INTRODUCTION

Whatever stage you are at in your academic life, you will have to review the literature and write about it. You will be asked to do this as a student when you write essays, dissertations and theses. Later, whenever you write an academic paper, there will usually be some element of literature review in the introduction. And if you have to write a grant application, you will be expected to review the work that has already been done in your area. However, just because we all have to do this a lot, doesn’t make the task any easier, and indeed for many, writing a literature review is one of the most challenging aspects of their academic writing. In this study guide, I will begin by clearing up some misconceptions about what a literature review is and what it is not. Then, I will break the process down into a series of simple steps, looking at examples along the way. In the end, I hope you will have a simple, practical strategy to write an effective literature review.

However, before we get going, I need to manage your expectations. Some people come to a study guide like this thinking that it will help them understand the literature they are reading in their own field. I can’t do that for you. I can only help you write about the understanding you already possess. You have to put the necessary work in to develop your own critical skills which often have to be honed over a long period through reading, attending lectures, seminars and conferences and discussing your own work and that of others with your peers. That is how you build your scholarship. What this guide is about is doing justice to that scholarship and making sure your readers are left in no doubt about your ability to critically evaluate the published literature.