REVIEWING RELATED LITERATURE

Definition
A literature review surveys books, scholarly articles, and any other sources relevant to a particular issue, area
of research, or theory, and by so doing, provides a description, summary, and critical evaluation of these works
in relation to the research problem being investigated. Literature reviews are designed to provide an overview
of sources you have explored while researching a particular topic and to demonstrate to your readers how your
research fits within a larger field of study.

Fink, Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper . Fourth edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE,
2014.

Importance of a Good Literature Review

A literature review may consist of simply a summary of key sources, but in the social sciences, a
literature review usually has an organizational pattern and combines both summary and synthesis,
often within specific conceptual categories. A summary is a recap of the important information of the source,
but a synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information in a way that informs how you are
planning to investigate a research problem. The analytical features of a literature review might:

• Give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old interpretations,
• Trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates,
• Depending on the situation, evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the most pertinent or
relevant research, or
• Usually in the conclusion of a literature review, identify where gaps exist in how a problem has
been researched to date.
Given this, the purpose of a literature review is to:

• Place each work in the context of its contribution to understanding the research problem being
studied.
• Describe the relationship of each work to the others under consideration.
• Identify new ways to interpret prior research.
• Reveal any gaps that exist in the literature.
• Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory previous studies.
• Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort.
• Point the way in fulfilling a need for additional research.
• Locate your own research within the context of existing literature [very important].

• Types of Literature Reviews

• It is important to think of knowledge in a given field as consisting of three layers. First, there are the
primary studies that researchers conduct and publish. Second are the reviews of those studies that
summarize and offer new interpretations built from and often extending beyond the p rimary studies.
Third, there are the perceptions, conclusions, opinion, and interpretations that are shared informally
among scholars that become part of the body of epistemological traditions within the field.
• In composing a literature review, it is important to note that it is often this third layer of knowledge that
is cited as "true" even though it often has only a loose relationship to the primary studies and secondary
literature reviews. Given this, while literature reviews are designed to provide an overview and
synthesis of pertinent sources you have explored, there are a number of approaches you could adopt
depending upon the type of analysis underpinning your study.
• Types of Literature Reviews
• Argumentative Review
This form examines literature selectively in order to support or refute an argument, deeply embedded
assumption, or philosophical problem already established in the literature. The purpose is to develop
a body of literature that establishes a contrarian viewpoint. Given the value-laden nature of some
 social science research [e.g., educational reform; immigration control], argumentative approaches to
analyzing the literature can be a legitimate and important form of discourse. However, note that they
can also introduce problems of bias when they are used to make summary claims of the sort found in
systematic reviews [see below].
• Integrative Review
Considered a form of research that reviews, critiques, and synthesizes representative literature on a
topic in an integrated way such that new frameworks and perspectives on the topic are generated.
The body of literature includes all studies that address related or identical hypotheses or research
problems. A well-done integrative review meets the same standards as primary research in regard to
clarity, rigor, and replication. This is the most common form of review in the social sciences.
• Historical Review
Few things rest in isolation from historical precedent. Historical literature reviews focus on examining
research throughout a period of time, often starting with the first time an issue, concept, theory,
phenomena emerged in the literature, then tracing its evolution within the scholarship of a discipline.
The purpose is to place research in a historical context to show familiarity with state-of-the-art
developments and to identify the likely directions for future research.
• Methodological Review
A review does not always focus on what someone said [findings], but how they came about saying
what they say [method of analysis]. Reviewing methods of analysis provides a framework of
understanding at different levels [i.e. those of theory, substantive fields, research approaches, and
data collection and analysis techniques], how researchers draw upon a wide variety of knowl edge
ranging from the conceptual level to practical documents for use in fieldwork in the areas of
ontological and epistemological consideration, quantitative and qualitative integration, sampling,
interviewing, data collection, and data analysis. This approach helps highlight ethical issues which
you should be aware of and consider as you go through your own study.
• Systematic Review
This form consists of an overview of existing evidence pertinent to a clearly formulated research
question, which uses pre-specified and standardized methods to identify and critically appraise
relevant research, and to collect, report, and analyze data from the studies that are included in the
review. The goal is to deliberately document, critically evaluate, and summarize scientifically all of
the research about a clearly defined research problem. Typically it focuses on a very specific
empirical question, often posed in a cause-and-effect form, such as "To what extent does A
contribute to B?" This type of literature review is primarily applied to examining prior research
studies in clinical medicine and allied health fields, but it is increasingly being used in the social
sciences.
• Theoretical Review
The purpose of this form is to examine the corpus of theory that has accumulat ed in regard to an
issue, concept, theory, phenomena. The theoretical literature review helps to establish what theories
already exist, the relationships between them, to what degree the existing theories have been
investigated, and to develop new hypotheses to be tested. Often this form is used to help establish a
lack of appropriate theories or reveal that current theories are inadequate for explaining new or
emerging research problems. The unit of analysis can focus on a theoretical concept or a whole
theory or framework.
• NOTE: Most often the literature review will incorporate some combination of types. For
example, a review that examines literature supporting or refuting an argument,
assumption, or philosophical problem related to the research problem will also need to
include writing supported by sources that establish the history of these arguments in the
literature.
• Baumeister, Roy F. and Mark R. Leary. "Writing Narrative Literature Reviews." Review of General Psychology 1
(September 1997): 311-320; Mark R. Fink, Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper .
2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2005; Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research
Imagination. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998; Kennedy, Mary M. "Defining a Literature." Educational
Researcher 36 (April 2007): 139-147; Petticrew, Mark and Helen Roberts. Systematic Reviews in the Social Sciences: A
Practical Guide. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2006; Torracro, Richard. "Writing Integrative Literature Reviews:
Guidelines and Examples." Human Resource Development Review 4 (September 2005): 356-367; Rocco, Tonette S. and
Maria S. Plakhotnik. "Literature Reviews, Conceptual Frameworks, and Theoretic al Frameworks: Terms, Functions, and
Distinctions." Human Ressource Development Review 8 (March 2008): 120-130; Sutton, Anthea. Systematic Approaches
to a Successful Literature Review. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, 2016.
Structure and Writing Style
I. Thinking About Your Literature Review

