This is the Australian National University Library
this video was recorded on Ngunnawal land. We acknowledge and celebrate the First Australians
on whose traditional lands we work and pay our respect to Elders past and present.
This video will answer the question what is a literature review?
So you are here because you have been asked to write a literature review.
Let's look at what that involves. A literature review is an overview
or a summary of the existing literature on a research topic. It discusses the current
state of knowledge by surveying journal articles, books, conference proceedings
and other academic literature. Literature reviews are often used in the social sciences
and Humanities as a way of drawing together a field of research on a specific subject.
Literature reviews are used to locate gaps in the existing body of knowledge
and therefore potential areas for further study.
If you are intending to do research you would conduct a literature review
to position your own research within the existing scholarly conversation.
So that is what a literature review is. Now, what is a literature review not.
A literature review is not a list of what other researchers have already said.
When writing a literature review you should be critically evaluating the
points of view, methodologies, and conclusions.
Try to avoid this person said this and that person said that.
A good literature of you analyses and draws new connections between pieces of research.
A literature review is not exhaustive. It does not need to include every
single article on the topic. A literature review should include
the main articles and important researchers in the field but it does not need to include everything
that has been written on the subject. That would be a systematic review.
For more information on systematic reviews check out our two videos 'What is a systematic review?'
and 'What is the difference between a systematic review and a literature review?'
Now that you know what a literature review is and isn't, how do you go about writing one?
The first thing you need to do is make sure you have a clear research question.
If your question is too broad or too narrow
you might be overwhelmed with articles or not find enough.
Think about the different ways your key concepts could be described.
An article about Facebook might refer to social media or social networks.
Make sure you have as many variant terms in your searches as possible so that you
are not missing out on important papers. Make sure you are identifying important
journals and key thinkers in your area excluding these will lead to questions about
the scope and depth of your review. Once you have started searching,
look at where the articles you have found were published and search in any journal
that comes up frequently as this is likely a gold mine for similar or adjacent research.
Look closely at the reference list of the best articles and texts you find.
Is a certain author referred to a lot? That is the researcher you want to include in your review.
Fun fact: conducting a literature review involves a lot of reading,
so you need to be discerning and avoid reading articles that are not relevant.
A quick way to work out if the source you have found is relevant to a literature review is to
do a quick control F or command F on a Mac in the PDF or website and search for your keywords.
If these are not coming up you can move on to the next one.
To make sure you are not wasting time on papers try this technique: scan, skim, read.
First scan the article title and abstract. If that's looking good skim the article
looking for key themes and topics to see if they are worth reading in more detail.
If any subheadings look relevant skim those. Once you have a few articles you think look
promising read the introduction and abstract. Time Saver Alert: if you get halfway
through an article and it is not looking at all relevant move on.
Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph followed by the findings and conclusion.
This will give you an idea of what the article is about to help you decide if it is worth reading.
Finally when you have a list of top shelf articles closely read them, take notes, look at any key
themes and concepts and write a summary of the paper that you can come back to later.
Remember this is not a one-way process. Once you have read the articles you will
have to consider what you have discovered noting any prominent researchers found,
new concepts to consider and then you search all over again, taking what you have found
into account and building your ideas further. When it is time to actually start writing,
consider how you are going to structure your review.
You can do this chronologically, by discussing each article in the order they were published;
thematically by grouping articles based on the themes discussed;
methodologically based on the research method used in the study;
or a combination of these that fits the purpose and scope of your study.
Look at other literature reviews in your field to gain insight into how they were
structured and use the elements you think best suit your topic.
So remember the most important thing about writing a literature review is
not just to rehash what the literature says. Make sure you are rephrasing and reframing
combined researcher's findings into your own voice and in the context of your research question.
For more information on literature reviews check out our literature reviews guide.
The link is in the description below. We also provide individual consults on all
aspects of academic writing including literature reviews for ANU students and researchers.
If in doubt it is always best to check with your lecturer or supervisor.
Looking for more resources on researching writing and using the library?
We have an amazing collection of online materials and guides available through the ANU Library
website. as well as workshops and videos. Having trouble? The ANU Library is here
to help if in doubt, reach out to our friendly staff at the desk or on chat.