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"a narrative summary and evaluation of the findings or theories within a literature base.  Also known as 'narrative literature review'. "

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Examples of Literature Reviews

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Literature Review: Conducting & Writing

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  • How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates

How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates

Published on January 2, 2023 by Shona McCombes . Revised on September 11, 2023.

What is a literature review? A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research that you can later apply to your paper, thesis, or dissertation topic .

There are five key steps to writing a literature review:

  • Search for relevant literature
  • Evaluate sources
  • Identify themes, debates, and gaps
  • Outline the structure
  • Write your literature review

A good literature review doesn’t just summarize sources—it analyzes, synthesizes , and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.

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Table of contents

What is the purpose of a literature review, examples of literature reviews, step 1 – search for relevant literature, step 2 – evaluate and select sources, step 3 – identify themes, debates, and gaps, step 4 – outline your literature review’s structure, step 5 – write your literature review, free lecture slides, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions, introduction.

  • Quick Run-through
  • Step 1 & 2

When you write a thesis , dissertation , or research paper , you will likely have to conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge. The literature review gives you a chance to:

  • Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and its scholarly context
  • Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research
  • Position your work in relation to other researchers and theorists
  • Show how your research addresses a gap or contributes to a debate
  • Evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge of the scholarly debates around your topic.

Writing literature reviews is a particularly important skill if you want to apply for graduate school or pursue a career in research. We’ve written a step-by-step guide that you can follow below.

Literature review guide

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Writing literature reviews can be quite challenging! A good starting point could be to look at some examples, depending on what kind of literature review you’d like to write.

  • Example literature review #1: “Why Do People Migrate? A Review of the Theoretical Literature” ( Theoretical literature review about the development of economic migration theory from the 1950s to today.)
  • Example literature review #2: “Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines” ( Methodological literature review about interdisciplinary knowledge acquisition and production.)
  • Example literature review #3: “The Use of Technology in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Thematic literature review about the effects of technology on language acquisition.)
  • Example literature review #4: “Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Chronological literature review about how the concept of listening skills has changed over time.)

You can also check out our templates with literature review examples and sample outlines at the links below.

Download Word doc Download Google doc

Before you begin searching for literature, you need a clearly defined topic .

If you are writing the literature review section of a dissertation or research paper, you will search for literature related to your research problem and questions .

Make a list of keywords

Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research question. Include each of the key concepts or variables you’re interested in, and list any synonyms and related terms. You can add to this list as you discover new keywords in the process of your literature search.

  • Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok
  • Body image, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health
  • Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth

Search for relevant sources

Use your keywords to begin searching for sources. Some useful databases to search for journals and articles include:

  • Your university’s library catalogue
  • Google Scholar
  • Project Muse (humanities and social sciences)
  • Medline (life sciences and biomedicine)
  • EconLit (economics)
  • Inspec (physics, engineering and computer science)

You can also use boolean operators to help narrow down your search.

Make sure to read the abstract to find out whether an article is relevant to your question. When you find a useful book or article, you can check the bibliography to find other relevant sources.

You likely won’t be able to read absolutely everything that has been written on your topic, so it will be necessary to evaluate which sources are most relevant to your research question.

For each publication, ask yourself:

  • What question or problem is the author addressing?
  • What are the key concepts and how are they defined?
  • What are the key theories, models, and methods?
  • Does the research use established frameworks or take an innovative approach?
  • What are the results and conclusions of the study?
  • How does the publication relate to other literature in the field? Does it confirm, add to, or challenge established knowledge?
  • What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?

Make sure the sources you use are credible , and make sure you read any landmark studies and major theories in your field of research.

You can use our template to summarize and evaluate sources you’re thinking about using. Click on either button below to download.

Take notes and cite your sources

As you read, you should also begin the writing process. Take notes that you can later incorporate into the text of your literature review.

It is important to keep track of your sources with citations to avoid plagiarism . It can be helpful to make an annotated bibliography , where you compile full citation information and write a paragraph of summary and analysis for each source. This helps you remember what you read and saves time later in the process.

