How to... write a literature review

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The stages of a literature review

Define the problem

It is important to define the problem or area which you wish to address. Having a purpose for your literature review will narrow the scope of what you need to look out for when you read.

Carry out a search for relevant materials

Relevant materials will probably comprise a range of media:

• books (monographs, text books, reference books);
• articles from journals, whether print or electronic (but make sure electronic journals have been subject to the peer review process);
• newspaper articles;
• historical records;
• commercial reports and statistical information;
• government reports and statistical information;
• theses and dissertations;
• other types of information which may be relevant to your particular discipline.

Much the best place to start the search is your own university library if you are attached to a university. If you are not, find the nearest academic library with a good collection in your subject area. Most academic libraries have well qualified and helpful staff who will be more than happy to help you. Start by looking at their OPAC (online public access catalogue) which is a database of their resources.

You could also refer to other relevant library catalogues, such as the British Library catalogue, the National Union Catalogue (Library of Congress), and, through their URLs, other large academic libraries.

Most libraries will also have indexes of periodicals, e.g. Business Periodicals Index, and abstracting services, e.g. Dissertation Abstracts.

Keywords are a good search strategy, and here it is better to use specific rather than general keywords and phrases.

The Internet – via search engines, metasearch engines, subject gateways and directories – has become a hugely popular place to search, but there are also huge pitfalls. The following websites provide useful advice on searching the Internet:

• Resource Discovery Network (a series of free tutorials)
• University of Berkeley Library

If you are fairly new to research, you could do well to acquaint yourself with the pitfalls of evaluating material on the Internet. The following web resources are particularly helpful:

• University of Berkeley Library
• Deakin University Library

The last site has good advice on how to do library research; obviously a lot is geared to their own collection but much is also fairly general, particularly that which relates to searching on the Internet.

Evaluate the materials

Here are some points to consider when evaluating material (please note that this is not an exhaustive list).

Initial appraisal from raw bibliographical data:

• What are the author's credentials, are they an expert in the field? Are they affiliated to a reputable organization?
• What is the date of publication, is it sufficiently current or will knowledge have moved on?
• If a book, is it the latest edition?
• Is the publisher a reputable, scholarly publisher?
• If it is a journal, is it a scholarly journal which has been peer reviewed?

Appraisal based on content analysis:

• Is the writer addressing a scholarly audience?
• Does the author review the relevant literature?
• Does the author write from an objective viewpoint, and are their views based on facts rather than opinions?
• If the author uses research, is the design sound?
• Is it primary or secondary material?
• Does the author have a particular theoretical viewpoint, e.g. feminist?
• What is the relationship of this work to other material you have read on the same topic, does it substantiate it or add a different perspective?
• Is the author's argument logically organized and clear to follow?
• If the author is writing from a practice-based perspective, what are the implications for practice?

The following website provides good pointers as to how to evaluate material:

• Cornell University Library
  (including distinguishing scholarly and non-scholarly publications).

Analyse the findings

What themes emerge and what conclusions can be drawn? What are the major similarities and differences between the various writers? Are there any significant questions which emerge and which could form a basis for further investigation?

You are now at the stage when you can write up your literature review.