Prioritize peer-reviewed journals and seminal books. 3. Evaluate and Analyze
As you read, look for more than just the findings. Note the following: What topics keep coming up? Gaps: What are people not talking about? Conflicts: Where do researchers disagree? Methods: How are they gathering their data? 4. Map Your Strategy The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for...
Synthesizes the sources. Use "synthesis" verbs like argues, demonstrates, contrasts, or corroborates to show how sources relate to each other. Prioritize peer-reviewed journals and seminal books
Establishes the focus and explains why the topic matters. Note the following: What topics keep coming up
Writing a literature review can feel like trying to map a dense forest, but it’s really just about finding the "conversation" already happening among experts and joining in.
Before you start reading, you need a clear . A literature review isn't just a list of summaries; it’s an argument for why your specific study is needed.
Check the citations of a great paper to find older foundational works (backward) and use "Cited by" features to find newer research (forward).