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Political Science

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What is a Review of Literature?

A literature review is a summary of what has been published on a specific topic by experts and researchers. Often, it is part of the introduction to an essay, research report, or thesis.
The goal of a literature review is to show your reader what has been learned about a topic, including the main ideas, strengths, and weaknesses. The review should be guided by a clear focus, such as your research question, the problem you're discussing, or your thesis. It’s not just a list of sources or summaries of articles.
Writing a literature review not only helps you learn more about the topic but also builds important skills in two areas:
  1. Information gathering: Finding useful articles and books efficiently, either manually or through databases.
  2. Critical thinking: Analyzing the information to find unbiased, trustworthy studies.
A good literature review should:
  1. Be focused on your thesis or research question.
  2. Combine the findings into a clear overview of what is and isn’t known.
  3. Point out disagreements or debates in the research.
  4. Highlight questions that still need answers.
     
Ask yourself these questions as you work on your literature review:
  • What is the specific thesis, problem, or research question that my literature review is helping to define?
  • What type of literature review am I doing? Am I focusing on theory, methods, policy, or research? Am I looking at quantitative research (like studies on how effective a new procedure is) or qualitative research (like studies on loneliness among migrant workers)?
  • How broad is my literature review? What types of sources am I using (e.g., academic journals, books, government reports, or popular media)? What field am I working in (e.g., nursing, psychology, sociology, medicine)?
  • How well did I search for information? Did I look wide enough to find all the important material? Did I keep my search narrow enough to avoid irrelevant material? Do I have the right number of sources for the length of my paper?
  • Have I critically analyzed the sources I’m using? Do I compare them based on how they address key concepts and questions? Instead of just listing and summarizing, do I evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each source?
  • Did I include and discuss studies that disagree with my viewpoint?
  • Will my reader find my literature review clear, relevant, and useful?
     
Ask these questions about each article or book you include:
  • Does the author clearly define the problem or issue? Is its importance explained?
  • Could the problem have been approached more effectively from another perspective?
  • What is the author’s research approach (e.g., interpretive, critical)? What theoretical framework are they using (e.g., psychological, feminist)?
  • Has the author evaluated relevant literature, including opposing views?
  • For research studies, are the study design, measurements, and data analysis strong? Are the conclusions valid based on the evidence?
  • For popular material, does the author rely on emotion, bias, or loaded language? Is the reasoning objective?
  • How is the argument structured? Can you identify any logical gaps?
  • How does this source contribute to understanding the issue, and how is it useful for practice? What are its strengths and limitations?
  • How does this source relate to my thesis or research question?
     
(Adapted from University of Toronto/The Literature Review: A Few Tips On Conducting It)

Other Helpful Guides

Useful Guides from other libraries:

How to Conduct a Literature Review in Political Science