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Information and resources on planning, researching and developing a literature analysis/synthesis.
A literature review invites the student to use the current literature on a topic area, and develop an original and insightful perspective.
Literature reviews can be assigned as a stand alone project or as part of a dissertation.
A literature review is a critical evaluation of the literature on a topic, where we analyse key issues and concepts, identify trends and highlight gaps.
It provides an opportunity :
In addition to a literature review being represented as a chapter within a larger body of work, such as a dissertation or research project, sometimes the literature itself is the focus of the study. Rather than a discrete chapter for a literature review, the literature review is the subject of the study and is woven through the narrative of the body of work. These types of reviews might take the form of standalone reviews such as, systematic or integrated. All types of review should be:
A stand alone review differs from that within a dissertation or research project.
The aim is not to identify gaps that the researcher can use as the foundations for their own research, rather it analyses and synthesises the current knowledge in a field, to show implications, or where further research could be undertaken.
It involves searching the current body of knowledge in a systematic way to provide a credible overview of research landscape. A wider use for the review is to inform policy decisions or professional practice.
The ultimate goal of a literature review is to convince our reader that your dissertation is worthwhile, or that the literature has established an argument for further research, or established implications for practice or policy.
A literature review will typically require:
Many students start working on a literature review without a clear understanding of the aim, requirements or how to achieve them.
Without a clear focus, students can be overwhelmed and lose motivation. Here are some common problems experienced by students and how to resolve them.
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Too much irrelevant material | Have clear understanding of your aim before starting. Not all sources will be relevant to your question. Visit the Library guides or meet with your subject librarian to devise an appropriate search strategy, and filter out irrelevant sources. |
| Reviews lack depth | A literature review is a synthesis of information, not an annotated bibliography. You must clearly connect the information sources, and not just produce a passive list of summaries. Show how the sources compare and contrast, and critically evaluate their arguments, design and findings. |
| Fail to synthesise | The aim of a review is to show a holistic view of the literature, synthesising the information to show the bigger picture, not the individual components. |
| Fail to acknowledge link between project and literature | Ensure that you have an effective organisational structure, that shows a logical progression. Illustrate how you have followed the evidence to your conclusions. |
| Search strategy confusion | Do not confuse your search strategy with the review itself. Be clear on what you are searching for. Translate your topic into core search terms and appreciate how you might combine them. Do not over search, but check your strategy is robust and appropriate. Visit the library homepage for resources and information on searching for reviews. |
For more detailed information on using information sources, synthesising information, transitional language and developing structure, please visit our guides.
You will need a question to answer to give clarity, direction and cohesion to your work. Your research question will focus your concentration. Spending time on your research question will be worthwhile.
For most students, the most confusing aspect of research is finding the right problem. It should be original and interesting. Consider:
Defining the parameters of your work will also help focus your question and subsequently your searching.
The inclusion and exclusion criteria are the formal boundaries of your question.
They formalise the types of studies that you want to include in your review. These characteristics will help reduce the number of studies to be reviewed to a focused, manageable sum.
You are not required to present all of the research in the topic area. You are instead supposed to show the reader enough information to enable them to understand why your dissertation exists, what it will add to the research base and to understand the justification for your research question.
The development of your search strategy lays the foundations of your review, and dictates the success of it. A clear, organised search strategy will provide your review with credibility, rigour and transparency. Use the library services and resources to develop and undertake your literature searches. Consider using Refworks to manage, store and produce your reference list.
Ensure you are including academic, credible and reliable literature. This might include academic text, journal articles and grey literature. Typically, literature review articles are not included with a literature review, but they can be helpful for citation chaining, which involves using the reference list within a good paper to suggest related or cited by papers.
Make sure you record your searches and what is found, especially if a PRISMA is to be produced.
Having selected the included information sources for your review, we now synthesise the sources in a two part process:
When reading your included sources, it is important to read with a critical eye. The point of analysis is not to passively supply summaries of the information, rather read them deeply and critically evaluate them. For further guidance on critical analysis and synthesis visit our guide.
When reading our sources we need to apply some deeper level thinking. This includes:
These thoughts should be communicated in our notes, to be incorporated into our analysis. You should also be identifying common themes and threads, and might want to convert your individual source notes into a table or matrix to guide your analysis. You might also want to use a critical appraisal tool to guide your assessment of each source.
Next, we want to synthesising the ideas into a form that reflects our perspective and understanding. Synthesising involves bringing together knowledge to provide a new perspective, as an integrated whole. Appreciate where the connections lie within the literature. From your summary table you will develop your discussion.
If you review is part of a dissertation or research project, then you will dedicate a chapter to your literature review.
Most stand alone reviews tend to be structured like an empirical dissertation:
Refer to your module handbook for guidance on the structure of your literature review.
We need to be certain not to loose our reader through our extended body of work. Aim to write with precision and clarity. Check grammar, vocabulary, punctuation and spelling. De-clutter sentences and check all paragraphs are fully developed using the PEEL structure.
There are many possible functions for language in a literature review. Vocabulary can indicate relationships and differing functions. The Manchester Phrase Bank is a great tool to help you decide upon your academic language for different functions.
| Area | Example |
|---|---|
| Linking ideas to your area of focus |
Until recently, many studies have focused on.... Recent studies have investigated... A key focus of research has been Six studies have identified.... The relationship between A and B has been explored There is a wealth of literature exploring...….(Atkinson 2021,Delaney 2023, Doherty and McQuilkin 2024). |
| Synthesising evidence into themes |
Similarly, McCoo (2023) found links between … There is a consistent view that A causes B Unlike Diffin (2021), Flood (2022) states... On balance the literature shows... Conversely Reynolds (2022) argues... Similarly, Sturgess (2022) argues... |
| Linking to other evidence using a specific focus |
Most research in this area has focused on quantitative methodology... A common approach has been to use interviews... Many studies, including (Delaney 2024) have indicated that … It has been argued that A does not correlate to B... Recent studies have refuted this argument (Delaney 2021, Doherty 2024)… Collectively the studies show...… |
| Summarising sections |
The studies indicate/suggest/demonstrate... The evidence explored suggests... There is a clear lack of evidence to support All studies support the hypothesis that... Two emergent themes from the literature are... A limitation of the studies are... |
| Showing caution |
It is unclear that... A recently emerging viewpoint is... Further research will need to establish if... Delaney (2021) is clear that XXX, but Doherty (2022) and Flood (2022) suggest … The correlation is not widely supported... Some studies have failed to address... |
A short video guide
This short video will explain features of a literature review, such as analysing and synthesising. It will provide tips for writing your literature review.
A Short Guide
This video will explain the concept of synthesising and shows applied examples.
A Short Guide
This short video will provide an overview of how to develop a synthesis table to produce a thematic review.
