What is a Literature Review?
A literature review is an essential component of academic research, particularly at the postgraduate level. Whilst there are various types of literature reviews, it generally involves systematically searching, analysing, summarising, and synthesising existing literature on a specific topic area.
Here are some common terms used when discussing literature reviews and their definition.
Academic literature refers to published information produced by researchers, scholars and experts within a particular field of study. It includes books, journal articles, conference proceedings and other academic platforms.
Peer review is a common quality control mechanism in academia where scholarly work is reviewed by topic experts to evaluate the quality, validity, and significance of a manuscript before being accepted for publication. Not all academic literature is peer-reviewed.
Grey literature refers to information that is produced by non-academic publishers. This includes government reports, doctoral dissertations and some conference papers. The quality of grey literature can vary so consult with your lecturer if you are unsure whether it should in included.
Reasons for Conducting a Literature Review
- Demonstrate scholarly engagement within your field.
- Provide background knowledge and evidence on a topic area to support an argument or research question.
- Evaluate previous research to identify gaps in the literature, to form the basis for justifying the importance and relevance of new research.
- Build theoretical frameworks by synthesising different theoretical perspectives and concepts on a specific topic area.
- To evaluate different methodological approaches and justify methodological decision-making.
Types of Literature Reviews
Additional information on different types of literature reviews is included below.
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Systematic Review
- It involves systematically searching, analysing, and summarising all relevant studies to generate a comprehensive overview of the current evidence available to answer a research question.
- It provides evidence for practice and policy-making and identifies gaps in research.
- Every step of the review, including the search strategy, the search, and the results must be documented for reproducibility.
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Meta-analysis
- This is a technique that can be included in a systematic review.
- It involves statistically combining and analysing the quantitative results from multiple independent research studies, to provide a more precise estimate of the effect size or outcome, for the research question.
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Critical Review
- The main focus of a critical review is a critical analysis of cited resources, using appropriate criteria such as strengths, weaknesses, or validity.
- After reading a critical review, the reviewer should be able to make an assessment of a topic.
- Critical reviews should help in the evaluation of newly developed concepts.
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Rapid Evidence Assessment
- This summarises and synthesises research findings within time and resource constraints.
- It involves a systematic approach, but the process is less robust than that of a systematic review.
- It can speed up the systematic review process.
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Scoping Review
- A scoping review is exploratory and typically undertaken to determine the size and scope of the available literature on a particular topic, and to highlight gaps in the research.
- They help inform future research by identifying the types of studies and methodologies that have been used.
- Scoping reviews are therefore particularly useful to evaluate whether a full systematic review is possible.
- It differs from a systematic review in that a synthesis of the literature is not usually undertaken.
- It is not an appropriate method to answer a clinical question.
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Integrative review
- Researchers critique, summarise and make conclusions about a topic, based on a systematic and detailed search.
- It includes both experimental and non-experimental studies.
- It is useful when evidence on the topic includes different research study designs.
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Narrative Review
- A comprehensive narrative synthesis of evidence.
- It describes and appraises published articles, although the methods for selecting articles may not always be described.
- As a consequence narrative reviews are not reproducible.
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Umberella Review
- An umbrella review is a systematic review of systematic reviews.
- They do not search for, analyse, or synthesize primary research studies.
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Literature Review
- A literature review is an overview of previously published material on a given topic area.
- No definitive type of study is included.
- It describes and appraises previous work but does not describe specific methods by which the reviewed studies were identified, selected, and evaluated. Therefore it cannot be replicated and can give way to bias.
- It is often used as a rationale for new research, as it identifies gaps in the research.
Stages of a Literature Review
Decide on a Topic Area
Depending on your discipline and assignment brief, you may be asked to choose from a selection of topics or, you might decide your topic area.
This is a crucial first step as it provides focus and direction. Establishing your topic early allows you to justify the significance of your review. You can explain why the topic is important, what gaps exist, and how your review will contribute to the field.
Plan
It is a good idea to plan your literature review as if it were an essay. Use strategies such as mind mapping, to create a detailed outline for the review. Make a list of the topics you want to discuss and analyse, along with relevant arguments and data to support the argument.
Identify Relevant Literature
This process involves defining your research question or hypothesis, identifying relevant search terms, selecting relevant databases, running searches, managing references, and deciding what information is relevant to your topic area. The library runs numerous workshops throughout the academic year on finding academic sources, referencing and using RefWorks.
For further information contact the Library
Identifying relevant information sources makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the topic you are researching. Deciding what sources are relevant and worth including in your literature review is crucial. Here are some things to consider when deciding whether evidence is relevant.
Evaluating Information
Self Paced Guide
Aims of the guide:
- Understand why you should evaluate information.
- Knowledge of the CRAAP tool (currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose).
- Know how to establish the credibility of the information you have found.
