.
Writing a literature review
This resource provides you with tips and guidelines for researching and writing a literature review.
What is a literature review?
In many university courses, students need to write literature reviews as part of their studies.
A literature review is:
- a review of writings, or literature, on a particular subject/topic
- a review of the most relevant, recent and scholarly work in the subject/topic area
- a piece of writing that supports, evaluates and critiques your research topic.
A literature review is not:
- a summary of articles, texts or journals; or
- an analytical, opinionative or argumentative essay.
The purpose of a literature review is to:
- establish a theoretical framework for your topic/subject area
- define key terms, definitions and terminology
- identify studies, models, case studies, etc., supporting your topic
- define/establish your area of study, i.e. your research topic.
The three key points of a literature review are:
- what the research says (theory)
- how the research was carried out (methodology)
- what is missing, i.e. the gap that your research intends to fill.
The next step in planning your literature review is to read and research.
In this tutorial
Log in to leave feedback