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.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Literature Review

This paragraph introduces Aisha, the host of Educational Hub, and explains the concept of a literature review. It's described as a survey of scholarly sources related to a specific topic, aiming to provide an overview of current knowledge, identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in research. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of not just summarizing but also analyzing, synthesizing, and critically evaluating sources. The process of writing a literature review involves five key steps: searching for literature, evaluating sources, identifying themes, outlining the structure, and writing the review. The purpose of a literature review is to situate one's research within existing knowledge, demonstrate familiarity with the topic, develop a theoretical framework and methodology, and show how the research addresses a gap or contributes to a debate.

05:05

🔍 Steps for Conducting a Literature Review

The second paragraph outlines the steps involved in conducting a literature review. It begins with defining a clear topic and developing a central question for the review. The author advises using keywords to search for relevant literature in databases such as university libraries, Google Scholar, JSTOR, and others. The next step is to evaluate and select the most relevant sources by assessing their contribution to the field and their relation to the research topic. The third step involves identifying themes, debates, and gaps in the literature, which helps in structuring the review and understanding how one's own research can contribute. The fourth step is to outline the structure of the literature review, which can be organized thematically, chronologically, methodologically, or theoretically. The final step is the actual writing of the literature review, which should include an introduction, main body, and conclusion, with the author providing tips on summarizing, analyzing, interpreting, and critically evaluating sources.

Keywords

💡Literature Review

A literature review is a comprehensive survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It is not just a summary of sources but an analysis and synthesis that critically evaluates the existing research to provide a clear picture of the state of knowledge. In the video, it is emphasized that a literature review is essential for situating one's research within the existing scholarly context, identifying gaps, and demonstrating familiarity with the topic.

💡Scholarly Sources

Scholarly sources refer to academic materials such as books, journal articles, and theses that are peer-reviewed and contribute to a field of study. The video script mentions these sources as the primary materials to be surveyed in a literature review, highlighting their importance in building a foundation of knowledge and understanding in a specific research area.

💡Theoretical Framework

A theoretical framework is a structure that provides an abstract model of a concept or phenomenon. In the context of the video, developing a theoretical framework is part of the literature review process, which helps in positioning one's research in relation to other studies and theories, and in identifying the gaps that the research aims to address.

💡Methodology

Methodology refers to the systematic approach or strategy used in research to ensure the validity and reliability of the findings. The video discusses the importance of critically analyzing the methodologies used in existing research during a literature review, which helps in understanding different approaches and their implications for one's own research.

💡Research Question

A research question is a specific inquiry that a study aims to answer. In the script, it is mentioned that if one is writing a literature review as part of a dissertation or research paper, the literature review should be related to the research problem and questions, guiding the search for relevant literature.

💡Keywords

Keywords are significant terms or concepts that are used to guide the search for relevant literature. The video provides an example of how to create a list of keywords, including synonyms and related terms, to ensure a comprehensive search for literature on a specific topic, such as 'social media,' 'body image,' and 'generation z'.

💡Evaluation

Evaluation in the context of a literature review involves assessing the relevance, quality, and contribution of each source to the research topic. The video script describes how to evaluate sources by considering their research questions, key concepts, theories, methods, and conclusions, and how they relate to the existing body of knowledge.

💡Themes

Themes are recurring patterns or central ideas that emerge from the literature. The video explains that identifying themes helps in organizing the literature review and understanding the connections and relationships between different sources, which can guide the structure and argument of the review.

💡Debates

Debates refer to disagreements or discussions among scholars on particular issues within a field of study. The script mentions that identifying debates is crucial for recognizing conflicts and contradictions in the literature, which can inform the direction of one's own research.

💡Gaps

Gaps in the literature are areas where there is a lack of research or understanding. The video script uses the example of a gap in research on the impact of highly visual social media platforms on body image, illustrating how recognizing such gaps can lead to new research opportunities.

