Literature Review

What is a Literature Review?

A Literature Review

• investigates and appraises material that has been written on a particular topic
• can serve as a framework for an ensuing study or piece of research, such as a thesis
• raises questions and identifies areas to be explored.

The Process

The function and format of your literature review will depend on your academic level

• Undergraduate assignment
• Masters dissertation
• PhD thesis

Your review could be

• essentially descriptive and topic focused;
• analytical and summative; OR
• an analytical synthesis covering all known literature on the problem

Understanding the literature review process - a video overview (9 minutes)

Succeeding with Your Literature Review by Paul Oliver

Succeeding with Your Literature Review will enable you to: Design a literature review Conduct a logically-planned search for relevant literature Determine which literature is most suited to inclusion in your study Analyse the literature, drawing comparisons and connections where appropriate Appraise the strengths and weaknesses of relevant literature Write logically and rationally about the key features of literature Write a literature review in a sound academic style Understand how to relate a literature review to other elements of your study or dissertation.

Types of reviews

• Narrative or traditional literature review –
  • is an overview of the significant literature on a topic
  • typically includes a critical analysis of each work included
  • demonstrates the reviewers knowledge of the topic

• Annotated bibliography –
  • is a list of citations of research sources (books, journal articles, websites etc) on a topic
  • includes a brief summary and analysis or evaluation of each citation = the annotation

• Systematic literature review –
  • a critical assessment of all research studies on a particular research question
  • has specific criteria for systematically collecting and evaluating the literature
  • includes a synthesis of the findings of the included studies

• Systematic quantitative literature review –
  • This method developed by Griffith University's School of Environment bridges the gap between traditional narrative review methods and meta-analyses to enable student's to produce results that are reliable, quantifiable and reproducible.

• Systematic review –
  • ​​​​​​A systematic review is an appraisal and synthesis of primary research papers using a rigorous and clearly documented methodology in both the search strategy and the selection of studies.This minimises bias in the results. The clear documentation of the process and the decisions made allow the review to be reproduced and updated. There are many differences between a systematic review and other types of reviews.

If you are writing a literature review as a post-graduate higher degree research student or as a researcher, you might find the follow links of use.

Common problems with conducting a literature review

University of Queensland Literature reviews: Common problems

How to critically examine your literature review and correct common mistakes (a comprehensive guide)

University of Queensland Reviewing the literature: A short guide for research students.