how to write a literature review at masters level

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What is the purpose of a Literature Review? For a graduate student the purpose of academic writing changes from what it was as an undergraduate. Where undergraduates often write to demonstrate a mastery of existing knowledge, graduate students are considered scholars and move toward creating new knowledge. Writing in graduate school, then, focuses on communicating that new knowledge to others in their field. In order to communicate this knowledge to other scholars, however, it also necessary to explain how that knowledge engages ongoing scholarly conversations in the field.

A literature review is a common genre for many types of writing you’ll have to do as a graduate student and scholar. Not only do dissertations contain literature reviews, but most articles and grant proposals have some form of literature review included in them. The reason the literature review is so prevalent in scholarly writing is that it functions as an argument about how your project fits in the ongoing scholarly conversation in your field and justifies your project.

A successful literature review does more than list the research that has preceded your work. A literature review is not simply a summary of research. Your literature review must not only demonstrate that you understand important conversations and debates surrounding your project and your position in regard to the conversations, but it must also create an argument as to why your work is relevant to your field of study. In order to create such an argument you must evaluate the relevant research, describing its strengths and weaknesses in relation to your project. You must then explain how your project will build on the work of other researchers, and fill the scholarly gaps left by other researchers. What is typically included in a Literature Review and how do I start?

To show how your project joins an existing scholarly conversation you need to provide readers with the necessary background to understand your research project and persuade them that your intervention in the scholarly conversation is necessary. The first step is to evaluate and analyze the scholarship that is key to understanding your work. The scholarship you evaluate may include previous research on similar topics, theoretical concepts and perspectives, or methodological approaches. Evaluating existing research means more than just summarizing the scholar’s main point. You will also want to assess the strengths and limits of the writer’s project and approach. Questions to consider as you read include: What problems or issues is the writer exploring? What position does the writer take? How is the writer intervening in an ongoing conversation? Where does the writer leave the issue?

Once you have evaluated the research of others, you need to consider how to integrate ideas from other scholars with your ideas and research project. You will also need to show your readers which research is relevant to understanding your project and explain how you position your work in relationship to what has come before your project. In order to do this, it may be helpful to think about the nature of your research project. Not all research has the same purpose. For example, your research project may focus on extending existing research by applying it in a new context. Or you may be questioning the findings of existing research, or you may be pulling together two or more previously unconnected threads of research. Or your project may be bringing a new theoretical lens or interpretation to existing questions. The focus of your research project will determine the kind of material you need to include in your literature review. What are some approaches for organizing a Literature Review? In the first part of a literature review you typically establish several things. You should define or identify your project and briefly point out overall trends in what has been published about the topic – conflicts, gaps in research, foundational research or theory, etc. You should also establish your position – or argument - for the project and the organization of the review.

In the body of the literature review, consider organizing the research and theory according a particular approach. For example, you could discuss the research chronologically. Or you could organize the research thematically, around key ideas or terms or theoretical approaches. Your literature review may include definitions of key terms and the sources from which they are drawn, descriptions of relevant debates in the field, or a description of the most current thinking on your topic.

You will also want to provide clear transitions and strong organizing sentences at the start of sections or paragraphs. You may find it helpful to divide the body of the review up into individual sections with individual subheadings. As you summarize and evaluate studies or articles keep in mind that each article should not necessarily get the same amount of attention. Some scholarship will be more central to your project and will therefore have to be discussed at more length. There also may be some scholarship that you choose not to include, so you might need to explain those decisions. At every turn, you want to keep in mind how you are making the case for how your research will advance the ongoing scholarly conversation. What can the Writing Center do to help? It can sometimes be difficult, after reading pages and pages of research in your field, to step back from the work and decide how best to approach your literature review. Even before you begin to write you may find a consultation in the Writing Center will help you plan out your literature review. Consultants at the Writing Center are experienced in working with scholars to help them reflect on and organize their work in a literature review so it creates the argument for your project. Make an appointment to work with us on your focus and organization even before you begin to write. We are also able to help you by reading and responding to your drafts or to help with issues of documentation. We can help you understand the genre conventions of the literature review, work through revisions, and help you learn how to edit your own work.  We recommend that you come in early to give yourself enough time to work through any problems that may come up as you write.

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The Literature Review: A Guide for Postgraduate Students

This guide provides postgraduate students with an overview of the literature review required for most research degrees. It will advise you on the common types of literature reviews across disciplines and will outline how the purpose and structure of each may differ slightly. Various approaches to effective content organisation and writing style are offered, along with some common strategies for effective writing and avoiding some common mistakes. This guide focuses mainly on the required elements of a standalone literature review, but the suggestions and advice apply to literature reviews incorporated into other chapters.

Please see the companion article ‘ The Literature Review: A Guide for Undergraduate Students ’ for an introduction to the basic elements of a literature review. This article focuses on aspects that are particular to postgraduate literature reviews, containing detailed advice and effective strategies for writing a successful literature review. It will address the following topics:

• The purpose of a literature review
• The structure of your literature review
• Strategies for writing an effective literature review
• Mistakes to avoid

The Purpose of a Literature Review

After developing your research proposal and writing a research statement, your literature review is one of the most important early tasks you will undertake for your postgraduate research degree. Many faculties and departments require postgraduate research students to write an initial literature review as part of their research proposal, which forms part of the candidature confirmation process that occurs six months into the research degree for full-time students (12 months for part-time students).

For example, a postgraduate student in history would normally write a 10,000-word research proposal—including a literature review—in the first six months of their PhD. This would be assessed in order to confirm the ongoing candidature of the student.

The literature review is your opportunity you show your supervisor (and ultimately, your examiners) that you understand the most important debates in your field, can identify the texts and authors most relevant to your particular topic, and can examine and evaluate these debates and texts both critically and in depth. You will be expected to provide a comprehensive, detailed and relevant range of scholarly works in your literature review.

In general, a literature review has a specific and directed purpose: to focus the reader’s attention on the significance and necessity of your research. By identifying a ‘gap’ in the current scholarship, you convince your readers that your own research is vital.

As the author, you will achieve these objectives by displaying your in-depth knowledge and understanding of the relevant scholarship in your field, situating your own research within this wider body of work , while critically analysing the scholarship and highlighting your own arguments in relation to that scholarship.

A well-focused, well-developed and well-researched literature review operates as a linchpin for your thesis, provides the background to your research and demonstrates your proficiency in some requisite academic skills.

The Structure of Your Literature Review

Postgraduate degrees can be made up of a long thesis (Master’s and PhD by research) or a shorter thesis and coursework (Master’s by coursework; although some Australian universities now require PhD students to undertake coursework in the first year of their degree). Some disciplines involve creative work (such as a novel or artwork) and an exegesis (such as a creative writing research or fine arts degree). Others can comprise a series of published works in the form of a ‘thesis by publication’ (most common in the science and medical fields).

The structure of a literature review will thus vary according to the discipline and the type of thesis. Some of the most common discipline-based variations are outlined in the following paragraphs.

Humanities and Social Science Degrees

Many humanities and social science theses will include a standalone literature review chapter after the introduction and before any methodology (or theoretical approaches) chapters. In these theses, the literature review might make up around 15 to 30 per cent of the total thesis length, reflecting its purpose as a supporting chapter.

Here, the literature review chapter will have an introduction, an appropriate number of discussion paragraphs and a conclusion. As with a research essay, the introduction operates as a ‘road map’ to the chapter. The introduction should outline and clarify the argument you are making in your thesis (Australian National University 2017), as readers will then have a context for the discussion and critical analysis paragraphs that follow.

The main discussion section can be divided further with subheadings, and the material organised in several possible ways: chronologically, thematically or from the better- to the lesser-known issues and arguments. The conclusion should provide a summary of the chapter overall, and should re-state your thesis statement, linking this to the gap you have identified in the literature that confirms the necessity of your research.

For some humanities’ disciplines, such as literature or history (Premaratne 2013, 236–54), where primary sources are central, the literature review may be conducted chapter-by-chapter, with each chapter focusing on one theme and set of scholarly secondary sources relevant to the primary source material.

Science and Mathematics Degrees

For some science or mathematics research degrees, the literature review may be part of the introduction. The relevant literature here may be limited in number and scope, and if the research project is experiment-based, rather than theoretically based, a lengthy critical analysis of past research may be unnecessary (beyond establishing its weaknesses or failings and thus the necessity for the current research). The literature review section will normally appear after the paragraphs that outline the study’s research question, main findings and theoretical framework. Other science-based degrees may follow the standalone literature review chapter more common in the social sciences.

Strategies for Writing an Effective Literature Review

A research thesis—whether for a Master’s degree or Doctor of Philosophy—is a long project, and the literature review, usually written early on, will most likely be reviewed and refined over the life of the thesis. This section will detail some useful strategies to ensure you write a successful literature review that meets the expectations of your supervisor and examiners.

Using a Mind Map

Before planning or writing, it can be beneficial to undertake a brainstorm exercise to initiate ideas, especially in relation to the organisation of your literature review. A mind map is a very effective technique that can get your ideas flowing prior to a more formal planning process.

A mind map is best created in landscape orientation. Begin by writing a very brief version of your research topic in the middle of the page and then expanding this with themes and sub-themes, identified by keywords or phrases and linked by associations or oppositions. The University of Adelaide provides an excellent introduction to mind mapping.

Planning is as essential at the chapter level as it is for your thesis overall. If you have begun work on your literature review with a mind map or similar process, you can use the themes or organisational categories that emerged to begin organising your content. Plan your literature review as if it were a research essay with an introduction, main body and conclusion.

Create a detailed outline for each main paragraph or section and list the works you will discuss and analyse, along with keywords to identify important themes, arguments and relevant data. By creating a ‘planning document’ in this way, you can keep track of your ideas and refine the plan as you go.

Maintaining a Current Reference List or Annotated Bibliography

It is vital that you maintain detailed and up-to-date records of all scholarly works that you read in relation to your thesis. You will need to ensure that you remain aware of current and developing research, theoretical debates and data as your degree progresses; and review and update the literature review as you work through your own research and writing.

To do this most effectively and efficiently, you will need to record precisely the bibliographic details of each source you use. Decide on the referencing style you will be using at an early stage (this is often dictated by your department or discipline, or suggested by your supervisor). If you begin to construct your reference list as you write your thesis, ensure that you follow any formatting and stylistic requirements for your chosen referencing style from the start (nothing is more onerous than undertaking this task as you are finishing your research degree).

Insert references (also known as ‘citations’) into the text or footnote section as you write your literature review, and be aware of all instances where you need to use a reference . The literature review chapter or section may appear to be overwhelmed with references, but this is just a reflection of the source-based content and purpose.

The Drawbacks of Referencing Software

We don’t recommend the use of referencing software to help you with your references because using this software almost always leads to errors and inconsistencies. They simply can’t be trusted to produce references that will be complete and accurate, properly following your particular referencing style to the letter.

Further, relying on software to create your references for you usually means that you won’t learn how to reference correctly yourself, which is an absolutely vital skill, especially if you are hoping to continue in academia.

Writing Style

Similar to structural matters, your writing style will depend to some extent on your discipline and the expectations and advice of your supervisors. Humanities- and creative arts–based disciplines may be more open to a wider variety of authorial voices. Even if this is so, it remains preferable to establish an academic voice that is credible, engaging and clear.

Simple stylistic strategies such as using the active—instead of the passive—voice, providing variety in sentence structure and length and preferring (where appropriate) simple language over convoluted or overly obscure words can help to ensure your academic writing is both formal and highly readable.

Reviewing, Rewriting and Editing

Although an initial draft is essential (and in some departments it is a formal requirement) to establish the ground for your own research and its place within the wider body of scholarship, the literature review will evolve, develop and be modified as you continue to research, write, review and rewrite your thesis. It is likely that your literature review will not be completed until you have almost finished the thesis itself, and a final assessment and edit of this section is essential to ensure you have included the most important scholarship that is relevant and necessary to your research.

It has happened to many students that a crucial piece of literature is published just as they are about to finalise their thesis, and they must revise their literature review in light of it. Unfortunately, this cannot be avoided, lest your examiners think that you are not aware of this key piece of scholarship. You need to ensure your final literature review reflects how your research now fits into the new landscape in your field after any recent developments.

Mistakes to Avoid

Some common mistakes can result in an ineffective literature review that could then flow on to the rest of your thesis. These mistakes include:

• Trying to read and include everything you find on your topic. The literature review should be selective as well as comprehensive, examining only those sources relevant to your research topic.
• Listing the scholarship as if you are writing an annotated bibliography or a series of summaries. Your discussion of the literature should be synthesised and holistic, and should have a logical progression that is appropriate to the organisation of your content.
• Failing to integrate your examination of the literature with your own thesis topic. You need to develop your discussion of each piece of scholarship in relation to other pieces of research, contextualising your analyses and conclusions in relation to your thesis statement or research topic and focusing on how your own research relates to, complements and extends the existing scholarship.

Writing the literature review is often the first task of your research degree. It is a focused reading and research activity that situates your own research in the wider scholarship, establishing yourself as an active member of the academic community through dialogue and debate. By reading, analysing and synthesising the existing scholarship on your topic, you gain a comprehensive and in-depth understanding, ensuring a solid basis for your own arguments and contributions. If you need advice on referencing , academic writing , time management or other aspects of your degree, you may find Capstone Editing’s other resources and blog articles useful.

Australian National University. 2017. ‘Literature Reviews’. Last accessed 28 March. http://www.anu.edu.au/students/learning-development/research-writing/literature-reviews.

Premaratne, Dhilara Darshana. 2013. ‘Discipline Based Variations in the Literature Review in the PhD Thesis: A Perspective from the Discipline of History’. Education and Research Perspectives 40: 236–54.

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How To Structure Your Literature Review

3 options to help structure your chapter.

