How Many Sources Should Be in a Literature Review

As every pupil knows, writing academic essays and research papers is an integral part of the educational program. You create a thesis, support it using valid sources, and formulate systematic ideas to surround it. Withal, not all students know that they will likewise take to face another type of paper known as a Literature Review in higher.

Literature Review Definition

As this is a less common academic writing type, students often inquire: "What is a literature review?" According to the definition, a literature review is a body of work that explores various publications within a specific discipline, and sometimes inside a set timeframe.

This type of writing requires yous to read and analyze various sources that chronicle to the primary subject and nowadays each unique comprehension of the publications. Lastly, a literature review should combine a summary with a synthesis of the documents it uses. A summary is a cursory overview of the important information in the publication; a synthesis is a re-organization of the information that gives the writing a new and unique meaning.

Typically, a literature review is a office of a larger paper, such as a thesis or dissertation. However, you lot may also be given it in the form of a stand-lonely consignment.

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The Purpose

The chief purpose of a literature review is to summarize and synthesize the ideas that were created past previous authors, without implementing personal opinions or other additional information.

However, a literature review'southward objective is not but to list out summaries of sources; rather, information technology is to observe a central trend or principle seen within all of the publications. Simply similar a research newspaper has a thesis that guides it on rails, a literature review has a master organizing principle (MOP). The goal of this type of academic writing is to identify the MOP and testify how it exists in all of your supporting documents.

Why is a literature review important? The value of such work is explained by the following goals it pursues:

• Highlights the significance of the main topic inside a specific field of study area.
• Demonstrates and explains the groundwork of research for a item subject thing.
• Helps to notice out the fundamental themes, principles, concepts, and researchers that exist within a topic.
• Helps to reveal relationships betwixt existing ideas/studies on a topic.
• Reveals the major points of controversy and gaps inside a topic.
• Suggests questions to drive further research based on previous studies.

Hither are some instance topics to requite you an thought of what a literature review can be about:

• Exploring racism in "To Kill a Mockingbird", "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", and "Uncle Tom's Cabin"
• Isolationism in "The Catcher in the Rye", "Frankenstein", and "1984"
• Agreement Moral Dilemmas in "Crime and Punishment", "The Scarlet Letter", and "The Lifeboat"
• Corruption of Ability in "Macbeth", "All the King's Men", and "Animal Farm"
• Emotional and Physical survival in "Lord of the Flies", "Hatchet", and "Congo"

How Long Is a Literature Review?

When facing the demand to write a literature review, students tend to wonder "how long should a literature review be?" In some cases, the length of your paper's trunk may exist determined by your instructor. Exist sure to read the guidelines advisedly to learn what is expected from you.

If yous haven't been provided with whatsoever specific guidelines, it is recommended to keep your literature review around 15-30% of your unabridged paper. To requite y'all a crude idea, that is nearly ii-3 pages for a 15-folio newspaper. In case you are writing a literature review as a stand-alone assignment, its length should be specified in the instructions provided.

Literature Review Format: APA, MLA, and Chicago

The essay format you use should attach to volition be the citation manner preferred by your teacher. Seek clarification from your instructor for several other components also to found a desired literature review format:

1. How many sources should you review and what kind of sources should they be (published materials, journal articles, or websites)?
2. What format should you use to cite the sources?
3. How long should the review be?
4. Should your review consist of a summary, synthesis, or a personal critique?
5. Should your review include subheadings or groundwork data for your sources?

If you want to format your newspaper in APA style , so follow these rules:

• Employ ane-inch page margins.
• Unless provided with other instructions, utilize double-spacing throughout the whole text.
• Make sure you choose a readable font. The preferred font for APA papers is Times New Roman set to 12-bespeak size.
• Include a header at the summit of every page (in capital letter letters). The page header must be a shortened version of your essay title and limited to 50 characters, including spacing and punctuation.
• Put page numbers in the upper right corner of every page.
• When shaping your literature review outline in APA, don't forget to include a title page. This page should include the paper'southward name, the author's name, and the institutional affiliation. Your title must be typed with upper and lowercase messages and be centered in the upper role of the page; use no more than 12 words and avoid using abbreviations and whatever useless words.

