Common Paper Types

Generally, the purpose of a review is to analyze critically a segment of a published body of knowledge through summary, classification, and comparison of prior research studies, reviews of literature, and theoretical articles.

III. What Major Steps Literature Reviews Require?

1. Develop a review protocol. Protocols define the scope of studies that will be reviewed, the process through which studies will be identified, and the outcomes that will be examined. Protocols also specify the time period during which relevant studies will have been conducted, the outcomes to be examined in the review, and keyword strategies for the literature search.
2. Identify relevant studies, often through a systematic search of the literature.
3. Screen studies for relevance and the adequacy of study design, implementation, and reporting.
4. Retrieve and summarize information on the intervention studied, the study characteristics, and the study findings.
5. Combine findings within studies and across studies when relevant.

IV. What Basic Elements Comprise a Literature Review?

• An overview of the subject, issue or theory under consideration, along with the objectives of the literature review

• Division of works under review into categories (e.g. those in support of a particular position, those against, and those offering alternative theses entirely)

• 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

V. Which Citation Tool Are You Going to Use to Manage the Search Results?

• Choose your citation tool before conducing your literature reviews. If you decide to use RefWorks, the information can be found at http://tamu.libguides.com/refworks.

VII. Other Useful Guides

• Literature Reviews (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
• The Literature Review: A Few Tips On Conducting It
• How to Write a Literature Review (UCSC)
• Learn how to write a review of literature (WISC)
• Reviewing the Literature