How to Write a Literature Review That Will Impress Your Professors

Writing an effective literature review can be one of the most challenging tasks in academic writing, particularly if you’re new to the field or you’re writing about something that falls outside your area of expertise.

This guide will walk you through how to write a literature review, from how to pick the right topic to what citations are necessary and how best to integrate them into your paper.

You’ll also learn about different ways to format your work, along with some tips for citing various types of sources.

What is a Literature Review?

A literature review is a comprehensive overview of all the knowledge available on a specific topic or subject.

It includes both published and unpublished sources, such as books, journal articles, conference papers, dissertations, and reports. A literature review is not just a summary of the sources; it is an analysis and evaluation of them.

The purpose of a literature review is to help you understand the field of research on your topic and identify the gaps in that research.

Once you have identified those gaps, you can suggest new directions for future studies.

For example, let’s say I am writing a literature review about women who are victims of intimate partner violence (IPV).

My first step would be to conduct a thorough search for existing research about IPV.

Next, I would analyze the results from my search – looking at what topics were covered and what wasn’t covered – and consider which areas are important but have received less attention than others.

Identify Keywords for Your Search

When you’re starting your literature review, it’s important to identify the keywords that will help you find the most relevant sources.

To do this, brainstorm all of the terms and concepts that are related to your topic.

Once you have a list, try searching for each term in an online database.

This will help you narrow down your results and find the most relevant sources for your paper.

You can also use databases like JSTOR or Google Scholar to locate articles.

Next, start reading: For many people who don’t want to read every single source on their topic, skimming the abstracts can be a great way to get an overview of what each resource is about.

You might also want to use citation software like Zotero or Mendeley in order to save citations from any sources you read so that they’ll be available if you need them later on.

Choose Reviews from Relevant Journals

When you set out to write a literature review, the first step is finding the right sources. Look for reviews from relevant journals in your field of study.

These will be the most useful and up-to-date sources available. They may also contain references that will help you complete your own review.

As with all assignments, look at what other students have done and choose an approach that’s different from theirs—you don’t want to end up sounding like a copycat!

Once you’ve found a few articles that might work, skim them over and identify any points they make or topics they cover that are similar to those in your own paper.

Take notes on these so you can use them as building blocks when writing your review.

Find Related Publications in Conference Proceedings

The first step is finding related publications, which can be done by searching conference proceedings.

When you find relevant papers, read them and take note of the arguments made and the evidence used.

Once you have a good understanding of the existing literature, you can start formulating your own ideas.

Use the sources that you’ve already identified as well as other sources that you find along the way. Remember to make sure that your bibliography lists all of these sources so readers can see where they came from.

You may also want to cite some of the material in your paper when appropriate (e.g., As A tells us…).

However, if you are citing too much material it might be best to just refer people back to the original source instead of giving an excerpt in your paper.

In general, it’s best not to write more than two paragraphs about one source because this will make it seem like you are unable to cover more than one idea at a time.

Bibliographic Citations from Books, Journal Articles, and Reports

In order to write a literature review that will impress your professors, you’ll need to cite sources from books, journal articles, and reports.

Citing sources will show that you’ve done your research and it will add credibility to your paper. To find good sources, start by searching in library databases or doing an internet search.

When you find a source that looks promising, read it closely to see if it’s relevant to your paper.

Once you’ve found some good sources, take time to read them carefully and make notes. You can also photocopy important pages of the book for later reference.

Don’t rely on only one source; try to use at least three different sources so that you can get the most information possible about your topic.

If you’re unsure how to do a bibliographic citation, ask for help from the librarian or ask your professor for advice on how to do it properly.

It’s not hard once you know how! So, keep reading this post to learn more about writing a literature review.

If you are writing a scholarly piece, then be sure to use APA style when citing sources as well as documenting all references in-text using footnotes or endnotes (for books) or parenthetical citations (for articles).

The full text of any quoted passages should be cited using quotation marks and with page numbers provided in parentheses (e.g., She said,).

Writing the Literature Review

A literature review is an important part of any research paper.

It shows that you have read and understood the previous research on your topic, and it helps to situate your own research in the larger field.

But how do you write a literature review that will impress your professors? The following are five tips for writing an effective literature review:

1) Include all sources related to your argument- even if they contradict your argument. Your professor wants to see that you’ve done thorough research, so don’t hold back!

2) Avoid using personal anecdotes or quotations unless they’re directly relevant to the study’s main argument.

Personal anecdotes are great for essays but not for academic papers. If you do use them, make sure they’re relevant to the point you’re trying to make.

3) Organize your citations by type (book, articles, chapters). You should also include bibliographic information (name of author and year published).

4) Cite supporting points with page numbers when possible.

5) Summarize key points at the end of each paragraph.

These are the five tips for writing an effective literature review: include all sources related to your argument;

• Avoid using personal anecdotes or quotations;
• Organize your citations by type;
• Cite supporting points with page numbers where possible;
• Summarize key points at the end of each paragraph.

These are just some simple guidelines for how to write a literature review that will impress your professors.

Be sure to keep them in mind as you work on your next assignment!

In addition to following these guidelines, be sure to structure your paper clearly.

Writing a good introduction is crucial, so be clear about what you want your audience to know after reading it.

In addition, connect your paragraphs effectively by keeping transition sentences between them short and clear about what changes from one paragraph to another.

Finally, proofread thoroughly before submitting your paper.

References Section

The first step to writing an impressive literature review is understanding what a literature review is and why it’s important.

A literature review is a comprehensive overview of all the knowledge available on a specific topic. It includes both primary and secondary sources.

The purpose of a literature review is to synthesize the existing research and provide new insights into the topic.

The length of a literature review varies depending on the type of paper you’re writing, but it should typically be around 10% of the total paper length.

For example, if your paper is 5 pages long, your literature review should only be about 500 words.

In-text citations are only needed for direct quotes or when using information from other authors’ work as evidence in your own argument.

Otherwise, footnotes can be used to list all of the works that were consulted during your research process and the bibliography will show all the titles of books or articles cited in the text without having to repeat them.

As soon as you start working on your paper, keep track of everything you read and consult with experts.

Organizing this material and incorporating it with any ideas you come up with yourself can make the task seem less daunting and overwhelming.

Remember to include three sections: introduction, discussion, and conclusion.

The introduction should establish the significance of the study by briefly discussing previous research.

After reading each piece of literature, write down some key points and phrases in one sentence before moving on to the next piece so that you have a record of what they said.

If there is no mention of your topic in any publications then there is nothing more to say on it and move on to something else.

The discussion provides details about how these pieces fit together with one another, demonstrating how they corroborate one another’s findings.

Once you’ve covered every aspect of the topic, end with a summary statement that brings everything back together.

Keep in mind that once your reader has reached the end of your literature review, they should feel like they understand all aspects of the topic, including its implications for future research and application.

They may also want to know what conclusions we can draw from this research so it’s important to note any limitations or open questions still unresolved in order to spur further inquiry.

You’ll need to cite your sources within the body of your paper and here at the end of your literature review.

Finally, be sure to let readers know where they can find more detailed explanations in case, they’re interested in pursuing this subject further.

Citations for your sources should go in-text or in the reference list at the end of your essay. There are two types of citation styles: APA and MLA.

Consult the style guide to ensure you’re formatting correctly. Be aware that once you’ve finished writing, proofreading, editing, and rereading your work several times it’s time to submit!