When you conduct research on a particular topic, you become part of a larger scholarly conversation. Understanding the existing publications, discussions, questions and debates related to your topic is invaluable when trying to contribute your own work to a field of research. It is also helpful for developing an understanding of how to frame your research or insert your study into pre-existing and ongoing research in the field.
A literature review describes, summarizes, and critically evaluates how other researchers have studied your question or similar topics. It can engage a range of sources including books, scholarly articles, or additional materials relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory. As Avineri (2017) describes, the literature review can be conceptualized as:
- A noun or the written product you produce or read.
- A verb or the action of discovery and identifying research already completed on your topic.
In this section you will learn the process of reviewing literature, or the verb, in order to inform your research and work towards producing a literature review, the noun. The topics covered include:
