LHS Reusable Content: Literature Reviews

A literature review is an overview of the research in a particular subject area or topic
	It will identify:  What has been said on a topic. Key authors writing in the area. Main theories. Questions and controversies. Methods and methodologies used to carry out the research.

It may take one of the following forms:

• Annotated bibliography which will include comment on key themes or trends. 
• Critical assessment (or narrative review) which identifies weaknesses and gaps in the research, indicates differences in views between authors, and raises questions. It will show relationships, so that key themes emerge.
• Other types of specialist reviews include systematic reviews which are extensive, comprehensive and often associated with medical, health and social care related subject areas.
• It may be part of an assignment, dissertation, thesis, or even be an entire paper.

It helps you to:

• Show that you are familiar with the literature on your topic.
• Show how your piece of work is related to prior research.
• Identify gaps in existing literature, and pose new ideas.
• Avoid reinventing the wheel - no point re-doing existing research!

IT IS NOT

• A list of books and articles.
• Descriptive only - it must include comment and analysis.
• Contain material unrelated to your topic - all sources must be relevant to an assignment, project, dissertation or thesis. 
• A list of everything that has been published on your topic

Organising your literature review
	You must have a structure to your literature review Remember it is not just a list of everything that has been published!

Anaylse the literature you have found:

• Can you identify any themes?
• Can you identify similarities and differences between writers?
• Have you noticed any questions that have not yet been addressed by the literature (can you spot any gaps in existing research)?

Structure your review:

• Introduction
  Outline your topic and why you have chosen it.
• Discussion
  Discuss the literature you have found.  Some of the main ways of structurung your discussion are: chronologically, by theme, by methodology or theoretical viewpoint.
• Conclusion
  Summarise your findings and set out the current state of play in your topic.  Note any gaps in the literature and identify areas for further study.

Decide on your topic
	Settling on a specific topic is essential so that you can: Identify the main terms and keywords you will use in your searches. Concentrate on your specific subject area and not get side tracked by interesting (but irrelevant?) research.

Search the appropriate literature for your subject area - this may include:

• Books and eBooks
• Scholarly journal articles
• Government / commercial / statistical reports
• Historical records
• Newspaper reports
• Theses
• Internet sources

Use the following Library search tools:

• Library Catalogue
• Library Databases
• Electronic Journals
• Google Scholar

Evaluate the quality of literature you find:

• Is the author an expert in the field?
• Is the organisation reputable?
• Is the publication or internet source up to date?
• Is the journal scholarly (or academic or peer reviewed)?

Critically assess the literature:

• Is it addressing a scholarly audience?
• Is it from an objective (or biaised)  viewpoint?
• Is it well structured and clear to follow?
• Does it follow a particular theoretical viewpoint?
• Does the work develop existing literature or add a different perspective?
• What research methods are used (if any)? 
• If focused on practice, what are the implications for practitioners?