Literature Reviews

Draw a clear connection from the sources you discuss to your research question and thesis, and make clear which sources are most important. By the end of the lit review, your reader should have an idea of where your paper will go next. The lit review summarizes and synthesizes the arguments or ideas of others, which leads to your own work and explains why your work is necessary or what led you to conduct your research.

The final lit review should be organized like this:

1. An introduction that explains how your review is organized (chronological or topical) and what it will and will not include;
2. Sections with headings and subheadings to make the organization clear; and
3. A conclusion in which the key findings are reiterated in a concise way and are connected to your thesis.

Use direct quotations sparingly. The survey nature of a lit review doesn’t allow for in-depth discussion of or detailed quotes from any one source. Some short quotes are fine, but your purpose is summarizing and synthesizing, not quoting.