Literature review

What is a literature review?

A literature review is an evaluative report of information found in the literature related to your selected area of study.  The review should describe, summarise, evaluate and clarify this literature.  It should give a theoretical base for the research and help you (the author) determine the nature of your research. Works which are irrelevant should be discarded and those which are peripheral should be looked at critically.

A literature review is more than the search for information, and goes beyond being a descriptive annotated bibliography. All works included in the review must be read, evaluated and analysed (which you would do for an annotated bibliography), but relationships between the literature must also be identified and articulated in relation to your field of research.

In writing the literature review, the purpose is to convey to the reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. The literature review must be defined by a guiding concept (eg. your research objective, the problem or issue you are discussing, or your argumentative thesis). It is not just a descriptive list of the material available, or a set of summaries.
http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/litrev.html (reproduced with permission from CQU Library).

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Useful resources

Central Queensland University Library Literature Review Tutorial.
An excellent and thorough site based around frequently asked questions.

Deakin University The Literature review.
Covers what a lit review is, its purpose and a link to a library page at the bottom on how EndNote can assist the process.

RMIT University Library Literature review.
Describes the purpose, goals and contents of the lit review as well as giving examples and links.

University of California, Santa Cruz (2005). How to write a literature review.
A basic guide to the components and purpose of the lit review. An example is included.

University of Melbourne (2008). Conducting a literature review.
A guide to finding material, critical reading skills, how to avoid plagiarism, and tips for structuring and writing your lit review. There's also a useful checklist, further reading and style guides.

Taylor, D. (2003). The literature review: a few tips on conducting it. University of Toronto
A set of questions to help you conduct your literature review and get the most out of the literature.

Bell, J. (1999). Doing your research project: a guide for first-time researchers in education and social science. Buckingham, Open University.

Hart, C. (1998). Doing a literature review: releasing the social science research imagination. London, Sage.

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Preparing the literature review: tips from advisors

Supervisors
What advice do you give to your students concering the preparation of the literature review for research?

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Keeping up to date: tips from advisors

In most fields literature is constantly evolving, and in some cases growing exponentially. The literature review is not a one-off process. You will need to keep up with the latest developments in you field across the course of your thesis.

Supervisors	Students
How do you make sure you keep up with the literature in the field?	How important in your thesis preparation was it for you to make sure you kept up to date with the literature in your field? What strategies did you use for doing this?

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