Reviewing the Literature

Surveying/Assessing the Scholarly Literature, Identifying Research Gaps, Writing the Literature Review

What a Literature Review is and does:

  • A review of existing research related to your topic or research aim

  • Assesses the state of the art of research on the subject

  • Identifies research gaps that provide opportunities for future research

  • Roots your research question/project in the existing scholarship

Steps in Writing a Literature Review:

  1. Search for Relevant Literature

  2. Evaluate Sources

  3. Determine Themes, Debates, Gaps

  4. Outline the Organization of Literature

  5. Write the Literature Review

What a Literature Review is Not:

  • A list of sources consulted in your work

  • An Annotated Bibliography

  • An exhaustive summary of all research on your topic

  • A Term Paper

Finding Relevant Literature

  • Start with Scholarly Research (Journal Databases)

  • Use literature reviews and reference lists to Snowball

  • Find Related Items in Google Scholar or Databases (e.g., JSTOR)

Legacy Presentation on Literature Reviews

Identifying Research Gaps

NCSU Video on Literature Reviews