What is a Literature Review?
A Literature review is:
- A paper that surveys, summarizes, and connects research (literature) in a given field.
- An essay that covers the major findings of a field, their similarities or dissimilarities from other findings, and major methodological and informational problems (gaps) in the research.
It is important because:
- You discover what is out there on your topic.
- You demonstrate mastery of a subject or research area.
- It positions your study area within the context of existing literature and how it fits in with everything else that has been written on this subject.
A literature review is not:
- A discussion of creative literature like that from Shakespeare, Poe, or J.K. Rowling.
- An annotated bibliography.
- A review of everything written in the field.