To begin organizing your literature review’s argument and structure, be sure you understand the connections and relationships between the sources you’ve read. Based on your reading and notes, you can look for:

  • Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results): do certain approaches become more or less popular over time?
  • Themes: what questions or concepts recur across the literature?
  • Debates, conflicts and contradictions: where do sources disagree?
  • Pivotal publications: are there any influential theories or studies that changed the direction of the field?
  • Gaps: what is missing from the literature? Are there weaknesses that need to be addressed?

This step will help you work out the structure of your literature review and (if applicable) show how your own research will contribute to existing knowledge.

  • Most research has focused on young women.
  • There is an increasing interest in the visual aspects of social media.
  • But there is still a lack of robust research on highly visual platforms like Instagram and Snapchat—this is a gap that you could address in your own research.

There are various approaches to organizing the body of a literature review. Depending on the length of your literature review, you can combine several of these strategies (for example, your overall structure might be thematic, but each theme is discussed chronologically).

Chronological

The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time. However, if you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order.

Try to analyze patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred.

If you have found some recurring central themes, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic.

For example, if you are reviewing literature about inequalities in migrant health outcomes, key themes might include healthcare policy, language barriers, cultural attitudes, legal status, and economic access.

Methodological

If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods , you might want to compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:

  • Look at what results have emerged in qualitative versus quantitative research
  • Discuss how the topic has been approached by empirical versus theoretical scholarship
  • Divide the literature into sociological, historical, and cultural sources

Theoretical

A literature review is often the foundation for a theoretical framework . You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts.

You might argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach, or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.

Like any other academic text , your literature review should have an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion . What you include in each depends on the objective of your literature review.

The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose of the literature review.

Depending on the length of your literature review, you might want to divide the body into subsections. You can use a subheading for each theme, time period, or methodological approach.

As you write, you can follow these tips:

  • Summarize and synthesize: give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole
  • Analyze and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other researchers — add your own interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole
  • Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources
  • Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transition words and topic sentences to draw connections, comparisons and contrasts

In the conclusion, you should summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance.

When you’ve finished writing and revising your literature review, don’t forget to proofread thoroughly before submitting. Not a language expert? Check out Scribbr’s professional proofreading services !

This article has been adapted into lecture slides that you can use to teach your students about writing a literature review.

Scribbr slides are free to use, customize, and distribute for educational purposes.

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If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

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A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources (such as books, journal articles, and theses) related to a specific topic or research question .

It is often written as part of a thesis, dissertation , or research paper , in order to situate your work in relation to existing knowledge.

There are several reasons to conduct a literature review at the beginning of a research project:

  • To familiarize yourself with the current state of knowledge on your topic
  • To ensure that you’re not just repeating what others have already done
  • To identify gaps in knowledge and unresolved problems that your research can address
  • To develop your theoretical framework and methodology
  • To provide an overview of the key findings and debates on the topic

Writing the literature review shows your reader how your work relates to existing research and what new insights it will contribute.

The literature review usually comes near the beginning of your thesis or dissertation . After the introduction , it grounds your research in a scholarly field and leads directly to your theoretical framework or methodology .

A literature review is a survey of credible sources on a topic, often used in dissertations , theses, and research papers . Literature reviews give an overview of knowledge on a subject, helping you identify relevant theories and methods, as well as gaps in existing research. Literature reviews are set up similarly to other  academic texts , with an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion .

An  annotated bibliography is a list of  source references that has a short description (called an annotation ) for each of the sources. It is often assigned as part of the research process for a  paper .  

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

McCombes, S. (2023, September 11). How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates. Scribbr. Retrieved February 22, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/literature-review/

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How to Write a Literature Review: Writing a Literature Review in APA Format

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What is a literature review?

A literature review is an integrated analysis -- not just a summary-- of scholarly writings and other relevant evidence related directly to your research question.  That is, it represents a synthesis of the evidence that provides background information on your topic and shows a association between the evidence and your research question.

