What is the best structure to use when writing a literature review?

1 Define your scope

Before you start searching for sources, you need to define the scope of your literature review. What is the main question or problem that you are addressing? What are the subtopics or themes that you will cover? How broad or narrow is your focus? How will you limit the time frame, geographical area, population, or discipline of your research? Having a clear scope will help you select the most relevant and reliable sources for your topic.

2 Search and select sources

Once you have defined your scope, you need to search for sources that match your criteria. You can use various databases, search engines, libraries, or references from other sources to find relevant literature. You should use keywords, filters, and advanced search options to narrow down your results. As you search, you should keep track of the sources that you find and evaluate their quality, credibility, and relevance. You should also check the citations and references of the sources to find more literature on your topic.

3 Organize and categorize sources

After you have selected your sources, you need to organize and categorize them according to their similarities and differences. You can use different methods to group your sources, such as chronological, thematic, methodological, theoretical, or conceptual. For example, you can arrange your sources by the time period they cover, the main themes they address, the methods they use, the theories they apply, or the concepts they define. You should also identify the gaps, contradictions, or controversies in the literature and how they relate to your research question.

4 Summarize and synthesize sources

Next, you need to summarize and synthesize the main points and arguments of your sources. You should not just list or describe the sources, but rather analyze and integrate them into a coherent narrative. You should highlight the key findings, contributions, limitations, and implications of each source and how they support or challenge your research question. You should also compare and contrast the sources and show how they relate to each other and to your topic.

5 Critique and evaluate sources

Finally, you need to critique and evaluate the sources and their quality, validity, and reliability. You should not just accept the sources as facts, but rather question their assumptions, methods, evidence, and conclusions. You should also consider the perspectives, biases, and agendas of the authors and how they affect their arguments. You should also assess the strengths and weaknesses of the sources and how they impact your research question. You should also provide your own interpretation, opinion, and position on the topic.