Literature Review

This module provides an overview of the tools and resources to do a literature review.

Subpages
Literature Review Databases	Citation Metrics

Introduction to Literature Review

A literature review is a focused, critical examination and synthesis of existing research on a specific topic. It shows how prior literature connects to your research problem and reveals the gaps in the literature. This page primarily approaches the literature review as a standalone project.

Core purposes of a literature review

Locate and synthesise relevant studies, models, and case examples, drawing out major themes, trends, agreements, and points of contention.
Establish a theoretical and conceptual framework by identifying the main theories, models, and concepts that underpin your topic.
Clarify and standardise key terms and definitions so readers understand exactly how you are using important concepts.
Reveal gaps, limitations, and unresolved questions in the existing literature, using these to refine and justify your research question or focus.
Position your project in relation to earlier work, explaining how your study extends, challenges, or adds something new to current knowledge.

For example, in a review of research on open educational resources (OER) in higher education, you might show that most studies focus on cost savings and student satisfaction, with far fewer examining long-term learning outcomes or equity impacts. You could then identify this imbalance as a gap in the literature and justify your own study by arguing that it will provide much-needed evidence about how OER affect achievement and access over time.

When undertaking a literature review as a stand-alone one, the primary purpose is to synthesise and critique all relevant research on a clearly defined topic, often ending with a conceptual model, agenda for future research, or practical recommendations. You are expected to cover the field (or a clearly delimited segment of it) systematically and transparently and to represent all major positions, methods, and debates, not only those that feed into one specific study.

This Discovery search link lists a set of books on literature reviews(external link). The journal articles listed in the Types of Literature Reviews section also provide accessible introductions to literature review projects.

Steps in a Literature Review

Types of Literature Reviews

This library guide, prepared by the University of Melbourne Library(external link), comprehensively discusses the types of literature reviews.

The following articles provide a good understanding of the different types of reviews

Bowden(external link), V. R., & Bigani, D. (2021). Types of reviews – Part 1: Systematic reviews(external link). Pediatric Nursing, 47(6), 301. https://doi.org/10.62116/pnj.2021.47.6.301

Bowden, V. R., & Bowden, A. G. (2022). Types of reviews – Part 2: Meta-analysis and meta-synthesis(external link). Pediatric Nursing, 48(1), 43–45, 49. https://doi.org/10.62116/pnj.2022.48.1.43

Bowden, V. R., & Purper, C. (2022). Types of reviews – Part 3: Literature review, integrative review, scoping review(external link). Pediatric Nursing, 48(2), 97–100. https://doi.org/10.62116/pnj.2022.48.2.97

Durai, S. (2021). Designing the literature review: Historical, narrative, theoretical, integrative, and scoping reviews(external link). Indian Journal of Continuing Nursing Education, 22(1), 75. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijcn.ijcn_51_21

Grant, M. J., & Booth, A. (2009). A typology of reviews: An analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies(external link). Health Information & Libraries Journal, 26(2), 91–108. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x

Munn, Z., Peters, M., Stern, C., Tufanaru, C., McArthur, A., & Aromataris, E. (2018). Systematic review or scoping review? Guidance for authors when choosing between a systematic or scoping review approach [PDF 365 KB]. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 18(1), Article 143. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0611-x

Smith, S. A., & Duncan, A. A. (2022). Systematic and scoping reviews: A comparison and overview(external link). Seminars in Vascular Surgery, 35(4), 464–469. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.semvascsurg.2022.09.001

Sutton, A., Clowes, M., Preston, L., & Booth, A. (2019). Meeting the review family: Exploring review types and associated information retrieval requirements(external link). Health Information & Libraries Journal, 36(3), 202–222. https://doi.org/10.1111/hir.12276

Literature Reviews in Business and Managment Research

Unlike systematic literature reviews (SLRs) conducted in health-related disciplines, SLRs in social science and business management may not adhere to the strict criteria set by review publications in biomedical disciplines, such as the Cochrane Library.
Usually, in health-related disciplines, the studies selected for SLRs are primary empirical studies (sometimes only Randomised Controlled Trials). Usually, in biomedical literature, similarity in both methodology and document type is an important criterion for selecting documents for SLRs.

But in the business management literature, different types of studies, such as conceptual and empirical, are included in reviews that claim to be SLRs. It is also noted that in the field of business research, a more generic approach to quality appraisal is adopted.

The following studies provide an overview of the types of literature reviews, especially SLRs, in management studies. They also explain different types of literature reviews popular in the field of business and management research.

Dwertmann, D. J. G., & Van Knippenberg, D. (2021). Capturing the state [PDF 731 KB] of the science to change the state of the science: A categorization approach to integrative reviews. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 42(2), 104–117. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2474

Fisch, C., & Block, J. (2018). Six tips for your(external link) (systematic) literature review in business and management research. Management Review Quarterly, 68(2), 103–106. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-018-0142-x

Grønstad, A. (2026). Scoping reviews vis-à-vis systematic reviews(external link) and integrative reviews in management research: Guidelines for good practice. Review of Managerial Science, 20(1), 221–250. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-025-00901-1

Kaurav, R. P. S., Kulkarni, S. D., & Shee, H. (2024). Bridging knowledge gaps(external link): Exploring literature review in business management and emerging best practices. Abhigyan, 42(3), 179–180. https://doi.org/10.1177/09702385241262930

Kraus, S., Breier, M., Lim, W. M., Dabić, M., Kumar, S., Kanbach, D., Mukherjee, D., Corvello, V., Piñeiro-Chousa, J., Liguori, E., Palacios-Marqués, D., Schiavone, F., Ferraris, A., Fernandes, C., & Ferreira, J. J. (2022). Literature reviews as independent studies(external link): Guidelines for academic practice. Review of Managerial Science, 16(8), 2577–2595. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-022-00588-8

Linnenluecke, M. K., Marrone, M., & Singh, A. K. (2020). Conducting systematic literature reviews and bibliometric analyses [PDF 1.7 MB]. Australian Journal of Management, 45(2), 175–194. https://doi.org/10.1177/0312896219877678

Rojon, C., Okupe, A., & McDowall, A. (2021). Utilization and development of systematic reviews (external link)in management research: What do we know and where do we go from here? International Journal of Management Reviews, 23(2), 191–223. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12245

Sauer, P. C., & Seuring, S. (2023). How to conduct systematic literature reviews(external link) in management research: A guide in 6 steps and 14 decisions. Review of Managerial Science, 17(5), 1899–1933. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-023-00668-3

Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology(external link): An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039

Tranfield, D., Denyer, D., & Smart, P. (2003). Towards a methodology for developing evidence‐informed(external link) management knowledge by means of systematic review. British Journal of Management, 14(3), 207–222. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.00375

Williams, R. I., Clark, L. A., Clark, W. R., & Raffo, D. M. (2021). Re-examining systematic literature review (external link)in management research: Additional benefits and execution protocols. European Management Journal, 39(4), 521–533. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2020.09.007