By: Amy Rommelspacher (PhD) | Reviewer: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | November 2020 (Updated May 2023)

Writing the literature review chapter can seem pretty daunting when you’re piecing together your dissertation or thesis. As  we’ve discussed before , a good literature review needs to achieve a few very important objectives – it should:

• Demonstrate your knowledge of the research topic
• Identify the gaps in the literature and show how your research links to these
• Provide the foundation for your conceptual framework (if you have one)
• Inform your own  methodology and research design

To achieve this, your literature review needs a well-thought-out structure . Get the structure of your literature review chapter wrong and you’ll struggle to achieve these objectives. Don’t worry though – in this post, we’ll look at how to structure your literature review for maximum impact (and marks!).

But wait – is this the right time?

Deciding on the structure of your literature review should come towards the end of the literature review process – after you have collected and digested the literature, but before you start writing the chapter. 

In other words, you need to first develop a rich understanding of the literature before you even attempt to map out a structure. There’s no use trying to develop a structure before you’ve fully wrapped your head around the existing research.

Equally importantly, you need to have a structure in place before you start writing , or your literature review will most likely end up a rambling, disjointed mess. 

Importantly, don’t feel that once you’ve defined a structure you can’t iterate on it. It’s perfectly natural to adjust as you engage in the writing process. As we’ve discussed before , writing is a way of developing your thinking, so it’s quite common for your thinking to change – and therefore, for your chapter structure to change – as you write. 

Need a helping hand?

Like any other chapter in your thesis or dissertation, your literature review needs to have a clear, logical structure. At a minimum, it should have three essential components – an  introduction , a  body   and a  conclusion . 

Let’s take a closer look at each of these.

1: The Introduction Section

Just like any good introduction, the introduction section of your literature review should introduce the purpose and layout (organisation) of the chapter. In other words, your introduction needs to give the reader a taste of what’s to come, and how you’re going to lay that out. Essentially, you should provide the reader with a high-level roadmap of your chapter to give them a taste of the journey that lies ahead.

Here’s an example of the layout visualised in a literature review introduction:

Your introduction should also outline your topic (including any tricky terminology or jargon) and provide an explanation of the scope of your literature review – in other words, what you  will   and  won’t   be covering (the delimitations ). This helps ringfence your review and achieve a clear focus . The clearer and narrower your focus, the deeper you can dive into the topic (which is typically where the magic lies). 

Depending on the nature of your project, you could also present your stance or point of view at this stage. In other words, after grappling with the literature you’ll have an opinion about what the trends and concerns are in the field as well as what’s lacking. The introduction section can then present these ideas so that it is clear to examiners that you’re aware of how your research connects with existing knowledge .

2: The Body Section

The body of your literature review is the centre of your work. This is where you’ll present, analyse, evaluate and synthesise the existing research. In other words, this is where you’re going to earn (or lose) the most marks. Therefore, it’s important to carefully think about how you will organise your discussion to present it in a clear way. 

The body of your literature review should do just as the description of this chapter suggests. It should “review” the literature – in other words, identify, analyse, and synthesise it. So, when thinking about structuring your literature review, you need to think about which structural approach will provide the best “review” for your specific type of research and objectives (we’ll get to this shortly).

There are (broadly speaking)  three options  for organising your literature review.

Option 1: Chronological (according to date)

Organising the literature chronologically is one of the simplest ways to structure your literature review. You start with what was published first and work your way through the literature until you reach the work published most recently. Pretty straightforward.

The benefit of this option is that it makes it easy to discuss the developments and debates in the field as they emerged over time. Organising your literature chronologically also allows you to highlight how specific articles or pieces of work might have changed the course of the field – in other words, which research has had the most impact . Therefore, this approach is very useful when your research is aimed at understanding how the topic has unfolded over time and is often used by scholars in the field of history. That said, this approach can be utilised by anyone that wants to explore change over time .

For example , if a student of politics is investigating how the understanding of democracy has evolved over time, they could use the chronological approach to provide a narrative that demonstrates how this understanding has changed through the ages.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help you structure your literature review chronologically.

• What is the earliest literature published relating to this topic?
• How has the field changed over time? Why?
• What are the most recent discoveries/theories?

In some ways, chronology plays a part whichever way you decide to structure your literature review, because you will always, to a certain extent, be analysing how the literature has developed. However, with the chronological approach, the emphasis is very firmly on how the discussion has evolved over time , as opposed to how all the literature links together (which we’ll discuss next ).

Option 2: Thematic (grouped by theme)

The thematic approach to structuring a literature review means organising your literature by theme or category – for example, by independent variables (i.e. factors that have an impact on a specific outcome).

As you’ve been collecting and synthesising literature , you’ll likely have started seeing some themes or patterns emerging. You can then use these themes or patterns as a structure for your body discussion. The thematic approach is the most common approach and is useful for structuring literature reviews in most fields.

For example, if you were researching which factors contributed towards people trusting an organisation, you might find themes such as consumers’ perceptions of an organisation’s competence, benevolence and integrity. Structuring your literature review thematically would mean structuring your literature review’s body section to discuss each of these themes, one section at a time.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when structuring your literature review by themes:

• Are there any patterns that have come to light in the literature?
• What are the central themes and categories used by the researchers?
• Do I have enough evidence of these themes?

PS – you can see an example of a thematically structured literature review in our literature review sample walkthrough video here.

Option 3: Methodological

The methodological option is a way of structuring your literature review by the research methodologies used . In other words, organising your discussion based on the angle from which each piece of research was approached – for example, qualitative , quantitative or mixed  methodologies.

Structuring your literature review by methodology can be useful if you are drawing research from a variety of disciplines and are critiquing different methodologies. The point of this approach is to question  how  existing research has been conducted, as opposed to  what  the conclusions and/or findings the research were.

For example, a sociologist might centre their research around critiquing specific fieldwork practices. Their literature review will then be a summary of the fieldwork methodologies used by different studies.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself when structuring your literature review according to methodology:

• Which methodologies have been utilised in this field?
• Which methodology is the most popular (and why)?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the various methodologies?
• How can the existing methodologies inform my own methodology?

3: The Conclusion Section

Once you’ve completed the body section of your literature review using one of the structural approaches we discussed above, you’ll need to “wrap up” your literature review and pull all the pieces together to set the direction for the rest of your dissertation or thesis.

The conclusion is where you’ll present the key findings of your literature review. In this section, you should emphasise the research that is especially important to your research questions and highlight the gaps that exist in the literature. Based on this, you need to make it clear what you will add to the literature – in other words, justify your own research by showing how it will help fill one or more of the gaps you just identified.

Last but not least, if it’s your intention to develop a conceptual framework for your dissertation or thesis, the conclusion section is a good place to present this.

Example: Thematically Structured Review

In the video below, we unpack a literature review chapter so that you can see an example of a thematically structure review in practice.

Let’s Recap

In this article, we’ve  discussed how to structure your literature review for maximum impact. Here’s a quick recap of what  you need to keep in mind when deciding on your literature review structure:

• Just like other chapters, your literature review needs a clear introduction , body and conclusion .
• The introduction section should provide an overview of what you will discuss in your literature review.
• The body section of your literature review can be organised by chronology , theme or methodology . The right structural approach depends on what you’re trying to achieve with your research.
• The conclusion section should draw together the key findings of your literature review and link them to your research questions.

If you’re ready to get started, be sure to download our free literature review template to fast-track your chapter outline.

Psst… there’s more!

This post is an extract from our bestselling short course, Literature Review Bootcamp . If you want to work smart, you don't want to miss this .

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27 Comments

Great work. This is exactly what I was looking for and helps a lot together with your previous post on literature review. One last thing is missing: a link to a great literature chapter of an journal article (maybe with comments of the different sections in this review chapter). Do you know any great literature review chapters?

I agree with you Marin… A great piece

I agree with Marin. This would be quite helpful if you annotate a nicely structured literature from previously published research articles.

Awesome article for my research.

I thank you immensely for this wonderful guide

It is indeed thought and supportive work for the futurist researcher and students

Very educative and good time to get guide. Thank you

Great work, very insightful. Thank you.

Thanks for this wonderful presentation. My question is that do I put all the variables into a single conceptual framework or each hypothesis will have it own conceptual framework?

Thank you very much, very helpful

This is very educative and precise . Thank you very much for dropping this kind of write up .

Pheeww, so damn helpful, thank you for this informative piece.

I’m doing a research project topic ; stool analysis for parasitic worm (enteric) worm, how do I structure it, thanks.

comprehensive explanation. Help us by pasting the URL of some good “literature review” for better understanding.

great piece. thanks for the awesome explanation. it is really worth sharing. I have a little question, if anyone can help me out, which of the options in the body of literature can be best fit if you are writing an architectural thesis that deals with design?

I am doing a research on nanofluids how can l structure it?

Beautifully clear.nThank you!

Lucid! Thankyou!

Brilliant work, well understood, many thanks

I like how this was so clear with simple language 😊😊 thank you so much 😊 for these information 😊

Insightful. I was struggling to come up with a sensible literature review but this has been really helpful. Thank you!

You have given thought-provoking information about the review of the literature.

Thank you. It has made my own research better and to impart your work to students I teach

I learnt a lot from this teaching. It’s a great piece.

I am doing research on EFL teacher motivation for his/her job. How Can I structure it? Is there any detailed template, additional to this?

You are so cool! I do not think I’ve read through something like this before. So nice to find somebody with some genuine thoughts on this issue. Seriously.. thank you for starting this up. This site is one thing that is required on the internet, someone with a little originality!

I’m asked to do conceptual, theoretical and empirical literature, and i just don’t know how to structure it

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How To Write A Literature Review - A Complete Guide

Table of Contents

A literature review is much more than just another section in your research paper. It forms the very foundation of your research. It is a formal piece of writing where you analyze the existing theoretical framework, principles, and assumptions and use that as a base to shape your approach to the research question.

Curating and drafting a solid literature review section not only lends more credibility to your research paper but also makes your research tighter and better focused. But, writing literature reviews is a difficult task. It requires extensive reading, plus you have to consider market trends and technological and political changes, which tend to change in the blink of an eye.

Now streamline your literature review process with the help of SciSpace Copilot. With this AI research assistant, you can efficiently synthesize and analyze a vast amount of information, identify key themes and trends, and uncover gaps in the existing research. Get real-time explanations, summaries, and answers to your questions for the paper you're reviewing, making navigating and understanding the complex literature landscape easier.

In this comprehensive guide, we will explore everything from the definition of a literature review, its appropriate length, various types of literature reviews, and how to write one.

What is a literature review?

A literature review is a collation of survey, research, critical evaluation, and assessment of the existing literature in a preferred domain.

Eminent researcher and academic Arlene Fink, in her book Conducting Research Literature Reviews , defines it as the following:

“A literature review surveys books, scholarly articles, and any other sources relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory, and by so doing, provides a description, summary, and critical evaluation of these works in relation to the research problem being investigated.

Literature reviews are designed to provide an overview of sources you have explored while researching a particular topic, and to demonstrate to your readers how your research fits within a larger field of study.”

Simply put, a literature review can be defined as a critical discussion of relevant pre-existing research around your research question and carving out a definitive place for your study in the existing body of knowledge. Literature reviews can be presented in multiple ways: a section of an article, the whole research paper itself, or a chapter of your thesis.

A literature review does function as a summary of sources, but it also allows you to analyze further, interpret, and examine the stated theories, methods, viewpoints, and, of course, the gaps in the existing content.

As an author, you can discuss and interpret the research question and its various aspects and debate your adopted methods to support the claim.

What is the purpose of a literature review?

A literature review is meant to help your readers understand the relevance of your research question and where it fits within the existing body of knowledge. As a researcher, you should use it to set the context, build your argument, and establish the need for your study.

What is the importance of a literature review?

The literature review is a critical part of research papers because it helps you:

• Gain an in-depth understanding of your research question and the surrounding area
• Convey that you have a thorough understanding of your research area and are up-to-date with the latest changes and advancements
• Establish how your research is connected or builds on the existing body of knowledge and how it could contribute to further research
• Elaborate on the validity and suitability of your theoretical framework and research methodology
• Identify and highlight gaps and shortcomings in the existing body of knowledge and how things need to change
• Convey to readers how your study is different or how it contributes to the research area

How long should a literature review be?

Ideally, the literature review should take up 15%-40% of the total length of your manuscript. So, if you have a 10,000-word research paper, the minimum word count could be 1500.

Your literature review format depends heavily on the kind of manuscript you are writing — an entire chapter in case of doctoral theses, a part of the introductory section in a research article, to a full-fledged review article that examines the previously published research on a topic.

Another determining factor is the type of research you are doing. The literature review section tends to be longer for secondary research projects than primary research projects.

What are the different types of literature reviews?

All literature reviews are not the same. There are a variety of possible approaches that you can take. It all depends on the type of research you are pursuing.

Here are the different types of literature reviews:

Argumentative review

It is called an argumentative review when you carefully present literature that only supports or counters a specific argument or premise to establish a viewpoint.

Integrative review

It is a type of literature review focused on building a comprehensive understanding of a topic by combining available theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence.

Methodological review

This approach delves into the ''how'' and the ''what" of the research question —  you cannot look at the outcome in isolation; you should also review the methodology used.

Systematic review

This form consists of an overview of existing evidence pertinent to a clearly formulated research question, which uses pre-specified and standardized methods to identify and critically appraise relevant research and collect, report, and analyze data from the studies included in the review.

Meta-analysis review

Meta-analysis uses statistical methods to summarize the results of independent studies. By combining information from all relevant studies, meta-analysis can provide more precise estimates of the effects than those derived from the individual studies included within a review.

Historical review

Historical literature reviews focus on examining research throughout a period, often starting with the first time an issue, concept, theory, or phenomenon emerged in the literature, then tracing its evolution within the scholarship of a discipline. The purpose is to place research in a historical context to show familiarity with state-of-the-art developments and identify future research's likely directions.