For MLA style text, apply the following guidelines:

• Use 1-inch folio margins.
• Double your spacing across the unabridged paper.
• Set up ½ inch indents for each new paragraph.
• The preferred font for MLA papers is Times New Roman prepare to 12-betoken size.
• Include a header at the top of your paper's first page, or on the title page (notation that MLA way does not require you to have a championship page, but y'all are immune to decide to include one). A header in this format should include your total name; the name of your instructor; the name of the grade, course, or section number; and the due engagement of the assignment.
• Include a running head in the acme correct corner of each folio in your paper. Place it one inch from the page's right margin and half an inch from the top margin. Merely include your final proper name and the page number separated by a space in the running head. Do non put the abbreviation p. before page numbers.

Finally, if you are required to write a literature review in Chicago style , here are the central rules to follow:

• Set folio margins to no less than ane inch.
• Utilize double spacing across the entire text, except when it comes to table titles, effigy captions, notes, blockquotes, and entries within the bibliography or References.
• Do non put spaces between paragraphs.
• Make sure yous choose a clear and easily-readable font. The preferred fonts for Chicago papers are Times New Roman and Courier, set to no less than 10-point size, but preferably to 12-point size.
• A cover (title) page should include your full name, class information, and the date. Center the encompass page and place it one third below the top of the page.
• Place folio numbers in the upper right corner of each page, including the comprehend page.

Structure of a Literature Review

How to structure a literature review: Like many other types of academic writing, a literature review follows a typical intro-body-conclusion style with five paragraphs overall. Now, permit'southward wait at each component of the bones literature review structure in detail:

Introduction

You should directly your reader(s) towards the MOP (main organizing principle). This means that your information must start from a broad perspective and gradually narrow downwardly until it reaches your focal bespeak.

Get-go past presenting your general concept (Corruption, for case). After the initial presentation, narrow your introduction's focus towards the MOP by mentioning the criteria you used to select the literature sources you have chosen (Macbeth, All the King's Men and Animal Farm). Finally, the introduction will end with the presentation of your MOP that should directly link information technology to all three of the sources of literature.

Body Paragraphs

Generally, each body paragraph volition focus on a specific source of literature laid out in the essay'due south introduction. As each source has its own frame of reference for the MOP, information technology is crucial to structure the review in the most logically consequent way possible. This ways that the writing should either be structured chronologically, thematically, or methodologically.

Chronologically

Breaking downwardly your sources based on their publication date is a solid mode to keep a correct historical timeline. If applied properly, information technology tin can present the development of a certain concept over fourth dimension and provide examples in the course of literature. However, sometimes there are meliorate alternatives we can use to construction the torso.

Thematically

Instead of taking the "timeline arroyo", another option tin can exist looking at the link between your MOP and your sources. Sometimes, the main idea will only glare from a piece of literature. Other times, the writer may accept to seek out examples to testify their point. An experienced writer will commonly nowadays their sources past club of strength. For case, in "To Kill A Mockingbird", the unabridged novel was centralized around racism; in "The Adventures of Blueberry Finn", racism was one of many themes.

Methodologically

As made obvious by the terminology, this type of structuring focuses on the methods used to present the central concept. For example, in "1984", George Orwell uses the law-and-club arroyo and shows the dangers of a dystopia for a social species.

In "Frankenstein", Mary Shelley exposes the character's concrete traits equally repulsive and horrifying, forcing him to suffer in an isolated environment. By showcasing the various methods used to portray the MOP, the writer tin compare them based on things like severity, ethicality, and overall impact.

Determination

Subsequently presenting your findings in the body paragraphs, there are 3 final objectives to complete in the essay's conclusion. Get-go, the writer should summarize the findings they have made or found in other words, and briefly answer the question: "What have you lot learned?"

Afterward discussing that data, the next footstep is to present the significance of the data in reference to our current globe today. In other words, how can the reader take the information and apply it to today's club? From that indicate, we finish off with a breadcrumb trail.

As the author, you lot want to leave the readers' trail of idea within the actual essay topic. This provides them with a means of further investigation—meaning that the reader may consider where the discussion will become next.

Writing an Outline for a Literature Review

Students ofttimes underestimate the importance of planning the structure of their papers in advance. However, this is not a wise approach. Having a rough APA literature review outline (or other style outlines) will not only assist you lot follow the right format and structure, simply will likewise brand the writing process simpler and assistance ensure that you include all of the important information without missing annihilation.

How to write a literature review outline: As you already know from the Structure section of this guide, every role of your literature review performs its own important role. Respectively, you should create your outline while keeping the general introduction-body-decision structure in mind and ensuring that each section meets its own objectives. However, it is important to remember that a literature review outline is slightly different from outlines of other types of essays because it does non provide new data. It focuses on existing studies relevant to the main topic.‍

Hither is a literature review outline case on the subject area of the Ebola virus to help you lot get it right:

• Introduction

1. Introduce the general topic. Provide background data on the Ebola virus: genome, pathogenesis, transmission, epidemiology, handling, etc.
2. Shape the principal research question: What is the potential role of arthropods (mechanical or biological vectors) in the distribution of the Ebola virus?
3. Methodology: For example, the information was searched through X databases to observe relevant research articles about the Ebola virus and arthropods' office in its spreading. The data was extracted using a standardized form.
4. Expected outcomes
5. Overall trends in the literature on this topic: While the natural reservoir of the virus is still not known with certainty, many researchers believe that arthropods (and fruit bats, in detail) pay a significant role in the distribution of the virus.

• Body

1. Field of study 1: A brief overview of the particular piece of literature in general terms; an analysis of the key aspects of the study; a review of the inquiry questions, methods, procedures, and outcomes; and an overview of the potent and weak points, gaps, and contradictions.
2. Subject 2: A brief overview of the detail slice of literature in general terms; an analysis of the central aspects of the written report; a review of the inquiry questions, methods, procedures, and outcomes; and an overview of the stiff and weak points, gaps, and contradictions.
3. Subject 3:  A brief overview of the particular piece of literature in general terms; an analysis of the key aspects of the written report; a review of the research questions, methods, procedures, and outcomes; and an overview of the strong and weak points, gaps, and contradictions.

• Decision

1. Signal the relationships between the pieces of literature discussed. Emphasize primal themes, mutual patterns, and trends. Talk nigh the pros and cons of the different approaches taken by the authors/researchers.
2. State which studies seem to be the almost influential.
3. Emphasize the major contradictions and points of disagreement. Define the gaps even so to be covered (if any).
4. If applicable: define how your own report will contribute to farther disclosure of the topic.

Hopefully, this sample outline will help you to structure your own paper. Yet, if yous feel like y'all need some more advice on how to organize your review, don't hesitate to search for more literature review outline examples in APA or other styles on the Web, or simply ask our writers for help.

How to Write a Skillful Literature Review

Whether y'all are writing a literature review inside the framework of a large research project (eastward.yard. thesis, dissertation, or other) or equally a stand up-lonely consignment, the arroyo you should take to writing generally remains the same.

Now, every bit you know well-nigh the general rules and have a basic literature review outline template, permit'south define the steps to take to handle this task right:

Step one: Identifying the Topic

This is probably the simply affair you may approach differently depending on whether your literature review comes inside a research newspaper or a separate assignment altogether. If you are creating a literature review equally a part of some other work, you need to search for literature related to your main inquiry questions and trouble. Respectively, if you are writing information technology as a stand-alone task, yous will have to pick a relevant topic and central question upon which you volition exist collecting the literature. Earlier in this guide nosotros suggested some engaging topics to guide your search.

Stride two: Conducting Enquiry

When you take a clearly defined topic, it is fourth dimension to offset collecting literature for your review. We recommend starting by compiling a listing of relevant keywords related to your cardinal question—to make the entire research process much simpler and assist you lot find relevant publications faster.

When y'all have a list of keywords, use them to search for valid and relevant sources. At this bespeak, be sure to use only trusted sources, such as ones from university libraries, online scientific databases, etc.

Once yous take found some sources, be sure to define whether or non they are actually relevant to your topic and research question. To save you fourth dimension, y'all tin can read abstracts to get full general ideas of what the papers are about, instead of the whole thing.

Pro Tip: When you lot finally notice a few valid publications, take a await at their bibliographies to detect other relevant sources as well.

