How to Start a Literature Review

What Is a Literature Review?

A literature review is a comprehensive survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. Unlike an annotated bibliography (which lists and describes sources individually), a literature review synthesizes sources to show how they relate to each other and to your research question.

According to the Purdue Online Writing Lab, a literature review should accomplish three things: summarize the current state of knowledge, identify patterns and themes across sources, and reveal gaps that your research will address.

Literature reviews appear in several contexts: as a standalone assignment, as a chapter in a thesis or dissertation, or as a section in a research proposal or journal article.

The Purpose of a Literature Review

Understanding why you're writing a literature review helps you write it better. Key purposes include:

Establishing credibility: Demonstrating that you understand the existing scholarship positions you as a knowledgeable researcher.

Identifying gaps: By mapping what's known, you reveal what remains unexplored—which becomes the justification for your study.

Avoiding duplication: You don't want to "discover" something that's already well-established in the field.

Building a theoretical framework: The review helps you identify concepts, theories, and methodologies that will inform your own research.

Contextualizing your contribution: Your eventual findings will be measured against the baseline you establish here.

Types of Literature Reviews

Different research contexts call for different review approaches:

For most students working on theses, dissertations, or course papers, a narrative literature review is the appropriate choice. Systematic reviews require pre-registration and follow strict protocols like PRISMA guidelines.

Literature Review Outline Template

A clear structure is essential. Here's a flexible template that works for most literature reviews:

Standard Literature Review Outline

I. Introduction (10-15% of total length)

• Define the topic and scope

• State the purpose and significance

• Provide an overview of the organization

• Present your thesis or central argument

II. Body Sections (75-80% of total length)

Organize thematically, chronologically, or methodologically. For most topics, thematic organization works best:

• Theme/Subtopic A

  • Summarize key findings from multiple sources

  • Identify points of agreement and disagreement

  • Note methodological approaches

  • Evaluate strengths and limitations

• Theme/Subtopic B

  • (Same structure)

• Theme/Subtopic C

  • (Same structure)

III. Conclusion/Discussion (10-15% of total length)

• Summarize major findings across themes

• Identify gaps in current knowledge

• Explain how gaps connect to your research question

• Suggest directions for future research

APA Literature Review Outline

When writing in APA format, use heading levels to organize your review:

Level 1: Literature Review (centered, bold)

Level 2: Major Theme (flush left, bold)

Level 3: Subtopic (flush left, bold italic)

Example structure:

Literature Review

Theoretical Foundations
    Social Learning Theory
    Self-Efficacy Framework

Empirical Evidence
    Studies on Academic Performance
    Research on Student Engagement

Methodological Considerations
    Quantitative Approaches
    Qualitative Approaches

Identified Gaps and Future Directions

How to Write a Literature Review Introduction

The introduction sets up everything that follows. A strong literature review introduction should accomplish four things in roughly this order:

1. Hook and Context

Open with a statement that establishes why this topic matters. Avoid dictionary definitions ("According to Merriam-Webster...").

Example: "Remote work arrangements have fundamentally reshaped organizational dynamics, with over 70% of knowledge workers now operating in hybrid environments (Buffer, 2024)."

2. Scope and Boundaries

Clarify what the review covers and what it excludes.

Example: "This review examines peer-reviewed research published between 2018 and 2024 on remote work's impact on employee productivity, excluding studies focused solely on freelance or gig economy workers."

3. Purpose Statement

State explicitly what the review aims to accomplish.

Example: "The purpose of this review is to synthesize current evidence on remote work productivity, identify methodological trends, and highlight gaps that warrant further investigation."

4. Organizational Preview

Tell readers how the review is structured.

Example: "The following sections examine productivity metrics, communication patterns, and work-life boundary management before discussing implications for organizational policy."

Real Literature Review Examples from Peer-Reviewed Sources

Examining published literature reviews helps you understand what good practice looks like. Here are five open-access examples across different fields:

When reading these examples, pay attention to how the authors transition between sources, handle conflicting findings, and maintain a critical (not just descriptive) voice.

Sample Literature Review PDF

To help you visualize what a finished literature review looks like, we've created a sample PDF demonstrating proper structure, citation formatting, and synthesis techniques.