Theoretical Review

This form aims to examine the corpus of theory accumulated regarding an issue, concept, theory, and phenomenon. The theoretical literature review helps to establish what theories exist, the relationships between them, the degree the existing approaches have been investigated, and to develop new hypotheses to be tested.

Scoping Review

The Scoping Review is often used at the beginning of an article, dissertation, or research proposal. It is conducted before the research to highlight gaps in the existing body of knowledge and explains why the project should be greenlit.

State-of-the-Art Review

The State-of-the-Art review is conducted periodically, focusing on the most recent research. It describes what is currently known, understood, or agreed upon regarding the research topic and highlights where there are still disagreements.

Can you use the first person in a literature review?

When writing literature reviews, you should avoid the usage of first-person pronouns. It means that instead of "I argue that" or "we argue that," the appropriate expression would be "this research paper argues that."

Do you need an abstract for a literature review?

Ideally, yes. It is always good to have a condensed summary that is self-contained and independent of the rest of your review. As for how to draft one, you can follow the same fundamental idea when preparing an abstract for a literature review. It should also include:

• The research topic and your motivation behind selecting it
• A one-sentence thesis statement
• An explanation of the kinds of literature featured in the review
• Summary of what you've learned
• Conclusions you drew from the literature you reviewed
• Potential implications and future scope for research

Here's an example of the abstract of a literature review

Is a literature review written in the past tense?

Yes, the literature review should ideally be written in the past tense. You should not use the present or future tense when writing one. The exceptions are when you have statements describing events that happened earlier than the literature you are reviewing or events that are currently occurring; then, you can use the past perfect or present perfect tenses.

How many sources for a literature review?

There are multiple approaches to deciding how many sources to include in a literature review section. The first approach would be to look level you are at as a researcher. For instance, a doctoral thesis might need 60+ sources. In contrast, you might only need to refer to 5-15 sources at the undergraduate level.

The second approach is based on the kind of literature review you are doing — whether it is merely a chapter of your paper or if it is a self-contained paper in itself. When it is just a chapter, sources should equal the total number of pages in your article's body. In the second scenario, you need at least three times as many sources as there are pages in your work.

Quick tips on how to write a literature review

To know how to write a literature review, you must clearly understand its impact and role in establishing your work as substantive research material.

You need to follow the below-mentioned steps, to write a literature review:

• Outline the purpose behind the literature review
• Search relevant literature
• Examine and assess the relevant resources
• Discover connections by drawing deep insights from the resources
• Structure planning to write a good literature review

1. Outline and identify the purpose of  a literature review

As a first step on how to write a literature review, you must know what the research question or topic is and what shape you want your literature review to take. Ensure you understand the research topic inside out, or else seek clarifications. You must be able to the answer below questions before you start:

• How many sources do I need to include?
• What kind of sources should I analyze?
• How much should I critically evaluate each source?
• Should I summarize, synthesize or offer a critique of the sources?
• Do I need to include any background information or definitions?

Additionally, you should know that the narrower your research topic is, the swifter it will be for you to restrict the number of sources to be analyzed.

2. Search relevant literature

Dig deeper into search engines to discover what has already been published around your chosen topic. Make sure you thoroughly go through appropriate reference sources like books, reports, journal articles, government docs, and web-based resources.

You must prepare a list of keywords and their different variations. You can start your search from any library’s catalog, provided you are an active member of that institution. The exact keywords can be extended to widen your research over other databases and academic search engines like:

• Google Scholar
• Microsoft Academic
• Science.gov

Besides, it is not advisable to go through every resource word by word. Alternatively, what you can do is you can start by reading the abstract and then decide whether that source is relevant to your research or not.

Additionally, you must spend surplus time assessing the quality and relevance of resources. It would help if you tried preparing a list of citations to ensure that there lies no repetition of authors, publications, or articles in the literature review.

3. Examine and assess the sources

It is nearly impossible for you to go through every detail in the research article. So rather than trying to fetch every detail, you have to analyze and decide which research sources resemble closest and appear relevant to your chosen domain.

While analyzing the sources, you should look to find out answers to questions like:

• What question or problem has the author been describing and debating?
• What is the definition of critical aspects?
• How well the theories, approach, and methodology have been explained?
• Whether the research theory used some conventional or new innovative approach?
• How relevant are the key findings of the work?
• In what ways does it relate to other sources on the same topic?
• What challenges does this research paper pose to the existing theory
• What are the possible contributions or benefits it adds to the subject domain?

Be always mindful that you refer only to credible and authentic resources. It would be best if you always take references from different publications to validate your theory.

Always keep track of important information or data you can present in your literature review right from the beginning. It will help steer your path from any threats of plagiarism and also make it easier to curate an annotated bibliography or reference section.

4. Discover connections

At this stage, you must start deciding on the argument and structure of your literature review. To accomplish this, you must discover and identify the relations and connections between various resources while drafting your abstract.

A few aspects that you should be aware of while writing a literature review include:

• Rise to prominence: Theories and methods that have gained reputation and supporters over time.
• Constant scrutiny: Concepts or theories that repeatedly went under examination.
• Contradictions and conflicts: Theories, both the supporting and the contradictory ones, for the research topic.
• Knowledge gaps: What exactly does it fail to address, and how to bridge them with further research?
• Influential resources: Significant research projects available that have been upheld as milestones or perhaps, something that can modify the current trends

Once you join the dots between various past research works, it will be easier for you to draw a conclusion and identify your contribution to the existing knowledge base.

5. Structure planning to write a good literature review

There exist different ways towards planning and executing the structure of a literature review. The format of a literature review varies and depends upon the length of the research.

Like any other research paper, the literature review format must contain three sections: introduction, body, and conclusion. The goals and objectives of the research question determine what goes inside these three sections.

Nevertheless, a good literature review can be structured according to the chronological, thematic, methodological, or theoretical framework approach.

Literature review samples

1. Standalone

2. As a section of a research paper

How SciSpace Discover makes literature review a breeze?

SciSpace Discover is a one-stop solution to do an effective literature search and get barrier-free access to scientific knowledge. It is an excellent repository where you can find millions of only peer-reviewed articles and full-text PDF files. Here’s more on how you can use it:

Find the right information

Find what you want quickly and easily with comprehensive search filters that let you narrow down papers according to PDF availability, year of publishing, document type, and affiliated institution. Moreover, you can sort the results based on the publishing date, citation count, and relevance.

Assess credibility of papers quickly

When doing the literature review, it is critical to establish the quality of your sources. They form the foundation of your research. SciSpace Discover helps you assess the quality of a source by providing an overview of its references, citations, and performance metrics.

Get the complete picture in no time

SciSpace Discover’s personalized suggestion engine helps you stay on course and get the complete picture of the topic from one place. Every time you visit an article page, it provides you links to related papers. Besides that, it helps you understand what’s trending, who are the top authors, and who are the leading publishers on a topic.

Make referring sources super easy

To ensure you don't lose track of your sources, you must start noting down your references when doing the literature review. SciSpace Discover makes this step effortless. Click the 'cite' button on an article page, and you will receive preloaded citation text in multiple styles — all you've to do is copy-paste it into your manuscript.

Final tips on how to write a literature review

A massive chunk of time and effort is required to write a good literature review. But, if you go about it systematically, you'll be able to save a ton of time and build a solid foundation for your research.

We hope this guide has helped you answer several key questions you have about writing literature reviews.

Would you like to explore SciSpace Discover and kick off your literature search right away? You can get started here .

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. how to start a literature review.

• What questions do you want to answer?

• What sources do you need to answer these questions?

• What information do these sources contain?

• How can you use this information to answer your questions?

2. What to include in a literature review?

• A brief background of the problem or issue

• What has previously been done to address the problem or issue

• A description of what you will do in your project

• How this study will contribute to research on the subject

3. Why literature review is important?

The literature review is an important part of any research project because it allows the writer to look at previous studies on a topic and determine existing gaps in the literature, as well as what has already been done. It will also help them to choose the most appropriate method for their own study.

4. How to cite a literature review in APA format?

To cite a literature review in APA style, you need to provide the author's name, the title of the article, and the year of publication. For example: Patel, A. B., & Stokes, G. S. (2012). The relationship between personality and intelligence: A meta-analysis of longitudinal research. Personality and Individual Differences, 53(1), 16-21

5. What are the components of a literature review?

• A brief introduction to the topic, including its background and context. The introduction should also include a rationale for why the study is being conducted and what it will accomplish.

• A description of the methodologies used in the study. This can include information about data collection methods, sample size, and statistical analyses.

• A presentation of the findings in an organized format that helps readers follow along with the author's conclusions.

6. What are common errors in writing literature review?

• Not spending enough time to critically evaluate the relevance of resources, observations and conclusions.

• Totally relying on secondary data while ignoring primary data.

• Letting your personal bias seep into your interpretation of existing literature.

• No detailed explanation of the procedure to discover and identify an appropriate literature review.

7. What are the 5 C's of writing literature review?

• Cite - the sources you utilized and referenced in your research.

• Compare - existing arguments, hypotheses, methodologies, and conclusions found in the knowledge base.

• Contrast - the arguments, topics, methodologies, approaches, and disputes that may be found in the literature.

• Critique - the literature and describe the ideas and opinions you find more convincing and why.

• Connect - the various studies you reviewed in your research.

8. How many sources should a literature review have?

When it is just a chapter, sources should equal the total number of pages in your article's body. if it is a self-contained paper in itself, you need at least three times as many sources as there are pages in your work.

9. Can literature review have diagrams?

• To represent an abstract idea or concept

• To explain the steps of a process or procedure

• To help readers understand the relationships between different concepts

10. How old should sources be in a literature review?

Sources for a literature review should be as current as possible or not older than ten years. The only exception to this rule is if you are reviewing a historical topic and need to use older sources.

11. What are the types of literature review?

• Argumentative review

• Integrative review

• Methodological review

• Systematic review

• Meta-analysis review

• Historical review

• Theoretical review

• Scoping review

• State-of-the-Art review

12. Is a literature review mandatory?

Yes. Literature review is a mandatory part of any research project. It is a critical step in the process that allows you to establish the scope of your research, and provide a background for the rest of your work.

But before you go,

• Six Online Tools for Easy Literature Review
• Evaluating literature review: systematic vs. scoping reviews
• Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review
• Writing Integrative Literature Reviews: Guidelines and Examples

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• What is a Literature Review? | Guide, Template, & Examples

What is a Literature Review? | Guide, Template, & Examples

Published on 22 February 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on 7 June 2022.

What is a literature review? A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research.

There are five key steps to writing a literature review:

• Search for relevant literature
• Evaluate sources
• Identify themes, debates and gaps
• Outline the structure
• Write your literature review

A good literature review doesn’t just summarise sources – it analyses, synthesises, and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.

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Table of contents

Why write a literature review, examples of literature reviews, step 1: search for relevant literature, step 2: evaluate and select sources, step 3: identify themes, debates and gaps, step 4: outline your literature review’s structure, step 5: write your literature review, frequently asked questions about literature reviews, introduction.

• Quick Run-through
• Step 1 & 2

When you write a dissertation or thesis, you will have to conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge. The literature review gives you a chance to:

• Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and scholarly context
• Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research
• Position yourself in relation to other researchers and theorists
• Show how your dissertation addresses a gap or contributes to a debate

You might also have to write a literature review as a stand-alone assignment. In this case, the purpose is to evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge of scholarly debates around a topic.

The content will look slightly different in each case, but the process of conducting a literature review follows the same steps. We’ve written a step-by-step guide that you can follow below.

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Writing literature reviews can be quite challenging! A good starting point could be to look at some examples, depending on what kind of literature review you’d like to write.

• Example literature review #1: “Why Do People Migrate? A Review of the Theoretical Literature” ( Theoretical literature review about the development of economic migration theory from the 1950s to today.)
• Example literature review #2: “Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines” ( Methodological literature review about interdisciplinary knowledge acquisition and production.)
• Example literature review #3: “The Use of Technology in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Thematic literature review about the effects of technology on language acquisition.)
• Example literature review #4: “Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Chronological literature review about how the concept of listening skills has changed over time.)

You can also check out our templates with literature review examples and sample outlines at the links below.

Download Word doc Download Google doc

Before you begin searching for literature, you need a clearly defined topic .

If you are writing the literature review section of a dissertation or research paper, you will search for literature related to your research objectives and questions .

If you are writing a literature review as a stand-alone assignment, you will have to choose a focus and develop a central question to direct your search. Unlike a dissertation research question, this question has to be answerable without collecting original data. You should be able to answer it based only on a review of existing publications.

Make a list of keywords

Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research topic. Include each of the key concepts or variables you’re interested in, and list any synonyms and related terms. You can add to this list if you discover new keywords in the process of your literature search.

• Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok
• Body image, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health
• Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth

Search for relevant sources

Use your keywords to begin searching for sources. Some databases to search for journals and articles include:

• Your university’s library catalogue
• Google Scholar
• Project Muse (humanities and social sciences)
• Medline (life sciences and biomedicine)
• EconLit (economics)
• Inspec (physics, engineering and computer science)

You can use boolean operators to help narrow down your search:

Read the abstract to find out whether an article is relevant to your question. When you find a useful book or article, you can check the bibliography to find other relevant sources.

To identify the most important publications on your topic, take note of recurring citations. If the same authors, books or articles keep appearing in your reading, make sure to seek them out.

You probably won’t be able to read absolutely everything that has been written on the topic – you’ll have to evaluate which sources are most relevant to your questions.

For each publication, ask yourself:

• What question or problem is the author addressing?
• What are the key concepts and how are they defined?
• What are the key theories, models and methods? Does the research use established frameworks or take an innovative approach?
• What are the results and conclusions of the study?
• How does the publication relate to other literature in the field? Does it confirm, add to, or challenge established knowledge?
• How does the publication contribute to your understanding of the topic? What are its key insights and arguments?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?

Make sure the sources you use are credible, and make sure you read any landmark studies and major theories in your field of research.

You can find out how many times an article has been cited on Google Scholar – a high citation count means the article has been influential in the field, and should certainly be included in your literature review.

