

Include any studies contrary to your point of view.

Evaluate and synthesize the studies' findings and conclusions.

Note the following:

• Assumptions some or most researchers seem to make
• Methodologies, testing procedures, subjects, material tested researchers use
• Experts in the field: names/labs that are frequently referenced
• Conflicting theories, results, methodologies
• Popularity of theories and how this has/has not changed over time
• Findings that are common/contested
• Important trends in the research
• The most influential theories

Tip: If your literature review is extensive, find a large table surface, and on it place post-it notes or filing cards to organize all your findings into categories.

• Move them around if you decide that (a) they fit better under different headings, or (b) you need to establish new topic headings.
• Develop headings/subheadings that reflect the major themes and patterns you detected

Write a one or two sentence statement summarizing the conclusion you have reached about the major trends and developments you see in the research that has been conducted on your subject.

• Templates for Writing Thesis Statements This template provides a two-step guide for writing thesis statements. There is also a downloadable PDF version.
• 5 Types of Thesis Statements Learn about five different types of thesis statements to help you choose the best type for your research. There is also a downloadable PDF version.
• 5 Questions to Strengthen Your Thesis Statement Follow these five steps to strengthen your thesis statements. There is also a downloadable PDF version.

Follow the organizational structure you developed above, including the headings and subheadings you constructed.

Make certain that each section links logically to the one before and after.

Structure your sections by themes or subtopics, not by individual theorists or researchers.

• Tip: If you find that each paragraph begins with a researcher's name, it might indicate that, instead of evaluating and comparing the research literature from an analytical point of view, you have simply described what research has been done.

Prioritize analysis over description.

• For example, look at the following two passages and note that Student A merely describes the literature, whereas Student B takes a more analytical and evaluative approach by comparing and contrasting. You can also see that this evaluative approach is well signaled by linguistic markers indicating logical connections (words such as "however," "moreover") and phrases such as "substantiates the claim that," which indicate supporting evidence and Student B's ability to synthesize knowledge.

Student A: Smith (2000) concludes that personal privacy in their living quarters is the most important factor in nursing home residents' perception of their autonomy. He suggests that the physical environment in the more public spaces of the building did not have much impact on their perceptions. Neither the layout of the building nor the activities available seem to make much difference. Jones and Johnstone make the claim that the need to control one's environment is a fundamental need of life (2001), and suggest that the approach of most institutions, which is to provide total care, may be as bad as no care at all. If people have no choices or think that they have none, they become depressed.

Student B: After studying residents and staff from two intermediate care facilities in Calgary, Alberta, Smith (2000) came to the conclusion that except for the amount of personal privacy available to residents, the physical environment of these institutions had minimal if any effect on their perceptions of control (autonomy). However, French (1998) and Haroon (2000) found that availability of private areas is not the only aspect of the physical environment that determines residents' autonomy. Haroon interviewed 115 residents from 32 different nursing homes known to have different levels of autonomy (2000). It was found that physical structures, such as standardized furniture, heating that could not be individually regulated, and no possession of a house key for residents limited their feelings of independence. Moreover, Hope (2002), who interviewed 225 residents from various nursing homes, substantiates the claim that characteristics of the institutional environment such as the extent of resources in the facility, as well as its location, are features which residents have indicated as being of great importance to their independence.

