Why Is It Important to Review Before Writing an Essay

What this handout is about

This handout volition explicate what literature reviews are and offer insights into the class and construction of literature reviews in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences.

Introduction

OK. You've got to write a literature review. You dust off a novel and a book of poetry, settle down in your chair, and get fix to upshot a "thumbs upwardly" or "thumbs down" equally you leafage through the pages. "Literature review" done. Correct?

Incorrect! The "literature" of a literature review refers to any collection of materials on a topic, not necessarily the great literary texts of the world. "Literature" could exist annihilation from a set of government pamphlets on British colonial methods in Africa to scholarly articles on the treatment of a torn ACL. And a review does non necessarily mean that your reader wants you to give your personal opinion on whether or not you liked these sources.

What is a literature review, and then?

A literature review discusses published information in a particular subject field expanse, and sometimes information in a particular subject area within a certain time period.

A literature review can be only a simple summary of the sources, but it usually has an organizational blueprint and combines both summary and synthesis. A summary is a recap of the of import information of the source, but a synthesis is a re-system, or a reshuffling, of that information. It might give a new interpretation of former cloth or combine new with quondam interpretations. Or it might trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates. And depending on the situation, the literature review may evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the most pertinent or relevant.

But how is a literature review different from an academic enquiry paper?

The main focus of an academic research newspaper is to develop a new argument, and a research paper is probable to comprise a literature review as one of its parts. In a inquiry paper, you use the literature as a foundation and every bit support for a new insight that you contribute. The focus of a literature review, however, is to summarize and synthesize the arguments and ideas of others without adding new contributions.

Why exercise we write literature reviews?

Literature reviews provide you with a handy guide to a particular topic. If you accept limited time to conduct research, literature reviews tin can give you an overview or act as a stepping stone. For professionals, they are useful reports that go along them up to date with what is electric current in the field. For scholars, the depth and breadth of the literature review emphasizes the brownie of the writer in his or her field. Literature reviews too provide a solid background for a research paper's investigation. Comprehensive knowledge of the literature of the field is essential to about research papers.

Who writes these things, anyway?

Literature reviews are written occasionally in the humanities, but by and large in the sciences and social sciences; in experiment and lab reports, they establish a section of the newspaper. Sometimes a literature review is written every bit a paper in itself.

Let'southward go to it! What should I do before writing the literature review?

Clarify

If your assignment is not very specific, seek description from your instructor:

Roughly how many sources should you include?
What types of sources (books, periodical articles, websites)?
Should you lot summarize, synthesize, or critique your sources by discussing a mutual theme or consequence?
Should you evaluate your sources?
Should you lot provide subheadings and other groundwork information, such as definitions and/or a history?

Find models

Look for other literature reviews in your surface area of involvement or in the discipline and read them to go a sense of the types of themes you might want to await for in your own inquiry or ways to organize your final review. You can but put the give-and-take "review" in your search engine along with your other topic terms to detect articles of this type on the Internet or in an electronic database. The bibliography or reference department of sources you lot've already read are also excellent entry points into your own research.

Narrow your topic

In that location are hundreds or even thousands of manufactures and books on most areas of study. The narrower your topic, the easier it will exist to limit the number of sources you demand to read in order to get a good survey of the material. Your instructor will probably not expect you to read everything that'due south out at that place on the topic, but you'll make your chore easier if you first limit your scope.

Go on in mind that UNC Libraries have research guides and to databases relevant to many fields of study. You can reach out to the subject field librarian for a consultation: https://library.unc.edu/back up/consultations/.

And don't forget to tap into your professor's (or other professors') knowledge in the field. Ask your professor questions such as: "If you had to read only one book from the 90'due south on topic X, what would information technology be?" Questions such as this assistance y'all to find and make up one's mind quickly the most seminal pieces in the field.

Consider whether your sources are current

Some disciplines crave that you use information that is as electric current as possible. In the sciences, for instance, treatments for medical problems are constantly changing according to the latest studies. Information even two years former could be obsolete. However, if you are writing a review in the humanities, history, or social sciences, a survey of the history of the literature may be what is needed, because what is important is how perspectives have inverse through the years or within a certain time period. Try sorting through another current bibliographies or literature reviews in the field to go a sense of what your bailiwick expects. Yous can likewise utilise this method to consider what is currently of involvement to scholars in this field and what is non.

Strategies for writing the literature review

Notice a focus

A literature review, like a term paper, is usually organized around ideas, not the sources themselves as an annotated bibliography would be organized. This means that you lot will not simply merely list your sources and go into item about each one of them, one at a time. No. As yous read widely but selectively in your topic area, consider instead what themes or issues connect your sources together. Practice they present one or different solutions? Is there an attribute of the field that is missing? How well exercise they present the fabric and do they portray it according to an appropriate theory? Exercise they reveal a trend in the field? A raging debate? Pick one of these themes to focus the arrangement of your review.

