by the Excelsior Online Writing Lab

The purpose of the literature review is to give you an overview of a particular topic. Your job in a Health Sciences literature review is to discover the research that has already been done, the major perspectives of researchers in the field, and the significant thinkers and writers, or experts, who have published on the topic you’re interested in. In other words, it’s a survey of what has been written and argued about your topic.

By the time you complete your literature review you should have written an essay that demonstrates your ability to do the following:

• Understand the history of what’s been written and researched on your topic.
• Know the significance of the current academic thinking on your topic, including what the controversies are.
• Have a perspective about what work remains to be done on your topic.

Thus, a Health Sciences literature review synthesizes–or puts together in one place–your research into an explanation of what is known and what is not known on your topic. If the topic is one from which you want to embark on a major research project, doing a literature review will save you time and help you figure out where you might focus your attention so you don’t duplicate research that has already been done.

Just to be clear: a literature review differs from a research paper in that a literature review is a summary and synthesis of the major arguments and thinking of experts on the topic you’re investigating, whereas a research paper supports a position or an opinion you have developed yourself as a result of your own analysis of a topic.

Another advantage of doing a literature review is that it summarizes the intellectual discussion that has been going on over the decades–or centuries–on a specific topic and allows you to join in that conversation (what academics call academic discourse) from a knowledgeable position.

The following presentation will provide you with the basic steps to follow as you work to complete a literature review.

Step 1–Develop a Good Research Question

Think about this question as the question you hope to answer as you research. You may need to do some preliminary research and prewriting to help develop a good research question.

If you have already developed a strong research question as a part of the research and writing process, you are off to a great start!

Step 2–Identify Major Scholars or Text on Your Topic

Your professor and the librarians can help you get started.

Find out about the most important journals and/or books on your topic and look for some research there.

Journal articles can be the most helpful, as journals are where scholars in a field “talk” to each other, in a formal way, on key issues in their fields.

It can also be helpful to follow the references at the end of the important books or articles, which can lead to additional, credible resources.

Be sure your sources are current. This is especially important in fields like the sciences and the social sciences.

Step 3–Remember to Read and Think About Your Research As You Go

You need to understand what you are reading and all the different aspects of your topic and its thinkers. Some of the material may be dense and difficult to comprehend. Stop and read the articles you find, so you can begin to comprehend key points in the research on your topic.

As you continue and read more about your topic, you will grow in your understanding of the topic and begin to develop ideas to answer your research question.

As you read, you should annotate each source but also take notes about the main ideas of your sources. You should work to put the main ideas in your own words, as this will help bring you to a better understanding of the source and the overall topic.

You may also keep track of a few key quotes, but the goal will be to write down what you understand in your own language to help avoid issues with plagiarism.

For more information, see the Note-Taking area in the Research section or the Note-Taking & Plagiarism page in the Avoiding Plagiarism section of the Excelsior OWL.

Step 4–Take Careful Notes

As you read, you should annotate each source but also take notes about the main ideas of your sources. You should work to put the main ideas in your own words, as this will help bring you to a better understanding of the source and the overall topic.

You may also keep track of a few key quotes, but the goal will be to write down what you understand in your own language to help avoid issues with plagiarism.

Step 5 – Begin Drafting

NOTE: A literature review is an essay and should include a strong introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

GOAL: You should not only summarize your sources but make connections between the sources, identify major trends and controversies, and focus on your research question.

Your introduction should set up your literature review, and your conclusion might address what issues still need to be resolved or researched.

But, remember, the end of the research process for your literature review is not the end of your writing process. You should engage in strong revision and editing of your literature review, just like you would any other essay!

Attributions

“Literature Review in Health Sciences” by the Excelsior Online Writing Lab is licensed under CC BY 4.0.