Literature Reviews

WRITING A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

A review of the literature:

A review of the literature

• Focuses on a specific topic – your argument or
is NOT:

problem as stated in your thesis

A literary review describing and
• Compiles the research that has been published on

evaluating a specific book, poem,
the topic by recognized scholars and researchers

play, etc.

• Provides background for the problem or puts the

An exhaustive, alphabetical list of
problem into historical perspective
every work consulted in your

research, nor a list of references
• Informs the reader about the current concepts and

cited
state of research on the topic and any controversies

• Describes the pros and cons of particular
An annotated bibliography listing

studies and may suggest areas for further
references and adding a brief
research

notes about the value of each

source
• Organizes the citations thematically into a

narrative that can serve as the introduction to your
Suggestions for further reading

report or that can be an individual essay

ONLINE HELP with LITERATURE REVIEWS

http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/litrev.html
Good explanation and questions for students to ask themselves on selection process from U of
Toronto Writing Center

http://library.ucsc.edu/ref/howto/literaturereview.html
HOW TO…Write a Literature Review from U of California Santa Cruz – short bullet points

http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/ReviewofLiterature.html
UW-Madison Writing Center – more about organizing and writing the lit review not much on
searching and evaluating

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/literature_review.html
UNC-Chapel Hill Writing Center – chatty handout explaining the steps, organization and general
how to of writing a lit review
also annotated bib handout:
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/annotated_bibliographies.html

http://www.library.american.edu/Help/tutorials/lit_review/index.html
American U – What is, and is not, a literature review? With an example lit review of critical thinking
(19 pages).

http://www.languages.ait.ac.th/EL21LIT.HTM#using
Language Center, Asian Institute of Technology – Research based - 10 Questions the Lit Review
should answer; example review – good and bad analyzed

http://edgenet.edgewood.edu/LSS/writingcenter/articles/lit_review.htm
Edgewood's Writing Center - Step by step guide to writing and refining your literature review
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FINDING REVIEWS OF THE LITERATURE

Most of the specialized databases will have scholarly articles that are either Literature Reviews or
have a review of the literature as an introduction to the research.

Keys to finding them are:

 “Literature Reviews” is a descriptor – search in SU
ERIC – Education
Descriptors (All) and combine with search terms on your
topic - Limit to Journal Articles
 Eric Digests are brief, 3-5 page, full text articles that
describes the current state of an issue and provide a
bibliography, but does not evaluate the pros and cons of
the studies cited.
 Search for your topic and limit Publication Type to:
Information Analysis - ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text

PsycInfo
 Literature Review is a Descriptor – search Descriptors, DE=
 Publication Type – Review gives you book reviews

 Select Systematic Review as a Publication Type and
CINAHL (Nursing)
combine with terms for your topic

Medline
 Check Review Articles under Refine Search

Academic Search Premier
 Limit to Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals and add
“literature review” or “review of literature as search terms and
combine with your topic
 Literature Review as a Document Type is not useful
 Bibliography will give you lists of books on a topic, but not
true literature reviews

Business Source Elite
 Same as above for Premier

 Limit to Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals and add
CMMC – Communications
“literature review” or “review of literature as search terms and
combine with your topic

 Has Review Article option on opening screen – good
PNAS
source for an overview of the current state of scientific
knowledge of a topic and areas yet to be researched, but not
exactly a literature review essay.
 Check the Review Article box and search for your terms in
the title and abstract
 Review Article box is NOT 0N ADVANCED SERCH screen

MLA (Languages & Literatures)
 No option to limit results to literature reviews
RLIM (Music)
ATLA (Religion)

I:\BI Classes\Human Issues\LITERATURE REVIEWS.doc