Convey it to your reader

A literature review may not take a traditional thesis statement (one that makes an statement), but you lot do need to tell readers what to expect. Endeavour writing a simple statement that lets the reader know what is your main organizing principle. Here are a couple of examples:

The current trend in treatment for congestive heart failure combines surgery and medicine.
More and more than cultural studies scholars are accepting popular media as a discipline worthy of academic consideration.

Consider system

Yous've got a focus, and you've stated it clearly and direct. Now what is the nigh effective way of presenting the information? What are the virtually important topics, subtopics, etc., that your review needs to include? And in what lodge should you present them? Develop an organization for your review at both a global and local level:

First, cover the basic categories

But like nearly academic papers, literature reviews besides must contain at least 3 basic elements: an introduction or groundwork information section; the trunk of the review containing the discussion of sources; and, finally, a decision and/or recommendations section to end the paper. The following provides a cursory description of the content of each:

Introduction: Gives a quick idea of the topic of the literature review, such every bit the fundamental theme or organizational pattern.
Body: Contains your discussion of sources and is organized either chronologically, thematically, or methodologically (see beneath for more information on each).
Conclusions/Recommendations: Discuss what you have drawn from reviewing literature so far. Where might the discussion go on?

Organizing the body

One time you take the basic categories in place, then you must consider how you will present the sources themselves within the body of your paper. Create an organizational method to focus this section even further.

To help y'all come up with an overall organizational framework for your review, consider the following scenario:

You've decided to focus your literature review on materials dealing with sperm whales. This is considering you've but finished reading Moby Dick, and you wonder if that whale'due south portrayal is actually real. Yous start with some articles about the physiology of sperm whales in biology journals written in the 1980'due south. Just these articles refer to some British biological studies performed on whales in the early 18th century. So you check those out. Then you look upward a volume written in 1968 with information on how sperm whales have been portrayed in other forms of art, such as in Alaskan poetry, in French painting, or on whale bone, as the whale hunters in the late 19th century used to practise. This makes you wonder about American whaling methods during the fourth dimension portrayed in Moby Dick, so you lot find some academic articles published in the concluding five years on how accurately Herman Melville portrayed the whaling scene in his novel.

Now consider some typical ways of organizing the sources into a review:

Chronological: If your review follows the chronological method, you could write almost the materials above according to when they were published. For instance, outset you would talk near the British biological studies of the 18th century, and so near Moby Dick, published in 1851, and then the book on sperm whales in other fine art (1968), and finally the biology articles (1980s) and the recent articles on American whaling of the 19th century. Just there is relatively no continuity among subjects here. And observe that even though the sources on sperm whales in other art and on American whaling are written recently, they are about other subjects/objects that were created much earlier. Thus, the review loses its chronological focus.

By publication: Guild your sources past publication chronology, then, simply if the gild demonstrates a more than important trend. For case, you could social club a review of literature on biological studies of sperm whales if the progression revealed a change in autopsy practices of the researchers who wrote and/or conducted the studies.

By trend: A ameliorate way to organize the to a higher place sources chronologically is to examine the sources nether another trend, such as the history of whaling. Then your review would take subsections according to eras within this period. For instance, the review might examine whaling from pre-1600-1699, 1700-1799, and 1800-1899. Under this method, you would combine the recent studies on American whaling in the 19th century with Moby Dick itself in the 1800-1899 category, fifty-fifty though the authors wrote a century apart.

Thematic: Thematic reviews of literature are organized around a topic or issue, rather than the progression of time. Yet, progression of time may however exist an important factor in a thematic review. For instance, the sperm whale review could focus on the development of the harpoon for whale hunting. While the written report focuses on 1 topic, harpoon technology, it will however be organized chronologically. The simply departure here between a "chronological" and a "thematic" approach is what is emphasized the most: the evolution of the harpoon or the harpoon technology.Only more accurate thematic reviews tend to break away from chronological guild. For instance, a thematic review of material on sperm whales might examine how they are portrayed every bit "evil" in cultural documents. The subsections might include how they are personified, how their proportions are exaggerated, and their behaviors misunderstood. A review organized in this manner would shift between time periods within each section according to the point made.

Methodological: A methodological arroyo differs from the 2 above in that the focusing factor usually does not have to practice with the content of the fabric. Instead, information technology focuses on the "methods" of the researcher or writer. For the sperm whale project, ane methodological arroyo would be to wait at cultural differences between the portrayal of whales in American, British, and French art work. Or the review might focus on the economical touch on of whaling on a customs. A methodological scope will influence either the types of documents in the review or the way in which these documents are discussed.
Once you've decided on the organizational method for the torso of the review, the sections yous demand to include in the paper should be like shooting fish in a barrel to figure out. They should arise out of your organizational strategy. In other words, a chronological review would have subsections for each vital time catamenia. A thematic review would accept subtopics based upon factors that relate to the theme or issue.

