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.
Check out this link to get books about literature reviews(external link). The journal articles listed in the types of literature reviews also provide accessible introductions to literature review projects.
The following video lists the most important steps in a literature Review
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