• How to Integrate Critical Voice into Your Literature Review (Video)
• Look at the topic sentences of each paragraph. If you were to read only these sentences, would you find that your paper presented a clear position, logically developed, from beginning to end? The topic sentences of each paragraph should indicate the main points of your literature review.
• Make an outline of each section of the paper and decide whether you need to add information, to delete irrelevant information, or to re-structure sections.
• Read your work out loud. That way you will be better able to identify where you need punctuation marks to signal pauses or divisions within sentences, where you have made grammatical errors, or where your sentences are unclear.
• Since the purpose of a literature review is to demonstrate that the writer is familiar with the important professional literature on the chosen subject, check to make certain that you have covered all of the important, up-to-date, and pertinent texts. In the sciences and some of the social sciences it is important that your literature be quite recent; this is not so important in the humanities.
• Make certain that all of the citations and references are correct and that you are referencing in the appropriate style for your discipline. If you are uncertain which style to use, ask your professor.
• Check to make sure that you have not plagiarized either by failing to cite a source of information, or by using words quoted directly from a source. (Usually if you take three or more words directly from another source, you should put those words within quotation marks, and cite the page.)
• Text should be written in a clear and concise academic style; it should not be descriptive in nature or use the language of everyday speech.
• There should be no grammatical or spelling errors.
• Sentences should flow smoothly and logically.
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• Next: Resources for Gathering and Reading the Literature >>
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Ten Simple Rules for Writing a Literature Review

Marco pautasso.

• Author information
• Article notes
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* E-mail: [email protected]

The author has declared that no competing interests exist.

Collection date 2013 Jul.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are properly credited.

Literature reviews are in great demand in most scientific fields. Their need stems from the ever-increasing output of scientific publications [1] . For example, compared to 1991, in 2008 three, eight, and forty times more papers were indexed in Web of Science on malaria, obesity, and biodiversity, respectively [2] . Given such mountains of papers, scientists cannot be expected to examine in detail every single new paper relevant to their interests [3] . Thus, it is both advantageous and necessary to rely on regular summaries of the recent literature. Although recognition for scientists mainly comes from primary research, timely literature reviews can lead to new synthetic insights and are often widely read [4] . For such summaries to be useful, however, they need to be compiled in a professional way [5] .

When starting from scratch, reviewing the literature can require a titanic amount of work. That is why researchers who have spent their career working on a certain research issue are in a perfect position to review that literature. Some graduate schools are now offering courses in reviewing the literature, given that most research students start their project by producing an overview of what has already been done on their research issue [6] . However, it is likely that most scientists have not thought in detail about how to approach and carry out a literature review.

Reviewing the literature requires the ability to juggle multiple tasks, from finding and evaluating relevant material to synthesising information from various sources, from critical thinking to paraphrasing, evaluating, and citation skills [7] . In this contribution, I share ten simple rules I learned working on about 25 literature reviews as a PhD and postdoctoral student. Ideas and insights also come from discussions with coauthors and colleagues, as well as feedback from reviewers and editors.

Rule 1: Define a Topic and Audience

How to choose which topic to review? There are so many issues in contemporary science that you could spend a lifetime of attending conferences and reading the literature just pondering what to review. On the one hand, if you take several years to choose, several other people may have had the same idea in the meantime. On the other hand, only a well-considered topic is likely to lead to a brilliant literature review [8] . The topic must at least be:

interesting to you (ideally, you should have come across a series of recent papers related to your line of work that call for a critical summary),

an important aspect of the field (so that many readers will be interested in the review and there will be enough material to write it), and

a well-defined issue (otherwise you could potentially include thousands of publications, which would make the review unhelpful).

Ideas for potential reviews may come from papers providing lists of key research questions to be answered [9] , but also from serendipitous moments during desultory reading and discussions. In addition to choosing your topic, you should also select a target audience. In many cases, the topic (e.g., web services in computational biology) will automatically define an audience (e.g., computational biologists), but that same topic may also be of interest to neighbouring fields (e.g., computer science, biology, etc.).

Rule 2: Search and Re-search the Literature

After having chosen your topic and audience, start by checking the literature and downloading relevant papers. Five pieces of advice here:

keep track of the search items you use (so that your search can be replicated [10] ),

keep a list of papers whose pdfs you cannot access immediately (so as to retrieve them later with alternative strategies),

use a paper management system (e.g., Mendeley, Papers, Qiqqa, Sente),

define early in the process some criteria for exclusion of irrelevant papers (these criteria can then be described in the review to help define its scope), and

do not just look for research papers in the area you wish to review, but also seek previous reviews.