The structure of a literature review should include the following in support of understanding the
research problem:

• An overview of the subject, issue, or theory under consideration, along with the obj ectives of the
literature review,
• Division of works under review into themes or categories [e.g. works that support a particular
position, those against, and those offering alternative approaches entirely],
• An explanation of how each work is similar to and how it varies from the others,
• Conclusions as to which pieces are best considered in their argument, are most convincing of their
opinions, and make the greatest contribution to the understanding and development of their area
of research.

The critical evaluation of each work should consider:

• Provenance -- what are the author's credentials? Are the author's arguments supported by
evidence [e.g. primary historical material, case studies, narratives, statistics, recent scientific
findings]?
• Methodology -- were the techniques used to identify, gather, and analyze the data appropriate to
addressing the research problem? Was the sample size appropriate? Were the results effectively
interpreted and reported?
• Objectivity -- is the author's perspective even-handed or prejudicial? Is contrary data considered
or is certain pertinent information ignored to prove the author's point?
• Persuasiveness -- which of the author's theses are most convincing or least convincing?
• Validity -- are the author's arguments and conclusions convincing? Does the work ultimately
contribute in any significant way to an understanding of the subject?

II. Development of the Literature Review

Four Basic Stages of Writing

1. Problem formulation -- which topic or field is being examined and what are its component issues?
2. Literature search -- finding materials relevant to the subject being explored.
3. Data evaluation -- determining which literature makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the
topic.
4. Analysis and interpretation -- discussing the findings and conclusions of pertinent literature.

Consider the following issues before writing the literature review:

Clarify
If your assignment is not specific about what form your literature review should take, seek clarification from
your professor by asking these questions:
1. Roughly how many sources would be appropriate to include?
2. What types of sources should I review (books, journal articles, websites; scholarly versus popular
sources)?
3. Should I summarize, synthesize, or critique sources by discussing a common theme or issue?
4. Should I evaluate the sources in any way beyond evaluating how they relate to understanding the
research problem?
5. Should I provide subheadings and other background information, such as definitions and/or a history?

Find Models
Use the exercise of reviewing the literature to examine how authors in your discipline or a rea of interest have
composed their literature review sections. Read them to get a sense of the types of themes you might want to
look for in your own research or to identify ways to organize your final review. The bibliography or reference
section of sources you've already read, such as required readings in the course syllabus, are also excellent
entry points into your own research.
Narrow the Topic
The narrower your topic, the easier it will be to limit the number of sources you need to read in order to
obtain a good survey of relevant resources. Your professor will probably not expect you to read everything
that's available about the topic, but you'll make the act of reviewing easier if you first limit scope of the
research problem. A good strategy is to begin by searching the USC Libraries Catalog for recent books
about the topic and review the table of contents for chapters that focuses on specific issues. You can also
review the indexes of books to find references to specific issues that can serve as the focus of your research.
For example, a book surveying the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may include a chapter on the role
Egypt has played in mediating the conflict, or look in the index for the pages where Egypt is mentioned in the
text.

