What Are The Three Ways A Literature Review Can Be Structured?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Like any other chapter in your thesis or dissertation, your literature review needs to have a clear, logical structure. At a minimum, it should have three essential components –

an introduction, a body and a conclusion

. Let’s take a closer look at each of these.

What is the structure of a literature review?

A literature review should be structured like any other essay: it should have

an introduction, a middle or main body, and a conclusion

.

What are the 3 parts of literature review?

Just like most academic papers, literature reviews also must contain at least three basic elements:

an introduction or background information section

; the body of the review containing the discussion of sources; and, finally, a conclusion and/or recommendations section to end the paper.

What are the three steps to writing a literature review?

  • Narrow your topic and select papers accordingly.
  • Search for literature.
  • Read the selected articles thoroughly and evaluate them.
  • Organize the selected papers by looking for patterns and by developing subtopics.
  • Develop a thesis or purpose statement.
  • Write the paper.
  • Review your work.

How do you structure the main body of a literature review?

  1. historical background.
  2. methodologies.
  3. previous studies on the topic.
  4. mainstream versus alternative viewpoints.
  5. principal questions being asked.
  6. general conclusions that are being drawn.

What are the 5 C’s of Writing literature review?

Is including the five C’s(

Cite, Compare, Contrast, Critique and Connect

) really important in writing a literature review for your research project?

What is literature review and example?

1. A literature review is

a survey of scholarly sources that provides an overview of a particular topic

. It generally follows a discussion of the paper’s thesis statement or the study’s goals or purpose. *This sample paper was adapted by the Writing Center from Key, K.L., Rich, C., DeCristofaro, C., Collins, S.

How do you start an introduction for a literature review?

  1. Introduce the topic.
  2. Establish the significance of the study.
  3. Provide an overview of the relevant literature.
  4. Establish a context for the study using the literature.
  5. Identify knowledge gaps.
  6. Illustrate how the study will advance knowledge on the topic.

How do you start a literature review example?

  1. Make a list of keywords. Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research question. …
  2. Search for relevant sources. Use your keywords to begin searching for sources. …
  3. Take notes and cite your sources. …
  4. Chronological. …
  5. Thematic. …
  6. Methodological. …
  7. Theoretical. …
  8. Introduction.

What is literature review format?

A literature review

follows an essay format (Introduction, Body, Conclusion)

, but if the literature itself is the topic of the essay, your essay will need to consider the literature in terms of the key topics/themes you are examining.

What are the four stages of literature review?


Problem formulation

—which topic or field is being examined and what are its component issues? Literature search—finding materials relevant to the subject being explored. Data evaluation—determining which literature makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the topic.

How long is a literature review?

For a written literature review document, the size of a written literature review document should be

between 2000-3000 words

. But the size of a written literature review depends on many factors which are the area study of a written literature review document.

How many sources should a literature review have?

Example: A paper that has 10 pages of content (the body of the paper) needs at least

10 sources

in its literature review. A thesis of 100 pages (in the body) includes at least 100 sources.

What makes a good literature review?

A good literature review will not only summarize the information, but also point out weaknesses in the experimental procedures as well as possible theoretical conflicts. It

builds on the current knowledge by identifying gaps in the available literature and suggesting future directions for research

.

How do you end a literature review?

The conclusion should not be burdened with an unnecessary chain of details. It should be as

precise and easy to understand

as possible. You should mention important key points and finding. Make sure to put all points in a flow so the reader can understand your researches in one go.

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.