Literature Review
• Identify the general topic, issue, or area of concern, thus providing an appropriate context for reviewing the literature
• point out
o overall trends in what has been published about the topic; or
o conflicts in theory, methodology, evidence, and conclusions; or
o gaps in research and scholarship; or a single problem or
o new perspective of immediate interest
• establish the writer’s reason for reviewing the literature;
• explain the criteria to be used in analyzing and comparing literature and the organization of the review ; and,
• when necessary, state why certain literature is or is not included (scope).
Body
• group research studies and other types of literature (reviews, theoretical articles, case studies, etc.) according to common denominators such as
o qualitative versus quantitative approaches,
o conclusions of authors,
o specific purpose or objective,
o chronology, etc.
• summarize individual studies or articles with as much or as little detail as each merits according to its comparative importance in the literature, remembering that space (length) denotes significance
• provide the reader with strong “umbrella” sentences at beginnings of paragraphs,
• “signposts” throughout, and
Summary
• summarize major contributions of significant studies and articles to the body of knowledge under review, maintaining the focus established in the introduction
• evaluate the current “state of the art” for the body of knowledge reviewed,
o pointing out major methodological flaws or
o gaps in research,
o inconsistencies in theory and findings, and
o areas or issues pertinent to future study
• conclude by providing some insight into the relationship between the central topic of the literature review and a larger area of study such as a discipline, a scientific endeavor, or a profession.
Order of Information
A few guidelines will assist you in arranging your information in some order.
1. Organize a plan.
Have an outline, for which the best guide is the problem itself.
Begin the discussion from a broad perspective and narrow to the specific problem.
2. Stress Relatedness.
Remind the reader constantly of how the literature you are discussing is related to the problem. Use a skeleton outline to assist you in establishing this relationship.
3. Review the Literature; Don’t Copy It!
More important than what the study says is what you say about the study.
4. Establish the Relationship of the Literature to your Research Project
This can be done by charting each study in relation to the problem or subproblem it addresses. Study carefully before beginning to write.
5. Summarize Your Thoughts and Ideas.
Continue asking the question, “What does it all mean?” and continue searching for relatedness.
Essential Components
1. Minimum of 20 research article references
2. Directly related to the research question
3. APA style citations and reference page
4. Covers all variables related to study
5. Clear concise writing
