This post provides a comprehensive guide on how to write a literature review for a scientific or academic research paper. The process can be divided into five essential steps that will ensure a successful literature review:
Step 1: Research of Two Kinds The author needs to consult the guidelines provided by an instructor or an academic/scientific publisher and read literature reviews found in published research papers as models. Once the requirements are established, research into the topic can proceed via keyword searches in databases and library catalogs. The author should include publications that support and run contrary to their perspective.
Step 2: Reading and Evaluating Sources Each publication identified as relevant should be read carefully and thoroughly. The author should pay attention to elements that are especially pertinent to the topic of their research paper. Accurate notes of bibliographical information, content important to the research, and the researcher’s critical thoughts should be recorded.
Step 3: Comparison and Synthesis Comparison and synthesis of the publications considered are vital to determining how to write a literature review that effectively supports the original research. As sources are compared, the author should consider the methods and findings, ideas and theories, contrary and confirmative arguments of other researchers in direct relation to the findings and implications of their current research. Major patterns and trends in the body of scholarship should be a special concern.
Step 4: Writing the Literature Review The primary purpose of a literature review within a research paper is to demonstrate how the current state of scholarship in the area necessitates the research presented in the paper. Maintaining a clear line of thought based on the current research can prevent unnecessary digressions into the detailed contents and arguments of sources. Citations and references in the exact style and format indicated by publisher or instructor guidelines must be provided for all the sources discussed in a literature review.
Step 5: Revising and Editing The first draft of a literature review should be read critically and both revised and edited as an important part of the entire research paper. Clarifying and streamlining the argument of the literature review to ensure that it successfully provides the support and rationale needed for the research presented in the paper are essential, but so too is attention to many seemingly small details.
Overall, the literature review is a necessary part of most research papers and is never easy to write. However, by following these five essential steps, the author can ensure that their literature review is effective, well-organized, and well-supported.