how to write a literature review for a research paper in 5 simple steps

Summary

This educational video script introduces the concept of a literature review, a critical survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It outlines the process of conducting a literature review, including defining a topic, searching for relevant literature, evaluating sources, identifying themes and gaps, and structuring the review. The script emphasizes the importance of not just summarizing but analyzing and synthesizing information to provide a clear understanding of the subject's current state of knowledge. It guides viewers through the steps of writing a literature review, which is essential for situating research within existing scholarly work and contributing to academic debates.

Takeaways

• 📚 A literature review is a comprehensive survey of existing scholarly sources on a specific topic.
• 🔍 It provides an overview of current knowledge, helping to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in research.
• 📈 A literature review is not just a summary; it involves analysis, synthesis, and critical evaluation of sources.
• 🔑 Writing a literature review involves five key steps: searching for literature, evaluating sources, identifying themes and gaps, outlining the structure, and writing the review.
• 🧐 The review is crucial for situating research within existing knowledge and demonstrating familiarity with the topic and scholarly context.
• 🔑 The first step in writing a literature review is to define a clear topic and develop a central question to guide the search.
• 🔎 Use keywords to search for relevant sources in databases like Google Scholar, JSTOR, and university library catalogs.
• 📝 Evaluate sources by considering their relevance, key concepts, theories, methods, results, and contribution to the field.
• 🔑 Identifying themes, debates, and gaps helps in organizing the literature review and understanding how your research can contribute.
• 📝 Outlining the structure of the literature review can involve chronological, thematic, methodological, or theoretical approaches.
• ✍️ The literature review should include an introduction, main body with possible subsections, and a conclusion summarizing key findings.

Q & A

What is a literature review?

A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources such as books, journal articles, and theses related to a specific topic or research question. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in existing research.

Why is a literature review important in academic research?

A literature review is important as it situates your research within existing knowledge, demonstrates your familiarity with the topic and scholarly context, develops a theoretical framework and methodology for your research, positions you in relation to other researchers and theorists, and shows how your research addresses a gap or contributes to a debate.

What are the five key steps involved in writing a literature review?

The five key steps are: 1) Search for relevant literature, 2) Evaluate sources, 3) Identify themes, debates, and gaps, 4) Outline the structure, and 5) Write your literature review.

How should one begin the search for literature in a literature review?

Begin with a clearly defined topic and a list of keywords that include key concepts or variables of interest. Use these keywords to search for sources in databases such as university library catalogs, Google Scholar, JSTOR, and others relevant to the field.

What criteria should be used to evaluate and select sources for a literature review?

Evaluate sources based on their relevance to your research questions, the key concepts and definitions used, the theories, models, and methods applied, the results and conclusions, and how they relate to and contribute to existing knowledge in the field.

How can one identify themes, debates, and gaps in the literature?

By analyzing the connections and relationships between sources, looking for trends, patterns, recurring questions or concepts, conflicts, contradictions, and areas where there is a lack of research or weaknesses that need to be addressed.

What are some strategies for organizing the body of a literature review?

Strategies include organizing by chronology to trace the development of the topic over time, thematically by addressing different aspects of the topic, methodologically by comparing results from different research methods, and theoretically by discussing various theories and models.

What should be included in the introduction of a literature review?

The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose of the literature review, providing an overview of what the review will cover and why it is significant.

How should the main body of a literature review be structured?

The main body can be divided into subsections based on themes, time periods, or methodological approaches. It should include summaries and syntheses of sources, analysis and interpretation with your own insights, and critical evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the sources.

What is the purpose of the conclusion in a literature review?

The conclusion summarizes the key findings from the literature and emphasizes their significance, highlighting how they contribute to the understanding of the topic and, if applicable, how your own research will add to the existing knowledge.

What are some examples of databases and catalogs that can be used to search for scholarly sources?

Examples include university library catalogs, Google Scholar, JSTOR, EBSCOhost, Project MUSE for humanities and social sciences, Medline for life sciences and biomedicine, and EconLit and INSPECT for economics, physics, engineering, and computer science.