↘ Download:
Sample Literature Review - APA Citations (PDF)

Note: This sample uses fictional content and fabricated references for demonstration purposes only. Do not cite this document in academic work.

The sample demonstrates:

• A properly formatted APA-style introduction

• Thematic organization across body sections

• Integration of multiple sources within paragraphs

• Critical analysis rather than mere summarization

• A conclusion that identifies gaps and future directions

Step-by-Step: How to Start Your Literature Review

Step 1: Define Your Research Question

Your review should answer a specific question. Too broad, and you'll drown in sources. Too narrow, and you won't find enough.

Too broad: "What is the impact of technology on education?"
Too narrow: "How did iPad use affect third-grade math scores at Lincoln Elementary in 2023?"
Just right: "How do tablet-based interventions affect mathematical achievement in elementary education?"

Step 2: Develop Your Search Strategy

Choose databases appropriate to your field:

• Multidisciplinary: Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, Wonders

• Health Sciences: PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library

• Education: ERIC, Education Research Complete

• Psychology: PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES

• Engineering/CS: IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library

• … or use an AI tool like Wonders to find and organize papers from any field

Create a list of search terms including synonyms and related concepts. Use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to combine terms effectively.

Step 3: Screen and Select Sources

Apply inclusion and exclusion criteria systematically:

• Publication date range

• Study type (empirical, theoretical, review)

• Population or context

• Language

• Peer-reviewed status

Track your search process—where you searched, what terms you used, how many results you screened. This transparency strengthens your review's credibility.

Step 4: Read and Annotate

For each source, extract:

• Key findings or arguments

• Methodology and sample

• Theoretical framework

• Strengths and limitations

• How it relates to other sources

Reference management tools like Zotero, Mendeley, or AI-powered research workspaces can help organize this information.

Step 5: Identify Themes and Organize

Group sources by theme rather than summarizing them one by one. Look for:

• Points of consensus

• Areas of debate

• Methodological trends

• Chronological developments

• Geographic or population-specific patterns

Step 6: Write Synthetically, Not Sequentially

Poor (source-by-source):
"Smith (2020) found that remote workers were more productive. Jones (2021) found similar results. Brown (2022) agreed with these findings."

Better (synthesized):
"Multiple studies have documented productivity gains among remote workers (Brown, 2022; Jones, 2021; Smith, 2020), with meta-analytic evidence suggesting an average increase of 13% in output measures (Thompson, 2023)."

Step 7: Revise for Critical Voice

Your review should evaluate, not just report. For each major claim, consider:

• How strong is the evidence?

• Are there methodological limitations?

• Do findings generalize across contexts?

• What alternative explanations exist?

The key point here is—do the sources agree or disagree with each other? As a whole, how strong an evidence do they provide?

How Long Should a Literature Review Be?

Length varies by context:

Focus on comprehensiveness and quality rather than hitting a word count. A well-synthesized 3,000-word review is better than a padded 8,000-word summary.

Using AI Tools in Your Literature Review Process

AI-powered research tools can significantly accelerate the literature review process without compromising academic integrity. These tools can help with:

Source discovery: AI search can identify relevant papers you might miss through traditional keyword searches by understanding semantic relationships between concepts.

Summarization assistance: Getting quick overviews of lengthy papers helps you decide which sources warrant deep reading.

Gap identification: By analyzing patterns across your collected sources, AI can help surface underexplored areas.

Citation management: Automated extraction and formatting of bibliographic information reduces manual data entry.

The key is using AI as a research assistant rather than a replacement for your own critical analysis. You still need to read, evaluate, and synthesize sources yourself—AI just helps you find and organize them more efficiently.

References

• Purdue Online Writing Lab. (2024). Writing a literature review. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/conducting_research/writing_a_literature_review.html

• University of North Carolina Writing Center. (2024). Literature reviews. https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/literature-reviews/

• University of Queensland. (2024). How to write a literature review. https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/student-support/study-skills/assignment-writing/how-write-literature-review/literature-review-example-analysis

• Newman, M., & Gough, D. (2020). Systematic reviews in educational research: Methodology, perspectives and application. In O. Zawacki-Richter et al. (Eds.), Systematic Reviews in Educational Research. Springer. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-658-27602-7_1

• PRISMA. (2020). PRISMA 2020 statement. https://www.prisma-statement.org/