Example of an Outline for a Literature Review

Writing a literature review might be easier than you think. You lot should just empathize its basic rules, and that's it! This commodity is merely about that.

Why is the literature review important? What are its types? We will uncover these and other possible questions.

Whether y'all are an experienced researcher or a educatee, this article will come in handy. Keep reading!

Table of Contents

1. What Is a Literature Review?

What Is a Literature Review?

Let's outset with the literature review definition.

Literature review outlooks the existing sources on a given topic. Its chief goal is to provide an overall movie of the studied object. It clears upwards the context and showcases the analysis of the paper's theoretical methodology.

In case you want to encounter the examples of this blazon of work, cheque out our collection of costless student essays.

Importance of Literature Review

In nearly cases, you lot demand to write a literature review equally a part of an academic project. Those can be dissertations, theses, or research papers.

Why is it important?

Imagine your final research equally a 100% bar. Let'southward recall Pareto constabulary: xx% of efforts make eighty% of the result. In our instance, 20% is preparing a literature review. Writing itself is less important than an in-depth assay of electric current literature. Practise you want to avoid possible frustration in academic writing? Brand a confident beginning with a literature review.

Sure, it's impossible to detect a topic that hasn't been discussed or cited. That is why we cannot but utilise the works of other authors. You don't have to agree with them. Discuss, critique, analyze, and debate.

So, the purpose of the literature review is to brand an outlook of existing ideas or thoughts. Abstracting from personal opinions and judgments is a crucial attribute.

Types of Literature Review

You tin reach the purpose we have discussed above in several ways. Considering that means at that place are several types of literature review.

What indicates them?

In brusk, it's research methods and construction. Permit's notice out why and break down each blazon:

• Systematic literature review is the most precise and well-defined blazon. Information technology identifies, evaluates, and appraises the studied topic. The purpose is to become the lay of the land in a given inquiry area.
  It falls into meta-assay and meta-synthesis. They differ in the undertaken arroyo: deductive or inductive.

  • Meta-analysis implies the deductive enquiry approach used. At start, yous gather several related research papers. Then, you comport out its statistical analysis. As a event, you answer a formulated question.

  • Meta-synthesis goes along with the inductive research approach. It bases qualitative data assessment.

• Theoretical literature review implies gathering theories. Those theories use to studied ideas or concepts. Links between theories go more explicit and clear. Why is it useful? It confirms that the theoretical framework is valid. On top of that, it assists in new hypothesis-making.

• Argumentative literature review starts with a problem statement. In other words, in making an argument. And then, you select and study the topic-related literature to confirm or deny the stated question. At that place is ane sufficient problem in this type, by the style. The writer may write the text with a grain of bias.

• Narrative literature review focuses on literature mismatches. It indicates possible gaps and concludes the body of literature. The chief pace here is stating a focused inquiry question. Another name for this blazon — a traditional literature review.

• Integrative literature review drives scientific novelty. It generates new statements around the existing researches. The principal tool for that is secondary data. The thing yous need is to review and criticize it. When is the best option to write an integrative literature review? It's when y'all lack primary data analysis.

Remember: earlier writing a literature review, specify its type. Another step yous should have is to argue your choice. Make sure information technology fits the inquiry framework. It will salvage your time every bit you won't need to freeze on strategies and methods.

Annotated Bibliography vs. Literature Review

Some would ask: isn't what you are writing about is but an annotated bibliography? Certain, both annotated bibliography and literature review list the research topic-related sources. Simply no more than that. Such contextual attributes equally goal, construction, and components differ a lot.

For a more visual illustration of its difference, we fabricated a table:

To sum up: an annotated bibliography is more referral. It does not require reading all the sources in the list. On the opposite, you won't reach the literature review purpose without examining all the sources cited.

Literature Review: Step-by-Step Strategy

Afterward choosing a blazon, information technology'south fourth dimension for step-past-footstep literature review guidelines. Nosotros are getting closer to a perfect literature review!

✔️ Step 1. Select the Topic

Selecting a topic requires looking from 2 perspectives. They are the following:

1. Stand up-solitary newspaper. Choose an engaging topic and state a central problem. Then, investigate the trusted literature sources in scholarly databases.

2. Role of a dissertation or thesis. In this case, you should dig around the thesis topic, enquiry objectives, and purpose.

Regardless of the case, you should not simply list several literature items. On the contrary, build a decent logical connectedness and assay. Only that way, you lot'll reply the research question.

✔️ Step 2. Identify the Review Telescopic

One more essential thing to do is to define the research boundaries. Find a balance: don't make information technology either long or narrow.

Push dorsum on the chosen topic and define the number and level of comprehensiveness of your paper. Ascertain the historical flow as well. After that, select a pool of credible sources for farther synthesis and analysis.