The chances are high that someone will already have published a literature review ( Figure 1 ), if not exactly on the issue you are planning to tackle, at least on a related topic. If there are already a few or several reviews of the literature on your issue, my advice is not to give up, but to carry on with your own literature review,

Figure 1. A conceptual diagram of the need for different types of literature reviews depending on the amount of published research papers and literature reviews.

The bottom-right situation (many literature reviews but few research papers) is not just a theoretical situation; it applies, for example, to the study of the impacts of climate change on plant diseases, where there appear to be more literature reviews than research studies [33] .

discussing in your review the approaches, limitations, and conclusions of past reviews,

trying to find a new angle that has not been covered adequately in the previous reviews, and

incorporating new material that has inevitably accumulated since their appearance.

When searching the literature for pertinent papers and reviews, the usual rules apply:

be thorough,

use different keywords and database sources (e.g., DBLP, Google Scholar, ISI Proceedings, JSTOR Search, Medline, Scopus, Web of Science), and

look at who has cited past relevant papers and book chapters.

Rule 3: Take Notes While Reading

If you read the papers first, and only afterwards start writing the review, you will need a very good memory to remember who wrote what, and what your impressions and associations were while reading each single paper. My advice is, while reading, to start writing down interesting pieces of information, insights about how to organize the review, and thoughts on what to write. This way, by the time you have read the literature you selected, you will already have a rough draft of the review.

Of course, this draft will still need much rewriting, restructuring, and rethinking to obtain a text with a coherent argument [11] , but you will have avoided the danger posed by staring at a blank document. Be careful when taking notes to use quotation marks if you are provisionally copying verbatim from the literature. It is advisable then to reformulate such quotes with your own words in the final draft. It is important to be careful in noting the references already at this stage, so as to avoid misattributions. Using referencing software from the very beginning of your endeavour will save you time.

Rule 4: Choose the Type of Review You Wish to Write

After having taken notes while reading the literature, you will have a rough idea of the amount of material available for the review. This is probably a good time to decide whether to go for a mini- or a full review. Some journals are now favouring the publication of rather short reviews focusing on the last few years, with a limit on the number of words and citations. A mini-review is not necessarily a minor review: it may well attract more attention from busy readers, although it will inevitably simplify some issues and leave out some relevant material due to space limitations. A full review will have the advantage of more freedom to cover in detail the complexities of a particular scientific development, but may then be left in the pile of the very important papers “to be read” by readers with little time to spare for major monographs.

There is probably a continuum between mini- and full reviews. The same point applies to the dichotomy of descriptive vs. integrative reviews. While descriptive reviews focus on the methodology, findings, and interpretation of each reviewed study, integrative reviews attempt to find common ideas and concepts from the reviewed material [12] . A similar distinction exists between narrative and systematic reviews: while narrative reviews are qualitative, systematic reviews attempt to test a hypothesis based on the published evidence, which is gathered using a predefined protocol to reduce bias [13] , [14] . When systematic reviews analyse quantitative results in a quantitative way, they become meta-analyses. The choice between different review types will have to be made on a case-by-case basis, depending not just on the nature of the material found and the preferences of the target journal(s), but also on the time available to write the review and the number of coauthors [15] .

Rule 5: Keep the Review Focused, but Make It of Broad Interest

Whether your plan is to write a mini- or a full review, it is good advice to keep it focused 16 , 17 . Including material just for the sake of it can easily lead to reviews that are trying to do too many things at once. The need to keep a review focused can be problematic for interdisciplinary reviews, where the aim is to bridge the gap between fields [18] . If you are writing a review on, for example, how epidemiological approaches are used in modelling the spread of ideas, you may be inclined to include material from both parent fields, epidemiology and the study of cultural diffusion. This may be necessary to some extent, but in this case a focused review would only deal in detail with those studies at the interface between epidemiology and the spread of ideas.

While focus is an important feature of a successful review, this requirement has to be balanced with the need to make the review relevant to a broad audience. This square may be circled by discussing the wider implications of the reviewed topic for other disciplines.