Consider Whether Your Sources are Current

Some disciplines require that you use information that is as current as possible. This is particularly true in
disciplines in medicine and the sciences where research conducted becomes obsolete very quickly as new
discoveries are made. However, when writing a review in the social sciences, a survey of the history of the
literature may be required. In other words, a complete understanding the research problem requires you to
deliberately examine how knowledge and perspectives have changed over time. Sort through other current
bibliographies or literature reviews in the field to get a sense of what your discipline expects. You can also
use this method to explore what is considered by scholars to be a "hot topic" and what is not.

III. Ways to Organize Your Literature Review

Chronology of Events
If your review follows the chronological method, you could write about the materials according to when they
were published. This approach should only be followed if a clear path of research building on previous
research can be identified and that these trends follow a clear chronological order of development. For
example, a literature review that focuses on continuing research about the emergence of German economic
power after the fall of the Soviet Union.

By Publication
Order your sources by publication chronology, then, only if the order demonstrates a more important trend.
For instance, you could order a review of literature on environmental studies of brown fields if the
progression revealed, for example, a change in the soil collection practices of the researchers who wrote
and/or conducted the studies.

Thematic [“conceptual categories”]

Thematic reviews of literature are organized around a topic or issue, rather than the progression of time.
However, progression of time may still be an important factor in a thematic review. For example, a review of
the Internet’s impact on American presidential politics could focus on the development of online political
satire. While the study focuses on one topic, the Internet’s impact on American pres idential politics, it will still
be organized chronologically reflecting technological developments in media. The only difference here
between a "chronological" and a "thematic" approach is what is emphasized the most: the role of the Internet
in presidential politics. Note however that more authentic thematic reviews tend to break away from
chronological order. A review organized in this manner would shift between time periods within each section
according to the point made. Note that this is the most comm on approach in the social and behavioral
sciences.

Methodological
A methodological approach focuses on the methods utilized by the researcher. For the Internet in American
presidential politics project, one methodological approach would be to look at cult ural differences between
the portrayal of American presidents on American, British, and French websites. Or the review might focus on
the fundraising impact of the Internet on a particular political party. A methodological scope will influence
either the types of documents in the review or the way in which these documents are discussed.

Other Sections of Your Literature Review

Once you've decided on the organizational method for your literature review, the sections you need to include
in the paper should be easy to figure out because they arise from your organizational strategy. In other
words, a chronological review would have subsections for each vital time period; a thematic review would
have subtopics based upon factors that relate to the theme or issue. However, sometimes you may need to
add additional sections that are necessary for your study, but do not fit in the organizational strategy of the
body. What other sections you include in the body is up to you. However, only include what is necessary for
the reader to locate your study within the larger scholarship about the research problem.
Here are examples of other sections, usually in the form of a single paragraph, you may need to include
depending on the type of review you write:

• Current Situation: Information necessary to understand the current topic or focus of the literature
review.
• Sources Used: Describes the methods and resources [e.g., databases] you used to
identify the literature you reviewed.
• 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.
• Selection Methods: Criteria you used to select (and perhaps exclude) sources in your literature
review. For instance, you might explain that your review includes only peer -reviewed articles and
journals.
• Standards: Description of the way in which you present your information.
• Questions for Further Research: What questions about the field has the review sparked? How
will you further your research as a result of the review?

IV. Writing Your Literature Review

Once you've settled on how to organize your literature review, you're ready to write each section. When writing
your review, keep in mind these issues.

Use Evidence
A literature review section is, in this sense, just like any other academic research paper. Your interpretation
of the available sources must be backed up with evidence [citations] that demonstrates that what you are
saying is valid.

Be Selective
Select only the most important points in each source to highlight in the review. The type of information you
choose to mention should relate directly to the research problem, whether it is thematic, methodological, or
chronological. Related items that provide additional information but that are not key to understanding the
research problem can be included in a list of further readings.

Use Quotes Sparingly

Some short quotes are appropriate if you want to emphasize a point, or if what an author stated cannot be
easily paraphrased. Sometimes you may need to quote certain terminology that was coined by the author, is
not common knowledge, or taken directly from the study. Do not use extensive quotes as a substitute for
using your own words in reviewing the literature.

Summarize and Synthesize

Remember to summarize and synthesize your sources within each thematic paragraph as well as throughout
the review. Recapitulate important features of a research study, but then synthesize it by rephrasing the
study's significance and relating it to your own work and the work of others.

Keep Your Own Voice

While the literature review presents others' ideas, your voice [the writer's] should remain front and center. For
example, weave references to other sources into what you are writing but maintain your own voice by starting
and ending the paragraph with your own ideas and wording.

