ITDS 510A Action for a Viable Future  Tags: itds hutchins  

A literature review should try to answer questions such as:

1. Who are the key researchers on this topic?

4. Have there been any controversies or debate about the research? Is there consensus?

5. Which areas have been identified as needing further research?

6. How will your topic uniquely contribute to this body of knowledge?

7. Which methodologies have researchers used and which appear to be the most productive?

8. What sources of information or data were identified that might be useful to you?

9. How does your particular topic fit into the larger context of what has already been done?

10. How has the research that has already been done help frame your current investigation?

A literature review is a summary of previous research on a topic. It allows the author to synthesize and place into context the research and scholarly literature relevant to the topic. It forms the foundation for the author’s subsequent research and justifies the significance of the new investigation.

A literature review can be a short introductory section of a research article, report or policy paper that focuses on recent research, or, in the case of dissertations, theses, and review articles, it can be an extensive review of all relevant research.

The format is usually a bibliographic essay synthesizing the research on the topic and outlining the significance and value of the author’s approach to the research question. Sources are cited within the body of the essay, with full bibliographic citations at the end.

Jackson, J. E., & Warren, K. B. (2005). Indigenous movements in Latin America, 1992-2004: Controversies, ironies, new directions. Annual Review of Anthropology, 34, 549-573. Retrieved June 20, 2007, from Annual Reviews database: http://www.annualreviews.org/ 

Williams, S., & Williams, L. (2005, May). Space invaders: The negotiation of teenage boundaries through the mobile phone. Sociological Review, 53(2), 314-331. Retrieved June 20, 2007, from SocIndex Full Text database (17131600): http://web.ebscohost.com

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For additional examples, see:

Galvan, J. L. (2006). Writing literature reviews: A guide for students of the social and behaviorial sciences. (3rd. ed.). Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Publishing. [Reserve Desk H62.G359 2006]

Pan, M.L.. (2440). Preparing literature reviews: Qualitative and quantitative approaches.Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Publishing. [Q180.55.E9 P36 2004]

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