How to lay out a literature review

Knowing how to lay out a literature review can help you save time and present it in the best way possible.

It can also keep you on track and know what to research. Clarifying the layout and structure of a literature review is a good place to start. We have created a template to help you do this.

What is a literature review?

A literature review is a summary and synthesis of scholarly research. You should clarify in the review the following: research which has been undertaken on the chosen topic, key researchers, theories, assumptions, challenges and gaps in the research.

What is the difference between a literature review and an academic research paper?

The author of a research paper will aim to develop an argument, and the paper should contain a literature review. The foundation of the academic paper is the literature review. In the literature review, the author sets out to share literature developed by others, without adding new contributions.

Why is a literature review useful?

Literature reviews are beneficial to researchers. When you read about what others have researched, you gain a stronger understanding of your topic and become more aware of gaps in the literature. In the writing process, you will most likely develop your writing skills. At times, your research question may slightly change. The literature review is important as you will ensure that you do not repeat past research. Your research should contribute to something new and should address a knowledge gap.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach for how to lay out and structure the content of your literature review. Please use the below to improve your work (however feel free to try a different approach if it better suits your work).

Template:

Introduction

• Define your topic. This should align with your research interests and tell the reader what they can expect in this chapter.
• Consider responding to the below questions:

What is the scope of the literature review?

Where and how does the topic fit into the wider subject area?

Why is this an important topic and why is it significant?

Has this topic been researched before? If so, to what extent? If not, why do you think it has not been researched before?

Main Body

• What other literature can you find on the topic? Consider using the below sources of information: Conference presentations, internet discussion groups and social networking sites, journal indexes and databases, e-journals, bibliographies, citation indexes, hard copy and e-books, textbooks, industry and market reports, company information etc.
• You need to be clear on what time period you want to focus on.
• Read your sources carefully and try to identify similarities in the literature. What are some of the main ideas which emerge from your reading?
• Create a synthesis matrix: It is important that you note down common patterns, themes and ideas as you go through your research. The synthesis matrix is an excellent tool to help you organise your ideas. You may have to create several versions of the matrix as you work through your review.

• There are different options for organising your literature. One of the easiest ways is to organise it according to chronological order. You could start with what was published first and move towards the present times. You could follow a thematic approach whereby you organise your sources according to a theme. Alternatively, you could follow a methodological approach, structuring your review according to the research methodologies.
• Focus on telling a story. Your review needs to be coherent, and your paragraphs need to be logically connected. Do avoid using a descriptive writing style. Instead, aim to demonstrate strong critical thinking skills. Try to acknowledge opposite viewpoints and compare sources. If you need further information on critical writing, please see this resource.
• It is important that you avoid using too many quotations. Instead, do summarize your insights.
• You may be tempted to go off track or to cite all the sources which you have read. Please do cite the most relevant literature and embed these into your discussion.
• Always use evidence: The more evidence you can use for your review, the more value you may add. Your statements need to be supported with evidence and examples to prove that your insights are valid.
• Synthesise: You need to combine elements of several sources to help you make a point. This will help the reader understand how you add new ideas to existing research and knowledge.

Conclusion

• In this part, you need to ‘wrap up’ your review and pull all the pieces together. You should provide a summary of major agreements and disagreements in the literature. You may restate your research question and objectives, and briefly summarize the main insights.

Top tips:

• Start with developing a rich understanding of the literature
• Set yourself some timelines to ensure that you keep on track. You might find it helpful to use Trello.
• Set some SMART goals: S- Specific, M- Measurable, A-Action, R- Realistic, T – Time-bound. SMART will help you to become more clear on your objectives and will increase the likelihood of achieving them. If you have not used this tool for a while, you may find it helpful to revisit it. Further info on SMART goals here.
• Talk to other scholars and academics to share ideas and discuss your challenges
• Do not delete pieces of your work until you are fully finished. You may need notes or text which you previously thought was irrelevant.
• Take notes while reading your resources. Use Post-it notes to bookmark sources and jot down details of online sources so that you easily access them later.
• You will most probably find yourself writing, reading and revising your work multiple times. Most people move back and forth between writing and research and constantly polish their work.
• Proofread your work and make sure that it is free of grammatical errors. If you need help with citations, you might find the Citethisforme site useful.

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