Writing a literature review

What is a literature review?
A literature review is an extended piece of writing which can be constructed as part of a research project, dissertation or essay as part of your university studies. Literature reviews demonstrate to your tutor that you have read and fully understood a wide range of published work on your subject area. The information used to complete your literature review can be collated from an array of sources including journals, newspaper articles, reference books and reputable websites. However, this information should not simply evaluated and then summarised it should be read, processed synthesised and then written in the form of a well structured, critical discussion of the published work. Depending on the length of your project, essay or dissertation the length of the literature review will vary so too will the number of sources that you are required to consult. If you have been asked to complete a literature review for the first time, there are plenty of websites where you can find a wide range of information and essay help to enable you complete your literature review properly.

Literature Review – Structure
The way in which your literature review is structured will very much depend on the subject matter. A good literature review is all about undertaking thorough research and selecting the most appropriate papers for your research question or topic. Often you will be provided with a list of sources to use will be directed towards some useful publications by your tutor. Once you have found all of the sources, you need to analyse them carefully and group together similar viewpoints, contrasting opinions and different theories which will form the structure of your argument. Always ensure that as you work through each of the sources you not only write in an analytical manner, you also link what you are saying to the proposed research question or topic of your literature review.

Writing the literature reviewr
Begin your literature review with a concise introduction outlining the main topics for discussion, the argument and a reason for your research. It is then very much up to you how you write the following sections as each student will have their own way of presenting information and writing up their review. However, there are a few guidelines to follow which will ensure that you write a high quality literature review. Always ensure that the review of literature is written in an academic style and that it is clear and easy to follow. Include brief summaries as you go along to recap and make sure your referencing is consistent and completed correctly. There will be plenty of information available from your university about literature reviews and general essay help and if you are completing a dissertation there may be some dissertation samples from previous years that your tutors may be able to allow you to read.