Let’s simplify the steps to writing a literature review:
- Decide What You’re Doing: Figure out why you’re writing the literature review. Are you doing it for a big project like a thesis, or a smaller one like a research paper? This will help you know how much work you need to do.
- Find Your Sources: Look for books, articles, and other things that talk about your topic. You can use online tools like Google Scholar to help you. Use words related to your topic to find what you need.
- Check Your Sources: Make sure the things you found are good and reliable. Look at who wrote it, where it was published, and what it says. Make sure it’s related to your topic and makes sense.
- Read and Take Notes: Read each source and write down the important parts. Write down the main points, what they did in their research, what they found, and what they think it means. Also, look for things they didn’t answer or talk about.
- Sort Your Notes: After you’ve read everything, sort your notes into groups. You could group them by what they talk about or how they did their research. This will help you see the bigger picture and find any gaps.
- Write Your Review: Start by telling the reader what you’re going to talk about and why. Then, talk about each group of notes. Don’t just list what each source says – try to connect them together. Finish by summarizing what you found and what it means for your own work.
- Fix Any Mistakes: Check your work for any mistakes or things that aren’t clear. Make sure you’ve backed up your points and that your references are right. You could also ask someone else to read it and give you feedback.
Remember, a literature review isn’t just a list of sources. It’s a detailed look at what’s already been done on your topic. Your goal is to show what we know, what we don’t know, and how your work fits in.
