4 TIPS for Writing a Literature Review's Intro, Body & Conclusion | Scribbr 🎓

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29 May 202004:30

Summary

TLDRJessica from Scribbr guides on writing a literature review with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. She advises summarizing and synthesizing sources, analyzing and interpreting findings, critically evaluating sources, and using well-structured paragraphs. For the conclusion, she suggests summarizing key takeaways and future research suggestions. Scribbr offers academic editing services to ensure a polished final paper.

Takeaways

😀 The structure of a literature review should include an introduction, body, and conclusion.
📝 The introduction should state the focus and purpose, with background context if it’s a stand-alone paper.
🔍 If it's part of a research paper or dissertation, restate the research question and highlight gaps in the literature.
📚 The body can be organized by theme, time period, or methodology, with subheadings to guide readers.
🔄 Summarize and synthesize sources by showing similarities and differences to create an overall argument.
🧐 Analyze and interpret the significance of the findings in relation to the broader literature.
🔍 Critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the sources you’re referencing.
🔗 Use well-structured paragraphs with clear transitions and topic sentences for cohesion.
✍️ The conclusion should summarize the main points, address gaps, and suggest future research opportunities.
✅ Proofread carefully, checking for informal language, passive voice, and repetitive phrasing before submission.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the introduction in a literature review?
-The introduction of a literature review should clearly state the focus and purpose of the review. If it’s for a research paper or dissertation, the introduction should restate the research question and provide an overview of the topic. In a stand-alone paper, it should give background information, discuss the scope, and state the objective.
How can a literature review introduction highlight the relevance of the topic?
-The introduction can emphasize the timeliness of the topic by mentioning recent studies or highlighting gaps in the literature, such as stating, 'while there has been much research on x, few researchers have taken y into consideration.'
What structure should be used for the body of a literature review?
-The body can be divided into subsections, with each focusing on a theme, time period, or methodological approach. Subheadings can be used to organize these subsections.
What are the four key tips for writing the body of a literature review?
-The four key tips are: summarize and synthesize information, analyze and interpret the research, critically evaluate the sources, and use well-structured paragraphs.
What is the difference between summarizing and synthesizing information in a literature review?
-Summarizing involves giving an overview of the main points of a source, while synthesizing combines several sources to make an overall point, showing the similarities and differences between them.
How should you analyze and interpret research in a literature review?
-You should add your own interpretation to the research and discuss the significance of the findings in relation to the broader literature, drawing conclusions or identifying trends.
What does it mean to critically evaluate sources in a literature review?
-Critically evaluating sources means identifying and discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the studies. You should contribute your own opinion on how the literature addresses the topic.
What techniques can be used to write well-structured paragraphs in a literature review?
-To ensure well-structured paragraphs, use transitions and topic sentences to draw connections, comparisons, and contrasts. This helps in maintaining cohesion in your writing.
What should be included in the conclusion of a literature review?
-The conclusion should sum up the main takeaways. If the review is part of a dissertation, it should show how your research addresses gaps and contributes new knowledge. In a stand-alone paper, summarize the major findings and implications, and suggest future research.
What are some common issues to look out for when proofreading a literature review?
-Common issues include informal or subjective language, repetitive phrasing, overuse of passive voice, and general grammatical errors. It's important to revise carefully to improve clarity and professionalism.

Outlines

00:00

🎉 Introduction: The Final Step to Writing a Literature Review

Jessica from Scribbr introduces the final stage of writing a literature review, noting that all preliminary work is done and it's time to start writing. She explains that the literature review follows a typical academic structure, with an introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction should clarify the focus and purpose of the review, restate the research question if it's part of a larger paper, and highlight either the relevance of the topic or gaps in the literature. For a stand-alone review, it should provide background and outline the scope of the literature to be reviewed, along with the main objective.

📚 Structuring the Body: Tips for Subsections and Analysis

The body of the literature review can be organized using subsections with subheadings based on themes, time periods, or methodologies. Jessica outlines four key tips for writing the body: summarize and synthesize, analyze and interpret, critically evaluate, and use well-structured paragraphs. Summarizing involves providing an overview of key points, while synthesizing combines multiple sources to create a comprehensive point of view. The body should not only present findings but also analyze their significance and critically evaluate the sources.

📝 Tip 1: Summarize and Synthesize Information

Jessica explains the first tip: summarizing and synthesizing information. Summarizing gives an overview of key points, while synthesizing integrates multiple studies to make a broader point, highlighting similarities and differences. She uses an example where different studies are combined to showcase a trend in the literature. This tip is crucial for showing a clear and organized narrative in the literature review.

🔍 Tip 2: Analyze and Interpret the Research

The second tip involves analyzing and interpreting the research. Jessica stresses the importance of offering personal interpretation and discussing the significance of findings within the broader context of the literature. Using an example, she shows how the research's interactive and visual aspects are the key factors in body image issues, derived from an analysis of several studies.