Sometimes, though, y'all might demand to add additional sections that are necessary for your report, but practise not fit in the organizational strategy of the trunk. What other sections you include in the trunk is up to you. Put in only what is necessary. Here are a few other sections you might want to consider:

Current State of affairs: Data necessary to empathize the topic or focus of the literature review.
History: The chronological progression of the field, the literature, or an idea that is necessary to understand the literature review, if the body of the literature review is not already a chronology.
Methods and/or Standards: The criteria you used to select the sources in your literature review or the style in which you present your information. For instance, you might explain that your review includes simply peer-reviewed articles and journals.

Questions for Further Research: What questions about the field has the review sparked? How volition you farther your research every bit a effect of the review?

Brainstorm composing

Once you've settled on a general blueprint of system, yous're ready to write each section. There are a few guidelines you should follow during the writing stage as well. Hither is a sample paragraph from a literature review about sexism and language to illuminate the following give-and-take:

Still, other studies take shown that fifty-fifty gender-neutral antecedents are more likely to produce masculine images than feminine ones (Gastil, 1990). Hamilton (1988) asked students to consummate sentences that required them to fill in pronouns that agreed with gender-neutral antecedents such as "author," "pedestrian," and "persons." The students were asked to describe whatever image they had when writing the sentence. Hamilton found that people imagined 3.three men to each woman in the masculine "generic" condition and 1.5 men per adult female in the unbiased condition. Thus, while ambient sexism accounted for some of the masculine bias, sexist language amplified the upshot. (Source: Erika Falk and Jordan Mills, "Why Sexist Linguistic communication Affects Persuasion: The Role of Homophily, Intended Audience, and Offense," Women and Language19:2).

Utilize evidence

In the case to a higher place, the writers refer to several other sources when making their point. A literature review in this sense is simply like whatever other academic enquiry paper. Your interpretation of the available sources must exist backed upwards with bear witness to show that what you are saying is valid.

Exist selective

Select only the near important points in each source to highlight in the review. The type of data you choose to mention should relate directly to the review's focus, whether it is thematic, methodological, or chronological.

Use quotes sparingly

Falk and Mills do not use any direct quotes. That is because the survey nature of the literature review does non permit for in-depth word or detailed quotes from the text. Some brusk quotes here and at that place are okay, though, if you lot want to emphasize a point, or if what the author said just cannot exist rewritten in your own words. Detect that Falk and Mills do quote sure terms that were coined by the author, not mutual knowledge, or taken direct from the written report. Just if you find yourself wanting to put in more quotes, check with your instructor.

Summarize and synthesize

Recall to summarize and synthesize your sources inside each paragraph likewise as throughout the review. The authors here recapitulate important features of Hamilton'south study, simply and then synthesize it by rephrasing the study's significance and relating it to their own work.

Proceed your ain voice

While the literature review presents others' ideas, your voice (the writer's) should remain forepart and center. Detect that Falk and Mills weave references to other sources into their own text, only they still maintain their ain voice by starting and catastrophe the paragraph with their own ideas and their own words. The sources back up what Falk and Mills are saying.

Apply caution when paraphrasing

When paraphrasing a source that is not your ain, be sure to represent the writer'south information or opinions accurately and in your own words. In the preceding instance, Falk and Mills either straight refer in the text to the writer of their source, such as Hamilton, or they provide ample notation in the text when the ideas they are mentioning are not their own, for example, Gastil's. For more data, please see our handout on plagiarism.

Revise, revise, revise

Draft in mitt? Now you're ready to revise. Spending a lot of fourth dimension revising is a wise idea, because your main objective is to nowadays the material, not the argument. So cheque over your review again to make sure it follows the assignment and/or your outline. Then, just as you would for most other academic forms of writing, rewrite or rework the language of your review so that yous've presented your information in the near concise manner possible. Be sure to use terminology familiar to your audience; get rid of unnecessary jargon or slang. Finally, double check that you've documented your sources and formatted the review accordingly for your discipline. For tips on the revising and editing process, see our handout on revising drafts.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive listing of resource on the handout's topic, and nosotros encourage you lot to do your own inquiry to find boosted publications. Please exercise not use this listing equally a model for the format of your own reference listing, as it may not match the citation style yous are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial. We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Anson, Chris Thousand., and Robert A. Schwegler. 2010. The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers, 6th ed. New York: Longman.

Jones, Robert, Patrick Bizzaro, and Cynthia Selfe. 1997. The Harcourt Brace Guide to Writing in the Disciplines. New York: Harcourt Brace.

Lamb, Sandra Due east. 1998. How to Write Information technology: A Complete Guide to Everything You lot'll Ever Write. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press.

Rosen, Leonard J., and Laurence Behrens. 2003. The Allyn & Bacon Handbook, 5th ed. New York: Longman.

Troyka, Lynn Quittman, and Doug Hesse. 2016. Simon and Schuster Handbook for Writers, 11th ed. London: Pearson.

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