Step 3: Assess and Prioritize Sources

Throughout your research, you lot will likely observe plenty of relevant literature to include in your literature review. At this point, many students make the mistake of trying to fit all of their collected sources into their reviews. We advise looking at what you've collected once again, evaluate the available sources, and select the most relevant ones. You well-nigh likely won't be able to read everything you find on a given topic and then be able to synthesize all of the sources into a single literature review. That's why prioritizing them is important.

To evaluate which sources are worth including in your review, proceed in mind the following criteria:

• Brownie;
• Influence;
• Novelty;
• Innovation;
• Primal insights;
• Relevancy.

Furthermore, equally you lot read the sources, don't forget to accept notes on everything you can incorporate into the review later. And be certain to get your citations in place early on. If you cite the selected sources at the initial stage, you will find it easier to create your annotated bibliography later on on.

Step 4: Identify Relationships, Key Ideas, and Gaps

Before you tin move on to outlining and writing your literature review, the terminal step is determining the relationships between the studies that already be. Identifying the relationships will help you organize the existing noesis, build a solid literature outline, and (if necessary) indicate your own research contribution to a specific field.

Some of the key points to keep an eye out for are:

• Main themes;
• Contradictions and debates;
• Influential studies or theories;
• Trends and patterns;
• Gaps.

Here are a few examples: Common trends may include a focus on specific groups of people beyond different studies. There may be increased interest among about researchers in certain aspects of the topic in terms of key themes. Contradictions may include some disagreement apropos the theories and outcomes of a study. And finally, gaps most often refer to a lack of enquiry on certain aspects of a topic.

Step 5: Make an Outline

Although students tend to neglect this stage, outlining is one of the about important steps in writing every academic paper. This is the easiest manner to organize the torso of your text and ensure that y'all haven't missed anything important. Too, having a rough idea about what you are going to write about in the paper will assistance you get information technology right faster and easier.

Earlier in this guide, we already discussed the bones structure of a literature review and gave y'all an example of a proficient outline. At this phase of the workflow, you tin can use all of the cognition you've gained from usa to build your own outline.

Step six: Move on to Writing

Having found and created all of your sources, notes, citations, and a detailed outline, you can finally get to the writing role of the process. At this stage, all you need to do is follow the program y'all've created and keep in heed the overall construction and format defined in your professor'south instructions.

Step vii: Calculation the Last Touches

About students brand a mutual mistake and skip the final phase of the procedure, which includes proofreading and editing. Nosotros recommend taking plenty time for these steps to ensure that your work volition be worth the highest score. Practice non underestimate the importance of proofreading and editing, and classify enough time for these steps.

Pro Tip: Before moving on to proofreading and editing, be certain to gear up your literature review aside for a 24-hour interval or two. This volition give you a take a chance to take your mind off of it and so be able to get dorsum to proofreading with a fresh perspective. This tip will ensure that you won't miss out on any gaps or errors that might be present in your text.

These steps will help you lot create a elevation-notch literature review with ease! Want to become more communication on how to handle this body of work? Hither are the top 3 tips you lot need to keep in mind when writing a literature review:

1. Good Sources
   When working on a literature review, the most of import thing any writer should keep in mind is to find the best possible sources for their MOP. This means that while doing initial research, you should select and filter through about 5-10 different options. The stronger a piece of literature showcases the central point, the better the quality of the entire review volition exist.
2. Synthesize The Literature
   Brand sure to structure the review in the most effective way possible, whether it exist chronologically, thematically, or methodologically. Sympathise what it is you would like to say exactly, and construction the source comparison accordingly.
3. Avert Generalizations
   Remember that each piece of literature will approach the MOP from a different bending. As the writer, make sure to nowadays the contrasts in approaches conspicuously and don't include general statements that offering no value.

Literature Review Examples

Yous tin can find 2 well-written literature reviews by the EssayPro writing team below. They will aid you empathize what the final product of a literature review should ideally look similar.

The showtime literature review compares monolingual and bilingual linguistic communication acquisition skills and uses diverse sources to prove its point:

The 2nd literature review compares the impact of fear and hurting on a protagonist's overall development in various settings:

Both reviews will help you acuminate your skills and provide skilful guidelines for writing high-quality papers.

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