How to Write a Literature Review

how-to-write-a-literature-review

Literature reviews are an important assignment type for students. It is often assigned to university students to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of a particular subject or topic. Students writing a literature review are required to make a critical evaluation of the material and give their opinion on it. Literature reviews are a part of dissertations, essays, and research reports. Though it is an essential part of academic writing, most students struggle with it and often wonder how to write a literature review. They found conducting a summary to be a difficult task as they lacked the required knowledge and skills to work on it.

A literature summary is different from other academic writing. To write this, you must have proper guidance and advice. In this blog post by All Assignment Help, we have listed everything that will help students investigate and write the best literature reviews. We have briefly discussed different points in the process of researching and writing your review.

What is a Literature Review?

A literature review is an evaluation report of other critics’ work on a topic related to your area of interest. It discusses the published information or data of other scholars. It could be merely a summary of previous works, or it may evaluate or clarify your topic for the readers. The literature review is always included in the beginning sections of a thesis or dissertation. This is because the researcher could give the readers an idea of previous discoveries on the same topic. A literature review is a combination of summary and synthesis. The summary of previous sources is a recap of the critical information related to that topic, and the synthesis is a reorganization or shuffling of the information.

Are you worried about how to write a literature review for your dissertation? If you don’t know how to investigate your review of literature, you may get help from a dissertation writing service. With the expert’s help, you may not have to worry about anything and submit a flawless dissertation on time.

Importance of Literature Review

We all know that literature reviews are an important part of college assignments. But do you know the importance of these reviews and why you are being assigned them in university? Not yet; let us now discuss the importance of literature review in research papers, research proposals, and dissertations.

  • (l) Demonstrates research skill: A literature review explains how thoroughly you have investigated the dissertation topic. A literature review format typically discusses the perspectives of other authors on the subject you have chosen. The goal of creating a literature review is to inform your audience about the accepted theories and body of knowledge surrounding the chosen topic.
  • (II) Beneficial to readers: It aids the reader in a better analysis of the researcher’s subject. The literature review provides a historical overview of the contributions made by prior scholars to the subject. It sort of directs the readers’ analysis of the research effort.
  • (III) Authorizes your written work: In a research paper, you will be required to present new ideas to readers. For this, you will be required to use previous works to show the authenticity of your work. The literature review convinces them that your work is sound and validates it.
  • (IV) Provides a new context for your subject: Research is all about giving a new perspective to an old topic. Hence, it helps in giving a new interpretation of the old materials available on the topic. In this way, it contributes to tracing the intellectual progress of your research topic. In one word, it offers a guide to the readers on the related topic. For beginners, it could be useful as it acts as a stepping stone for their research work.

Also Read: Best Online Literature and Language Courses to Try in 2024 And Beyond

How to Write a Literature Review

how-to-write-a-literature-review

Are you searching for how to write a literature review on the internet? Here are the steps you need to follow to write a literature review:

Select a Suitable Topic for your Literature Review

The primary step is to select the topic for your research before deciding how to write a literature review. Any mistakes in this part can be difficult for you to process further.

Do Necessary Keyword Research

Once you are done selecting a topic for your literature, now it’s time to search for relevant keywords for it. Two types of keywords can be used in the process of literature research primary and secondary keyword. 

  • Let’s suppose the topic is “How childhood obesity affects long-term health results.” 

Here the prime keyword is childhood obesity. The secondary keywords include chronic diseases, cardiovascular health, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes risk. The target group can be children, adolescents, youth, the pediatric population, school-aged kids, and pre-teens

Find Relevant Sources for Information

Selecting credible is crucial. Here are some of the sources from where you can find relevant information:

  • Peer-reviewed journals (Pediatrics, obesity reviews, the International Journal of Obesity)
  • University library databases
  • Academic database 
  • Government and Health Organization Reports from the CDC, WHO, NIH
  • Books like Obesity Epidemiology by Frank B. Hu
  • Conference proceeding from ECO
  • Relevant public health websites

Look for Related Literature

In this step, you need to refer to relevant literature reviews to gain an understanding of what reviewers do while writing. For example, when writing about childhood obesity, refer to credible academic databases for high-quality research articles.