- Develop techniques for critically reading your sources.
- How to select information that contributes effectively to your assignment.
How to access the guide
Use the back and next buttons at the bottom right of the screen below to navigate through the guide. Alternatively, use the contents button to jump to a specific page.
Accessibility options are available at the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.
Identify the Boundaries
You must decide on the scope of the literature review. You want to look at the most relevant literature, not everything that is slightly related. For example, there were many consequences of World War II but a literature review might only examine the implications of World War II on the political ramifications or the economic implications.
Critical Thinking
A key component of writing a literature review is developing a critical academic argument.
This involves analysing, synthesising, and evaluating evidence.
Let us consider what each of these are, to help you understand what is required when developing your argument when writing a literature review.
Developing a Critical Argument
Self Paced Guide
Aims of the guide:
- Differentiate between critical and descriptive writing
- Consider the importance of synthesising information from a range of different sources
- Explore ways to effectively synthesise information to support your arguments
- Demonstrate how to form paragraphs that synthesise sources while making your own arguments and opinions clear.
How to access the guide
Use the back and next buttons at the bottom right of the screen below to navigate through the guide. Alternatively, use the contents button to jump to a specific page.
Accessibility options are available at the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.
Structuring Paragraphs
The PEEL approach is a structured method for writing a clear and cohesive paragraph.
By following this approach when writing your literature review, you can effectively convey your main idea, provide supporting evidence and interpret the evidence and then link to the next paragraph or back to the main point.
Structure of a Literature Review
Most literature reviews follow a similar structure but if you are conducting a review as part of an assignment, always consult your assignment brief within your module handbook, for specific instructions on how to format and structure your literature review.
common components of a literature review are included here.
Abstract
An abstract may be a requirement of your assignment, check the assignment brief in your module handbook. It is often included when you are writing a standalone literature review and provides an overview of the content.
Further guidance on writing an academic abstract is available.
Keywords
For some assignments or if the literature review is to be submitted for publication, you will be required to include keywords. Keywords help the reader understand the main themes or topics included in the literature review.
Introduction
Although not all introductions will follow the same structure, the majority will include the following components:
- Interesting and relevant facts, figures, or statements to grab the attention of your reader.
- Broad introduction to the topic area (include keywords, definitions, concepts, or theories) to provide context.
- The 'gap' in the literature that will be addressed by your literature review.
- Highlight the importance of your research within the broader context of your topic area.
- A thesis statement, also known as the research question. In simple terms this is the focus of the literature review.
- A road map of the topics that will be covered in the literature review.
- Smooth transition from the introduction to the main body of the literature review
Main Body
The main body of a literature review can be formatted in different ways depending on your assignment brief or research topic. In some cases a combination of formats will be appropriate.
Here are some common ways in which you can structure the main body section of your literature review.
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Chronological
In chronological order, the literature is presented based on the timeline of when the research was published.
This approach could be used to track developments within a specific area or topic and demonstrate how ideas or concepts develop over time.
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Thematic
In a thematic structure, the literature is organized and presented by the theme, topic, or concept that emerges from synthesising the literature, regardless of chronological order.
An example could be a literature review exploring the risk factors for females developing cancer and the themes could be organised by cancer type with subthemes then on the different risk factors.
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Methodological
In a methodological structure, the literature is organised based on the research methods, allowing for comparisons to be made between methodologies.
An example could be combining the results from experimental studies, then surveys, etc.
This structure could be used when considering renewable energy technologies and literature on solar, wind, and bioenergy methods could be presented separately.
Conclusion
Although not all conclusions will follow the same structure, as a guide incorporate the following points when preparing the conclusion.
- Restate the main focus of the literature review.
- Summarise the key points or findings discussed.
- Synthesise the main points to highlight the relevance or importance of the literature review.
- Discuss the implications and who the research is relevant for (if applicable). Consider why it is this important and who is it important for.
- Provide recommendations based on the findings from the literature review.
References
Using reference management software, such as RefWorks, can be beneficial when conducting a literature review.
RefWorks helps you manage and organize references efficiently.
Write-N-Cite is a function within Microsoft Word that allows you to insert citations to a document. These tools can save you a lot of time, and support you in developing a reference list of the citations included within the literature review.
Always remember to read, check, and format your reference list to ensure it complies with the guidelines within your assignment brief.
The Library runs numerous training workshops throughout the academic year on referencing.
Review, Edit and Re-edit
Reading and editing work before submission is crucial!
It helps identify grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors and assesses the overall clarity and cohesion of the work.
It also allows you to review the content and quality alongside the assessment brief and rubric, to ensure you have addressed all the required components.
Remember to factor in time to use Studiosity.
Studiosity is a free tool that is available 24/7 and provides assignment feedback on your language, structure, spelling and grammar.