Study Toolbox: Literature Review

You will collect a large quantity of information so it is essential that you devise a system of filing this information.

For example: you might divide the information by main themes, trends or by research method.

It is essential that you record all of the references and citations as you go.  It is important to do this otherwise you may find yourself at the end of your literature review attempting to recreate your searches to locate a resource to get the correct reference and citation.  There are a number of ways to keep track of references:

• A reference manager is software which helps manage and organise your references of books, articles, websites and documents you may use in your literature review.  It correctly formats your in-text citations and references.  SIT provides the EndNote software for free. 
  • For instructions on installing and using EndNote check out the EndNote guide.
• When you locate useful information photocopy the relevant page or print the article and record on these the APA reference of where it came from.

Refer to the SIT APA 7th edition Guide to make sure you include the correct information for all your references.

Before you begin to write your review you need to evaluate the research you have collected:

• Identify what are the common ideas, theories and trends. 
• Make your own judgements through comparing, contrasting and critiquing the various perspectives on your topic. 
• Judge which research methods are more successful than others.
• Identify any gaps in the research. 

The structure of a literature review is similar to an academic essay, both have an introduction, a body of multiple paragraphs and a conclusion.  However, what these cover is slightly different.

Introduction:

The introduction should establish the specific focus of the literature review, identify what boundaries you have set and state the general findings of the review.

The Body:

The body is made up of multiple paragraphs that evaluate the sources you have located.  It is important that each paragraph focuses on a main idea, theory or trend instead of a paragraph being focused on one piece of research.  This means in one paragraph you will be presenting the findings that different researchers have made that all present the same idea, theory or trend.

Each paragraph should start by presenting the broad idea, theory or trend then get more specific.  It is here that you present your critique of the research you have collected.  Evaluate the research for its premise, the research methodology used and its conclusions.  Identify any biases in the research.  Address any inconsistencies or errors as well as identifying if the research is credible, accurate, in-depth or relevant.  It is important to link evaluations of multiple pieces of research back to the main idea, theory or trend that the paragraph focusing on.  This is achieved by comparing and contrasting the literature.  Identify if there are any gaps in the current literature in relation to the idea, theory or trend you are discussing.  Discuss how your research will fill this gap or add depth to a particular idea, theory or trend.

Any judgements you make must be supported by evidence.  For example, if you disagree with the research method one researcher used, identify a better method through an approach used by another researcher.

Conclusion:

The conclusion summarises the key findings of your literature review and links this to your research topic.