Structure your Literature Review

How to write a literature review outline and how to structure a literature review are two of the common questions raised by students. Some of them even reach out to assignment help services with the hope of receiving help with their literature reviews. Don’t you worry; we have got you. There are four ways to structure your literature review. Refer to below to find out more about these approaches and how you can structure your review.

  • Chronological Approach: A chronological approach will help in demonstrating the evolution of research on a particular topic over time. You can refer to different research cycles, like early research, developing research, and modern research, to find relevant information. The main purpose of this approach is to understand the issue, highlighting key milestones in research.
  • Thematic Approach: This literature review will mainly focus on a certain theme or topic. For example, let’s suppose your main topic is how childhood obesity affects long-term health results. Here the main themes can be metabolic and cardiovascular health risks, psychological and emotional impact, increased risk of chronic diseases, and prevention and intervention strategies. 
  • Methodological Approach: The clear explanation of methods used in existing research on a particular topic is referred to as a methodological review. Some of the key features of methodological review include focus on research design, analysis, evaluation, and examination of validity and reliability. Systematic, critical, and scoping are the different types of methodological review.
  • Conceptual Approach: It is a way of organizing the literature around key concepts, theories, or frameworks. Metabolic health, psychological effects, and intervention strategies are the different concepts related to the topic.
  • Regional/Geographical Approach: Organize the geographical location or cultural context of the literature review with this approach. For your review, you can consider regions like North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Proceed with your Literature Review

Like every other writing structure, the literature review template also consists of three main parts. They are the introduction, main body, and conclusion. Further guidance on how and what to do is listed below.

  1. (A) Introduction: Are you wondering how to write a literature review introduction? This is the first part where you have to introduce the topic you are going to discuss. Here you need to give an idea of the authors whose theories you are going to work with or whose theories support your viewpoint. Purpose, scope, significance, and structure are the four important divisions of the introduction.
  2. (B) Main body: This is the central section where you show your real research work on the sources and information related to your topic. Here, you will explain the investigated information, which will provide a different perception of the established theory. Divide your main body as per the length of the literature. You can divide paragraphs into three to five. When writing your review, never forget to summarize, evaluate, analyze, and criticize for better results. Some of the things that you can discuss in the main body are relevance and risk factors, short- and long-term health impacts, and intervention strategies.
  3. (C) Conclusion: Now that you have explained your part of the review work to the readers, here comes the concluding section. In this part, you will outline areas for future study and link your research to existing knowledge. 

Review APA Guidelines

Let’s suppose you have the perfect literature review structure for your topic. Now you should read the guidelines to write it better. APA is the most common reference format used in almost all literature reviews. There are also other reference styles like MLA, AP, and Chicago that you can follow to present your work in a better format.

We hope that these suggestions will help you well in writing a literature review. After writing your work, make sure you check and correct it before submission. Verify for all the grammatical and spelling errors and correct them all. You may also get a third-party opinion to learn more about your literature reviews. Writing a literature review can be exhausting, and you may also possibly miss out on other academic coursework, assignments, and essays. If you ever miss any of your assignments or need help with your online classes, seek immediate help to avoid any stress. With a simple search of Can I pay someone to take my online class? You can hire assignment helpers. You may easily find different online classtakers for different subjects and score A grades.

How to Write a Literature Review for a Research Paper

A literature review for a research paper is one of the common forms of assignments assigned to students in their university life. However, most students don’t have an idea of writing it and often wonder how to write a literature review for a research paper. Here are some of the steps to help you write a literature review for a research paper.

  • In the first step, identify the objective of the research paper, which you will further discuss in your literature review.
  • Use reliable academic sources to find relevant information. You may use peer-reviewed articles, books, and credible reports.
  • When writing your literature review, it is essential to structure your work according to the themes and concepts.
  • Summarize your studies and try to justify the main essence of the research question.
  • Identify gaps where further investigation is required.
  • Correctly support your objective and always ensure credibility and integrity.

How to Write a Literature Review for a Research Proposal

A research proposal is a structured document that defines and explains the problem of the research question. A literature review in a research proposal provides a concise summary of the research. Let us now discuss how to write a literature review for a research proposal.