A literature review may be a stand alone work or the introduction to a larger research paper, depending on the assignment.  Rely heavily on the guidelines your instructor has given you.

Why is it important?

A literature review is important because it:

  • Explains the background of research on a topic.
  • Demonstrates why a topic is significant to a subject area.
  • Discovers relationships between research studies/ideas.
  • Identifies major themes, concepts, and researchers on a topic.
  • Identifies critical gaps and points of disagreement.
  • Discusses further research questions that logically come out of the previous studies.

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1. Choose a topic. Define your research question.

Your literature review should be guided by your central research question.  The literature represents background and research developments related to a specific research question, interpreted and analyzed by you in a synthesized way.

  • Make sure your research question is not too broad or too narrow.  Is it manageable?
  • Begin writing down terms that are related to your question. These will be useful for searches later.
  • If you have the opportunity, discuss your topic with your professor and your class mates.

2. Decide on the scope of your review

How many studies do you need to look at? How comprehensive should it be? How many years should it cover? 

  • This may depend on your assignment.  How many sources does the assignment require?

3. Select the databases you will use to conduct your searches.

Make a list of the databases you will search. 

Where to find databases:

  • use the tabs on this guide
  • Find other databases in the Nursing Information Resources web page
  • More on the Medical Library web page
  • ... and more on the Yale University Library web page

4. Conduct your searches to find the evidence. Keep track of your searches.

  • Use the key words in your question, as well as synonyms for those words, as terms in your search. Use the database tutorials for help.
  • Save the searches in the databases. This saves time when you want to redo, or modify, the searches. It is also helpful to use as a guide is the searches are not finding any useful results.
  • Review the abstracts of research studies carefully. This will save you time.
  • Use the bibliographies and references of research studies you find to locate others.
  • Check with your professor, or a subject expert in the field, if you are missing any key works in the field.
  • Ask your librarian for help at any time.
  • Use a citation manager, such as EndNote as the repository for your citations. See the EndNote tutorials for help.

Review the literature

Some questions to help you analyze the research:

  • What was the research question of the study you are reviewing? What were the authors trying to discover?
  • Was the research funded by a source that could influence the findings?
  • What were the research methodologies? Analyze its literature review, the samples and variables used, the results, and the conclusions.
  • Does the research seem to be complete? Could it have been conducted more soundly? What further questions does it raise?
  • If there are conflicting studies, why do you think that is?
  • How are the authors viewed in the field? Has this study been cited? If so, how has it been analyzed?

Tips: 

  • Review the abstracts carefully.  
  • Keep careful notes so that you may track your thought processes during the research process.
  • Create a matrix of the studies for easy analysis, and synthesis, across all of the studies.
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Literature Reviews

  • 1. What is a Literature Review?
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  • 4. Organizing Your Research
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Writing a Literature Review

Once you have gathered all your research, analyzed, and synthesized the major themes of the literature, now is the time to organize and write your literature review. There are different ways of organizing your literature review. You can organize the review by chronological order, advancements of research, or other logical ways.

David Taylor University of Maryland University College

7:40 Tutorial about organizing and writing a literature review

Common mistakes when writing a literature review

  • Relying on the quantity of resources used instead of the quality, unless you are performing an exhaustive review.
  • Not going deep enough or broad enough in your research and not using landmark studies.
  • Neither organizing nor structuring the literature review section to create a logical flow.
  • Listing and summarizing the resources you have used instead analyzing and synthesizing the literature on your topic.
  • Using irrelevant resources.
  • Relying too heavily on quotations.
  • Not following citation standards and guidelines.
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There are different methods to organize and present the materials collected for the literature review.