Rule 6: Be Critical and Consistent

Reviewing the literature is not stamp collecting. A good review does not just summarize the literature, but discusses it critically, identifies methodological problems, and points out research gaps [19] . After having read a review of the literature, a reader should have a rough idea of:

the major achievements in the reviewed field,

the main areas of debate, and

the outstanding research questions.

It is challenging to achieve a successful review on all these fronts. A solution can be to involve a set of complementary coauthors: some people are excellent at mapping what has been achieved, some others are very good at identifying dark clouds on the horizon, and some have instead a knack at predicting where solutions are going to come from. If your journal club has exactly this sort of team, then you should definitely write a review of the literature! In addition to critical thinking, a literature review needs consistency, for example in the choice of passive vs. active voice and present vs. past tense.

Rule 7: Find a Logical Structure

Like a well-baked cake, a good review has a number of telling features: it is worth the reader's time, timely, systematic, well written, focused, and critical. It also needs a good structure. With reviews, the usual subdivision of research papers into introduction, methods, results, and discussion does not work or is rarely used. However, a general introduction of the context and, toward the end, a recapitulation of the main points covered and take-home messages make sense also in the case of reviews. For systematic reviews, there is a trend towards including information about how the literature was searched (database, keywords, time limits) [20] .

How can you organize the flow of the main body of the review so that the reader will be drawn into and guided through it? It is generally helpful to draw a conceptual scheme of the review, e.g., with mind-mapping techniques. Such diagrams can help recognize a logical way to order and link the various sections of a review [21] . This is the case not just at the writing stage, but also for readers if the diagram is included in the review as a figure. A careful selection of diagrams and figures relevant to the reviewed topic can be very helpful to structure the text too [22] .

Rule 8: Make Use of Feedback

Reviews of the literature are normally peer-reviewed in the same way as research papers, and rightly so [23] . As a rule, incorporating feedback from reviewers greatly helps improve a review draft. Having read the review with a fresh mind, reviewers may spot inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and ambiguities that had not been noticed by the writers due to rereading the typescript too many times. It is however advisable to reread the draft one more time before submission, as a last-minute correction of typos, leaps, and muddled sentences may enable the reviewers to focus on providing advice on the content rather than the form.

Feedback is vital to writing a good review, and should be sought from a variety of colleagues, so as to obtain a diversity of views on the draft. This may lead in some cases to conflicting views on the merits of the paper, and on how to improve it, but such a situation is better than the absence of feedback. A diversity of feedback perspectives on a literature review can help identify where the consensus view stands in the landscape of the current scientific understanding of an issue [24] .

Rule 9: Include Your Own Relevant Research, but Be Objective

In many cases, reviewers of the literature will have published studies relevant to the review they are writing. This could create a conflict of interest: how can reviewers report objectively on their own work [25] ? Some scientists may be overly enthusiastic about what they have published, and thus risk giving too much importance to their own findings in the review. However, bias could also occur in the other direction: some scientists may be unduly dismissive of their own achievements, so that they will tend to downplay their contribution (if any) to a field when reviewing it.

In general, a review of the literature should neither be a public relations brochure nor an exercise in competitive self-denial. If a reviewer is up to the job of producing a well-organized and methodical review, which flows well and provides a service to the readership, then it should be possible to be objective in reviewing one's own relevant findings. In reviews written by multiple authors, this may be achieved by assigning the review of the results of a coauthor to different coauthors.

Rule 10: Be Up-to-Date, but Do Not Forget Older Studies

Given the progressive acceleration in the publication of scientific papers, today's reviews of the literature need awareness not just of the overall direction and achievements of a field of inquiry, but also of the latest studies, so as not to become out-of-date before they have been published. Ideally, a literature review should not identify as a major research gap an issue that has just been addressed in a series of papers in press (the same applies, of course, to older, overlooked studies (“sleeping beauties” [26] )). This implies that literature reviewers would do well to keep an eye on electronic lists of papers in press, given that it can take months before these appear in scientific databases. Some reviews declare that they have scanned the literature up to a certain point in time, but given that peer review can be a rather lengthy process, a full search for newly appeared literature at the revision stage may be worthwhile. Assessing the contribution of papers that have just appeared is particularly challenging, because there is little perspective with which to gauge their significance and impact on further research and society.