The scope of your review will depend on your topic and discipline: in the sciences you usually only review recent literature, but in the humanities you might take a long historical perspective (for example, to trace how a concept has changed in meaning over time).

Remember that you can use our template to summarise and evaluate sources you’re thinking about using!

Take notes and cite your sources

As you read, you should also begin the writing process. Take notes that you can later incorporate into the text of your literature review.

It’s important to keep track of your sources with references to avoid plagiarism . It can be helpful to make an annotated bibliography, where you compile full reference information and write a paragraph of summary and analysis for each source. This helps you remember what you read and saves time later in the process.

You can use our free APA Reference Generator for quick, correct, consistent citations.

To begin organising your literature review’s argument and structure, you need to understand the connections and relationships between the sources you’ve read. Based on your reading and notes, you can look for:

• Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results): do certain approaches become more or less popular over time?
• Themes: what questions or concepts recur across the literature?
• Debates, conflicts and contradictions: where do sources disagree?
• Pivotal publications: are there any influential theories or studies that changed the direction of the field?
• Gaps: what is missing from the literature? Are there weaknesses that need to be addressed?

This step will help you work out the structure of your literature review and (if applicable) show how your own research will contribute to existing knowledge.

• Most research has focused on young women.
• There is an increasing interest in the visual aspects of social media.
• But there is still a lack of robust research on highly-visual platforms like Instagram and Snapchat – this is a gap that you could address in your own research.

There are various approaches to organising the body of a literature review. You should have a rough idea of your strategy before you start writing.

Depending on the length of your literature review, you can combine several of these strategies (for example, your overall structure might be thematic, but each theme is discussed chronologically).

Chronological

The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time. However, if you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarising sources in order.

Try to analyse patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred.

If you have found some recurring central themes, you can organise your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic.

For example, if you are reviewing literature about inequalities in migrant health outcomes, key themes might include healthcare policy, language barriers, cultural attitudes, legal status, and economic access.

Methodological

If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods , you might want to compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:

• Look at what results have emerged in qualitative versus quantitative research
• Discuss how the topic has been approached by empirical versus theoretical scholarship
• Divide the literature into sociological, historical, and cultural sources

Theoretical

A literature review is often the foundation for a theoretical framework . You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts.

You might argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach, or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.

Like any other academic text, your literature review should have an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion . What you include in each depends on the objective of your literature review.

The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose of the literature review.

If you are writing the literature review as part of your dissertation or thesis, reiterate your central problem or research question and give a brief summary of the scholarly context. You can emphasise the timeliness of the topic (“many recent studies have focused on the problem of x”) or highlight a gap in the literature (“while there has been much research on x, few researchers have taken y into consideration”).

Depending on the length of your literature review, you might want to divide the body into subsections. You can use a subheading for each theme, time period, or methodological approach.

As you write, make sure to follow these tips:

• Summarise and synthesise: give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole.
• Analyse and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other researchers – add your own interpretations, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole.
• Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources.
• Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transitions and topic sentences to draw connections, comparisons and contrasts.

In the conclusion, you should summarise the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasise their significance.

If the literature review is part of your dissertation or thesis, reiterate how your research addresses gaps and contributes new knowledge, or discuss how you have drawn on existing theories and methods to build a framework for your research. This can lead directly into your methodology section.

A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources (such as books, journal articles, and theses) related to a specific topic or research question .

It is often written as part of a dissertation , thesis, research paper , or proposal .

There are several reasons to conduct a literature review at the beginning of a research project:

• To familiarise yourself with the current state of knowledge on your topic
• To ensure that you’re not just repeating what others have already done
• To identify gaps in knowledge and unresolved problems that your research can address
• To develop your theoretical framework and methodology
• To provide an overview of the key findings and debates on the topic

Writing the literature review shows your reader how your work relates to existing research and what new insights it will contribute.

The literature review usually comes near the beginning of your  dissertation . After the introduction , it grounds your research in a scholarly field and leads directly to your theoretical framework or methodology .

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

McCombes, S. (2022, June 07). What is a Literature Review? | Guide, Template, & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 6 May 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/thesis-dissertation/literature-review/

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Literature review

How to write a literature review in 6 steps

How do you write a good literature review? This step-by-step guide on how to write an excellent literature review covers all aspects of planning and writing literature reviews for academic papers and theses.

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How do you write a systematic literature review? What types of systematic literature reviews exist and where do you use them? Learn everything you need to know about a systematic literature review in this guide

What is a literature review? [with examples]

Not sure what a literature review is? This guide covers the definition, purpose, and format of a literature review.

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Conducting a literature review postgraduate study skills.

You may be expected to gather evidence by making a review of the current literature, perhaps as a distinct section in an assignment or as a chapter of a dissertation. Or it may be part of your preparatory work for a project proposal.

A literature review usually takes the form of a critical discussion that shows insight into the theories being discussed in publications with a clear link to the purpose of your question or research.

The structure of the literature review depends on the aims and purpose of your work. Generally, you should group together your work in key themes, with each one explicitly linked to your research topic.

Beginning a literature review can be a bit overwhelming. The best place to start is with your textbooks and the key academics referred to within them. After you've identified the key relevant authors you can read more from them (books, articles etc.). This will then lead you on further, to other academics and theories.

You can use the  OU's online library  to source material that is available online. It has links to journals, articles, e-books and more.

Here are some key steps in conducting a literature review.

• Define your topic. Do you have central question you want to answer?
• Narrow down what you want to research - a narrower topic allows you to focus more deeply, rather than skimming the surface
• Divide your topic into key themes to make it easier to look up information
• Use your textbooks to identify key authors or theories that relate to the themes and make them your starting point
• Do the textbooks suggest any further reading? If so, track it down
• Use the OU's online library to locate academic opinion and theory
• Organise your literature: store any paper copies in folders and files, grouped into themes
• Read the literature you have sourced
• Fit the literature into the key themes you have identified - if any don't fit, or they don't seem important enough to include, put them to one side

You now need to engage critically with the texts. Think about whether you agree with what's being said. Examine the methodology used: divide the articles into qualitative or quantitative categories, evaluate conclusions made based on the method used and evidence presented.

Once you start to collate your literature review, make sure to reference your sources correctly as you use them. Keep full details of the title of the paper or book chapter, the authors, the page numbers, the journal or book it was published in and year of publication, as it can be hard to track down these details later.

It is important that you keep up with your subject; people will be writing about it all the time, with new theories and literature produced. This means you should look over literature at other points too: certainly mid-way through a research project and again at the end.

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A roadmap for writing a literature review in a master’s thesis: Examples and guidelines

• backlinkworks
• Writing Articles & Reviews
• December 27, 2023

writing a literature review is an essential part of any master’s thesis. IT involves critically evaluating and synthesizing existing research to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge in a particular field. A well-written literature review demonstrates your understanding of the scholarly conversation surrounding your research topic and helps to contextualize your own work within the broader academic landscape.

1. Understand the purpose of a literature review

Before you begin writing your literature review, IT ‘s important to understand its purpose. A literature review serves several key functions, including:

• Providing a comprehensive overview of existing research in your field.
• Critically evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of previous studies.
• Identifying gaps in the literature and highlighting areas for future research.
• Contextualizing your own research within the broader academic discourse.

By clearly understanding the purpose of your literature review, you can ensure that your writing is focused and relevant to your thesis.

2. Conduct a comprehensive literature search

Once you have a clear understanding of the purpose of your literature review, the next step is to conduct a comprehensive search for relevant academic sources. This involves searching for peer-reviewed journal articles, books, conference proceedings, and other scholarly publications related to your research topic.

IT ‘s important to use a variety of search strategies, including keyword searches, citation tracking, and database searches, to ensure that you are capturing all relevant literature. Additionally, consider using citation management software to organize and manage your references.

For example, if your master’s thesis is about the impact of social media on mental health, you would want to search for literature that examines the relationship between social media use and psychological well-being. This might include studies on social media usage patterns, the prevalence of mental health issues among social media users, and the potential benefits and drawbacks of social media use.

3. Analyze and synthesize the literature

Once you have gathered a comprehensive collection of literature related to your research topic, the next step is to analyze and synthesize the information. This involves critically evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of each study, identifying key themes and patterns across the literature, and synthesizing the findings into a coherent narrative.

When analyzing and synthesizing the literature, consider the following questions:

• What are the main findings and arguments of each source?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of each study?
• What key themes and patterns emerge across the literature?

Using the example of the impact of social media on mental health, you might identify several key themes that emerge across the literature, such as the relationship between social media use and depression, the role of cyberbullying in affecting mental well-being, and the potential benefits of online peer support networks.

4. Write the literature review

With a clear understanding of the purpose of your literature review, a comprehensive collection of relevant literature, and a synthesized analysis of the existing research, you are now ready to write your literature review. When writing your literature review, consider the following guidelines:

• Provide a clear and comprehensive overview of the existing literature in your field.
• Critically evaluate and synthesize the key findings and arguments of each source.
• Organize the literature thematically or chronologically to highlight key patterns and developments in the research.
• Keep the focus on how each source relates to your research topic and thesis.

Continuing with the example of the impact of social media on mental health, your literature review might be organized into sections that correspond to the key themes you identified during your analysis. Each section could summarize and evaluate the existing literature on a specific aspect of the relationship between social media use and mental well-being, providing a clear overview of the current state of knowledge in the field.

5. Conclusion

Overall, writing a literature review for your master’s thesis involves understanding the purpose of the literature review, conducting a comprehensive literature search, analyzing and synthesizing the literature, and writing a well-organized and critical review of the existing research. By following these guidelines and examples, you can ensure that your literature review effectively contextualizes your own research within the broader academic discourse.

Q: How long should a literature review be?

A: The length of a literature review can vary depending on the requirements of your master’s thesis and the depth and breadth of the existing literature. In general, a literature review for a master’s thesis is typically around 3000-5000 words, but this can vary based on the specific expectations of your program or advisor.

Q: How many sources should I include in my literature review?

A: The number of sources you include in your literature review will depend on the scope of your research topic and the expectations of your program or advisor. In general, a literature review for a master’s thesis should include a comprehensive collection of relevant sources, typically ranging from 20-50 academic articles, books, and other scholarly publications.

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Literature reviews for graduate students

On this page, what is a literature review, literature review type definitions, literature review protocols and guidelines, to google scholar, or not to google scholar, subject headings vs. keywords, keeping track of your research, project management software, citation management software, saved searches.

Related guides:

• Systematic, scoping, and rapid reviews: An overview
• Academic writing: what is a literature review , a guide that addresses the writing and composition aspect of a literature review
• Media literature reviews: how to conduct a literature review using news sources
• Literature reviews in the applied sciences
• Start your research here , literature review searching, mainly of interest to newer researchers

For more assistance, please contact the Liaison Librarian in your subject area .

Most generally, a literature review is a search within a defined range of information source types, such as, for instance, journals and books, to discover what has been already written about a specific subject or topic.  A literature review is a key component of almost all research papers.  However, the term is often applied loosely to describe a wide range of methodological approaches. A literature review in a first or second year course may involve browsing the library databases to get a sense of the research landscape in your topic and including 3-4 journal articles in your paper. At the other end of the continuum, the review may involve completing a comprehensive search, complete with documented search strategies and a listing of article inclusion and exclusion criteria. In the most rigorous format - a Systematic Review - a team of researchers may compile and review over 100,000 journal articles in a project spanning one to two years! These are out of scope for most graduate students, but it is important to be aware of the range of types of reviews possible.

One of the first steps in conducting a lit review is thus to clarify what kind of review you are doing, and its associated expectations.

Factors determining review approach are varied, including departmental/discipline conventions, granting agency stipulations, evolving standards for evidence-based research (and the corollary need for documented, replicable search strategies), and available time and resources.

The standards are also continually evolving in light of changing technology and evidence-based research about literature review methodology effectiveness. The availability of new tools such as large-scale library search engines and sophisticated citation management software continues to influence the research process.

Some specific types of lit reviews types include systematic reviews , scoping reviews , realist reviews , narrative reviews , mapping reviews, and qualitative systematic reviews , just to name a few. The protocols and distinctions for review types are particularly delineated in health research fields, but we are seeing conventions quickly establishing themselves in other academic fields.

The below definitions are quoted from the very helpful book, Booth, A., Papaioannou, D., & Sutton, A. (2012). Systematic approaches to a successful literature review . London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

For more definitions, try:

• Grant, M.J. & Booth, A. (2009). A typology of reviews: an analysis of the 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information & Libraries Journal , 26(2), 91-108. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x
• Sage Research Methods Online. A database devoted to research methodology. Includes handbooks, encyclopedia entries, and a research concepts map.
• Research Methods
• Report Writing
• Research--Methodology
• Research--Methodology--Handbooks, manuals, etc.

Note:   There is unfortunately no subject heading specifically for "literature reviews" which brings together all related material.

Mapping Review : "A rapid search of the literature aiming to give a broad overview of the characteristics of a topic area. Mapping of existing research, identification of gaps, and a summary assessment of the quantity and quality of the available evidence helps to decide future areas for research or for systematic reviews." (Booth, Papaioannou & Sutton, 2012, p. 264)

Mixed Method Review : "A literature review that seeks to bring together data from quantitative and qualitative studies integrating them in a way that facilitates subsequent analysis" (Booth et al., p. 265).

Meta-analysis : "The process of combining statistically quantitative studies that have measured the same effect using similar methods and a common outcome measure" (Booth et al., p. 264).

Narrative Review: "A term used to describe a conventional overview of the literature, particularly when contrasted with a systematic review" (Booth et al., p. 265).

Note: this term is often used pejoratively, describing a review that is inadvertently guided by a confirmation bias.

Qualitative Evidence Synthesis : "An umbrella term increasingly used to describe a group of review types that attempt to synthesize and analyze findings from primary qualitative research studies" (Booth et al., p. 267).

