What is a literature review? A review of the literature should be an account of what has been published in that subject area by scholars and experts. It is not simply a summary of the literature but also a synthesis of the literature in a structured manner without adding new contributions. This synthesis is a reorganization of the information you discover while searching. It might mean you give a new interpretation to old material or combine old and new interpretations. Or it might trace the professional progression in the field. In some cases the literature review may evaluate sources and advise the reader of the most relevant or pertinent.
What is the purpose of a literature review?
Why do we write literature reviews?
Literature reviews provide a convenient guide to a particular topic for you and the reader. As a scholar it also helps you stay current with what is being researched in your subject or field. It is just one of the components of a research paper and is used as the foundation in which you build your argument or insight on. Sometimes a literature review is written as a paper or article itself.
So how do you begin writing the literature review?
Look at primary, original research reports, articles, journals or books, and secondary resources, reviews of a research report, articles, journals or books.
(Source: Some content adapted from Literature Review Guide, Central Queensland University Library, Australia)
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