Inevitably, new papers on the reviewed topic (including independently written literature reviews) will appear from all quarters after the review has been published, so that there may soon be the need for an updated review. But this is the nature of science [27] – [32] . I wish everybody good luck with writing a review of the literature.

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to M. Barbosa, K. Dehnen-Schmutz, T. Döring, D. Fontaneto, M. Garbelotto, O. Holdenrieder, M. Jeger, D. Lonsdale, A. MacLeod, P. Mills, M. Moslonka-Lefebvre, G. Stancanelli, P. Weisberg, and X. Xu for insights and discussions, and to P. Bourne, T. Matoni, and D. Smith for helpful comments on a previous draft.

Funding Statement

This work was funded by the French Foundation for Research on Biodiversity (FRB) through its Centre for Synthesis and Analysis of Biodiversity data (CESAB), as part of the NETSEED research project. The funders had no role in the preparation of the manuscript.

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Conduct a literature review

What is a literature review.

A literature review is a summary of the published work in a field of study. This can be a section of a larger paper or article, or can be the focus of an entire paper. Literature reviews show that you have examined the breadth of knowledge and can justify your thesis or research questions. They are also valuable tools for other researchers who need to find a summary of that field of knowledge.

Unlike an annotated bibliography, which is a list of sources with short descriptions, a literature review synthesizes sources into a summary that has a thesis or statement of purpose—stated or implied—at its core.

How do I write a literature review?

Step 1: define your research scope.

• What is the specific research question that your literature review helps to define?
• Are there a maximum or minimum number of sources that your review should include?

Ask us if you have questions about refining your topic, search methods, writing tips, or citation management.

Step 2: Identify the literature

Start by searching broadly. Literature for your review will typically be acquired through scholarly books, journal articles, and/or dissertations. Develop an understanding of what is out there, what terms are accurate and helpful, etc., and keep track of all of it with citation management tools . If you need help figuring out key terms and where to search, ask us .

Use citation searching to track how scholars interact with, and build upon, previous research:

• Mine the references cited section of each relevant source for additional key sources
• Use Google Scholar or Scopus to find other sources that have cited a particular work

Step 3: Critically analyze the literature

Key to your literature review is a critical analysis of the literature collected around your topic. The analysis will explore relationships, major themes, and any critical gaps in the research expressed in the work. Read and summarize each source with an eye toward analyzing authority, currency, coverage, methodology, and relationship to other works. The University of Toronto's Writing Center provides a comprehensive list of questions you can use to analyze your sources.

Step 4: Categorize your resources

Divide the available resources that pertain to your research into categories reflecting their roles in addressing your research question. Possible ways to categorize resources include organization by:

• methodology
• theoretical/philosophical approach

Regardless of the division, each category should be accompanied by thorough discussions and explanations of strengths and weaknesses, value to the overall survey, and comparisons with similar sources. You may have enough resources when:

• You've used multiple databases and other resources (web portals, repositories, etc.) to get a variety of perspectives on the research topic.
• The same citations are showing up in a variety of databases.

Additional resources

Undergraduate student resources.