Rapid Review : "Assessment of what is already known about a policy or practice issue, by using systematic review methods to search and critically appraise existing research" (Grant & Booth, 2009, p.96).

Note: Rapid reviews are often done when there are insufficient time and/or resources to conduct a systematic review. As stated by Butler et. al, "They aim to be rigorous and explicit in method and thus systematic but make concessions to the breadth or depth of the process by limiting particular aspects of the systematic review process" (as cited in Grant & Booth, 2009, p. 100). 

Scoping Review: "A type of review that has as its primary objective the identification of the size and quality of research in a topic area in order to inform subsequent review" (Booth et al., p. 269).

Systematic Review : "A review of a clearly formulated question that uses systematic and explicit methods to identify, select and critically appraise relevant research and to collect and analyse data from the studies that are included in the review" (Booth et al., p. 271).

Note : a systematic review (SR) is the most extensive and well-documented type of lit review, as well as potentially the most time-consuming. The idea with SRs  is that the search process becomes a replicable scientific study in itself. This level of review will possibly not be necessary (or desirable) for your research project.

Many lit review types are based on organization-driven specific protocols for conducting the reviews. These protocols provide specific frameworks, checklists, and other guidance to the generic literature review sub-types. Here are a few popular examples:

Cochrane Review - known as the "gold standard" of systematic reviews, designed by the Cochrane Collaboration. Primarily used in health research literature reviews.

• Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions . "The official document that describes in detail the process of preparing and maintaining Cochrane systematic reviews".

Campbell Review - the sister organization of the Cochrane Institute which focuses on systematic reviews in the social sciences.

• So you want to write a Campbell Systematic review?
• Campbell Information Retrieval Guide. The details of effective information searching

Literature Reviews in Psychology

A recent article in the  Annual Review of Psychology  provides a very helpful guide to conducting literature reviews specifically in the field of Psychology.

How to Do a Systematic Review: A Best Practice Guide for Conducting and Reporting Narrative Reviews, Meta-Analyses, and Meta-Syntheses. (2019). Annual Review of Psychology, 70 (1), 747-770. doi: 10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-102803

Rapid Reviews have become increasingly common due to their flexibility, as well as the lack of time and resources available to do a comprehensive systematic review. McMaster University's National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools (NCCMT) has created a  Rapid Review Guidebook , which "details each step in the rapid review process, with notes on how to tailor the process given resource limitations."  

Scoping Review

There is no strict protocol for a scoping review (unlike Campbell and Cochrane reviews). The following are some recommended guidelines for scoping reviews:

• Scoping Reviews  from the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis
• Current best practices for the conduct of scoping reviews, from the EQUATOR Network

In addition to protocols which provide holistic guidance for conducting specific kinds of reviews, there are also a vast number of frameworks, checklists, and other tools available to help focus your review and ensure comprehensiveness. Some provide broader-level guidance; others are targeted to specific parts of your reviews such as data extraction or reporting out results.

• PICO or PICOC A framework for posing a researchable question (population, intervention, comparisons, outcomes, context/environment)
• PRISMA Minimum items to report upon in a systematic review, as well as its extensions , such as  PRISMA-ScR (for scoping reviews)
• SALSA framework: frames the literature review into four parts: search (S), appraisal(AL), synthesis(S), analysis(A)
• STARLITE Minimum requirements for reporting out on literature reviews.
• Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) Checklists Includes a checklist for evaluating Systematic Reviews.

These are just a sampling of specific guides generated from the ever-growing literature review industry.

Much of the online discussion about the use of Google Scholar in literature reviews seems to focus more on values and ideals, rather than a technical assessment of the search engine's role. Here are some things to keep in mind.

• It's good practice to use both Google Scholar and subject-specific databases (example: PsycINFO) for conducting a lit review of any type. For most graduate-level literature reviews, it is usually recommended to use both.
• You should search Google Scholar through the library's website when off-campus. This way you can avoid being prompted for payment to access articles that the SFU Library already subscribes to.
• Search tips for Google and Google Scholar

Google Advantages:

• Allows you to cast a wide net in your search.
• The most popular articles are revealed
• A high volume of articles are retrieved
• Google's algorithm helps compensate for poorly designed searches
• Full-text indexing of articles is now being done in Google Scholar
• A search feature allow you to search within articles citing your key article
• Excellent for known-item searching or locating a quote/citation
• Helpful when searching for very unique terminology (e.g., places and people)
• Times cited tool can help identify relevant articles
• Extensive searching of non-article, but academic, information items: universities' institutional repositories, US case law, grey literature , academic websites, etc.

Disadvantages:

• The database is not mapped to a specific discipline
• Much less search sophistication and manipulation supported
• Psuedo-Boolean operators
• Missing deep data (e.g., statistics)
• Mysterious algorithms and unknown source coverage at odds with the systematic and transparent requirement of a literature review.
• Searches are optimized (for example, by your location), thwarting the replicability criteria of most literature review types
• Low level of subject and author collocation - that is, bringing together all works by one author or one sub-topic
• Challenging to run searches that involve common words. A search for "art AND time", for example, might bring up results on the art of time management when you are looking for the representation of time in art. In contrast, searching by topic is readily facilitated by use of subject headings in discipline-specific databases. Google Scholar has no subject headings.
• New articles might not be pushed up if the popularity of an article is prioritized
• Indexes articles from predatory publishers , which may be hard to identify if working outside of your field

Unlike Google Scholar, subject specific databases such as  PsycINFO , Medline , or Criminal Justice Abstracts are mapped to a disciplinary perspective. Article citations contain high-quality and detailed metadata. Metadata can be used to build specific searches and apply search limits relevant to your subject area. These databases also often offer access to specialized material in your area such as grey literature , psychological tests, statistics, books and dissertations.

For most graduate-level literature reviews, it is usually recommended to use both. Build careful searches in the subject/academic databases, and check Google Scholar as well.

For most graduate-level lit reviews, you will want to make use of the subject headings (aka descriptors) found in the various databases.

Subject headings are words or phrases assigned to articles, books, and other info items that describe the subject of their content. They are designed to succinctly capture a document's concepts, allowing the researcher to retrieve all articles/info items about that concept using one term. By identifying the subject headings associated with your research areas, and subsequently searching the database for other articles and materials assigned with that same subject heading, you are taking a significant measure to ensure the comprehensiveness of your literature review.

About subject headings:

• They are applied systematically : articles and books will usually have about 3-8 subject headings assigned to their bibliographic record.
• The subject headings come from a finite pool of terms -  one that is updated frequently.
• They are often organized in a hierarchical taxonomy , with subject headings belonging to broader headings, and/or having narrower headings beneath them. Sometimes there are related terms (lateral) as well.
• They provide a standardized way to describe a concept. For instance, a subject heading of "physician" may be used to capture many of the natural language words that describe a physician such as doctor, family doctor, GP, and MD.

One way to identify subject headings (SHs) of interest to you is to start with a keyword search in a database, and see which SHs are associated with the articles of interest.

A. In the below example, we start with a keyword search for "type a" personality in PsycINFO .  A more contemporary term to describe this phenomena is then found in the subject heading field:

B. Another way to identify subject headings related to your topic is to go directly to a database's thesaurus or index. For example, if we are researching depression, the PsycINFO entry for major depression suggests some narrower terms we could focus our search by.

For more in-depth help with using subject headings in a literature review, please contact the Liaison Librarian in your subject area .

• NEW! Covidence . Covidence is a web-based literature review tool that will help you through the process of screening your references, data extraction, and keeping track of your work. Ideal for streamlining systematic reviews, scoping reviews, meta-analyses, and other related methods of evidence synthesis.
• NVivo is a robust software package that helps with management and analysis of qualitative information.The Library's Research Commons offers extensive support for NVivo.
• Research Support Software offered by the Research Commons

Citation management software such as Zotero, Mendeley, or Endnote is essential for completing a substantial lit review. Citation software is a centralized, online location for managing your sources. Specifically, it allows you to:

• Access and manage your sources online, all in one place
• Import references from library databases and websites
• Automatically generate bibliographies and in-text citations within Microsoft Word
• Share your collection of sources with others, and work collaboratively with references
• De-duplicate your search results* (*Note: Mendeley is not recommended for deduplication in systematic reviews.)
• Annotate your citations. Some software allows you to mark up PDFs.
• Note trends in your research such as which journals or authors you cite from the most.

More information on Citation Management Software

Did you know that many databases allow you to save  your search strategies? The advantages of saving and tracking your search strategies online in a literature review include:

• Developing your search strategy in a methodological manner, section by section. For instance, you can run searches for all synonyms and subjects headings associated with one concept, then combine them with different concepts in various combinations.
• Re-running your well-executed search in the future
• Creating search alerts based on a well-designed search, allowing you to stay notified of new research in your area
• Tracking and remember all of the searches you have done. Avoid inadvertently re-doing your searches by being well-documented and systematic as you go along - it's worth the extra effort!

Databases housed on the EBSCO plaform (examples: Business Source Complete, PsycINFO, Medline, Academic Search Premier) allow you to create an free account where you might save your searches:

• Using the EBSCOhost Search History - Tutorial [2:08]
• Creating a Search Alert in EBSCOhost - Tutorial [1:26]

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Literature reviews

Writing a literature review.

The following guide has been created for you by the  Student Learning Advisory Service . For more detailed guidance and to speak to one of our advisers, please book an  appointment  or join one of our  workshops . Alternatively, have a look at our  SkillBuilder  skills videos.   

Preparing a literature review involves:

• Searching for reliable, accurate and up-to-date material on a topic or subject
• Reading and summarising the key points from this literature
• Synthesising these key ideas, theories and concepts into a summary of what is known
• Discussing and evaluating these ideas, theories and concepts
• Identifying particular areas of debate or controversy
• Preparing the ground for the application of these ideas to new research

Finding and choosing material

Ensure you are clear on what you are looking for. ask yourself:.

• What is the specific question, topic or focus of my assignment?
• What kind of material do I need (e.g. theory, policy, empirical data)?
• What type of literature is available (e.g. journals, books, government documents)?

What kind of literature is particularly authoritative in this academic discipline (e.g. psychology, sociology, pharmacy)?

How much do you need?

This will depend on the length of the dissertation, the nature of the subject, and the level of study (undergraduate, Masters, PhD). As a very rough rule of thumb – you may choose 8-10 significant pieces (books and/or articles) for an 8,000 word dissertation, up to 20 major pieces of work for 12-15,000 words, and so on. Bear in mind that if your dissertation is based mainly around an interaction with existing scholarship you will need a longer literature review than if it is there as a prelude to new empirical research. Use your judgement or ask your supervisor for guidance.

Where to find suitable material

Your literature review should include a balance between substantial academic books, journal articles and other scholarly publications. All these sources should be as up-to-date as possible, with the exception of ‘classic texts’ such as major works written by leading scholars setting out formative ideas and theories central to your subject. There are several ways to locate suitable material:

Module bibliography: for undergraduate dissertations, look first at the bibliography provided with the module documentation. Choose one or two likely looking books or articles and then scan through the bibliographies provided by these authors. Skim read some of this material looking for clues: can you use these leads to identify key theories and authors or track down other appropriate material?

Library catalogue search engine: enter a few key words to capture a range of items, but avoid over-generalisations; if you type in something as broad as ‘social theory’ you are likely to get several thousand results. Be more specific: for example, ‘Heidegger, existentialism’. Ideally, you should narrow the field to obtain just a few dozen results. Skim through these quickly to identity texts which are most likely to contribute to your study.

Library bookshelves: browse the library shelves in the relevant subject area and examine the books that catch your eye. Check the contents and index pages, or skim through the introductions (or abstracts, in the case of journal articles) to see if they contain relevant material, and replace them if not. Don’t be afraid to ask one of the subject librarians for further help. Your supervisor may also be able to point you in the direction of some of the important literature , but remember this is your literature search, not theirs.

Online: for recent journal articles you will almost certainly need to use one of the online search engines. These can be found on the ‘Indexing Services’ button on the Templeman Library website. Kent students based at Medway still need to use the Templeman pages to access online journals, although you can get to these pages through the Drill Hall Library catalogue. Take a look as well at the Subject Guides on both the Templeman and DHL websites.

Check that you have made the right selection by asking:

• Has my search been wide enough to ensure that I have identified all the relevant material, but narrow enough to exclude irrelevant material?
• Is there a good enough sample of literature for the level (PhD, Masters, undergraduate) of my dissertation or thesis?
• Have I considered as many alternative points of view as possible?
• Will the reader find my literature review relevant and useful?

Assessing the literature

Read the material you have chosen carefully, considering the following:

• The key point discussed by the author: is this clearly defined
• What evidence has the author produced to support this central idea?
• How convincing are the reasons given for the author’s point of view?
• Could the evidence be interpreted in other ways?
• What is the author's research method (e.g. qualitative, quantitative, experimental, etc.)?
• What is the author's theoretical framework (e.g. psychological, developmental, feminist)?
• What is the relationship assumed by the author between theory and practice?
• Has the author critically evaluated the other literature in the field?
• Does the author include literature opposing their point of view?
• Is the research data based on a reliable method and accurate information?
• Can you ‘deconstruct’ the argument – identify the gaps or jumps in the logic?
• What are the strengths and limitations of this study?
• What does this book or article contribute to the field or topic?
• What does this book or article contribute to my own topic or thesis?

As you note down the key content of each book or journal article (together with the reference details of each source) record your responses to these questions. You will then be able to summarise each piece of material from two perspectives:     

Content: a brief description of the content of the book or article. Remember, an author will often make just one key point; so, what is the point they are making, and how does it relate to your own research project or assignment?

Critical analysis: an assessment of the relative strengths and weaknesses of the evidence used, and the arguments presented. Has anything conveniently been left out or skated over? Is there a counter-argument, and has the author dealt with this adequately? Can the evidence presented be interpreted another way? Does the author demonstrate any obvious bias which could affect their reliability? Overall, based on the above analysis of the author’s work, how do you evaluate its contribution to the scholarly understanding and knowledge surrounding the topic?    

