“A literature review is a description of the literature relevant to a particular field or topic. It gives an overview of what has been said, who the key writers are, what are the prevailing theories and hypotheses, what questions are being asked, and what methods and methodologies are appropriate and useful" (Emerald Insight).
A literature review is not just a summary of everything you have read on the topic. It is a critical analysis of the existing research relevant to your topic, and you should show how the literature relates to your topic and identify any gaps in the area of research.
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It's on a much larger scale from your research for previous modules.
You may need to devise new ways of searching and managing your results.
Think about:
Think about the sort of research that would help your project.
1. What subject areas does you topic fall into?
2. What possible sources could you use? Think broadly, for example:
3. What don't you want? What are the limits? For example, geographical restrictions or time periods.
- See Phrasebank for suggestions of how to phrase your sentences.
