Check out the links below for some resources to help you with your writing!
1. Introduction
Not to be confused with a book review, a literature review surveys scholarly articles, books and other sources (e.g. dissertations, conference proceedings) relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory, providing a description, summary, and critical evaluation of each work. The purpose is to offer an overview of significant literature published on a topic.
Watch this short video Literature Reviews: An Overview for Graduate Students from North Carolina State University Libraries (9 min. 36 sec.).
2. Components
Similar to primary research, development of the literature review requires four stages:
Literature reviews should comprise the following elements:
In assessing each piece, consideration should be given to:
See also The Literature Review: A Few Tips On Conducting It from the University of Toronto Health Sciences Writing Centre.
3. Definition and Use/Purpose
A literature review may constitute an essential chapter of a thesis or dissertation, or may be a self-contained review of writings on a subject. In either case, its purpose is to:
The literature review itself, however, does not present new primary scholarship.
An example of a literature review in stages, from annotated bibliography to lit review, may be found at:
Ashton, W. Writing a Short Literature Review
A published, peer-reviewed literature review from the JSTOR database may be found at the link below:
Allen, R.C. (1996). Socioeconomic Conditions and Property Crime: A Comprehensive Review and Test of the Professional Literature.
The American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 55, 293.
Electronic Books
Print Books from the Library
Hint: Search MavScholar for "writing literature reviews"
This guide has been remixed from the original Write a Literature Review by Annette Marines at Library Guides, University of California, Santa Cruz following the CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION 3.0 LICENSE.