Literature Reviews
A literature review is a synthesis of published information on a particular research topics. The purpose is to map out what is already known about a certain subject, outline methods previously used, prevent duplication of research, and, along these lines, reveal gaps in existing literature to justify the research project.
Unlike an annotated bibliography, a literature review is thus organized around ideas/concepts, not the individual sources themselves. Each of its paragraphs stakes out a position identifying related themes/issues, research design, and conclusions in existing literature.
Annotated Bibliographies
An annotated bibliography is a bibliography that gives a summary of each article or book. The purpose of annotations is to provide the reader with a summary and an evaluation of the source. Each summary should be a concise exposition of the source's central idea(s) and give the reader a general idea of the source's content.
The purpose of an annotated bibliography is to:
- review the literature of a particular subject;
- demonstrate the quality and depth of reading that you have done;
- exemplify the scope of sources available—such as journals, books, websites and magazine articles;
- highlight sources that may be of interest to other readers and researchers;
- explore and organize sources for further research.
Further Reading:
Tutorial
"Literature Reviews: An Overview for Graduate Students" 2009. NC State University Libraries
Writing the Literature Review
Review the following websites for tips on writing a literature review:
Literature Reviews. The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Write a Literature Review: Virginia Commonwealth University.
Matrix for Organizing Sources for Literature Reviews / Annotated Bibliographies
Sample Literature Reviews
Books
Conducting Your Literature Review by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9781433830921Publication Date: 2019-09-10This book is a step-by-step guide to writing a literature review, and includes tips for modifying the process as needed depending on your audience, purpose, and goals. The lessons in this book can be applied to writing the background section for a thesis or an original research publication. Literature reviews are now much more challenging to compile today than they used to be. You need a structured approach to handle the sheer volume of published research available. This book will help you formulate a strategy for making decisions about what to include and not include in your review, and produce a reliable and unbiased summary of the existing research. You will learn skills for defining research questions, using search tools and managing citations.
Writing the Literature Review by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9781462536917Publication Date: 2018-09-24This accessible text provides a roadmap for producing a high-quality literature review--an integral part of a successful thesis, dissertation, term paper, or grant proposal. Each step of searching for, evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing prior studies is clearly explained and accompanied by user-friendly suggestions, organizational tips, vignettes, and examples of student work. Also featured are excerpts from peer-reviewed quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods articles. This is the first book to focus on crafting different types of reviews (systematic, traditional-narrative, or hermeneutic-phenomenological) that reflect the writer's research question, methodological choices, and approaches to knowledge. It describes what all reviews have in common and highlights distinct characteristics of each type.
The Literature Review by Call Number: LB1047.3 .M33 2016ISBN: 9781506336244Publication Date: 2016-06-09From daunting to doable in six steps The process of literature search and composing a formal literature review can be intimidating. But masters and doctoral candidates in Education and related fields have found academic argumentation to be seamlessly intuitive with the six-step process pioneered by this book. This updated third edition features a wealth of all-new content including: A flowchart that graphically illustrates Machi and McEvoy's process. Reflective Oversight boxes in each chapter, prompting readers to direct metacognitive activities. Links to online guides and resources. Expanded examples illustrating theoretical concepts.
