Help to Write a Literature Review Essay

To correctly position own research in the context of the existing knowledge in a particular field, one must learn how to write a literature review essay with effectiveness and objectivity. Literature review writing enables one to find the existing research on a specific topic, identify theories, gaps, and supporting evidence; and critically evaluate, synthesize, and discuss the findings from relevant scholarly articles. Writing literature review correctly is fundamental to:

• An excellent overview of a specific topic.
• Summarizing sources.
• Evaluating the research methods used by different authors.
• Examining the contribution of different publications to the scholarly conversation on a particular topic.
• Creating a theoretical framework for one's research paper.
• Contextualizing one's research study in the current knowledge and relating it to the theoretical scholarship and the latest research on the subject matter.
• Critical evaluation of sources to draw logical connections and provide own interpretations of the main findings with respect to a specific research problem/objective/question.

At different academic levels, one may be required to write a literature review essay as a section of a dissertation, thesis, research paper, or project; or as a stand-alone piece depending on the university program. Reviewing literature in academic writing enable scholars to demonstrate their contribution to scholarly conversations on a particular topic and the context of the study. This article contains information on some of the factors to consider when writing a literature review essay.

Considerations When Writing Literature reviews

An excellent literature review section/essay demonstrates one's familiarity with the current state of knowledge in a specific topic before initiating a new research process. The literature review outline ought to:

• Clearly define the specific thesis statement, problem, or question.
• Specify the type of literature review to be conducted.
• Clarify whether qualitative or quantitative research is most suited for achieving the specific study objectives.
• Define the discipline and scope of the review to include only the most relevant literature sources.
• Provide a critical analysis of relevant sources by outlining significant research trends and defining how various developments occurred over time with regard to the topic area; strengths and weaknesses assessment, gap identification, and the establishment of further research needs.

The writing process for literature reviews involves planning, searching, and reading relevant theories, analyzing and critically evaluating sources, drafting, and organizing the findings into a coherent whole analyze. After creating the first draft, it is essential to revise, edit, and proofread it to ensure the final copy attains the required standards for an effective literature review structure, style, and technical accuracy. Some of the factors to consider when writing a literature review essay include:

1. Goals and objectives of the literature review

A literature review requires one to survey scholarly articles, academic journals, various theories, historical perspectives, and other relevant sources on a particular topic to achieve specific research objectives. Such a survey enables scholars to describe the works of other researchers, create a brief summary of the recurring central themes, and critically evaluate the works in relation to the problem under study in a research paper. The purpose, goals, and objectives must be clearly defined in order to research literature related to the subject matter with efficiency and effectiveness.

2. The research question

An excellent literature review is founded on a specifically defined central research problem. The question to be addressed should be focused on an appropriate scope to facilitate the collection of relevant sources, review, synthesis, and critical evaluation of studies to provide background information and demonstrate developments with regard to the research topic.

3. Type of literature review required

Types of literature reviews include theoretical, thematic, methodological, chronological, historical, systematic, integrative, and argumentative essays conducted for different purposes. Depending on the nature of the research question/objectives, one should select the type of literature review that best serves the intended purpose.

4. The scope of the literature review

Defining the scope entails specifying:

• The number of sources to be reviewed.
• The extent of review/comprehensiveness.
• The number of years to be covered by the sources.

The scope of the literature review depends on the type of assignment, the intended purpose/aims, and the level of advancement for the study being conducted. Before one can start writing a literature review essay, it is prudent to confirm any specific requirements for the number of sources or length of the document with the supervisors or a particular peer-reviewed journal.

5. The type of sources to review

It is essential to critically evaluate sources to determine which ones contain the information needed for the study. The scholarly sources or journal articles to be used when writing literature reviews ought to be authoritative, relevant, and current depending on the nature of the subject area. One should also determine whether only primary research, secondary, or both types of sources ought to be reviewed. While analyzing the sources, it is imperative to take note of the title, publication date, names of authors, and page numbers among other details for easy retrieval when formatting in-text citations and reference lists.

6. Relevance of select sources to the research question

In addition to creating a brief summary for each publication, one should also demonstrate the context for its significance and relevance to the current/future study. It is fundamental to draw connections between the main points of different authors and the research question, project statement, hypothesis, or thesis. The relationships should be clearly demonstrated and the relevance of each source to the scholarly discussion regarding the subject matter well-articulated in the review.

7. Formatting requirements for the literature review essay

Literature review formatting requirements may vary with discipline or assignment. However, when writing a literature review, one ought to ensure that:

• It is organized around and directly linked to a specific research problem being developed.
• Questions/issues/recommendations for further research are formulated.
• A summary of the synthesized results on the existing knowledge and gaps is provided.
• Controversial or problematic arguments/areas are identified.

The literature review should be organized in sections and subsections based on the identified themes, trends, and patterns from the sources; synthesized, and critically evaluated with respect to the guiding concept of the specific research objective defined in the introduction. The common sections considered when writing a literature review essay include:

a). Introduction section

In the introduction section, a definition of the topic and the most appropriate context for conducting the literature review ought to be provided. The section also includes a statement of the scope for the review and the specific area of focus to ensure only relevant sources are searched. The methodology, rationale, overall trends in the scholarly publications, and purpose of conducting the review should also be discussed with clarity and conciseness.

b). Body paragraphs

Based on the approach used in reviewing the literature, one should ensure the body is organized in well-structured paragraphs, each representing a different theme. Various reviewed sources may be synthesized in each paragraph to create a clear connection between such sources. Critical analysis of the sources ensures the reader understands how such sources contribute to the research topic.

The research studies and other literature types may be categorized according to common aspects such as authors' conclusions, chronology, recurring central themes, research methods, and designs. When writing literature reviews for research papers, one should determine the best organizational strategy that works for their objectives, summarize, critique, and objectively evaluate the sources.

c). Conclusion

The concluding section provides a summary of the main findings and insights into how the literature review topic relates to the study area. While summarizing the major findings of the review, one must maintain the focus on the topic defined in the introduction. Any knowledge gaps and recommendations for further research should also be described in the concluding section.

Considering these factors helps in writing the best literature review essays to effectively achieve research objectives. Students and researchers ought to identify and select relevant sources for review based on the purpose and scope of their topics. In addition to summarizing and synthesizing the sources, it is fundamental to critically analyze the findings to ensure the intended purpose is achieved. The first draft should be revised, edited, and proofread to ensure it is free from plagiarism, errors in grammar and usage, inconsistencies in the mechanics of style, and is completely compliant with all writing instructions and the specific guidelines of the preferred publication style manual.

Comments