How to Write a Good Literature Review In 7 Steps
Literature reviews are one of the most important parts of academic writing. Often, it is one of the most important genres in many disciplines. Whether it is science, economics, engineering, psychology, sociology, or any other subject, a good literature review demonstrates your understanding of that particular subject. But many students struggle with it and find it hard to write a literature review because they don’t know how to write a good literature review. And when they are assigned with the task of writing a literature review, then they start looking for ways of writing a good literature review.
One thing that you need to understand is that a literature review is more than an academic requirement. It shows how much you are aware of the research made on a particular topic. A literature review not only increases your knowledge on a particular subject but also builds a solid framework for your academic writing. It enhances the credibility of your work and the quality of your academic writing. If you understand this thing, then you will not find it hard to write literature reviews.
Let’s make this difficult task easy…Just check this guide to writing a literature review.
This article covers a complete step-by-step guide on how to write a good literature review.
How to Write a Good Literature Review
Writing a systematic literature review involves a sequence of steps. If you follow these steps exactly, you will end up with a well-written literature review. Let’s see the steps of how to write a good literature review.
Step 1: Choose Topic
The first step in writing a good literature review is to select the topic. It is necessary to select your topic beforehand to make the research ahead easier. In this step, you need to identify your topic and the related keywords.
Start with a broader question and then narrow it down by the variables you want to study.
For Example
- Broad Topic→“social media and mental health”
- Narrow Topic→“The impact of Instagram use on the self-esteem of teenagers”
Then make a list of keywords that are related to your topic, e.g, for the above topic, you can use keywords like social media, Instagram, teenager, GenZ, etc. The keywords will help you make your research relevant to your topics.
Step 2: Research Relevant Sources
The second step in how to write a good literature review is to find relevant sources to your topic that support your research.
Some of the most popular databases where you can find journals, articles, research papers, or books are:
- Google Scholar
- JSTOR
- PubMed
- EBSCO
- EconLit
Start your research by using the keyword and then apply specific filters like subject area, author name, year of publication etc. You can also use boolean operators to make your research more specific and precise.
Another thing you can do is that when you find a source relevant to your topic, you can save citations and take note from them using reference management tools.
Some of the popularly used reference management tools are:
- Zotero
- EndNote
- Mendeley
- Paperpile
One thing that will save your time is, whenever doing research, read the abstract of that paper to find out if it is relevant to your research or not.
Step 3: Evaluate and Select Sources
In the third step, you have to evaluate the different sources for quality and reliability and then select from them. When you have researched some sources, you need to verify if each source is reliable.
For this thing, make sure to check for following points and then select a source:
- Is the research in that paper relevant to your topic?
- If that article/research paper is published in a reputable journal.
- The publication date is used to ensure that research is current and up to date.
- If it directly addresses your research question or supports your argument.
- Author credentials to check for credibility.
- The main concept, idea behind the research, its strengths, and weaknesses.
Do not select the sources with biased perspectives, unclear methodologies, incomplete research, or references.
Step 4: Analyze the Information
In the fourth step of how to write a good literature review, you have to analyze each article. Your literature review should not be just a summary of what different authors said on the topic. It should analyze the information, identify the different themes, debates, and gaps of the study.
In this step, you have to identify:
- The theme, pattern of each study.
- What question does each study address, and which question remains unanswered?
- Where do different studies agree and disagree
- Which study best supports your topic, and why do you think it is the best?
For Example
Author X found that social media increases anxiety among teens, and Author Y argued that its effects depend on how it’s used. Then, by comparing findings like this, demonstrate critical thinking and show how the research connects to your own topic.
Step 5: Organize Your Review
In the fifth step of how to write a good literature review, you have to organize your review to make a smooth flow between different paragraphs.
There are several ways to organize a literature review; depending on your goal, you can choose any.
- Chorological: In this structure, you organize your review according to the dates to show how the topic has evolved over time.
- Thematic: This structure is used when you want to cite different sources that address one central theme. You can organize your literature review into different sections that address the different aspects on the same topic.
- Methodological: You can use this structure when your literature review focuses on the method that drew a certain conclusion on a topic. It is used to compare the results drawn from different research practices, i.e, qualitative or quantitative.
- Theoretical: This structure is used when you want to show how different theories address a topic. You compare, critically study different theories and concepts, and provide your review based on them.
Step 6: Start Writing Your Literature Review
In the sixth step, begin writing your literature review.
A good literature review includes:
- Introduction
Introduce your topic, the purpose of the review, the scope of your study, and how you have organized your review.
2. Main Body
Present your analysis in the main body. Give an overview of the main points, give your interpretation about them, and critically evaluate different sources. Write in such a way that each paragraph connects to the other smoothly. Use transition words to maintain a consistent flow. Write in well-structured paragraphs.
3. Conclusion
Conclude the key findings from different studies. Highlight research gaps, if any, and tell how your work fits within existing literature.
Remember when writing, don’t add personal opinions; your tone should be academic and formal. Ensure your review maintains a consistent logical flow.
Step 7: Edit and Proofread
The seventh and last step in how to write a good literature review is to edit and proofread your literature review. Start by reading the full review from beginning to end.
Do check for the following things:
- Clarity and consistency
- Logical flow between paragraphs
- Easy for readers to understand
- Grammar and spell check
- Review citation and formatting style
Also, before submitting your literature review, do not forget to check for plagiarism on tools like Turnitin, Grammarly, Quetext, Paperpal, GPTZero etc.
The key to writing a good literature review is doing proper research. Start your research in advance so you have plenty of time to read and analyze each source well. If you have done your research properly, then you can easily write your literature review with more clarity. So good research skills are very important for writing a literature review.
Writing a good literature review is all about connecting different ideas, comparing findings, and showing insights. Be it research, evaluation, selecting the right sources, or organizing your review, each step contributes to writing a well-structured literature review. By following these steps, you get a better understanding on the topic and you will be able to write clear, concise yet sound and meaningful literature reviews.
So what are you waiting for??? Simply follow this guide on how to write a good literature review and write your review confidently.