Structuring the literature review

In a PhD thesis, the literature review typically comprises one chapter (perhaps 8-10,000 words), for a Masters dissertation it may be around 2-3,000 words, and for an undergraduate dissertation it may be no more than 2,000 words. In each case the word count can vary depending on a range of factors and it is always best, if in doubt, to ask your supervisor.

The overall structure of the section or chapter should be like any other: it should have a beginning, middle and end. You will need to guide the reader through the literature review, outlining the strategy you have adopted for selecting the books or articles, presenting the topic theme for the review, then using most of the word limit to analyse the chosen books or articles thoroughly before pulling everything together briefly in the conclusion.

Some people prefer a less linear approach. Instead of simply working through a list of 8-20 items on your book review list, you might want to try a thematic approach, grouping key ideas, facts, concepts or approaches together and then bouncing the ideas off each other. This is a slightly more creative (and interesting) way of producing the review, but a little more risky as it is harder to establish coherence and logical sequencing.

Whichever approach you adopt, make sure everything flows smoothly – that one idea or book leads neatly to the next. Take your reader effortlessly through a sequence of thought that is clear, accurate, precise and interesting. 

Writing up your literature review

As with essays generally, only attempt to write up the literature review when you have completed all the reading and note-taking, and carefully planned its content and structure. Find an appropriate way of introducing the review, then guide the reader through the material clearly and directly, bearing in mind the following:

• Be selective in the number of points you draw out from each piece of literature; remember that one of your objectives is to demonstrate that you can use your judgement to identify what is central and what is secondary.
• Summarise and synthesise – use your own words to sum up what you think is important or controversial about the book or article.
• Never claim more than the evidence will support. Too many dissertations and theses are let down by sweeping generalisations. Be tentative and careful in the way you interpret the evidence.
• Keep your own voice – you are entitled to your own point of view provided it is based on evidence and clear argument.
• At the same time, aim to project an objective and tentative tone by using the 3rd person, (for example, ‘this tends to suggest’, ‘it could be argued’ and so on).
• Even with a literature review you should avoid using too many, or overlong, quotes. Summarise material in your own words as much as possible. Save the quotes for ‘punch-lines’ to drive a particular point home.
• Revise, revise, revise: refine and edit the draft as much as you can. Check for fluency, structure, evidence, criticality and referencing, and don’t forget the basics of good grammar, punctuation and spelling.

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Video: Literature Reviews: An Overview for Graduate Students

What is a literature review? What purpose does it serve in research? What should you expect when writing one? Find out here

Writing a literature review is an inevitable part of being a graduate student. So, before spending hours of your time working on a project involving a literature review, it helps to understand what a "literature review" is, and why it is important. 

You may need to do a literature review as a part of a course assignment, a capstone project, or a master's thesis or dissertation. No matter the context, a literature review is an essential part of the research process. 

Some important functions of a literature review are that it helps you to understand a research topic and develop your own perspective on a problem. Not only that, it lets you show your instructor or thesis committee what you know about the topic. 

Your instructor or advisor may assume you know what a literature review is and that you understand what they are expecting from you. You might hear phrases like: "What does the literature show us?" "Connect your ideas to the literature." "Survey the literature on the topic." 

Well, before you can review the literature, you need to make sure you know what is meant by "the literature." A good definition of the literature is that it is a collection of all the scholarly writings on a topic. These writings can be in the form of scholarly, peer reviewed articles, books, and other sources like conference proceedings. These may be called annual meetings or conventions. The literature also includes dissertations written by other graduate students. Collectively, these make up the literature. 

Visually, the literature might look like this. Often there are major works that have been written on a topic, and then other, later, works that build on them. These later works tend to be extending or responding to the original papers in some way. Basically, the literature is a continuously evolving network of scholarly works that interact with each other. 

As you do your own research, you'll begin to understand the relationships in this evolving web and how your own ideas connect to it. 

I'm John Classen, Associate Professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at North Carolina State University. Research is about telling a story, kind of like a chain story where each writer starts with a partial story created by others and takes it where the imagination leads. The existing literature is the story so far. You have to know where you are before you can go forward. But research is not just one linear story; many different lines of study contribute to the story you are trying to write. 

Your job in the literature review is to see where all the loose ends are in the various fields that are most closely related to what you want to do and to figure out what needs to be done next. The background to any good story has to be explained carefully or the reader doesn't know why one thing is important and something else is not; the reader has to understand what's going on. 

In the same way, researchers need the background in the literature of their discipline to know what's going on in their field of study. So, how do you turn a network of articles into a cohesive review of the literature? How do you find and tell the "story" behind your research topic? 

Reviewing the literature is like participating in a conversation. As you read and evaluate articles you begin to understand how they are connected and how they form the story that the authors are telling. Then you start to formulate your own response or contribution. 

This process - discovering relationships in the literature and developing and connecting your own ideas to it - is what helps you turn a network of articles into a coherent review of the literature. 

So what does a literature review look like? There are different types of literature reviews that you may encounter, or be required to write, while in graduate school. Literature reviews can range from being selective to comprehensive. They can also be part of a larger work or stand alone. 

A course assignment is an example of a selective review. It focuses on a small segment of the literature on a topic and makes up the entire work. The literature review in a thesis or dissertation is an example of a comprehensive review that is part of a larger work. 

Most research articles begin with a selective literature review to establish the context for the research reported in the paper. Often this is part of the introduction. Other literature reviews are meant to be fairly comprehensive and also to stand alone. This means that the entire article is devoted to reviewing the literature. 

A literature review that introduces an article can look like this. Here is an article about cognitive behavioral therapy. Here is the literature review, in this article it is part of the introduction. You can tell that the introduction includes a literature review because it discusses important research that has already been published on this topic. 

Here is an example of a stand alone literature review article, in this case, about employment. The article's title states that this is a review of the literature on the topic. However, not all review articles will have the term 'literature review' in their title. In-depth review articles like this are an excellent starting place for research on a topic. 

So, at this point, you may be asking yourself just what's involved in writing a literature review? And how do I get started? 

Writing a literature review is a process with several key steps. Let's look at each part of this process in more detail. 

Your first step involves choosing, exploring, and focusing a topic. At this stage you might discover that you need to tweak your topic or the scope of your research as you learn more about the topic in the literature. Then, of course, you'll need to do some research using article databases, the library catalog, Google Scholar, and other sources to find scholarly information. 

All along you'll be using your brain. You'll want to evaluate what you find and select articles, books, and other publications that will be the most useful. Then, you will need to read through these articles and try to understand, analyze, and critique what you read. 

While researching and organizing your paper, you'll collect a lot of information from many different sources. You can use citation management software like RefWorks, EndNote, or Zotero to help you stay organized. Then, of course, you'll need to write and revise your paper and create your final bibliography. 

One more thing: Writing a literature review is a process, but it is not always a linear process. One step does lead to another, but sometimes your research or reading will point you back to earlier steps as you learn more about your topic and the literature. 

At this point you might be wondering how do I actually review the literature I find? Let's look at what it means to review the literature. 

In the most general sense it means that you collect and read all the relevant papers and other literature on your topic. You want to provide an overview but also highlight key concepts and important papers. As you read you may start by describing and summarizing each article. Then you can start to make connections by comparing and contrasting those papers. 

You will also need to evaluate, analyze, and organize the information from your reading. When you work with the literature you will read and critically examine articles and books to see what's important or out of scope and analyze arguments for strengths and weaknesses. 

When working with the literature it is important to look for relationships between publications. Some of the important relationships between publications that you discover might include major themes and important concepts, as well as critical gaps and disagreements. 

But don't fall into the trap of making your review a laundry list of summaries of the works you read. A literature review is not an annotated bibliography. 

Your goal should be to go one step further and integrate and synthesize what you find in the literature into something new. Ideally, you will create your own conceptual map or outline of the literature on your topic. 

For example, let's say as you read you discover three major concepts that are important in the literature and relevant to your research. You should then identify how the literature - that is, the content in individual articles, books, and other publications - relates to the concepts you discovered. Some publications may be relevant to several concepts; others may apply to only one concept. What's important is that you develop and present your own organization and understanding of the literature. 

Then, when you write your literature review you will end up with a document that is organized by the concepts and relationships you found and developed based on your reading and thinking. Your review will not only cover what's been published on your topic, but will include your own thoughts and ideas. You will be telling the specific story that sets the background and shows the significance of your research. 

Researching and writing a good literature review is a challenging and sometimes intimidating process. Don't be afraid to seek assistance, whether from your adviser or instructor, campus writing center, or your librarian. Many librarians have subject specialties and can be especially helpful in identifying valuable resources and showing you how to obtain relevant information.

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Sample Master Education Literature Review

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Analyse and Explore Contemporary Research Literature to Identify Areas for Service Improvement

Introduction.

Tuberculosis (TB) was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1993. Despite this, it remains a significant cause of mortality and morbidity throughout the world. Tomas et al. (2013) find that tuberculosis has been gradually declining since the 1990s and 2000s, with an estimated nine million incidences of tuberculosis in 2010.

TB is caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis which is an air-borne disease and transmitted when an individual with the active form of the disease sneezes, coughs, spits, or speaks (Bender, Andrews, & Peter, 2010; Bodenmann et al., 2009; Kan, Kalin, & Bruchfeld, 2013; Nuzzo, Golub, Chaulk, & Shah, 2013).

It is estimated that one-third of the global population is infected with tuberculosis, but not all infected people can develop it. The disease can remain latent, asymptomatic, and non-infectious for many years (van der Werf & Zellweger, 2016). However, in about 10% of cases, the infection can reactivate at any time (Werf & Kramarz, 2016a).

The reemergence of tuberculosis in low-prevalence industrialized countries in the West and Australia has become a public health challenge. A part of the disease’s reemergence is attributed to multiple antibiotic resistance and its interaction with AIDS/HIV (Tomás et al., 2013). According to Panchal et al. (2013),

TB is strongly connected with poverty; in developed and less developed countries, 95% of the deaths linked to TB occur in places of poverty and marginalization in developed countries. According to the WHO (2016), population groups who are vulnerable to tuberculosis includes prisoners, injecting drug users, the homeless, ethnic minorities, and migrants – documented or undocumented, refugees, economic and labour migrants, asylum seekers – are those who experience access to health services is complicated by factors of social discrimination, poverty, and isolation.

Various political and socio-economic factors have recently surged the human migration rate, contributing to changes in different patterns of tuberculosis infection (Werf & Kramarz, 2016a). Many Western countries and Australia has seen an increase in TB infection with the influx of migrants and refugees (Rogo et al., 2017).

According to Tomas et al. (2013), in North America, Europe, and Australia, TB disproportionally impacts foreign-born populations that have migrated from Africa, Asia, and/or Latin America because TB infection rates in this area are much higher. In countries with low incidence, the infection rate among foreign-born migrants is ten to twenty times that of the autochthonous population (Tomás et al., 2013).

However, some studies indicate low infection rates in non-immigrant populations (Barniol et al., 2009). Still, the risk of transmission within the immigrant communities in the host country is very high.

Reactivation of latent TB infection is common among immigrant populations. It is considered the main reason behind many TB cases that occur even many years after the arrival of migrants into the host country. Current measures and interventions are not enough to detect latent TB and call for more active surveillance (Moore-Gillon, Davies, & Ormerod, 2010).

Notwithstanding the high proportion of TB cases among immigrants in low-incidence countries, there is an ensuing debate about the screening and educational programs and their public health impact. Research notes that TB control and treatment services in low-incidence countries that house a large population of immigrants face many challenges from the changing patterns of TB. The primary research question the current study looks to answer is;

How is latent tuberculosis tackled among immigrant populations in low-incidence Western countries and Australia regarding screening, educating, and adhering to patients’ treatments?

The current report looks to access and analyze relevant research literature to answer the research question. Understanding these factors plays an imperative role in evaluating and adapting the current programs and processes in place.

Research Aims & Objectives

The general aim of this literature review is to explore screening processes for immigrants, their perceptions and knowledge of TB in addition to educational programs catered for them, and immigrant patient adherence to TB treatment. Using the developed research question and the study’s primary aim, the research objectives have been devised.

• Use current peer-reviewed academic papers and articles to examine the latent TB screening process/programs and patient education programs for immigrant populations in developed countries of the West and Australia.
• Use current peer-reviewed academic papers and articles to examine how well immigrant populations with latent TB adhere to their treatment programs.
• Implement the literature critique model by Caldwell et al. (2005) when analyzing the literature review results.

Three primary themes are being used to organize and analyze the literature review;

• Screening of immigrant populations with latent tuberculosis.
• Education/awareness of latent tuberculosis in immigrant populations.
• Immigrant populations with latent tuberculosis adhering to treatment plans and medication.

Justification of Research

Many immigrant populations migrating to developed countries of the West and Australia are at higher risk of reactivating the latent TB disease. In many low-incidence industrialized countries with the high flux of immigration from less-developed countries, the general tuberculosis control strategies minimize transmission through identifying and curing a high portion of cases.

This strategy’s main components include early detection of TB, adequate treatment adherence for active infections, and detection and prophylactic treatment of latent infections, in some cases (Tomás et al., 2013). However, there is a notable difference between countries regarding screening and education programs for immigrants, such as screening/education locations, the programs’ administrative and financial costs, and legalities for providing care (Werf & Kramarz, 2016b; Wieland et al., 2012).

Often a migrant’s legal, economic and social circumstances can have detrimental impacts on the disease’s progression, diagnosis, treatment, and adherence to the scheme. Not only does this put immigrants at risk, but it also places a large risk to non-immigrant populations.

Immigrants face an array of issues in the process of migration which includes challenges like communication problems, adapting to new surroundings, loss of social support, acculturation, and discrimination which can be further aggravated by fear of TB, the stigmas associated with its diagnosis, fear of deportation, and changes that may need to be made when undergoing TB treatment.