⚖️ Tip 3: Critically Evaluate Your Sources

Jessica emphasizes the third tip, which focuses on critically evaluating the sources used. She explains that it’s essential to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the research and provide a personal evaluation. For example, the analysis discusses how new technology is changing the role of media in body image, reflecting a critical assessment of the research.

🔗 Tip 4: Use Well-Structured Paragraphs

The fourth tip focuses on structuring paragraphs properly, ensuring cohesion and clarity. Jessica advises using transitions and topic sentences to link ideas, draw comparisons, and highlight contrasts. This tip ensures that the literature review is logically organized and easy to follow. For additional help on writing topic sentences, she suggests checking out another video.

🧾 Conclusion: Summarizing the Literature Review

In the conclusion of the literature review, Jessica explains how to sum up the key findings and insights from the body. For a dissertation, the conclusion should demonstrate how the research addresses gaps and adds new knowledge. For stand-alone papers, it should summarize the major findings, discuss their implications, and suggest future research directions.

✅ Final Tip: Proofreading and Revision

Before submitting the literature review, Jessica advises thoroughly proofreading and revising the document. This includes correcting typos and addressing informal language, repetitive phrasing, and overuse of passive voice. She reassures viewers not to worry, as Scribbr’s academic editors are available for proofreading help. The video concludes with a final encouragement to write a strong literature review.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Introduction

The introduction of a literature review sets the stage for the rest of the paper by clearly stating the focus and purpose of the review. It often restates the research question and emphasizes the relevance of the topic. For example, the video suggests introducing a gap in the literature to show how the current review will address unexplored areas.

💡Summarize

Summarizing involves providing an overview of the main points of a source. It’s crucial for condensing complex information into manageable insights. In the video, summarizing is shown through an example where the theory of Perloff (2014) is succinctly presented as the basis for further discussion.

💡Synthesize

Synthesizing means combining several sources to form a comprehensive view, demonstrating how different studies are related. The video highlights this through the synthesis of studies with similar focuses, piecing them together to illustrate a trend in the literature on social media and body image.

💡Analyze

Analyzing research goes beyond summarizing by adding the writer’s interpretation and discussing the significance of findings. The video gives an example of how studies on social media’s visual aspects were analyzed to conclude that these are significant in influencing body image issues.

💡Critically Evaluate

Critical evaluation involves examining the strengths and weaknesses of sources. It’s about offering an informed opinion on the value of research. In the video, critical evaluation is demonstrated when the narrator discusses the changing role of media in body image due to new technology, providing a personal viewpoint.

💡Subsections

Dividing the body of the literature review into subsections allows for organized presentation of themes, time periods, or methodological approaches. The video suggests using subheadings to structure the discussion, helping readers navigate complex material efficiently.

💡Timeliness

Timeliness refers to emphasizing the relevance of a topic based on recent developments or studies. The video suggests highlighting current research or trends to demonstrate why the topic of the literature review is important now, such as citing recent studies on a particular issue.

💡Gaps in Literature

A gap in literature refers to areas that have not been sufficiently explored by existing research. The video advises focusing on these gaps to define the contribution of the literature review, using the example of how few researchers have considered certain factors when examining a topic.

💡Topic Sentences

Topic sentences introduce the main idea of a paragraph and help connect different points in a cohesive way. In the video, the importance of writing clear topic sentences is emphasized as a way to ensure that paragraphs are well-structured and transitions between ideas are smooth.

💡Proofreading

Proofreading is the process of reviewing a document for errors in grammar, punctuation, and overall clarity. The video recommends proofreading literature reviews carefully to catch informal language, overuse of passive voice, and other common issues before submission, ensuring academic quality.

Highlights

Introduction should clearly state the focus and purpose of the literature review.

Restate the research question if writing a literature review for a research paper or dissertation.

Emphasize the timeliness of the topic or highlight a gap in the literature.

For a stand-alone paper, give background on the topic, its importance, and the scope of the literature.

State the objective of the literature review and what new insight will be drawn.

Divide the body into subsections with subheadings based on themes, time periods, or methodological approaches.

Summarize and synthesize information by combining several sources to show similarities and differences.

Analyze and interpret the research to discuss the significance of findings in relation to the literature.

Critically evaluate sources by identifying and discussing their strengths and weaknesses.

Use well-structured paragraphs with transitions and topic sentences to ensure cohesion.

In the conclusion, sum up the main takeaway and show how your research addresses gaps or contributes new knowledge.

For stand-alone papers, summarize major findings and implications of the literature.

Make suggestions for future research based on the review’s findings.

Before submission, proofread for typos, informal language, repetitive phrasing, and overuse of passive voice.

Scribbr offers a team of academic editors who can proofread literature reviews.