How to Write a Literature Review 

Writing a literature review is one of the most important academic tasks you’ll do as a student or researcher. But what exactly is it? Why do you need it? And how do you write one step by step?

In this guide, we’ll answer all those questions in simple English, including definitions, purposes, types, steps, and real examples of literature reviews. By the end, you’ll feel confident starting your own literature review.

Try making a literature review for free with citations to the exact papers you are looking for with AnswerThis.

1. What Is a Literature Review?

Overall, a literature review means that there is extensive research that has already been done on a certain subject by previous scholars. The literature review gives a summary of thoughts from many of those who are working in this same area of research and defines the major themes of research and the major points of ongoing debate, what has been studied and where the gaps exist between the research done to support those theories. 

Rather than provide new and/or original research results, a literature review synthesises the current knowledge of the specific subject and critiques what has already been learned from previous studies. A literature review is not a collection of summaries; it is an integrated analysis of many different published studies that supports a conclusion.

You’ll often find literature reviews:

✔ as a chapter in a thesis or dissertation
✔ as a standalone paper in academic journals
✔ as the backbone of research proposals and essays

In everyday terms, it’s like mapping out all the important studies on your topic, so you and your readers know “what’s already known” and “what’s still unknown.”

2. What Is the Purpose of a Literature Review?

A literature review is not an optional extra, it serves several essential purposes in academic research:

1. Shows the current state of knowledge in an area: A literature review (the other type that you will find in the Literature Review section of a thesis) will familiarise you and your reader with the current state of knowledge. 

2. Identifies the 'gaps' or limitations in knowledge on the topic: A literature review compares research on the same topic and highlights any areas where research is either incomplete or conflicting, thereby providing justification for your own study. 

3. Avoids the duplication of research: Your literature review provides an overview of previous research and therefore prevents you from replicating somebody else's work, as well as acknowledging previous research. 

4. Forms the foundation for your own research: A literature review often provides the foundation for your research question, theoretical model, and methodology. 

5. Guides the focus and direction of your own research: Reading widely and developing familiarity with the literature helps you hone your thoughts, focus your priorities, and orient your research.

In short, a good literature review sets the stage for your work and shows why your research matters.

3. What Are the Types of Literature Reviews?

Literature reviews come in different types depending on how they’re written and what they aim to show. Here are some common ones:

1. Narrative Literature Review: This is the most common type. It summarizes and discusses studies in a story-like way without strict rules for search methods. 

2. Systematic Review: More structured and methodical. The researcher follows strict steps to find, evaluate, and synthesize evidence. Systematic reviews often aim to answer specific research questions. 

3. Theoretical Review: Focuses on theories and concepts, comparing and contrasting different theoretical approaches used in a field.

4. Thematic Review: Organizes studies around themes or topics rather than authors or timelines.

5. Chronological Review: Arranges studies in order of time, e.g., from oldest to newest, showing how research has evolved over time. 

6. Methodological Review: Compares how research has been done, rather than what the results were (for example, qualitative vs quantitative methods).

Knowing which type your project needs will make it easier to plan and write.

4. Steps for Conducting a Literature Review

Writing a literature review may seem overwhelming at first, but it becomes manageable when you break it down into clear steps. Luckily, AnswerThis makes it easy to instantly draft comprehensive and scientifically sound literature reviews.

Here are 5 simple steps you can follow:

Step 1. Define Your Topic or Question

Before searching, you need a clear research topic or question.
For example: “How does social media use affect teenage mental health?”

This defines what you are looking for and helps narrow your search. 

Step 2. Search for Relevant Literature

Use academic databases to find books, journal articles, theses, and conference papers related to your topic.

Useful places to search include:
🔹 Google Scholar
🔹 Library databases (EBSCO, JSTOR, PubMed)
🔹 University library catalogues

When searching, use keywords and Boolean operators like AND/OR/NOT to refine results.

AnswerThis can help you to identify the relevant papers in one go.

Step 3. Evaluate and Select Sources

You’ll find more sources than you can use. That’s why it’s important to evaluate them by asking:

✔ Is the source credible?
✔ Is the method reliable?
✔ Does it directly address your topic?

Take clear notes and keep full citations to avoid plagiarism later.

Step 4. Identify Themes, Debates & Gaps

As you read, look for:

📌 Common themes
📌 Disagreements between researchers
📌 Trends over time
📌 Missing topics that no one has studied yet

This helps you create a structure for writing.

Step 5. Write Your Literature Review

A good review usually has three parts:

• Introduction: Explain the topic and why it matters. Set the focus of your review.

• Body: Group studies by theme, method, or timeline and compare them. Use clear headings so readers can follow your logic.

• Conclusion: Summarize the key findings and highlight the gaps your research aims to fill. 

Make sure to write in your own words, use citations, and link ideas between sources.

For efficiently writing your literature review, you can use AnswerThis

5. Examples of Literature Reviews

Here are some real literature review examples you can look at for inspiration:

🔹 “Why Do People Migrate? A Review of the Theoretical Literature” – Theoretical literature review showing changes in migration theories over time.
🔹 “Literature Review as a Research Methodology: An Overview and Guidelines” – A methodological review on interdisciplinary knowledge.
🔹 “The Use of Technology in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” – A thematic review summarizing research on technology in education.
🔹 “Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” – A chronological review tracing changes in research focus. 

These show different review styles and how they’re structured. You can link to them or downloadable files if you want to give your readers direct access.

Conclusion

When you do a literature review, it gives you an important academic skill, which enables you to create a solid base for your research efforts. Whether you are working on your thesis statement or a journal article, use these steps for conducting a literature review: Defining Your Topic, Writing Your Review, and Creating Your Annotated Bibliography/References. This will ensure that your literature review is written in a manner that will make it easy for others to understand what you are trying to accomplish through your literature review.