Results from the current research can provide medical professionals insight into the macro-and micro-level impacts of TB on immigrant populations. Understanding these factors may lead to public health policy changes that are more lenient on immigrants and aid the wider community. Nurses can gain practical insight and knowledge from patient care results in immigrant populations with latent TB. The current study can also contribute to the existing literature to improve care and public health policies.

Methodology

Systematic literature review.

The current study uses a systematic literature review of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods studies. The literature review uses rigid methods and analysis to identify, evaluate and synthesize scientific evidence from primary studies on latent tuberculosis among immigrant populations.

According to Boland et al. (2013), a systematic literature review is designed to “locate, appraise, and synthesize” the best available evidence related to a specific research question to provide informed, evidence-based answers. In evidence-based nursing, a systematic literature review aids nurses in deciding whether the evidence is relevant to a particular patient.

It provides balanced clinical expertise pointing out the risks and benefits of specific procedures, treatments, and processes (Bettany-Saltikov, 2012). This study’s approach is relevant to tackling latent tuberculosis in immigrants allowing professionals insight into the screening process, adherence to treatment, views, and attitudes towards tuberculosis.

Search Strategy

The current study’s Searches were carried out in the following databases: NCBI/PubMed, PLOS one, Embase, and Springer. These databases are used because of the number of articles they house and provide access to relevant topics to study.

Search topics in these databases included terms like “tuberculosis,” “immigrants,” “screening,” “adherence to treatment,” and “education” in combination with search terms and MeSH descriptions. The concept of “immigrant” in the current study uses a broad interpretation that includes asylum-seekers, economic refugees, and international migrants.

Refinement of search terms is essential to ensure that time is spent narrowing down appropriate literature (Holly, Salmond, & Saimbert, 2011). A second stage manual search was conducted on the selected articles’ bibliographies to identify the maximum possible relevant articles. A final internet search using Google Scholar was used to minimize the possibility of losing relevant sources.

Inclusion & Exclusion Criteria

Both qualitative and quantitative studies were included in the systematic literature review. The search was limited to studies that were published in English. It was also necessary that publication remain recent, making it essential to limit the publication date from 2009-2017.

However, the study’s place was partially restricted in the search only to include industrialized Western countries and Australia. Studies that were literature reviews of any kind were excluded from the study.

Also, studies that had conducted any randomized control trial were excluded from this literature review. Such studies were excluded because they could not provide relevant data regarding the selected themes used to analyze the literature.

Study Selection

The initial results using the databased highlighted above identified a total of 3,223 articles. This was reduced to 2,394 articles when removing duplicates/overlapping articles from each database (829 duplicates). Afterward, titles and abstracts were reviewed, removing 2,041 articles since they were irrelevant to the research topic.

The 353 remaining articles were then read, both abstracts and full-text versions, resulting in 22 articles that were selected as meeting the inclusion criteria set above. Each of the articles’ bibliographies was then searched in addition to searches on Google Scholar, which further identified 6 articles that met the inclusion criteria. A total of 28 articles were finalized for inclusion in the literature review.

The selected articles were then compiled into a matrix to synthesize them based on the devised themes for analysis. The themes included are screening immigrants, education/knowledge of immigrants on latent tuberculosis, and adherence to immigrants’ treatments. The matrix of studies can be found in appendix A.

Framework for Analysing Research Articles

Baker (2014) asserted the necessity for becoming familiar with the work being analyzed to examine its relevance, strengths, and limitations to the research question when critiquing a piece of literature. Hence, the literature review uses the model developed by Caldwell et al. (2005) in critiquing literature (see fig.2) as the standard.

Figure 2- Research Critique Framework (Caldwell et al., 2005)

The model proposed by Caldwell et al. (2005) has a basic framework that breaks down the process of critiquing into four main questions that need to be answered.

This includes; ensuring that the literature review is current and comprehensive; if the sample is adequately described and reflective of the population for quantitative studies; if the selection criteria for recruiting patients is described and if a sampling method is identified for qualitative studies; and if the conclusion of the study is comprehensive (Caldwell et al., 2005).

Literature Review

Results and findings.

A total of 28 articles were reviewed for the current literature review, with all the articles summaries and implications provided in Appendix A of this report. Complete analysis in this chapter of each piece of literature was not possible due to the current report’s word limit’s constrictions. Each of the articles presented one or more of the themes designated for analysis.

Each article is organized based on the themes they held and analyzed based on the Caldwell et al. (2005) model discussed earlier. The purpose of the investigation was to identify trends in the literature that may lead to contradictions or gaps/weaknesses that need to be filled.

Each piece of literature has been organized based on the themes being discussed and chronologically, based on the publication date from oldest to newest.

Panchal et al. (2013) study the potential impact on prospective TB incidence of implementing a strategy of targeted LTBI screening when immigrant registers with primary care. The study finds that LTBI screening at primary care registration provides an effective strategy for potentially identifying immigrants at high risk for developing TB (Panchal et al., 2013).

However, the study includes missing data into its statistical analysis, making it extremely probable for the study to have an extreme bias. The missing data is associated with the study’s cohorts’ attrition with internal migration away from the region during the observation period and the possibility of under ascertaining TB cases before 2006 (Panchal et al., 2013).

Schepisi et al. (2013) assessed adherence to and yield of TB screening programs based on symptom screening conducted at primary care centres for regular and irregular refugees/asylum seekers and immigrants in Rome, Italy. Evidence found that verbal symptom screening for TB of migrants in primary healthcare centres had yielded a higher percentage of migrants visiting specified TB clinics (Schepisi et al., 2013).

The study reports 254 individuals that provided at least one symptom of active TB during screening. Of these patients referred to a TB clinic, about half of them were present for further diagnosis and eventual treatment. A drawback to the study was the lack of detail on the screening model used.

The study does not outline TB symptoms used to determine a migrant’s eligibility to be recommended to TB clinics. It was found that 30 percent of migrants were not referred for further diagnostic evaluation (Schepisi et al., 2013), which ultimately questions the entire results.

Bennett et al. (2014) used TBHI screening results to analyze the prevalence of LTBI among the refugee population in San Diego, California, from January 2010 and October 2012. Based on the study, the screening initiative indicated 43 percent of cases with LTBI come from Sub-Saharan Africa (Bennett, Brodine, Waalen, Moser, & Rodwell, 2014).

The study found that these patients were less likely to initiate treatment than refugees from the Middle East. Bennett et al. (2014) also found that refugees with post-secondary education at minimum were more likely to participate in screening, understanding the disease, and then initiating treatment.

One of the study’s drawbacks is its methodology, which heavily relied on self-report data on factors such as smoking, diabetes, malignancy, ESRD, and education (Bennett et al., 2014). Therefore, there is an excellent chance of information bias which may have limited the variables’ accuracy or underreported because of perceived stigma.

Heuvelings et al. (2016) focus on screening techniques in European countries and Canada for LTBI. The study focuses the screening efforts placed on a category of the “vulnerable” population, including migrants, those of foreign birth, homeless people, drug/alcohol abusers, prisoners, and people with HIV in big cities (Heuvelings et al., 2016).

The study finds that screening uptake improves after vulnerable populations are specifically accommodated based on their unique needs (Heuvelings et al., 2016). The study is lacking in differentiating between populations and their correlations with screening. The study’s major research gap clans the screening effects into one broad category labelled “vulnerable population. Therefore, the study results are difficult to comprehend as generalizations are made to son in the study.

Pareek et al. (2016) examine the significance of LTBI on high-income countries with foreign-born patients to determine the best possible screening processes to lower the disproportionate burden of TB on these countries. The study focuses on multiple countries by reviewing their screening strategies in terms of yield and cost-effectiveness.

The study finds that common screening methods used for LTBI include tuberculin skin tests and interferon-gamma release assay, which is conducted post-arrival to the host countries (Pareek et al., 2016). The study finds that most high-income countries do not practice screening for LTBI. Do so post-arrival However, those who do, Pareek et al. (2016) see this method to be programmatically challenging to implement with the number of immigrants accepting and completing treatment to be suboptimal.

Zenner et al. (2017) examined the screening program Blackburn TST-based LTBI screening between 1989 and 2001 and further studied the treatment program between 2009 and 2013 that had used QuantiFERON (QFT) testing. According to the study, screening programs were aimed at recent migrants from high incidence TB areas identified through registrations with primary care physicians or a referral from the port of arrival (Zenner et al., 2017).

The comparative study of the two screening methods shows that there was a better predictive value of QFT than compared to TST. Zenner et al. (2017) also observe a greater reactivation rate of LTBI in the immigrant population, particularly immigrants from Southeast Asia, primarily from Pakistan and India.

However, there is a significant research gap found in Zenner et al.’s (2017) study, which is the length of the follow-up timing with participants being far-ranging and, in some cases, unknown. There are also cases in the study with participants that had entered the UK, resided, and then exited the UK (with the date of exit unknown), only to reenter again.

Tardin et al. (2009) aimed to analyze TB in a low-incidence area (i.e., area in Geneva) using a computerized database that had identified an unusually high proportion of patients coming from a specific country between 2004 and 2006. Aside from its primary aim, the study also conducted a cultural evaluation to examine the social stigma of TB in the community, especially for contact tracing methods.

The study was primarily quantitative, focusing on 13 patients diagnosed with TB and using RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) analysis. Tardin et al. (2009) were able to identify all the possible ethical issues in the study. To maintain ethical credibility, Tardin et al. (2009) addressed these issues and maintained its integrity and participants.

The study’s main findings are the revelation that the community has the low acceptance of the diagnosis of TB as it’s considered a ‘dirty and sinful” disease that only impacts people of low status or living deprived life (Tardin et al., 2009). The study provided a cultural evaluation that allowed several strategies to use community characteristics to facilitate contact tracing by enhancing TB testing and portraying it as a desirable social behaviour.

Wieland et al. (2012) examine the use of English as a second language program at a community centre as the backdrop setting of understanding perceptions about TB among foreign-born persons. The study was qualitative in that it used focus groups as a means for data collection among 83 participants. The study found a plethora of misconceptions about the transmission of TB and nearly no knowledge of latent TB.

The hindrance to obtaining TB-related knowledge was practical consideration for the foreign-born participants, like transportation costs and conflicts with their work schedule.

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Butcher et al. (2013) examined 52 participants who were refugees and undergoing Isoniazid treatment for LTBI. The questionnaire distributed to participants focused on total knowledge and total side effects scores.

The study found a range of misconceptions about how TB was spread via water, dust, wind, or pollution (Butcher et al., 2013). These misconceptions impacted the patient’s willingness to take medication and comply with the treatment standards.

Colson et al. (2014) examine the TB knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of foreign-born people in the US and Canada. The study finds that most participants had correctly answered their knowledge-based question son TB, while a majority also answered the perceived questions in the affirmative (Colson et al., 2014). Participants from Mexico and Latin America had a higher model adjusted knowledge score than immigrants from other world regions.

Gao et al. (2015) studied the knowledge and perceptions of LTBI among Chinese immigrants in Canada. The study is brilliantly executed by honing a specific immigrant population in a high-income low incidence country.

The study uses a mixed-methods methodology different from other studies discussed under this theme that used quantitative research approaches. Gao et al. first used a cross-section patient survey with focus group discussions with Chinese immigrants to understand the cultural perception of LTBI (2015).

The study results are significant as they suggest a significant concern in receiving the complex healthcare system. This took away the immigrant group’s want for testing and treatment.

Gao et al.’s (2017) focused on studying education material for immigrants regarding tuberculosis and LTBI. The study used a video that was a culturally tailored, multi-lingual, 4.5-minute health promotional video focused on LTBI with Canadian immigrants (Gao et al., 2017). Gao et al. (2017) found that 84 percent of viewers had found the video helpful while viewing the video caused a 21 percent increase in knowledge about LTBI.

This includes a significant increase in basic knowledge of LBTI transmission, symptoms, and treatments. However, the study did not focus on the video’s potential adverse effects, such as exaggerated fear, which can be considered an ethical ramification of conducting the study (Gao et al., 2017).

The study also lacked a long-term follow-up to determine if the knowledge that was gained was sustained. A major gap is the lack of clinical evidence that correlates knowledge acquisition to greater treatment or seeking screening.

Adherence to Treatment

Trauer and Krause’s (2011) study focused on newly arrived refugees from February 2006 to January 2009, studying the prevalence of latent TB and their adherence to treatments. The study found that older male patients from the Eastern Mediterranean region were associated with increased latent TB.

However, the results found that only 44 percent of refugees had completed treatment (Trauer & Krause, 2011). The common reason for discontinuation or non-adherence to treatments was gastrointestinal side effects and their loss to follow-up. There were no cultural obstacles to the acceptance of treatment or stigmas that hindered treatment regimes.

Nuzzo et al. (2013) looked to determine the proportion of refugee patients at the Baltimore City Health Department TB program completing their LTBI treatment compared to other referral groups. Examine 841 patients, and it was concluded that 81 percent of refugees had completed their LTBI treatments compared to 50 percent of non-refugee patients and 35 percent of US-born patients (Nuzzo et al., 2013).

The findings are not presented because the research approach mainly focused on quantitative research, which does not examine participant opinions or perspectives, keeping strictly to empirical analysis measures. This lack of analysis in the study prevents it from reaching its full potential and brings to question the conclusions drawn in the study.

The lack of explanation is a major research gap that needs to be filled to understand more refugees’ phenomena adhering to treatment than native-born patients.

Kan et al. (2013) aimed at studying treatment completion in refugees to identify factors associated with failure to complete preventive treatments. The study had found that younger patients from Somalia and asylum seekers were more likely not to complete their preventative treatments.

However, the trend of medication completers has increased by 16 percent, most like caused by a skewness from an influx of European immigrants (Kan et al., 2013). The skewed data used for comparison purposes in the study makes it more challenging to provide accurate conclusions to question the entire study.

