There are different types of literature reviews. There are review articles written for publication that synthesize the outcomes of related studies. There are systematic reviews that take a very “systematic” approach to finding specific sets of research studies, weeding through articles and studies and eliminating ones that don’t meet required criteria, and then synthesizing the results of those studies. In this LibGuide, we are discussing the type of literature review that you would include in a paper you are writing for a course you are taking or as a chapter of your thesis. In other words, writing a literature review section or chapter.
If you did an internet search on writing a literature review, you would discover many different tutorials. This LibGuide brings together just a few of the excellent tutorials available on writing a literature review. Check each one out, because many have shared or similar content, but each offers a different perspective that might be helpful to you.
SJSU Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
Writing a literature review section
NCSU Libraries
Literature reviews: An overview for graduate students
A nicely done video that is less than ten minutes long.
VCU Libraries Research Guide
Includes a template for creating a synthesis matrix, which you might know as an evidence table.
Boston College Libraries
This tutorial offers eight pages on resources and advice about writing a literature review.
It includes three excellent videos produced by the University of Maryland University College.