The list below goes over different organizational frameworks that can be used to present the research conducted. If you are not sure what method to use, check with your professor.​

  • Chronological:  The chronological framework organizes the literature in the order in which they are published. For example, if you were writing about a specific teaching method, you would begin with the materials that first introduced the method. You would then follow with case studies applying that method. You would conclude your review with contemporary papers that may even give a historical perspective on the method from when it was first conceived and how it is applied today.
  • by publication:  This framework is useful if you notice a series of articles that are written in response to one another that are all within one publication. You still follow chronological order, but you break it so that the articles responding to one another are grouped together.
  • by trend:  This framework looks at specific trends and organizes them chronologically. For example, if you were looking at the history of assistive technology in helping students with disabilities, you may organize the reviews by what disability was being treated, and then present the history of using assistive technology to treat that particular disability in chronological order.
  • Thematic:  The thematic framework is similar to organizing by trend, except that you are not organizing the reviews in the order that they were published. This does not mean that you do not consider the timeline for how a topic or issue developed, but that you will not focus on organizing your reviews chronologically. Rather, the emphasis will be on the themes you find within the topic or issue — such as commonalities — and from there you fit your reviews into the separate ideas in which they fit. For example, if the review topic was arts-based research, your review may focus on different ways artistic inquiry was used to understand the creative process, focusing then on the concepts rather than the development.
  • Methodological:  The method or practice applied in a case study can be the basis for organizing a literature review. This framework focuses on how the author(s) or the person(s) administering a study applied similar methods as another study. As a result, the types of literature in a literature review that applies the methodological framework tends to review similar materials. For example, if you reviewed methods used to treat post traumatic stress syndrome, the review would organize the studies by the methods used to treat the patients and not the order that the studies were published.

Note: After choosing the organizational framework for the literature review, it should be easier to write because you should have a clear idea of what sections you need to include in the paper. For example, a chronological review will have subsections for each vital time period. A thematic review will have subtopics based upon factors that relate to the theme or issue.

In some cases the literature does not quite fit the framework you have chosen. In this case, you should determine where it makes sense to place the literature and confirm this choice with your professor.

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Ten tips to write a literature review in APA style

apa style of writing literature review

The ability to present papers of high quality is one of the most crucial skills for any student. In this guide, we will give ten top tips that should assist with writing literature reviews of great impact.

The Complete Guide to Writing a Literature Review in APA Format

In this guide, we will offer ten main tips. They will include the following elements:

  • Approaches to finding relevant sources;
  • Main types of relevant sources;
  • Proper structuring of the literature review essays;
  • Ways to present citations properly;
  • Analysis of existing referencing practices;
  • Learning from the others;
  • Review of the paragraph structure you should adopt;
  • The necessity of proofreading;
  • Importance of proofreading tools;
  • The necessity of critical opinion;

Thus, you will get a more or less complete path to resolving the majority of your research problems.

How to Write a Literature Review Paper in APA Format

To write a literature review in APA, it is crucial to be extremely consistent. You have to concentrate on the thorough analysis of sources that are of high quality and write an original opinion piece from scratch. We will review all of the main features mentioned above to give you a full-scale insight into the paths of delivering an essay of high quality.

Tip 1. Finding relevant sources

The first thing you should consider while doing any form of literature review assignment is finding academic sources. Today, most of the professional information is available online. In this regard, we recommend concentrating on the following aspects:

  • Library databases of various kinds : many college facilities offer subscriptions to expert services capable of providing all relevant data to the essay writers. In this regard, if you have access to resources of this kind, the option is the best approach for the majority of the students.
  • Google Scholar and various open-source databases . The best website in case you don’t have access to college resources undoubtedly belongs to Google. Coupled with some other open databases, it can cover the majority of your writer needs.

Tip 2. Main types of relevant sources

While considering what type of sources to use for preparing a personalized literature review assignment, always think about the reliable types of information. In this regard, we recommend taking a look, above all, at the peer-reviewed articles. Various databases such as ScienceDirect typically give access to sources of this kind. They involve research checked by other scientists. Thus, it is bound to be of great assistance due to its significant quality. Another good type of source includes books from professionals. Check author biography and whether the source has a bibliography. Typically, this is enough to write a paper on a good collection of literature.