  • When writing a literature review in a research proposal, make sure you clearly define the main purpose of the research.
  • Conduct a targeted literature search from different sources to effectively define the main objective of the literature review for a research proposal.
  • Briefly describe the purpose, key findings, and methodology of the literature review.
  • Analyze the incomplete areas and explain how your research can address and contribute to development. 
  • Make sure to thoroughly demonstrate the significance of your proposed study.

Also Read: Get Eye-to-Eye with the Elements of Gothic Literature

How to Write a Literature Review for a Dissertation

What is a dissertation literature review? A dissertation literature review is one of the common assignments assigned in colleges. The main purpose of a dissertation review is to identify gaps in the dissertation topic and create a rationale for your study. It also helps in justifying research and supporting the methodology used in previous research. Evaluation, synthesis, and citations are the key features of the dissertation literature review. 

  • Before writing a literature review for a dissertation, make sure to clearly read everything to identify gaps that need review. 
  • Keep your literature review simple so that others can effectively understand the main purpose of the review.
  • Identify the gaps in the literature and clearly justify your research focus. 
  • Explain the main context of the research and the research questions that you will address.
  • Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses where further research is required. 
  • Last but not least, make sure to check, revise, and proofread to ensure clarity.

How to Write a Scientific Literature Review

What is a scientific literature review? Do you have any idea about scientific literature review? It is a analysis of an existing research. The main purpose of a scientific literature review is to help us understand the scientific field, identify trends, and set the stage for new research. Scientific reviews are slightly different from other reviews, focusing on evidence-based studies. It uses experimental designs to determine what is yet to be discovered. Let us now discuss how to write a scientific literature review.

  • Think about your target audience and clearly justify the topic according to it.
  • Guide your literature review with a well-defined hypothesis.
  • Use data from different sources to improve the quality of the research.
  • Make sure you understand the approaches and requirements of scientific literature review to tailor it according to your needs.
  • Use visual aids in your review to make it more approachable.
  • Be critical and focus on the studies that are directly related to your literature review.

Also Read: What Contributes to the Popularity of Online Literature Classes Among Students?

How to Write a Systematic Literature Review

What is a systematic literature review? A systematic literature review, also known as an SLR, is a scholarly evidence widely used in disciplines like healthcare, social sciences, and education. Scientific literature reviews are often so time-consuming that graduate students miss out on fulfilling their other academic responsibilities. Some of them even fail to meet their assignment deadlines and start searching for online assignment help services from professional writers. To avoid any such circumstance, make sure you clearly understand what a systematic literature review is and how to write a systematic literature review. Here is a guide to writing an SLR.

  • Start with a clear research question and ensure to focus on it thoroughly. Once you have decided on a research question to answer, check whether there is already a review on it or not. If yes, it is better to avoid it, as yours may not be needed.
  • Plan your research proposal and all the other steps to decide how you are going to proceed.
  • Find all the relevant studies and verify whether it is outdated or not. Never use studies that are older than three years.
  • Assess the quality of studies with the help of tools like PRISMA.
  • Make sure your literature review has a clear objective to be defined.

About Us

Are you thinking of asking if I can pay someone to take my online English class, or can someone take my online exam for me? Well, most college students reach out to our online classtakers with this request in the hope of reducing their stress. Our online writers not only write the best literature reviews but also manage all other online assessments, discussions, exams, and quizzes on every subject. Although you are seeking help online, you must know everything that will help you write your literature review. To learn about your literature review writing from top to bottom, you may refer to the information given in this blog post. We have listed everything, like contents, importance, and tips for writing a literature summary.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a literature review?
A literature review is an evaluation report of other critics’ work on a topic related to your area of interest. It discusses the published information or data of other scholars.
How to write a literature review for a doctoral dissertation?
Identify the gaps and try to explain how your study will contribute to the field. A doctoral dissertation is a critical task, so make sure you clearly define the main purpose and present diverse perspectives.
How to write an abstract for a literature review?
The abstract of a literature review is usually between 150 and 200 words. In minimum words, try to derive the main scope of the literature review and summarize the key theme properly. The pro tip for writing an abstract is to write it at the end.
How to write a thesis statement for a literature review?
The main purpose of a thesis statement is to provide a summary to write a thesis statement for your literature review. First, make sure to understand the purpose and key themes and draft the paper according to the main purpose.