Literature review

Why You Need a Good Literature Review

A well-crafted literature review does more than tick a box. It strengthens your research and your credibility as a scholar:

1. It justifies your own research.
   A good review clearly shows what is already known — and what remains to be explored.
   This helps you identify the gap your study will fill and provides a strong foundation for your argument in your Introduction or grant proposal.

2. It helps you write with confidence.
   When you understand how your project fits into the existing body of work, you can explain its purpose and relevance.

3. It demonstrates expertise and credibility.
   A strong literature review shows that you know your field, can evaluate evidence critically, and can connect ideas thoughtfully.

TIP

Think of your literature review as a map.
It shows where research has already gone, and highlights the unexplored areas that lead directly to your own study.

What is a Literature Review, exactly?

A literature review synthesises and evaluates what is currently known (and what remains uncertain) about a specific topic.

A literature review usually aims to answer questions such as:

• How does X work?
• How does Y affect X?
• What is currently known about Z, and where are the gaps?

Instead of collecting new data through experiments or surveys, a literature review analyses existing research¹ (the “literature”) to build understanding and insight.

⚠️ What it is not: Common Misconceptions

A literature review is not the same as a general “review” in everyday language. Here are some common misunderstandings:

Common Misconceptions

• It’s not a personal review like a movie or restaurant critique.
  You don’t have to express likes or dislikes — you’re analysing and connecting studies to build a scholarly overview.

• It’s not a simple summary of existing studies.
  Your task is to synthesise the research — to bring individual findings together, often in new ways, to answer specific questions and develop new insights.

• It’s not a catalogue of everything ever written about your topic.
  That’s way too much work! A clearly defined research question helps you focus.

How to review the literature?

{coming soon}

Footnotes

1. I.e. the current state of knowledge ↩