What is a literature review?

A literature review is a critical, analytical summary and synthesis of the current knowledge of a topic. As a researcher, you collect the available literature on a topic, and then select the literature that is most relevant for your purpose. Your written literature review summarizes and analyses the themes, topics, methods, and results of that literature in order to inform the reader about the history and current status of research on that topic.

What purpose does a literature review serve?

In a research report, the literature review informs the reader of the researcher's knowledge of the relevant research already conducted on the topic under discussion, and places the author's current study in context of previous studies.

As part of a senior project, master's thesis, or doctoral dissertation, the literature review points out the current issues and questions concerning a topic. By relating the investigator's research to a knowledge gap in the existing literature, the investigator should demonstrate how his or her proposed research will contribute to expanding knowledge in that field.

Stand-alone literature review articles provide an overview and analysis of the current state of research on a particular topic. Researchers in many disciplines find these reviews useful in order to provide direction for future research. Students and researchers unfamiliar with a discipline can also use these reviews as a quick introduction and overview of a research area.

Examples of such stand-alone literature review include:

• Jordan, N., & Levine, S. (2009, February). Socioeconomic variation, number competence, and mathematics learning difficulties in young children. Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 15(1), 60-68. Retrieved August 6, 2009, doi:10.1002/ddrr.46
• Turner, J., & Muller, R. (2005, June). THE PROJECT MANAGER'S LEADERSHIP STYLE AS A SUCCESS FACTOR ON PROJECTS: A LITERATURE REVIEW. Project Management Journal, 36(2), 49-61. Retrieved August 6, 2009, from Business Source Premier database.