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This page includes a few resources to help you understand more about writing a literature review.

Basics

What about systematic reviews?

This is a term used for a rigorous process that often includes a team of researchers. The process is done "systematically". There are many variations on the type that will ultimately be a synthesis of evidence from the literature.

To learn more, see the below web pages.

Steps for conducting a literature review

Steps in Writing a Literature Review

1.   Decide on your topic.What question are you trying to answer?

2.   Identify keywords and controlled vocabulary search terms that define your subjects and concepts.

3.   Review the literature using the terms/words you identify. Modify and change as needed.

4.  What other factors matter? Time period, does the location, population group or other factors effect the results and your interest?

5.   Evaluate the articles you’ve selected. Read thoroughly.

6.   Organize your articles by theme, pattern:  note two or three important trends in the research; note the most influential theories.  

7.   Develop a working thesis statement: one or two sentences summarizing the conclusion you have reached about the major trends and developments you see in the literature.

8.   Write the paper, focusing on critical analysis of the literature, rather than describing previous research.

Ebooks on Literature Reviews

Scholarly, Popular, Trade? What's in a name?

Different types of publications have different purposes and different audiences. When we talk about journals, we can usually divide these publications into three broad categories: scholarly, popular, and trade publications.
 
Journal Type
  Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed Journals Popular Journals (Magazines) Trade Journals
Purpose Informs and reports on original research done by scholars and experts in the field. Sometimes also called "Peer-reviewed" journals/articles Entertains and informs a general audience without providing in-depth analysis. Reports on industry trends and new products or techniques useful to people in a trade or business.
 Authors Articles are written by subject specialists and experts in the field. Articles are written by journalists,freelance writers, or an editorial staff. Articles are written by specialists in a certain field or industry.
 Audience  Intended for a limited audience - researchers, scholars, and experts. Intended for a broad segment of the population, appealing to non-specialists. Intended for practitioners in a particular profession, business, or industry.

 

Grey Literature/Authoritative Sources outside of scholarly journals.

Grey literature in a general sense is defined as materials that are not in formally published resources such as journals or books. Government reports, association or technical reports are some examples.

My grey literature guide contains some sources that can help you explore sources for publications. You may also want to search the web for reports from specific organizations or associations.

Most will be available for free but at times you may need to reach out to the author or source of the publication.