Peluso et al. (2014) focused on analysing a student-run free clinic for LTBI patients in a predominately Hispanic immigrant community. The study found that their foundation, which focused on cultural case management, improved adherence to LTBI treatments. The free clinic model used matching patients and providers based on language competence and social or cultural affiliations (Peluso et al., 2014).

There was improved communication between patient and provider through shared language, direct phone call access, and patient-centred interviews (Peluso et al., 2014). The drawback to the study is that it used a relatively small sample size, making it difficult to draw definitive conclusions from the statistical comparison of factors linked to treatment outcome and adherence to treatment.

Subedi et al. (2015) examined the evaluation and treatment of LTBI in refugees at various member clinics of Philadelphia Refugee Health Collaborative (PRHC) vs. non-PRHC clinics. Subedi et al. (2015) examine a specific model implemented in PRHC practices hiring a bilingual refugee health service coordinator.

This resulted in refugees being screened in great proportion, attending follow-up appointments, and completing the course of treatment. The model studied bases its success on a multidisciplinary approach whereby doctors, nurses, social workers, and caseworkers manage refugees’ screening, evaluation, and treatment follow-up.

From the sample, 89 refugees completed follow-up appointments and 34 completed treatments in PRHC clinics compared to only 31 completing follow-ups and 9 completing treatments in non-PRHC clinics (Subedi et al., 2015).

Rogo et al. (2017), in their quantitative study, studied 120 patients with LTBI in Rhode Island. The study followed these participants over their 9-month course of Isoniazid, all of them being children. The study compared refugee patients with those who were not refugees to develop a basis for their conclusions.

The study has found a greater completion rate among refugee populations as they had adhered better to treatment regimes, especially among female patients. The refugee population also attended more scheduled visits compared to non-refugee patients in the study.

Service Improvement

The literature review provides insight into the clinical issues related to screening, education, and adherence to treatment among immigrant populations with latent TB. Older studies in the current literature review, those pre-dating 2010, have shown that there is generally a low level of knowledge about latent TB and widespread misconceptions about the disease, especially regarding its transmission.

Some of the respondents in the studies did not have basic knowledge about the nature of bacteria and infection related to airborne transmission (Colson, Franks, Sondengam, Hirsch-Moverman, & El-Sadr, 2010; Nkulu, Hurtig, Ahlm, & Krantz, 2010; Wieland et al., 2012) but participants in other studies had attributed the disease to its correct facts (Colson et al., 2014; Gao et al., 2017; Rogo et al., 2017).

The attitudes and perceptions differed in each study based on its research location and the immigrant’s ethnicity group being studied. For example, in Gao et al. (2015), Chinese immigrants viewed the disease as irresponsible lifestyles or caused by living conditions, while the study conducted by Kan et al. (2013) found that Somali refugees considered TB to be a form of divine punishment for those that practiced a form of witchcraft or were dishonest.

When only focusing on immigrants’ education, the results provide insight into how the other three themes are impacted. With lack of education, more immigrants are likely not to adhere to preventive treatments, active treatments, and participate in screenings which were evident from the results obtained from studies like Bodenmann et al. (2009); Kulanes et al. (2010); Minodier et al. (2010); and Rogo et al. (2017).

Therefore, healthcare organizations and policy-making bodies need to widen their reach in immigrant populations to educate them on TB and latent TB. A greater awareness in the population will result in immigrants participating in a great deal more in screening and treatment. Heuvelings et al. (2016) found in their study that mobile screening units in Canada had increased the percentage of screenings in the country’s immigrant population.

Keeping in line with this service, it is recommended that low-incidence but high-income countries with large immigrant populations should invest in mobile health units dedicated to preventive diseases, like latent TB, to become available to their immigrant communities. A similar case was studied by Ospina et al. (2012), which found that community health workers improved screening and contact tracing among immigrants with TB in Barcelona.

Using a group of volunteer nurses, a mobile health unit’s strategy designated to specific areas that hold large populations of immigrants can help bring the incidence rate down. None of the literature reviewed in the current study has examined this particular strategy, most probably because it is non-existent.

However, this strategy’sactual implementation may be led to research in this area that focuses on mobile health units’ impact on screening, education, and adherence to treatment for latent TB.

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The current study aimed to study how latent TB was tackled in the immigrant populations of low-incidence and high-income countries of the West and Australia. The literature review answered the research question to the fullest extent based on the available data. The current report uses 28 articles that were selected using the procedure of the systematic literature review.

Each of the articles was then analyzed using Caldwell et al. (2005) to critique academic literature. Based on the review, it is found that immigrant populations have a great lack of education in the topic of latent TB, often associated with their cultural misconceptions.

Articles published before 2010 found greater misinformation among immigrant populations, while more recent articles, particularly those published in 2017, saw a greater amount of awareness amongst them. The study has found various ways in which latent TB screening occurs, each differing based on the host country conducting the screening process.

However, most countries screen latent TB before the arrival of the host country. Studies have found that this allows for a greater chance of reactivation of latent TB among the immigrant population. There is no universal form of screening, causing disparities of TB incidences in each host country.

One of the most critical findings of the study was refugees’ great participation in adherence to TB and latent TB treatments compared to other forms of immigration and even native-born patients. Unfortunately, the studies analyzed could not provide the underlying cause for this phenomenon, proving a wide research gap in the literature.

Based on the literature review findings, a service improvement recommendation was made to improve the status of TB among immigrant populations in low-incidence, high-income countries.

The recommendation is made to healthcare organizations of such countries and policymakers – a greater effort in education and awareness programs targeted to immigrant communities in host countries. It was recommended that government and healthcare providers invest in mobile units dedicated to educating, screening, and providing treatment to immigrant communities for preventable diseases.

This recommendation’s justification comes from the literature review, which links a lack of education and knowledge to a lack of screening and non-adherence to treatments. This conclusion is based on correlation and not causation, as all the literature studied did not explain the relationship between these factors.

Barniol, J., Niemann, S., Louis, V. R., Brodhun, B., Dweck, C., Richter, E., … Junghanss, T. (2009). Transmission dynamics of pulmonary tuberculosis between autochthonous and immigrant sub-populations. BMC Infectious Diseases, 9, 197. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2334-9-197

Bender, A., Andrews, G., & Peter, E. (2010). Displacement and tuberculosis: recognition in nursing care. Health & Place, 16(6), 1069–1076. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2010.06.007

Bennett, R. J., Brodine, S., Waalen, J., Moser, K., & Rodwell, T. C. (2014). Prevalence and treatment of latent tuberculosis infection among newly arrived refugees in San Diego County, January 2010-October 2012. American Journal of Public Health, 104(4), e95–e102. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301637

Bettany-Saltikov, J. (2012). How To Do A Systematic Literature Review In Nursing: A Step-By-Step Guide: A Step-By-Step Guide. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).

Bodenmann, P., Vaucher, P., Wolff, H., Favrat, B., de Tribolet, F., Masserey, E., & Zellweger, J.-P. (2009). Screening for latent tuberculosis infection among undocumented immigrants in Swiss healthcare centres; a descriptive exploratory study. BMC Infectious Diseases, 9, 34. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2334-9-34

Boland, A., Cherry, M. G., & Dickson, R. (2013). Doing a Systematic Review: A Student’s Guide. SAGE.

Butcher, K., Biggs, B.-A., Leder, K., Lemoh, C., O’Brien, D., & Marshall, C. (2013). Understanding of latent tuberculosis, its treatment, and treatment side effects in immigrant and refugee patients. BMC Research Notes, 6, 342. https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-0500-6-342

Colson, P. W., Couzens, G. L., Royce, R. A., Kline, T., Chavez-Lindell, T., Well, S., … Tuberculosis Epidemiologic Studies Consortium (TBESC). (2014). Examining the impact of patient characteristics and symptomatology on knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs among foreign-born tuberculosis cases in the US and Canada. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 16(1), 125–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-013-9787-7

Colson, P. W., Franks, J., Sondengam, R., Hirsch-Moverman, Y., & El-Sadr, W. (2010). Tuberculosis knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs in foreign-born and US-born patients with latent tuberculosis infection. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 12(6), 859–866. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-010-9338-4

Gao, J., Berry, N. S., Taylor, D., Venners, S. A., Cook, V. J., & Mayhew, M. (2015). Knowledge and Perceptions of Latent Tuberculosis Infection among Chinese Immigrants in a Canadian Urban Centre. International Journal of Family Medicine, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/546042

Gao, J., Cook, V. J., & Mayhew, M. (2017). Preventing Tuberculosis in a Low Incidence Setting: Evaluation of a Multi-lingual, Online, Educational Video on Latent Tuberculosis. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-017-0601-9

Guh, A., Sosa, L., Hadler, J. L., & Lobato, M. N. (2011). Missed opportunities to prevent tuberculosis in foreign-born persons, Connecticut, 2005-2008. The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease: The Official Journal of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, 15(8), 1044–1049. https://doi.org/10.5588/ijtld.10.0518

Holly, C., Salmond, S., & Saimbert, M. (2011). Comprehensive Systematic Review for Advanced Nursing Practice. Springer Publishing Company. Kan, B., Kalin, M., & Bruchfeld, J. (2013). Completing treatment for latent tuberculosis: patient background matters. The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, 17(5), 597–602. https://doi.org/10.5588/ijtld.12.0692

Kulane, A., Ahlberg, B. M., & Berggren, I. (2010). “It is more than the issue of taking tablets”: the interplay between migration policies and TB control in Sweden. Health Policy (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 97(1), 26–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2010.02.014

Minodier, P., Lamarre, V., Carle, M.-E., Blais, D., Ovetchkine, P., & Tapiero, B. (2010). Evaluation of a school-based program for diagnosis and treatment of latent tuberculosis infection in immigrant children. Journal of Infection and Public Health, 3(2), 67–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiph.2010.02.001

Moore-Gillon, J., Davies, P. D. O., & Ormerod, L. P. (2010). Rethinking TB screening: politics, practicalities and the press. Thorax, 65(8), 663–665. https://doi.org/10.1136/thx.2009.132373

Nkulu, F. K., Hurtig, A.-K., Ahlm, C., & Krantz, I. (2010). Screening migrants for tuberculosis – a missed opportunity for improving knowledge and attitudes in high-risk groups: A cross-sectional study of Swedish-language students in Umeå, Sweden. BMC Public Health, 10(1), 349. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-10-349

Nuzzo, J. B., Golub, J. E., Chaulk, P., & Shah, M. (2013). Analysis of Latent Tuberculosis Infection Treatment Adherence Among Refugees and Other Patient Groups Referred to the Baltimore City Health Department TB Clinic, February 2009–March 2011. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 17(1), 56–65. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-013-9882-9

Ospina, J. E., Orcau, À., Millet, J.-P., Sánchez, F., Casals, M., & Caylà, J. A. (2012). Community health workers improve contact tracing among immigrants with tuberculosis in Barcelona. BMC Public Health, 12(1), 158. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-12-158

Panchal, R. K., Browne, I., Monk, P., Woltmann, G., & Haldar, P. (2013). The effectiveness of primary care-based risk stratification for targeted latent tuberculosis infection screening in recent immigrants to the UK: a retrospective cohort study. Thorax, 69(4), 354–362. https://doi.org/10.1136/thoraxjnl-2013-203805

Pareek, M., Greenaway, C., Noori, T., Munoz, J., & Zenner, D. (2016). The impact of migration on tuberculosis epidemiology and control in high-income countries: a review. BMC Medicine, 14, 48. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-016-0595-5

Pareek, M., Watson, J. P., Ormerod, L. P., Kon, O. M., Woltmann, G., White, P. J., … Lalvani, A. (2011). Screening of immigrants in the UK for imported latent tuberculosis: a multicentre cohort study and cost-effectiveness analysis. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 11(6), 435–444. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(11)70069-X

Peluso, M. J., Hung, A., Lukasiewicz, A., Chang, H., Ramallo, J., Bartlett, M., … Ellis, P. (2014). Successful management of latent tuberculosis infection in an underserved community by a student-run free clinic. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 25(2), 837–862. https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2014.0109

Rogo, T., Eleanya, C., Hirway, P., Pelland, D., Lewis, C., Dennehy, P., & Losikoff, P. (2017). Adherence to Latent Tuberculosis Infection Treatment in a Population with a High Number of Refugee Children. Rhode Island Medical Journal (2013), 100(2), 34–38.

Schepisi, M. S., Gualano, G., Fellus, C., Bevilacqua, N., Vecchi, M., Piselli, P., … Girardi, E. (2013). Tuberculosis case finding based on symptom screening among immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in Rome. BMC Public Health, 13(1), 872. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-872

Subedi, P., Drezner, K. A., Dogbey, M. C., Newbern, E. C., Yun, K., Scott, K. C., … Johnson, C. C. (2015). Evaluation of latent tuberculous infection and treatment completion for refugees in Philadelphia, PA, 2010-2012. The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease: The Official Journal of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, 19(5), 565–569. https://doi.org/10.5588/ijtld.14.0729

Tardin, A., Dominicé Dao, M., Ninet, B., & Janssens, J.-P. (2009). Tuberculosis cluster in an immigrant community: case identification issues and a transcultural perspective. Tropical Medicine & International Health, 14(9), 995–1002. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3156.2009.02325.x

Tomás, B. A., Pell, C., Cavanillas, A. B., Solvas, J. G., Pool, R., & Roura, M. (2013). Tuberculosis in Migrant Populations. A Systematic Review of Qualitative Literature. PLOS ONE, 8(12), e82440. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0082440 Torgerson, C. (2003). Systematic Reviews. A&C Black.

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Zenner, D., Loutet, M. G., Harris, R., Wilson, S., & Ormerod, L. P. (2017). Evaluating 17 years of latent tuberculosis infection screening in northwest England: a retrospective cohort study of reactivation. The European Respiratory Journal, 50(1). https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.02505-2016

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