how to do a literature review

• a description of the publication;
• a summary of the publication’s main points;
• a discussion of gaps in research;
• an evaluation of the publication’s contribution to the topic.

A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources that provides an overview of a particular topic. Literature reviews are a collection of the most relevant and significant publications regarding that topic in order to provide a comprehensive look at what has been said on the topic and by whom. The basic components of a literature review include:

Make sure the sources you use are credible, and make sure you read any landmark studies and major theories in your field of research.
Dissertation literature review If you are writing the literature review as part of your dissertation or thesis, reiterate your central problem or research question and give a brief summary of the scholarly context. You can emphasize the timeliness of the topic (“many recent studies have focused on the problem of x”) or highlight a gap in the literature (“while there has been much research on x, few researchers have taken y into consideration”). Stand-alone literature review If you are writing a stand-alone paper, give some background on the topic and its importance, discuss the scope of the literature you will review (for example, the time period of your sources), and state your objective. What new insight will you draw from the literature?

Tip: This may depend on your assignment. How many sources does the assignment require?

• What was the research question of the study you are reviewing? What were the authors trying to discover?
• Was the research funded by a source that could influence the findings?
• What were the research methodologies? Analyze its literature review, the samples and variables used, the results, and the conclusions. Does the research seem to be complete? Could it have been conducted more soundly? What further questions does it raise?
• If there are conflicting studies, why do you think that is?
• How are the authors viewed in the field? Has this study been cited?; if so, how has it been analyzed?

The purpose of the literature review is to provide a critical written account of the current state of research on a selected topic:

• What is the author’s expertise in this particular field of study (credentials)?
• Are the author’s arguments supported by empirical evidence (e.g. quantitative/qualitative studies)?
• Is the author’s perspective too biased in one direction or are opposing studies and viewpoints also considered?
• Does the selected source contribute to a more profound understanding of the subject?

Once you have identified and located the articles for your review, you need to analyze them and organize them before you begin writing:
Read through the links provided below on APA guidelines so that you become familiar with the common core elements of how to write in APA style: in particular, pay attention to general document guidelines (e.g. font, margins, spacing), title page, abstract, body, text citations, quotations.

References:

http://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/literature-review/
http://libguides.uwf.edu/c.php?g=215199&p=1420520
http://library.concordia.ca/help/writing/literature-review.php
http://www.d.umn.edu/~hrallis/guides/researching/litreview.html
http://www.oxbridgeessays.com/blog/write-dissertation-literature-review-depth-guide/