Tip 3. Structure your review well

To structure your review well, you should include the following elements:

  • Introduction that describes the main goals of the written text;
  • Description of the main themes (rather than individual sources) of the papers you analyze;
  • Conclusion that provides the main implications of the written research.

All in all, the overall approach is very similar to the traditional types of essays.

Tip 4. Presenting citations properly

One of the best approaches to consider in this case is the concentration on paraphrasing. A big mistake that many of the newcomers do concerning the literature reviews is citing too much information from the analyzed literature. In this way, your review may turn into a custom summary rather than a full-scale analysis of the existing data. Our main recommendation, in this case, is to deliver direct citations only in the most critical cases. Instead, when describing some vital information, try to give your interpretation. In this way, you will show a significant degree of critical thinking.

Tip 5. Referencing practices

Among the primary ways to learn about the key practices for citing information in APA is to look at the Purdue Owl website. It gives all the key data on the citing conventions within the format for free. In this regard, the key tip we can give is the following: find the main authors of the papers and the year when it was produced. Then simply add (depending on whether a source has one, two, or three+ authors) the following references: (Johnson, 2020), (Johnson & Jackson, 2020); or (Johnson et al., 2021). Afterward, simply format the majority of your citations via websites such as Citation Machine. Using their convenient interfaces, you can quickly form a very large pool of references for use.

Tip 6. Learn from the others

Another great option is to learn from others. In this regard, we recommend looking at the following options:

  • Essay bank companies that give a service of looking at top English essays in the USA;
  • An essay writing company that gives an opportunity to buy cheap help for an average customer.

Using such options, you will be able to order examples that can then be of great use for improving your writing skills. In this respect, we heavily recommend a professional company named CustomWritings which provides students with literature review writing services online.

Tip 7. Consider proper paragraph structure

We recommend thoroughly thinking about the way you approach paragraphs. In this respect, the average material should look this way: 

  • Introduction;
  • Body with citations according to the Introduce, Cite, Explain formula;
  • Conclusion.

This approach is tried and tested. It works in the majority of the essays.

Tip 8. Proofread

An important factor to consider is proofreading. Here, your main goal is to ensure that the paper is impeccable. We recommend reading through every part of the available material at least two or three times. Pay special attention to the names of the cited authors. Practice shows that errors in this regard are extremely common, so don’t forget to mind them.

Tip 9. Use proofreading tools

While checking everything by yourself is a strong option, using some outside help is also a great idea today. Concerning this issue, we recommend concentrating on the following types of software:

  • Grammarly. This proofreading service can check many of your errors for free;
  • Language Tool . Here, you can also proofread your essay in a potent way. This service is weaker than Grammarly but it offers a path to double-check several languages so it is great for non-English students.

Tip 10. Critical opinion and its necessity

The last factor you should consider is the importance of critical opinion. The greatest mistake, as mentioned previously, in literature reviews is the inability of the authors to give their opinions. You should analyze the sources instead of describing them. Find themes and tendencies instead of internal content. This aspect is much more important than any APA formatting.

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Duke University Libraries

Literature Reviews

  • Getting started

What is a literature review?

Why conduct a literature review, stages of a literature review, lit reviews: an overview (video), check out these books.

  • Types of reviews
  • 1. Define your research question
  • 2. Plan your search
  • 3. Search the literature
  • 4. Organize your results
  • 5. Synthesize your findings
  • 6. Write the review
  • Thompson Writing Studio This link opens in a new window
  • Need to write a systematic review? This link opens in a new window

apa style of writing literature review

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apa style of writing literature review

Definition: A literature review is a systematic examination and synthesis of existing scholarly research on a specific topic or subject.

Purpose: It serves to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge within a particular field.

Analysis: Involves critically evaluating and summarizing key findings, methodologies, and debates found in academic literature.

Identifying Gaps: Aims to pinpoint areas where there is a lack of research or unresolved questions, highlighting opportunities for further investigation.