✔️ Step 3. Work with Sources

Investigate each called source. At this step, you lot should start writing your review. Notation each of import insights you lot come across. Acquire how to cite a literature review to avoid plagiarism.

✔️ Step iv. Write a Literature Review Outline

No matter what the writing purpose is: research, informative, promotional, etc. The ability of your hereafter text is in the proper planning. If you first with a well-defined structure, it's nearly 100% you'll reach exceptional results. What you need is writing the literature review outline.

✔️ Pace 5. Review the Literature

One time you've outlined your literature review, you're ready for a writing part. While writing, attempt to uncover insights, be selective and disquisitional-thinking, and don't forget to keep your vocalisation. In the end, make a compelling literature review conclusion.

On top of that, explore some other working tips to make your literature review as informative equally possible.

Literature Review Outline

We've already discussed the importance of a literature review outline. Now, information technology's time to understand how to create it.

An outline for literature review has a bit unlike structure comparing with other types of paper works. Information technology has the post-obit parts:

1. Introduction. In this part, you lot should outline the following characteristics:

   • Selected topic

   • Inquiry question

   • Related research question trends and prospects

   • Research methods

   • Expected inquiry results

2. Trunk. Each paragraph should focus on i of the sources. The number of literature is equivalent to the number of paragraphs. What practice you lot demand to outline here? Write a summary of each selected resource. The following are examples of subjects to embrace:

   • Overview of literature core areas

   • Research problem consideration through the prism of this piece of literature

   • Methods, controversial points, gaps

   • Outcomes

3. Conclusion. Make clear points of inference and explain the relationships between the studied literature. A good conclusion should contain:

   • Cumulative list of arguments effectually the research question

   • Links to existing literature and a place of your paper in the existing organisation of knowledge.

It can exist a plus if you clarify the applicability of your literature review in further research.

One time you outline your literature review, you tin can slightly shorten your writing path. Permit'due south move on to actual samples of literature review.

Literature Review Examples

To consolidate the above, let's await through some examples. How does a well-prepared literature review look like? Check three samples at StudyCorgi to understand. Follow the tabular array:

Have your time and read literature review examples to solidify noesis and sharpen your skills. Yous'll get a more definite motion-picture show of the literature review length, methods, and topics.

Now you lot understand the core milestones regarding the introduction to the literature review. Understanding its purpose, types, outline rules, and examples volition assist you to kick off.

Practice you still take any questions? Don't hesitate to contact us! Our writing experts are ready to assist you with your paper on time.

✏️ FAQ

❓ What Is the Purpose of a Literature Review?

Literature review solves several problems at once. Its purpose is to identify and gather the meridian insights, gaps, and answers to research questions. Those assistance to get a general idea of the degree of topic exploration. As a result, it builds a basement for further inquiry. Or vice versa: it reveals a lack of demand for additional studies.

❓ How Do You Structure a Literature Review?

Like any other academic paper, a literature review consists of sure conceptual parts. These are 3: introduction, main body, and the decision. Each of them needs full disclosure and logical interconnection

The introduction contains the topic overview, its problematics, research methods, and other general attributes of bookish papers.

The torso reveals how each of the selected literature sources answers the formulated questions from the introduction.

The conclusion summarizes the primal findings from the body, connects the enquiry to existing studies, and outlines the need for further investigation.

To ensure the success of your analysis, you should equally uphold all of these parts.

❓ What Must a Literature Review Include?

A basic literature review includes the introduction with the research topic definition, its arguments, and problems. Then, information technology has a synthesis of the picked pieces of literature. It may consist of possible gaps and contradictions in existing researches. The practical relevance and contribution to new studies are too welcome.

❓ What Are the 5 C'southward of Writing a Literature Review?

Don't forget nearly these five C'due south to make things easier in writing a literature review:

Cite. Brand a list of references for inquiry you've used and apply proper commendation rules. Use Google Scholar for this.

Compare. Make a comparing of such literature attributes as theories, insights, trends, arguments, etc. It's better to apply tables or diagrams to make your content visual.

Contrast. Use listings to categorize particular approaches, themes, and and so on.

Critique. Disquisitional thinking is a must in any scientific enquiry. Don't take private formulations as truth. Explore controversial points of view.

Connect. Find a place of your research between existing studies. Propose new possible areas to dig further.

❓ How Long Should a Literature Review Be?

In most cases, professors or educational establishment guidelines determine the length of a literature review. Written report them and stick to their requirements, so you don't get information technology incorrect.

If at that place are no specific rules, make certain it is no more 30% of the whole inquiry paper.

If your literature review is non a role of the thesis and goes equally a stand-alone paper — exist curtailed but explore the research area in-depth.

References

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