Purpose
Written by: Oliver Wilkin
In a literature review, it is the literature itself that you should frame your argument around, by providing an in-depth analysis of the ‘conversation’ around your topic. Usually, when given a literature review assignment, you will have to answer a question or topic but do not take this as a prompt to just write an essay about the issue(s).
A literature review is there to show your understanding of a topic by identifying major debates and trends between authors and/or schools of thought, and establishing which ideas and methods are most significant to it. It should also include an argument, and identify gaps and limitations in the literature to show why your research is important and how it fills these gaps.
Research and Planning
Your academic lead should give you an idea of how many sources they expect you to review, but you can always ask them for advice and look at other literature reviews in your field for inspiration. Just like any other assignment, use the key words from your essay or research question(s) to search for studies.
To make sure your review is relevant, only discuss research from the timeframe considered ‘current’ in your field. When reading the literature you choose, try to answer these questions:
- What is the main idea?
- What points are used to develop this?
- What evidence is being used?
- What is the support for these claims?
- Do you agree?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses?
- Do other authors challenge or agree?
- What is the methodology?
- How relevant is this to my own research?
Structure
Just like a typical essay, a literature review should include an introduction, themed paragraphs and a conclusion, but each section structured a little differently.
Introduction (approximately 10% of overall word count):
Similar to most essays, the introduction of a literature review should state the assignment’s purpose, establish the key concepts and set expectations for the reader.
- Statement of purpose: what is the question you are setting out to answer? How does it fit into your field?
- Justify your question: why is it important and how will it contribute to knowledge in your field?
- Scope of review: provide a little information about the literature you will review and why you chose it.
- Signposting: map out the structure of the main body, with the theme or concept behind each section.
- Limitations of the review: does the amount of literature make it difficult to review the topic? Are there any issues you have not had a chance to discuss?
Main body paragraphs:
When researching and planning, you will hopefully find some themes that the literature can be grouped into. Each main body section should review one specific theme and, even though you can compare to literature from other sections, you should keep the discussion of each study to its assigned section. Each paragraph or section should have:
- Topic sentence(s): introduce the theme of the section and the studies that will be discussed in it.
- Description: highlight the studies’ claims that are most relevant to the essay or research question(s).
- Analysis: compare and contrast the texts’ trends, tendencies, major findings, debates and methods.
- Evaluation: consider the texts’ strengths and limitations, maybe make suggestions that would improve them, and identify gaps in the field.
- Transition: introduce the next section and show how it is linked to this one.
Conclusion (approximately 10% of overall wordcount):
Like most essays, a literature review’s conclusion summarises and emphasises your main points, so should not contain any new information or insight.
- Topic sentence(s): indicate this is the end of the assignment and refer back to the essay or research question(s).
- Recap: summarise the key judgements that you have made and the gaps you have found in the field.
- Closing statement: give a final statement that proves you have completed the assignment’s objective(s), look to the future of the field and, if relevant, show how this connects to your thesis.
