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Literature Reviews

Guide on conducting and writing a literature review

What is a Literature Review?

The Purpose of the Literature Review is to:

}Set the background on what has been researched on a topic.
}Show why a topic is significant to a subject area.
}Discover relationships between ideas.
}Identify major themes & concepts.
}Identify critical gaps & points of disagreement.
}Help the researcher turn a network of articles into a coherent view of the literature.


Your professor will establish guidelines for writing a literature review. The following video, Literature Review: An Overview for Graduate Students, by North Carolina State University Libraries is an excellent starting point.  It discusses what literature reviewis, how to review the literature and steps in writing a literature review. (10 minutes)

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Resources on Writing A Literature Review

Thank you

Much of this content provided by:

  • Carol L. Maksian, M.L.S., Education and Psychology Librarian
    Florida Gulf Coast University Library Services
  • The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    http://writingcenter.unc.edu