• Literature Review Handout (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
• Learn how to write a review of literature (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Graduate student and faculty resources

• Information Research Strategies (University of Arizona)
• Literature Reviews: An Overview for Graduate Students (NC State University)
• Oliver, P. (2012). Succeeding with Your Literature Review: A Handbook for Students [ebook]
• Machi, L. A. & McEvoy, B. T. (2016). The Literature Review: Six Steps to Success [ebook]
• Graustein, J. S. (2012). How to Write an Exceptional Thesis or Dissertation: A Step-by-Step Guide from Proposal to Successful Defense [ebook]
• Thomas, R. M. & Brubaker, D. L. (2008). Theses and Dissertations: A Guide to Planning, Research, and Writing

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Systematic Literature Review: A Comprehensive Guide

• November 11, 2024

A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) is a rigorous, structured, and transparent method for identifying, evaluating, and synthesizing existing research literature on a specific topic. It is an essential tool for researchers and practitioners, providing a comprehensive understanding of the current state of knowledge on a particular issue. Unlike traditional literature reviews, which are often informal and subjective, a systematic review adheres to predefined protocols, making it highly reproducible and objective.

In this article, we will explore the key aspects of conducting a Systematic Literature Review and why it is an indispensable method for gathering reliable evidence in research.

What is a Systematic Literature Review?

A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) is a methodical process of collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing research studies to answer a specific research question. It is commonly used in academic fields such as medicine, social sciences, psychology, and engineering. The aim of an SLR is to provide a comprehensive and unbiased summary of the research evidence available on a topic by critically evaluating the studies included.

Key characteristics of an SLR include:

• Predefined criteria for including and excluding studies.
• Comprehensive search across multiple databases and sources.
• Critical appraisal of each study’s quality.
• Synthesis of the findings to provide clear conclusions.

Key Steps in Conducting a Systematic Literature Review

Conducting a systematic literature review requires following a series of well-defined steps to ensure that the process is transparent, repeatable, and comprehensive. These steps include:

1. Defining the Research Question

• The first step in an SLR is to clearly define the research question or problem that the review will address.
• A well-defined research question ensures that the review remains focused and relevant.
• Example research questions could be: “What is the impact of exercise on mental health in adults?” or “How effective are various teaching strategies in improving student performance?”

2. Developing a Protocol

• Inclusion and exclusion criteria for selecting studies.
• Search strategy and databases to be used.
• Data extraction process for collecting relevant information from the studies.
• Developing a protocol at the beginning helps to prevent bias and ensure consistency in the review process.

3. Conducting a Comprehensive Literature Search

• Systematic literature reviews require a comprehensive search of multiple databases, journals, and other sources to capture as much relevant research as possible.
• PubMed (for health-related research).
• IEEE Xplore (for engineering and technology).
• PsycINFO (for psychology).
• Google Scholar (a broad, multi-disciplinary database).
• Keywords and search terms should be clearly defined and consistently applied.

Important points:

• Use of Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to refine searches.
• Grey literature (unpublished or non-peer-reviewed sources) may also be included to reduce publication bias.

4. Screening and Selecting Studies

• After conducting the search, the next step is to screen the studies for relevance to the research question.
• Title and abstract to determine if they meet the inclusion criteria.
• Full-text review to assess the methodology, outcomes, and relevance.
• The selection process should be transparent and documented to ensure that it is reproducible.

5. Data Extraction

• Data from the selected studies is extracted to answer the research question.
• Study design (e.g., randomized controlled trial, observational study).
• Population/sample .
• Intervention and outcomes .
• Study quality or risk of bias .
• Standardized forms or tools are often used to extract data consistently across studies.

6. Quality Assessment

• The quality of the studies included in the review is assessed using predefined tools or checklists.
• Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool (for clinical studies).
• GRADE system (for evaluating the strength of evidence).
• CASP checklists (for various study types).
• This step is crucial for ensuring the reliability of the conclusions drawn from the review.

7. Data Synthesis and Analysis

• The data from the studies are then synthesized to answer the research question.
• Qualitative synthesis : A narrative summary of the findings.
• Quantitative synthesis (Meta-analysis) : Statistical methods to combine results from multiple studies, providing a pooled estimate of the effect size.
• Synthesis should account for the heterogeneity between studies (differences in study design, sample characteristics, etc.).

8. Reporting and Conclusion

• The findings of the SLR are reported in a clear, structured format.
• A summary of the findings.
• Implications for practice, policy, and future research.
• Limitations of the review.
• A well-conducted SLR provides evidence-based conclusions that can inform decision-making and further research.

