Literature Review Guide: Structuring a Literature Review

Introduction

• Start with introducing your topic to your reader, giving any background information necessary to understand your research and why it is important to investigate this topic further
• Then, introduce your research question and define and explain the key terms
• Briefly outline what the general findings of the literature review are – this is where you can give the key elements of your argument for why further research is necessary
• You should then go on to outline the structure of your review – briefly outline the key themes/points you will be covering in each section

Main Body

• This section should be broken down into key themes based on what you have learned from reading the literature and related to your research question – use headings for each of these themes so they are clear. You can break these themes down further into subthemes if necessary
• Think of the literature review as an inverted triangle - start with broader themes and get narrower with each subsequent theme
• Introduce each section by outlining the key points that you will be covering. Finish each section with a brief conclusion of what you have covered and then try to link to the next section by outlining what you will be discussing next
• Make sure that you are always discussing at least two sources in each paragraph and that you are not just describing what previous researchers said or did, you need to be explaining the significance of their work in the context of your own research question. You should be commenting on and analysing previous research and pointing out any shortcomings/gaps etc.
• Every paragraph should explain the significance of previous research in the context of your own research question. Make sure there is consistent referral back to your research question – don’t be afraid to consistently remind the reader why a point is relevant in the context of your own research
• Make sure there are no extended sections where sources aren’t mentioned – all comment and analysis should be in the context of discussing previous work

Conclusion

• This is the grand finale of your argument – don’t treat this as a throwaway section. This is where your overall argument should come together – bring together all the smaller points you have made during the main body and give your overall conclusion
• Make sure that you specifically address your research question, linking back to what you said in the introduction
• Also, ensure that you have successfully demonstrated the need for further research on your topic thereby justifying your own research to come – you should have successfully identified an ongoing problem in your research area and a gap in the research that you intend to address

General Structure of a Paragraph

• Topic Sentence: The topic or statement sentence introduces the main idea of the paragraph. It is usually your own words, so no in-text citations. This sentence should tell your reader what the paragraph is about.
• Supporting sentences: These sentences should feature evidence and discussion about the idea introduced in the topic sentence. This is where you should present sentences with in-text citations (try to include at least 2 different sources). Then you should also go on to comment on the implication/significance/impact of the evidence in the context of your research – what points are you making based on the evidence? Explain these.
• Concluding/Linking Sentences: This is where you can restate the topic sentence but in different words, summarise the main points of the paragraph or provide a link to the next paragraph or section.