Use Caution When Paraphrasing

When paraphrasing a source that is not your own, be sure to represent the author's information or opinions
accurately and in your own words. Even when paraphrasing an author’s work, you still must provide a citation
to that work.
V. Common Mistakes to Avoid

These are the most common mistakes made in reviewing social science research literature.

• Sources in your literature review do not clearly relate to the research problem;
• You do not take sufficient time to define and identify the most relevant sources to use in the
literature review related to the research problem;
• Relies exclusively on secondary analytical sources rather than including relevant primary research
studies or data;
• Uncritically accepts another researcher's findings and interpretations as valid, rather than
examining critically all aspects of the research design and analysis;
• Does not describe the search procedures that were used in identifying the literature to review;
• Reports isolated statistical results rather than synthesizing them in chi-squared or meta-analytic
methods; and,
• Only includes research that validates assumptions and does not consider contrary findings and
alternative interpretations found in the literature.

Cook, Kathleen E. and Elise Murowchick. “Do Literature Review Skills Transfer from One Course to Another?” Psychology Learning
and Teaching 13 (March 2014): 3-11; Fink, Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper . 2nd ed.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2005; Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination .
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998; Jesson, Jill. Doing Your Literature Review: Traditional and Systematic Techniques .
London: SAGE, 2011; Literature Review Handout. Online Writing Center. Liberty University; Literature Reviews. The Writing Center.
University of North Carolina; Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J. and Rebecca Frels. Seven Steps to a Comprehensive Literature Review: A
Multimodal and Cultural Approach. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2016; Ridley, Diana. The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for
Students. 2nd ed. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2012; Randolph, Justus J. “A Guide to Writing the Dissertation Literature Review."
Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation. vol. 14, June 2009; Sutton, Anthea. Systematic Approaches to a Successful
Literature Review. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, 2016; Taylor, Dena. The Literature Review: A Few Tips On Conducting It.
University College Writing Centre. University of Toronto; Writing a Literature Review. Academic Skills Centre. University of
Canberra.

Writing Tip
Break Out of Your Disciplinary Box!

Thinking interdisciplinarily about a research problem can be a rewarding exercise in applying new ideas,
theories, or concepts to an old problem. For example, what might cultural anthropologists say about the
continuing conflict in the Middle East? In what ways might geographers view the need for better distribution of
social service agencies in large cities than how social workers might study the issue? You don’t want to
substitute a thorough review of core research literature in your discipline for studies conducted in other fields
of study. However, particularly in the social sciences, thinking about research problems from multiple vectors
is a key strategy for finding new solutions to a problem or gaining a new perspective. Consult with a
librarian about identifying research databases in other disciplines; almost every field of study has at least one
comprehensive database devoted to indexing its research literature.

Frodeman, Robert. The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.

Another Writing Tip

Don't Just Review for Content!

While conducting a review of the literature, maximize the time you devote to writing this part of your paper by
thinking broadly about what you should be looking for and evaluating. Review not just what scholars are saying,
but how are they saying it. Some questions to ask:

• How are they organizing their ideas?

• What methods have they used to study the problem?
• What theories have been used to explain, predict, or understand their research problem?
• What sources have they cited to support their conclusions?
• How have they used non-textual elements [e.g., charts, graphs, figures, etc.] to illustrate key
points?
When you begin to write your literature review section, you'll be glad you dug deeper into how the research
was designed and constructed because it establishes a means for developing more substantial analysis and
interpretation of the research problem.

Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage Publications, 1998.

Yet Another Writing Tip

When Do I Know I Can Stop Looking and Move On?

Here are several strategies you can utilize to assess whether you've thoroughly reviewed the literature:

• Look for repeating patterns in the research findings. If the same thing is being said, just by
different people, then this likely demonstrates that the research problem has hit a conceptual dead
end. At this point consider: Does your study extend current research? Does it forge a new path?
Or, does is merely add more of the same thing being said?
• Look at sources the authors cite to in their work. If you begin to see the same researchers cited
again and again, then this is often an indication that no new ideas have been generated to address
the research problem.
• Search Google Scholar to identify who has subsequently cited leading scholars already
identified in your literature review [see next sub-tab]. This is called citation tracking and there are
a number of sources that can help you identify who has cited whom, particularly scholars from
outside of your discipline. Here again, if the same authors are being cited again and again, this
may indicate no new literature has been written on the topic.
•
Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J. and Rebecca Frels. Seven Steps to a Comprehensive Literature Review: A Multimodal and
Cultural Approach. Los Angeles, CA: Sage, 2016; Sutton, Anthea. Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature
Review. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, 2016.

https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/literaturereview