💡Structure

Structure refers to the organization and arrangement of the content in a literature review. The video discusses various approaches to structuring a literature review, such as chronologically, thematically, methodologically, or theoretically, and emphasizes the importance of having a clear structure to guide the writing process.

💡Introduction

An introduction in a literature review sets the stage for the reader by establishing the focus and purpose of the review. The video mentions that the introduction should clearly define what the literature review aims to achieve and how it will contribute to the existing knowledge.

💡Conclusion

A conclusion in a literature review summarizes the key findings and emphasizes their significance. According to the video, the conclusion should highlight the importance of the reviewed literature and how it sets the stage for further research or the researcher's own study.

Highlights

A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources that provides an overview of current knowledge in a specific topic.

It involves analyzing, synthesizing, and critically evaluating sources to understand the state of knowledge on a subject.

Writing a literature review requires finding relevant publications such as books and journal articles.

There are five key steps in writing a literature review: search, evaluate, identify themes, outline structure, and write.

A literature review is often written as part of a thesis, dissertation, or research paper.

It situates your research within existing knowledge and demonstrates familiarity with the topic and scholarly context.

A literature review can also be a standalone assignment to evaluate the current state of research.

A clearly defined topic is essential before beginning a literature search.

Keywords should be identified to guide the search for relevant literature.

Useful databases for searching journals and articles include Google Scholar, JSTOR, and EBSCO.

Sources must be evaluated for relevance, with questions asked about the author's focus, concepts, theories, and research methods.

Identifying themes, debates, and gaps helps in organizing the literature review and understanding the field.

The structure of a literature review can be chronological, thematic, methodological, or theoretical.

The introduction of a literature review should clearly establish its focus and purpose.

The body of the review can be divided into subsections based on themes, time periods, or methods.

Summarize, synthesize, analyze, interpret, and critically evaluate sources within the literature review.

The conclusion summarizes key findings and emphasizes their significance in the context of existing literature.

Transcripts

hi i'm aisha you are watching educational hub  a literature review is a survey of scholarly  

sources in a specific topic it provides an  overview of current knowledge allowing you to  

identify relevant theories methods and gaps in the  existing research a good literature review doesn't  

just summarize sources it analyzes synthesizes and  critically evaluates to give a clear picture of  

the state of knowledge on the subject writing  a literature review involves finding relevant  

publications such as books and journal articles  critically analyzing them and explaining what you  

found there are five key steps search for relevant  literature evaluate sources identify themes  

debates and gaps outline the structure write your  literature review first we need to understand that  

what is 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 is often written as  

part of a thesis dissertation or research paper in  order to situate your work in relation to existing  

knowledge why we write a literature review when  you write a thesis dissertation or research paper  

you will have to conduct a literature review to  situate your research within existing knowledge  

the literature review gives you a chance to  demonstrate your familiarity with the topic  

and scholarly context develop a theoretical  framework and methodology for your research  

position yourself in relation to other researchers  and theorists show how your research address is  

a gap or contributes to a debate you might also  have to write a literature review as a standalone  

assignment in this case the purpose is to evaluate  the current state of research and demonstrate your  

knowledge of scholarly debates around a topic  you follows the same steps step one search for  

relevant literature before you begin searching  for literature you need a clearly defined topic  

if you are writing the literature review  section of a dissertation or research paper  

you will search for literature related  to your research problem and questions  

if you are writing a literature  review as a standalone assignment  

you will have to choose a focus and develop a  central question to direct your search unlike  

a dissertation research question this question has  to be answerable without collecting original data  

you should be able to answer it based only on  a review of existing publications for example  

research question is what is the impact of  social media on body image among generation z  

then we make a list of keywords include each of  the key concepts or variables you're interested in  

and list any synonyms and related terms you can  add to this list if you discover new keywords in  

the process of your literature search for example  social media facebook instagram twitter snapchat  

tick-tock body image self-perception self-esteem  mental health generation z teenagers adolescents  

