Writing the Literature Review- Step by Step

 What is the Lit Review? 

Lit review is a summary of previous research on a specific topic.  Lit review is about the scholarly literature relevant to the topic that the researchers are studying.  Lit review helps to design the research methodology and helps others to interpret the planned research.  In addition, the lit review focuses on a specific topic of interest to researchers and includes a critical analysis of the relationship among different works, and relating this research to the present work.  It is important to mention that the lit review is not an annotated bibliography in which the researchers summarize briefly every article that has been reviewed.

 Example of a Literature Review 

The example of a literature review may be:  A part (subsection) of a larger report of a:  Research proposal, research project or research grant, research paper, thesis (masters or PhD), separate assignment, and Scholarly journal article. The example of the literature review can be a stand-alone bibliographic essay:  A review article, that is published in a scholarly journal, and theoretical report as a Master’s thesis, without research (theoretical) to understand and write up current research on a specific topic.

Thus, the example of the literature review has a simple summary of the sources, and organizational pattern (synthesis). The example of literature review might give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old interpretations. Moreover, the literature review might trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates. The example of literature review may evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the most pertinent or relevant information.

 Why is Literature Review Layout Necessary? 

The literature review layout is necessary for several reasons:

• The literature review layout is an essential part of the research process.  
• The literature review layout gives an overview of a topic's theoretical background.  
• Researchers use the literature review layout to identify gaps in existing knowledge and to set the context for their research studies. 
• Students can be asked to complete a literature review layout as part of their course to help them understand a topic more deeply.  
• Writing a literature review layout can enable a student to demonstrate what they have learned about a topic and develop their own connecting ideas within that topic further.

 The Significance of the Literature Review of Thesis 

Literature reviews of thesis provides such a guide to a particular topic that the researchers investigate about.  Moreover, the literature review of thesis provides such a solid background for the research investigation. It is noted that the literature review of thesis can give an overview and acts as a stepping stone for writing the research.

In addition, the literature review of thesis places the planned study in an historical perspective. Moreover, the literature review of thesis helps the researchers to keep up to date with what is current in the field they belong.  The literature review of thesis has also a significance in helping the researchers to avoid the unnecessary duplication of research.

In addition, the literature review of thesis emphasizes the credibility of the researchers in their field. Finally, the literature review of thesis helps the researchers in suggesting research in a specific previously unexplored direction (Comprehensive knowledge of the literature of the field is essential to most research).

To sum up this article, it is highly important to define the literature survey format. The literature survey format is conducted on many different sources on a particular topic that the researchers need to make investigations about. The literature survey format includes summarizing, critiquing, and identifying the scientific gap.

 Watch: Writing the Literature Review (Part One): Step-by-Step Tutorial for Graduate Students 

With greetings: Al - Manara Consulting to help researchers and graduate students