Contextualization: Enables researchers to understand how their work fits into the broader academic conversation and contributes to the existing body of knowledge.

apa style of writing literature review

tl;dr  A literature review critically examines and synthesizes existing scholarly research and publications on a specific topic to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current state of knowledge in the field.

What is a literature review NOT?

❌ An annotated bibliography

❌ Original research

❌ A summary

❌ Something to be conducted at the end of your research

❌ An opinion piece

❌ A chronological compilation of studies

The reason for conducting a literature review is to:

apa style of writing literature review

Literature Reviews: An Overview for Graduate Students

While this 9-minute video from NCSU is geared toward graduate students, it is useful for anyone conducting a literature review.

apa style of writing literature review

Writing the literature review: A practical guide

Available 3rd floor of Perkins

apa style of writing literature review

Writing literature reviews: A guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences

Available online!

apa style of writing literature review

So, you have to write a literature review: A guided workbook for engineers

apa style of writing literature review

Telling a research story: Writing a literature review

apa style of writing literature review

The literature review: Six steps to success

apa style of writing literature review

Systematic approaches to a successful literature review

Request from Duke Medical Center Library

apa style of writing literature review

Doing a systematic review: A student's guide

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  • Last Updated: Feb 15, 2024 1:45 PM
  • URL: https://guides.library.duke.edu/lit-reviews

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COMMENTS

  1. Writing a Literature Review

    Writing a Literature Review A literature review is a document or section of a document that collects key sources on a topic and discusses those sources in conversation with each other (also called synthesis ).

  2. Literature Review

    Library Research Guides Literature Review APA Style Citation Guide 7th Edition APA Guidance Literature Review Literature Review via APA Style.org "a narrative summary and evaluation of the findings or theories within a literature base. Also known as 'narrative literature review'. "

  3. Sample papers

    These sample papers demonstrate APA Style formatting standards for different student paper types. Students may write the same types of papers as professional authors (e.g., quantitative studies, literature reviews) or other types of papers for course assignments (e.g., reaction or response papers, discussion posts), dissertations, and theses.

  4. Literature Review: Conducting & Writing

    Steps for Conducting a Lit Review; Finding "The Literature" Organizing/Writing; APA Style; Chicago: Notes Bibliography; MLA Style; Sample Literature Reviews. Sample Lit Reviews from Communication Arts; Have an exemplary literature review? Get Help!

  5. How to Write a Literature Review

    Step 1 - Search for relevant literature Step 2 - Evaluate and select sources Step 3 - Identify themes, debates, and gaps Step 4 - Outline your literature review's structure Step 5 - Write your literature review Free lecture slides Other interesting articles Frequently asked questions Introduction Quick Run-through Step 1 & 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5

  6. Literature Review

    Commonly referred to as a "Lit Review", a literature review is a critical, analytical summary and synthesis of the current knowledge of a topic. It should: Have a particular focus or theme to organize the review. Discuss the significant academic literature important for that focus. Compare, relate, and contrast different theories and findings.

  7. PDF How to Write a Literature Review

    A literature review is a review or discussion of the current published material available on a particular topic. It attempts to synthesizeand evaluatethe material and information according to the research question(s), thesis, and central theme(s).

  8. Writing a Literature Review in APA Format

    Writing a Literature Review in APA Format; ... Chicago/Turabian Citation Style ; Guide to Writing a Research Paper Toggle Dropdown. Primary and Secondary Sources ; Basic Research Strategies ; Evaluating Sources ; Finding Journal Articles Toggle Dropdown. Using the Library's Ebooks ;

  9. APA Style

    The authority on APA Style and the 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual. Find tutorials, the APA Style Blog, how to format papers in APA Style, and other resources to help you improve your writing, master APA Style, and learn the conventions of scholarly publishing.

  10. Steps in Conducting a Literature Review

    A literature review may be a stand alone work or the introduction to a larger research paper, depending on the assignment. ... Seventh Edition is the official source for APA Style. APA Style Blog - for those harder to find answers . 1. Choose a topic. ... Begin writing down terms that are related to your question. These will be useful for ...