youth use your keywords to begin searching for  sources some useful databases to search for  

journals and articles include your university's  library catalog google scholar jstor ebsco project  

muse humanities and social sciences medline life  sciences and biomedicine econlet economics inspect  

physics engineering and computer science step 2  evaluate and select sources you probably won't be  

able to read absolutely everything that has been  written on the topic you'll have to evaluate which  

sources are most relevant to your questions for  each publication ask yourself what question or  

problem is the author addressing what are the  key concepts and how are they defined what are  

the key theories models and methods does the  research use established frameworks or take  

an innovative approach what are the results and  conclusions of the study how does the publication  

relate to other literature in the field does it  confirm add to or challenge established knowledge  

how does the publication contribute  to your understanding of the topic  

what are its key insights and arguments what  are the strengths and weaknesses of the research  

step 3 identify themes debates and gaps to begin  organizing your literature reviews argument and  

structure you need to understand the connections  and relationships between the sources you've read  

based on your reading and notes you can look for  trends and patterns in theory method or results do  

certain approaches become more or less popular  over time themes what questions or concepts  

recur across the literature debates conflicts and  contradictions where do sources disagree pivotal  

publications are there any influential theories  or studies that change the direction of the field  

gaps what is missing from the literature are  there weaknesses that need to be addressed  

this step will help you work out the structure  of your literature review and if applicable show  

how your own research will contribute to existing  knowledge example of trends and gaps in reviewing  

the literature on social media and body image you  note that most research has focused on young women  

there is an increasing interest in  the visual aspects of social media  

but there is still a lack of robust research  on highly visual platforms like instagram and  

snapchat this is a gap that you could address in  your own research step 4 outline your literature  

reviews structure there are various approaches  to organizing the body of a literature review  

you should have a rough idea of your  strategy before you start writing  

depending on the length of your literature review  you can combine several of these strategies for  

example your overall structure might be thematic  but each theme is discussed chronologically  

chronological the simplest approach is to trace  the development of the topic over time however  

if you choose this strategy be careful to avoid  simply listing and summarizing sources in order  

try to analyze patterns turning points and  key debates that have shaped the direction  

of the field give your interpretation of  how and why certain developments occurred  

thematic if you have found some recurring central  themes you can organize your literature review  

into subsections that address different aspects  of the topic for example if you are reviewing  

literature about inequalities in migrant health  outcomes key themes might include healthcare  

policy language barriers cultural attitudes legal  status and economic access methodological if you  

draw your sources from different disciplines  or fields that use a variety of research  

methods you might want to compare the results and  conclusions that emerge from different approaches  

for example look at what results have emerged  in qualitative versus quantitative research  

discuss how the topic has been approached  by empirical versus theoretical scholarship  

divide the literature into sociological  historical and cultural sources  

theoretical a literature review is often  the foundation for a theoretical framework  

you can use it to discuss various theories models  and definitions of key concepts you might argue  

for the relevance of a specific theoretical  approach or combine various theoretical concepts  

to create a framework for your research step  5 write your literature review like any other  

academic text your literature review should have  an introduction a main body and a conclusion what  

you include in each depends on the objective  of your literature review introduction the  

introduction should clearly establish the  focus and purpose of the literature review  

body depending on the length of your literature  review you might want to divide the body into  

subsections you can use a subheading for each  theme time period or methodological approach  

as you write you can follow these  tips summarize and synthesize  

give an overview of the main points of each  source and combine them into a coherent whole  

analyze and interpret don't just paraphrase  other researchers add your own interpretations  

where possible discussing the significance of  findings in relation to the literature as a whole  

critically evaluate mention the  strengths and weaknesses of your sources  

write in well-structured paragraphs use transition  words and topic sentences to draw connections  

comparisons and contrasts conclusion in  the conclusion you should summarize the  

key findings you have taken from the literature  and emphasize their significance thank you for  

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