Students in all academic disciplines write literature reviews both as stand alone papers and as sections of dissertations and theses. In either case, literature reviews are discussions of important research within a given field, noting the state of current inquiry and calling attention to gaps in the current body of knowledge. Here are some guidelines that can help students write literature reviews.
"Write literature review" is probably at the top of every doctoral candidate's "to do" list. A key to writing a successful literature review is to break the task down. The first step is to gather the necessary literature and read it carefully. What common threads can be found in the different articles? Are there any whose findings contradict one another? Details like these will make good subject matter for discussion when the student is ready to write literature review content.
To write literature reviews that contain the proper amount of content, students can refer to any guidelines provided by the advisor, professor, or department for students to write literature reviews. If no guidelines are available, consulting existing literature reviews can help a student determine how many research papers need to be discussed. Often, the list of materials to write literature review content about is quite extensive.
Before beginning the literature review, wise students write literature review outlines. In an outline, the student can organize his or her discussion of each piece of relevant research and determine the order of discussion which most effectively supports any prevailing argument he or she wishes to make about the prevailing state of the literature.
To write literature reviews that are sections of theses or dissertations, students should keep the thesis statement he or she has formulated in mind at all times. The successful dissertation makes an argument the student believes to be true and convincing based on the research conducted, and this thesis can be expressed or implied as the student writes the literature review.
