Literature Reviews

Different projects involve different kinds of literature reviews with different kinds and amounts of work. And, of course, the "end products" vary.

• Honors paper
• Capstone project
• Research Study
• Senior thesis
• Masters thesis
• Doctoral dissertation
• Research article
• Grant proposal
• Evidence based practice

Credit: Marian Hampton, University of Pittsburgh Libraries, Literature Review, https://pitt.libguides.com/literaturereview

Keep in mind that a literature review defines and sets the stage for your later research.  While you may take the same steps in researching your literature review, your literature review is not:

Not an annotated bibliography in which you summarize each article that you have reviewed.  A lit review goes beyond basic summarizing to focus on the critical analysis of the reviewed works and their relationship to your research question.

Not a research paper where you select resources to support one side of an issue versus another.  A lit review should explain and consider all sides of an argument in order to avoid bias, and areas of agreement and disagreement should be highlighted.

Credit: Marian Hampton, University of Pittsburgh Libraries, Literature Review, https://pitt.libguides.com/literaturereview

This video created by the North Carolina State University Libraries provides a detailed overview of literature reviews and the process of conducting a literature review. It includes examples of literature reviews as well.