  11. Key takeaways from the Psi Chi webinar So You Need to Write ...

    Takeaways, future research ideas. 6. Your goal in a literature review paper should be to summarize studies, compare and contrast studies, describe patterns and themes, and describe strengths and limitations. The Research Article Activity (PDF, 190KB), a free handout from the APA Style team, can help you analyze studies, write references, and ...

  12. Literature review guidelines

    Browse the latest updates from APA, informed by psychological science. Support psychology. Improve lives. Guidelines for writing literature reviews for Psychology of Men & Masculinities, including general considerations, essential elements, and standard sections.

  13. 5. Writing a Literature Review

    The APA Module offer students a step-by-step tutorial on best practices for utilizing APA formatting guidelines. ... and synthesized the major themes of the literature, now is the time to organize and write your literature review. There are different ways of organizing your literature review. You can organize the review by chronological order ...

  14. PDF APA Literature Review

    A literature review is a concise overview of the research that exists on a particular subject. (Note that it has nothing to do with reviewing works of literature as would be assigned for an English course.) The emphasis is on synthesis, interpretation and evaluation of primary research articles.

  15. How to Write Your Perfect Literature Review APA Style

    The Format of a Literature Review in APA Style Even though a literature review can be used in all the different academic styles available, the most common is APA style. This is due to a...

  16. Writing a Literature Review

    First things first. Include References/Works Cited List As you are writing the literature review you will mention the author names and the publication years in your text, but you will still need to compile comprehensive citations for each entry at the end of your review. Follow APA, MLA, or Chicago style guidelines, as your course requires.

  17. APA Formatting and Style Guide (7th Edition)

    The Basics General guidelines for referring to the works of others in your essay Author/Authors How to refer to authors in-text, including single and multiple authors, unknown authors, organizations, etc. Reference List Resources on writing an APA style reference list, including citation formats Cite your source automatically in APA Cite

  18. APA Styling

    A literature review paper normally contains the following: Some important tips to consider when writing a literature review paper: Divide paper into topics; do not just write about the first article, then second article, etc. Do not write the literature review chronologically, unless pertinent to the topic/question being answered

  19. Organizing Your Literature Review

    For example, if the review topic was arts-based research, your review may focus on different ways artistic inquiry was used to understand the creative process, focusing then on the concepts rather than the development. Methodological: The method or practice applied in a case study can be the basis for organizing a literature review. This ...

  20. Sample Literature Reviews

    Finding "The Literature" Organizing/Writing; APA Style; Chicago (Author-Date) Toggle Dropdown. Turabian ; MLA Style; Sample Literature Reviews; FAMU Writing Center; Sample Lit Reviews from Communication Arts. Literature Review Sample 1 Literature Review Sample 2 Literature Review Sample 3 << Previous: MLA Style; Next: FAMU Writing Center >>

  21. Ten tips to write a literature review in APA style

    To write a literature review in APA, it is crucial to be extremely consistent. You have to concentrate on the thorough analysis of sources that are of high quality and write an original opinion piece from scratch. We will review all of the main features mentioned above to give you a full-scale insight into the paths of delivering an essay of ...

  22. Getting started

    Definition: A literature review is a systematic examination and synthesis of existing scholarly research on a specific topic or subject. Purpose: It serves to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge within a particular field. Analysis: Involves critically evaluating and summarizing key findings, methodologies, and ...

  23. Writing Abstracts for a Literature Review in APA Format

    Additionally, per the 7th edition of APA writing style, abstracts and keywords are no longer required for student papers, unless required by your teacher. ... Tips for Writing a Literature Review Abstract in APA. Abstracts can be challenging, especially if you are new to the abstract writing game. Get some quick tips to make abstract writing easy.

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    0 likes, 0 comments - researchwritinghelpservices on October 23, 2023: " ️ Unlock the Secrets of a Stellar Literature Review for Your Research Paper! Embar ...