What is a literature review in a research project?

A literature review is a document or section of a document that collects key sources on a topic and discusses those sources in conversation with each other (also called synthesis).

How do you write a literature review for a research project?

What are the 3 parts of literature review?

Just like most academic papers, literature reviews also must contain at least three basic elements: an introduction or background information section; the body of the review containing the discussion of sources; and, finally, a conclusion and/or recommendations section to end the paper.

What should a literature review include?

A literature review consists of an overview, a summary, and an evaluation (“critique”) of the current state of knowledge about a specific area of research. It may also include a discussion of methodological issues and suggestions for future research.

What makes a good literature review?

A good literature review shows signs of synthesis and understanding of the topic. There should be strong evidence of analytical thinking shown through the connections you make between the literature being reviewed.

How to Write a Literature Review: 3 Minute Step-by-step Guide | Scribbr ?

What are the four stages of literature review?

Literature search—finding materials relevant to the subject being explored. Data evaluation—determining which literature makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the topic. Analysis and interpretation—discussing the findings and conclusions of pertinent literature.

How do you start a literature review example?

What are the five steps in conducting a literature review?

What are the 5 C's of writing literature review?

Is including the five C's(Cite, Compare, Contrast, Critique and Connect) really important in writing a literature review for your research project?

How long is a literature review?

A literature review for your thesis should be at least 8 pages long or at most 20% of the overall length of the project. If you're writing a 40-page thesis, make your literature review at least 8 pages.

How do you structure a literature review?

What is the aim of a literature review?

A literature review establishes familiarity with and understanding of current research in a particular field before carrying out a new investigation. Conducting a literature review should enable you to find out what research has already been done and identify what is unknown within your topic.

What are the 3 purposes of literature review?

The purpose of a literature review is to:

Provide foundation of knowledge on topic. Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication and give credit to other researchers. Identify inconstancies: gaps in research, conflicts in previous studies, open questions left from other research.

What are the 4 goals of literature review?

To determine what exists in the scholarly literature. To identify possible gap(s) in the scholarly literature for further research. To inform the research topic, theory (if applicable), and associated methodology. To compare/contrast against findings resulting from the current study.

What are the 4 main functions of literature review?

In relation to your own study, the literature review can help in four ways. It can: 1 bring clarity and focus to your research problem; 2 improve your research methodology; 3 broaden your knowledge base in your research area; and 4 contextualise your findings.

What is literature review and example?

A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research.

How many words is a literature review?

Structuring the literature review

In a PhD thesis, the literature review typically comprises one chapter (perhaps 8-10,000 words), for a Masters dissertation it may be around 2-3,000 words, and for an undergraduate dissertation it may be no more than 2,000 words.

How many sources are needed for a literature review?

The number of sources you will need will depend upon your assignment, professor, and level of study. In general, undergraduate students will usually be required to use somewhere between 5 and 20 sources; graduate students typically will need between 20 and 40.

How did you begin in writing your literature review?

Start by writing your thesis statement. This is an important introductory sentence that will tell your reader what the topic is and the overall perspective or argument you will be presenting. Like essays, a literature review must have an introduction, a body and a conclusion.

How do you conclude a literature review?

Whereas an introduction started out generally and moved towards discussion of a specific focus, the conclusion takes the opposite approach. It starts by reminding the reader of the contents and importance of your findings and then moves out gradually to more general topics.

What are the six steps to conducting an efficient research literature review?

Organized around a proven six-step model and incorporating technology into all of the steps, the book provides examples, strategies, and exercises that take students step by step through the entire process: (1) Selecting a topic; (2) Searching the literature; (3) Developing arguments; (4) Surveying the literature; (5) ...

How do you read a literature review for a research paper?

Do literature reviews have headings?

Each main point will have a heading (bold, capitalized and centered) and can have sub- point headings ( bold, capitalized, and left flush). Abstract Literature review abstracts and research article abstracts share the same basic format but differ in content.

What is not a literature review?

A Literature Review is NOT

A lit review goes beyond basic summarizing to focus on the critical analysis of the reviewed works and their relationship to your research question. Not a research paper where you select resources to support one side of an issue versus another.

Does literature review need references?

A Lit Review MUST have a Works Cited list that includes all references cited in the Lit Review. Do not list sources in the Works Cited list that are not directly cited in the Lit Review.