Benefits of a Systematic Literature Review

• Comprehensive Evidence : An SLR provides a complete and balanced overview of existing research on a specific topic, ensuring that conclusions are based on the best available evidence.
• Reduced Bias : By following a structured protocol, an SLR minimizes the risk of bias, ensuring that the findings are as objective and reliable as possible.
• Informed Decision-Making : Systematic reviews provide evidence for policymakers, healthcare providers, educators, and other stakeholders to make informed decisions based on comprehensive and up-to-date research.
• Identification of Gaps in Research : An SLR helps to identify areas where further research is needed, which can guide future studies and funding priorities.

Challenges in Conducting a Systematic Literature Review

• Time-Consuming : Systematic reviews can be time-consuming due to the extensive searching, screening, and data extraction required.
• Data Heterogeneity : Variability in study designs, populations, interventions, and outcomes can complicate the synthesis process.
• Publication Bias : Studies with significant results are more likely to be published, potentially leading to a skewed understanding of the evidence.
• Resource Intensive : Conducting an SLR requires access to multiple databases and tools for data management and analysis.

A Systematic Literature Review is a critical tool for researchers who want to synthesize and evaluate the evidence available on a specific research question. It ensures that the conclusions drawn are based on a comprehensive, unbiased, and rigorous evaluation of the existing literature. Although the process can be time-consuming and complex, the insights provided by an SLR are invaluable for guiding research, policy, and practice in various fields.

For more information on conducting a Systematic Literature Review, watch this video : Systematic Literature Review Overview .

By: Daniela Febres

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• Cornette Library

SOCW 4362 Social Research

• Writing Your Lit Review
• Formulating Research Questions & Search Terms
• Find Articles
• Citing Sources
• Start Your Lit Review
• Annotated Bibliographies

Final Step: Write Your Lit Review

1. Create the outline for your literature review. Some things to consider when creating this outline:

• What do you hope to prove or define with this review?
• Organize your resources and thoughts in a way that clearly articulates the point you are trying to define. Consider the common themes, debates, keywords, methodologies, and findings throughout your literature review. The structure of your literature review should be balanced and concise.
• Your outline should consist of a introduction, body of your paper, and conclusion. When writing your paper, do not forget to include your reference page. EndNote (if used) will help you generate this page with ease.
• Determine how you want to structure your literature review. Some ways to structure your review are chronologically, thematically, or methodologically. More information on these structures can be found at OWL Purdue: Writing a Literature Review

2. Write your literature review. Your literature review should include the following:

• what is the purpose of this literature review? What is your research question? What do you hope to define or prove with this literature review? How did you find your literature? What were the keywords or search terms you used and how did you analyze the literature in order for it to make the final cut for your review?
• Summarize and synthesize - give a summary of the main points of the literature you chose for the review and combine the points into an organized and concise whole.
• Analyze and interpret - talk about your analysis of each source and add your interpretations where you can. This is your review of the literature, so add your thoughts on the literature and discuss the significance of the findings and how those findings relate to the literature compiled for this review.
• Evaluate - discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the literature. What gaps did you identify with your review?
• Summarize the key insights you identified in your literature review and highlight their significance to the research being done.
• Connect your conclusion back to your research question and the purpose of the review.
• Reference Page - this page usually does not count towards your final page count, but it is required. EndNote can help with organizing and building your reference page. If you need help, contact a librarian or stop by the library research desk.

Here is a short YouTube video from Scribbr (2020) on how to set up and write your literature review.

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• Next: Annotated Bibliographies >>
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• Published: 11 November 2024

How to write an excellent Review article

Nature Reviews Bioengineering volume  2 ,  page 907 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

Metrics details

Review articles are our bread and butter. Here, we would like to offer some insights on how to craft a comprehensive and authoritative assessment of a field.

