What is a literature review?
A literature review is a document written to review the current knowledge about a topic. It gives an overview of the scientific resources that deal with a specific topic.
The main purposes of developing a literature review [2]:
- Contextualize the research problem
- Identify gaps in knowledge
- Understanding theoretical and conceptual frameworks
- Providing methodological insights
- Establishing credibility
- Informing hypotheses/research questions
[5] Lists types of literature reviews Literature Review – Types Writing Guide and Examples
5 Steps to Develop a Literature Review [1]:
- Search for relevant literature
- Evaluate sources (peer-reviewed articles are great!)
- Identify themes, controversies/debates, and gaps in knowledge
- Outline the structure
- Write!
Hint: Don’t just summarize, also analyze, synthesize, critically evaluate, and draw conclusions.
How to organize sources for a literature review?
I have reviewed my fair share of sources and scientific papers and I like this structure the best:
- Citation (including DOI)
- Link to article – for ease of re-finding the article
- Brief Summary – helps you stay organized
- Statement of Relevance – helps you analyze what each piece of research brings to the overall knowledge of the topic
- Key Topics/Disciplinary Perspective – most scientific papers include ‘Keywords’ after the Abstract. Including a ‘key topics’ or ‘disciplinary perspective’ to your review of sources helps keep sources organized and also helps you stay on topic when writing a literature review.
Here are two examples of reviews of sources:
| de Tombeur, F., Sohy, V., Chenu, C., Colinet, G., and Cornelis, J.T. (2018). Effects of Permaculture Practices on Soil Physicochemical Properties and Organic Matter Distribution in Aggregates: A Case Study of the Bec-Hellouin Farm (France). Frontiers of Environmental Science, 6:116. doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2018.00116 https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:8cc84bf9-d401-487c-a776-6e5350c4b8cb Summary: This study discusses the difference in organic matter distribution between different types of land uses, including: Pasture, Forest garden, Mounds, Beds, and Conventional. Between all these land use types, the plots using permaculture practices (Forest garden, Mounds, and Beds) all had significantly higher levels of soil organic matter as compared to the conventional plot. Statement of Relevance: This study gives empirical evidence that explicitly supports that land use types utilizing permaculture practices have higher levels of nutrient availability than soils that do not use sustainable agriculture. Disciplinary Perspective: Soil sciences, agroecology |
| Mancebo, C., & De la Fuente de Val, G. (2016). Permaculture, A Tool for Adaptation to Climate Change in the Communities of the Laguna Oca Biosphere Reserve, Argentina. Procedia Environmental Sciences, 34, 62-69. doi:10.1016/j.proenv.2016.04.006 https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:c2f2a8e0-3989-42f8-9f96-0fc6fd3ba17b Summary: In this paper, the authors discuss how permaculture may play a helpful role in developing sustainability as the infrastructure of neighborhoods in Formosa, Argentina is strengthened. According to the observations of the authors, the people living in these communities are not living sustainably and that incorporating permaculture principles will build the community utilizing sustainable development. Using multivariate data collection and survey, the authors are able to compare the levels of sustainability and give advice for the continued development of these Argentinian communities. Statement of Relevance: This paper is important to my research because it stresses the ability for sustainable development to be used in a developing community. It also mentions that by educating the community on the environment and sustainable lifestyles, there will be a shift towards sustainability in the community that will improve conditions for the people that live there. It also gives a more different perspective from American communities and adds to a global context in the argument for sustainable development. Disciplinary Perspective: sustainable development |
You can utilize different structures for creating a literature matrix. Ways to organize literature, including utilizing this matrix: 301 Literature Matrix Template – Make a copy – Google Sheets [6] are listed in Source #6.
A common structure for a literature review is:
Abstract
Introduction
Conclusions
You can organize your literature review through various methods, including chronological, thematic, methodological, or theoretical [7].
Hint: It is important to think about the scope of your literature review (i.e. how comprehensive should it be? How far back in time should the literature in the review go? How many different studies does it need to consider?) [8]
Here are two examples of full literature reviews:
Rasheed, A. R. (2020). Marine protected areas and human well-being–A systematic review and recommendations. Ecosystem Services, 41, 101048. DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2019.101048
Alban, F., Appéré, G., & Boncoeur, J. (2006). Economic analysis of marine protected areas: a literature review. Microsoft Word – Booklet WP3 definitive.doc
Sources:
[1] How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates
[2] What is a Literature Review? How to Write It (with Examples) | Paperpal
[3] Literature review – Wikipedia
[4] What is a Literature Review? | Guide, Template, & Examples
[5] Literature Review – Types Writing Guide and Examples
[6] How to write a literature review | StudySkills@Sheffield | The University of Sheffield
[7] Writing a Literature Review – Purdue OWL® – Purdue University
