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2.7: Define Literature Reviews

  • Page ID
    274465
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    Before we start our journey, let’s consider briefly what a literature review is and why you need to write one.

    Why We Write Literature Reviews:

    I’ll go into this more deeply once you find some resources. Here's a quick explanation:

    The point of a literature review is to determine what research has been done on a particular topic. There are some cases in which people publish a literature review without a study, to help others in the field review what has been studied. Usually, however, the literature review demonstrates why a study (or intervention or program, etc.) should exist.

    Therefore, the literature review is not simply a summary of individual articles, but rather a synthesis and critique of different studies and theories and the greater literature base. It is also not a position paper in which only studies supporting your perspective are included, but rather includes all scholarly perspectives on your topic.

    This is just a quick overview; we'll explore these concepts in more depth later in the workbook in Unit 5.

    Key Functions of Literature Reviews:

    Literature reviews:

    • examine the literature on your topic
    • synthesize different studies & theories
    • find gaps
    • demonstrate why your study (intervention or program, etc.) should exist

    Literature reviews DO NOT:

    • Literature reviews DO NOT define the topic, but instead show what previous studies have done on the topic
    • Literature reviews DO NOT simply summarize each article, but instead demonstrate a conversation or synthesis of patterns across articles
    • Literature reviews DO NOT promote your ideas or assumptions, but instead include ALL scholarly perspectives on your topic

    Look at the list above. Which aspects of a literature review seem familiar to you? Which seem new or challenging to you?

    Now that you have a general idea of where you’re heading, let’s plan the start of your journey.


    This page titled 2.7: Define Literature Reviews is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Frances Brady.

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