What is a Literature Review

What is a literature review? Many students, when assigned to do a literature review, will ask themselves, each other, and their professors this question. This is because the literature review is a genre that is only required once students have reached an advanced level in a particular subject. Therefore, it is likely that most college students do not have a background in literature review writing. So, what are literature reviews? Literature reviews are comprehensive overviews of research on a single and specific subject. Literature reviews are essentially long summaries of research. They are not research papers, because the student is not expected to comment on the research.

What is a literature review's objective? The primary purpose of a literature review is to provide a summary of all of the major works existing on a single, specific subject. This is done for two reasons: (1) so that the researcher is aware of all of those works and their implications so that he or she can perform research in that area that is not replicating the existing research but building on it, and (2) so that readers of the literature review can understand the background information and knowledge existing on the subject.

What is a literature review's context? Literature reviews are commonly included in dissertations and in scholarly journal articles. In this context, the literature review provides a background of existing research before the article or dissertation writer presents his or her own research in the area. This proves that the researcher's study is grounded in existing research.

Who is the audience for a literature review? Typically, the audience for a literature review is an academic audience that has some familiarity with the subject or at least the discipline in which the literature review is written.

What are literature reviews' conventions? Literature reviews are written in third-person academic prose. Each study discussed is done so in its own paragraph or set of paragraphs. Literature reviews do not provide commentary on these studies, but merely report on them. Literature reviews close by commenting on further research that needs to be done on the particular subject of the literature review.

What are literature reviews' citation rules? The citation style of a literature review will depend on the discipline in which the review is being written. Most literature reviews in the social sciences will use APA style. Literature reviews in the humanities will use MLA.

Download a Paper from our Database   |   Order a One-of-a-Kind, Custom-written Paper

Related posts:
  1. The Literature Review  -  The section of a dissertation or scholarly journal article that presents a detailed summary of existing research on a specific topic is formally known as...
  2. Review of Literature  -  In many long scholarly documents such as dissertations, theses, and journal articles, it is common to include a section that presents an overview of existing...
  3. In Literature Review  -  A literature review is a common assignment for many students enrolled in English courses. However, many students are unclear about what to include in literature...
  4. What is Literature Review  -  Most students who are in college are aware that, if they continue through graduate school, they will need to write a thesis or dissertation. Most...
  5. Literature Review Examples  -  A literature review is a comprehensive survey of relevant research on a single topic. Literature reviews are commonly included in research-based dissertations and in scholarly...


Premium Papers for Sale Involving "What is a Literature Review"

Tags:  what are literature reviews, what is a literature review, what is a literature review help, what is a literature review service, what is a literature review writing

« School Book Report    |    Education Thesis »