Only by taking stock of where we are, can we point to where we need to go next. Review articles are designed to synthesize and critically evaluate the most important research findings within a specific field to gauge its progress and identify new research opportunities. They should be timely, objective, balanced, forward-thinking and engaging — not only informative but also easy to read. So, what does it take to craft a high-quality Review that serves as an essential resource for those interested in your field?

The first step is to determine whether your topic is timely and whether there is sufficient recent primary research to justify a crucial discussion. Start by thoroughly scanning the scientific literature to identify key findings, open questions, emerging insights, controversies and recent conclusions. A good rule of thumb is to aim for at least 30 relevant primary research papers published within the past 2–3 years. If you can meet this benchmark, it may be a good time to assess the field through a Review and start screening the broader literature. When identifying references, use a range of sources, such as literature databases and community-specific resources, and experiment with different keyword combinations to ensure comprehensive coverage. It is also beneficial to follow the work of a diverse set of researchers to get a sense of what is trending globally. Because references are the foundation of your article, make sure to cite appropriately and be mindful of inclusivity and diversity in your citations 1 .

Next, you need to find a compelling angle for your discussion. Ask yourself whether new research results have led to fresh questions or if certain areas are approaching clinical application. If not, are there emerging research directions aimed at bridging the translational gaps? Has the field shifted toward a new focus or approach? Identifying this angle will shape the narrative of your Review.

Begin by drafting a detailed outline. Identify the main topics, examples and key messages you want to convey. Organize these into a coherent storyline, drawing connections and highlighting synergies between different research areas. In addition, consider designing original illustrations that summarize the core concepts, compare different approaches and showcase key examples. Visual elements are powerful tools to enhance understanding and can help readers to grasp complex ideas quickly.

The introduction to your Review should set the stage by providing an overview of the field and context for the topic. Keep in mind that your audience may include readers who are unfamiliar with the subject, so explain mechanisms and concepts clearly and in sufficient detail. However, avoid overcomplicating things — simplicity is key. Steer clear of acronyms and abbreviations, as their meanings can vary across disciplines and may confuse readers, and keep sentences and paragraphs concise. Be sure to highlight the major advancements and knowledge gaps, emphasizing the importance and impact of the field you are reviewing.

The core of the Review — the critical discussion — should follow a logical flow. Organize the content into major sections, each dedicated to a particular area of research, with sub-sections to help to structure the discussion. Do not merely list research outcomes in chronological order; instead, compare and contrast the most representative research findings, exploring what has succeeded, what has not, and what can be learned from any failures. Look for common themes, conflicting conclusions and bottlenecks. Be as specific as possible, offering detailed information about models, systems and methodologies. To avoid ambiguity, make sure it is clear whether you are discussing established findings or proposing hypotheses. Incorporate tables to compare systems, metrics or approaches — such as clinical trials, performance outcomes or device designs — and consider adding text boxes for technical details that support the main discussion.

Conclude your Review with an outlook section that summarizes the key take-home messages and highlights future directions for the field, pinpointing specific actionable milestones. By the end, readers should have a clear understanding of the current state of the field, its future challenges, and the steps needed to overcome them from both engineering and translational perspectives. Ideally, the reader is left with many ideas for new experiments and collaborations.

Finally, choose a title that is clear, descriptive and concise, avoiding vague terms, such as ‘advances’, ‘emerging’ or ‘recent’, to make your Review easy to find and classify. The title should include key terms that reflect the content of the Review. Similarly, the abstract should be succinct, providing a snapshot of the article by briefly introducing the field and outlining the major themes of your article. Think of it as a miniature version of the Review.

“A good Review should always teach you something new — even if you have been in the field for a long time.”

A good Review should always teach you something new — even if you have been in the field for a long time. Writing a Review article offers a unique opportunity to reflect on a field and deepen your understanding of core concepts. The process might even lead you to fresh insights of your own.

Citation diversity statement. Nat. Rev. Bioeng. 1 , 227 (2023).

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How to write an excellent Review article. Nat Rev Bioeng 2 , 907 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-024-00256-4

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-024-00256-4

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