Civil & Environmental Engineering
Books from the Catalog
- Telling a Research Story: Writing a Literature Review byCall Number: LB2369 .F43 2009ISBN: 9780472033362
Bettany-Saltikov, J. (2012). How To Do A Systematic Literature Review In Nursing : A Step-By-Step Guide. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education. Onnline E-Book available at http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=460646&site=ehost-live
Booth, A., Papaioannou, Diana, & Sutton, Anthea. (2012). Systematic approaches to a successful literature review. Level 1: Q180.55.M4 B66 2012
Oliver, P. (2012). Succeeding with your literature review : A handbook for students (Open UP study skills). Maidenhead: Open University Press. Online E-Book available at: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=435001&site=ehost-live
- Research Synthesis and Meta-Analysis: A Step-By-Step Approach. byCall Number: H62 .C5859 2010ISBN: 9781412937054
- Integrating Research: A Guide for Reviews byCall Number: LB1047.3 .M33 2009ISBN: 0803934300
- The Literature Review: Six Steps to Success byCall Number: LB1047.3 .M33 2009ISBN: 9781412961349
- The literature Review : A Step-by-step Guide for Students byCall Number: LB2369 .R525 2008
- Doing a Literature Review. Releasing the Social Science Research Imaginatio byCall Number: H62 .H2566 1998ISBN: 0761959742
Overview
Additional tools and resources for doing a literature review can be found on this Canvas Open Webpage
Thank you to UC Santa Cruz for this great overview of a literature review (https://guides.library.ucsc.edu/write-a-literature-review)
1. Introduction
Not to be confused with a book review, a literature review surveys scholarly articles, books and other sources (e.g. dissertations, conference proceedings) relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory, providing a description, summary, and critical evaluation of each work. The purpose is to offer an overview of significant literature published on a topic.
2. Components
Similar to primary research, development of the literature review requires four stages:
- Problem formulation—which topic or field is being examined and what are its component issues?
- Literature search—finding materials relevant to the subject being explored
- Data evaluation—determining which literature makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the topic
- Analysis and interpretation—discussing the findings and conclusions of pertinent literature
Literature reviews should comprise the following elements:
- An overview of the subject, issue or theory under consideration, along with the objectives of the literature review
- Division of works under review into categories (e.g. those in support of a particular position, those against, and those offering alternative theses entirely)
- Explanation of how each work is similar to and how it varies from the others
- Conclusions as to which pieces are best considered in their argument, are most convincing of their opinions, and make the greatest contribution to the understanding and development of their area of research
In assessing each piece, consideration should be given to:
- Provenance—What are the author's credentials? Are the author's arguments supported by evidence (e.g. primary historical material, case studies, narratives, statistics, recent scientific findings)?
- Objectivity—Is the author's perspective even-handed or prejudicial? Is contrary data considered or is certain pertinent information ignored to prove the author's point?
- Persuasiveness—Which of the author's theses are most/least convincing?
- Value—Are the author's arguments and conclusions convincing? Does the work ultimately contribute in any significant way to an understanding of the subject?
3. Definition and Use/Purpose
A literature review may constitute an essential chapter of a thesis or dissertation, or may be a self-contained review of writings on a subject. In either case, its purpose is to:
- Place each work in the context of its contribution to the understanding of the subject under review
- Describe the relationship of each work to the others under consideration
- Identify new ways to interpret, and shed light on any gaps in, previous research
- Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory previous studies
- Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort
- Point the way forward for further research
- Place one's original work (in the case of theses or dissertations) in the context of existing literature
The literature review itself, however, does not present new primary scholarship.
Find published, peer-reviewed literature reviews in your field by searching the Academic Search Ultimate, EbscoHost, JStor, or Scopus Databases. Google Scholar will also provide a broad range of scholarly material that will help with beginning your literature review.
Search "Literature Review" (title) and "Your area of interest."
Subject Guide

J. Willard Marriott Library
Head of Faculty Services,
Representative, Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC), and
Adjunct Assistant Professor in Kinesiology
295 South 1500 East #2110 R
Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0860
alfred.mowdood@utah.edu
(801) 585-7125
Pronouns: he/him/his
Workshops
"Developing a Literature Review for Graduate Students" is offered by the Marriott Library Education Services Department.
Need help? Contact us
Phone: 801-581-6273
Email
In-Person
Schedule a Research Consultation
More Subject Guides