Literature Review

What is a literature review?
A literature review is a  description/assessment of the literature relevant to a particular field or topic, done when conducting a thesis (mostly as part of a postgraduate thesis). The purpose of a literature review is to give an overview of the field of inquiry where as a critical literature review shows how prevailing ideas fit in to your own and how your ideas differ or agree to them. (University of Canberra, 2012)

According to University of California Santa Cruz (2012), a literature review surveys scholarly articles, books and other sources relevant to a particular topic or issue, providing a description, summary and critical evaluation of each work.

According to University of Canberra (2012), a literature review of the undergraduate level requires about 5-20 references to make it a rich review report.

Purpose of a literature review 

• To show the level of understanding on the topic under review
• Describe the relationship of each work with others under consideration
• Point the way forward to further research

(University of California Santa Cruz ,2012)

Guidelines to a good literature review:

• Establish research questions and organize the facts into categories around the main topic
• Begin with an introduction to the topic stating the importance of the topic and an overview of what is included in it
• Critically analyse the relevant literature in accordance to the research questions stating the content of it and inconsistencies or conflicting view points
• Ensure to write your own interpretations and to make it a critical and evaluative review
• Write a conclusion which draws together the important points and briefly explain how the information answers your original research question
• Avoid plagiarism and use a proper referencing method

(The University of Melbourne, 2012)

References

University of Canberra (2012), "Writing a literature review" [Online] Available from: http://www.canberra.edu.au/studyskills/writing/literature Accessed on 4th January 2012.

University of California Santa Cruz (2012), "Write a literature review" [Online] Available from: http://guides.library.ucsc.edu/write-a-literature-review Accessed on: 4th January 2012.

The University of Melbourne (2012), "Literature reviews" [Online] Available from: http://unimelb.libguides.com/content.php?pid=87165&sid=651752 Accessed on: 4th January 2012.