Brandel Library

Conducting a Literature Review

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

Research as a Conversation

You are part of an ongoing dialogue or conversation about your topic.  Your own research engages with the known literature and experts in the field.

The following video, Research is a Conversation, by Anna Eisen and Kali Stoehr discusses how your research allows you to effectively position yourself in a scholarly conversation. (2 minutes)