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WHY CONDUCT A LITERATURE REVIEW?
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"The purpose of a literature review is to tell the
story of what is known about the topic and
identify the strengths and weaknesses of that
knowledge, including gaps in our understanding."
—Rachel Boba Santos, Radford University
"A literature review situates the current study into the broader body
of scholarship. It provides an understanding of related research
that has been done, the populations research has focused on, and
the context of prior studies. This highlights the contribution of the
proposed study."
—Rod Brunson, Rutgers University
"A literature review lets the world know you have a
clue on what you are talking about. It also provides
the means to 'sell' the research proposed. It offers
an opportunity to make the argument as to why
the research I want to do is important."
—Carlos Cuevas, Northeastern University
HOW TO CONDUCT A LITERATURE REVIEW
Develop
Search Terms
Write the
fi rst draft
Edit, proof, and
polish (repeatedly)
Search using terms,
Boolean operators, and
fi lters; iterative process
Identify initial
primary sources
on the topic
Summarize in paragraph form
important information from each
source; include citations
Create a thematically
focused table of
summarized information
Prepare for the fi rst draft by
identifying an organizational
approach and writing strategically
Read abstracts (and possibly
additional sections of the article)
to narrow sources if needed
