How can you format a literature review?

1 Define your scope and criteria

Before you start formatting your literature review, you need to define your scope and criteria for selecting and organizing your sources. This is essential for narrowing down your search, avoiding irrelevant or outdated information, and creating a coherent framework for your analysis. You should think about the research question and objectives, the purpose and type of literature review, the scope and boundaries, as well as the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Specifically, consider what you are trying to answer or achieve with your literature review in relation to the overall project or field of study. Moreover, determine what kind of literature review you are writing, whether it is a standalone assignment or a section of a research paper. Additionally, decide on the parameters of the literature review such as the time frame, geographical area, population, discipline, or theoretical perspective that will be focused on. Finally, establish what criteria will be used to choose sources for the literature review based on their types, formats, languages, qualities, and dates.

2 Search and evaluate your sources

When conducting a literature review, it is important to search and evaluate sources that match your scope and criteria. To do this, you should use multiple and diverse sources, such as books, journals, reports, databases, websites, and media. Additionally, you should use keywords and filters to refine your results according to your criteria. Citation tools such as Google Scholar, Zotero, or Mendeley can help you track, organize, and cite your sources. You should also use the references and bibliographies of the sources you find to identify more relevant and reliable sources. Doing so will give you different perspectives on your topic as well as primary and secondary sources depending on your type and purpose of literature review.

3 Organize and structure your literature review

After searching and evaluating your sources, you need to organize and structure your literature review to fit the type and purpose. This involves grouping and categorizing your sources according to common themes, patterns, trends, gaps, or controversies that emerge from your analysis. You should also compare the similarities and differences among the sources, and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, you should order your sources logically to support your research question and objectives. You can use different methods such as chronological, thematic, methodological, or theoretical. Furthermore, you should create an outline and format for your literature review with headings, subheadings, paragraphs, sentences, and punctuation to present the information clearly and consistently. Additionally, use transitions and signposts to connect and guide readers through the literature review.

4 Write and revise your literature review

When formatting your literature review, you should write and revise your work according to your outline and format. This includes writing an introduction, a body, and a conclusion, as well as editing and proofreading. Your introduction should introduce your topic, provide background and context, state your research question and objectives, explain your scope and criteria, and outline the main points and structure of your literature review. Your body should develop and discuss the main points and categories of your literature review, using evidence and examples from your sources. You should also analyze, synthesize, and critique the sources, showing how they relate to your research question, objectives, and gaps. Your conclusion should summarize the main findings and implications of your literature review, highlight the limitations and gaps, and suggest directions for future research or practice. Finally, you should edit and proofread your literature review to check the content, structure, style, and accuracy of your work. Be sure to use appropriate citations and references to acknowledge your sources and avoid plagiarism. Formatting a literature review can be challenging but is also an opportunity to demonstrate critical thinking skills.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?