Why Are Literature Reviews Important In Research

Each department or school has assigned to it a specialist Information Librarian.

Each department or school has assigned to it a specialist Information Librarian.You can find the contact details for the Information Librarian for your own area via the Library web pages.

It documents the state of the art with respect to the subject or topic you are writing about.

A literature review has four main objectives: A literature review shows your readers that you have an in-depth grasp of your subject; and that you understand where your own research fits into and adds to an existing body of agreed knowledge.

You need to critique your own interpretation of material, and to present your rationale, so that your reader can follow your thinking.

The term ‘synthesis’ refers to the bringing together of material from different sources, and the creation of an integrated whole.

Here’s another way of describing those four main tasks.

This Study Guide explains why literature reviews are needed, and how they can be conducted and reported.

The term now encompasses a wide range of web-based sources, in addition to the more traditional books and print journals.

Increased ease of access to a wider range of published material has also increased the need for careful and clear critique of sources.

Related Study Guides are: Referencing and bibliographies, Avoiding plagiarism, Writing a dissertation, What is critical reading? The focus of the Study Guide is the literature review within a dissertation or a thesis, but many of the ideas are transferable to other kinds of writing, such as an extended essay, or a report.

The ability to review, and to report on relevant literature is a key academic skill.