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STS 125: Foundations of Public Health

Literature Reviews

A literature review may refer to part of a paper/article, a stand-alone publication that discusses the state of knowledge in a specific area, or the act of searching and locating research literature.

"...one of the first steps in planning a research project is to do a literature review: that is, to trawl through all the available information sources to track down the latest knowledge, and to assess it for relevance, quality, controversy and gaps. The review can be used to show where you have gained inspiration to develop your ideas...it should also demonstrate you have a good understanding of the current conceptual frameworks in your subject, and that you can take a stance in placing your work within these."

Reasons for reviewing the literature Reasons for writing a literature review
  • Inform yourself of what is happening in the field
  • Form a foundation of topical and methodological knowledge; build your expertise
  • Inform your audience of what is happening in the field
  • Evaluate the relationship between state of knowledge and the state of practice in your field
  • Establish your credibility as a knowledgeable and capable researcher
  • Develop skills in critical thinking/analysis
  • Find potential gaps in the literature that may point to potential research questions
  • Explore connections, tensions, and contradictions
  • Address why research gaps might exist
  • Argue the relevance and significance of your research question
  • Critically evaluate common/typical methods
  • Facilitate the development of your own methodological approaches
  • Provide the context for your own methodological approach
  • Argue the relevance and appropriateness of your approach

Table adapted from O'Leary, Z. (Video). (2018).

A successful literature review will present:

    History of developments in research related to your topic
    1. trace the background to current thinking
    2. what are the themes, issues, or sub-topics scholars have focused on? 
  2. Research theory & philosophy
    1. establish the intellectual context(s) of your related question(s)  
  3. Latest research and developments in order to:
    1. inform and practice
    2. discuss conflicting arguments
    3. detect the gap(s) in knowledge
  4. Research methods
    1. explore research techniques that have been used, particularly those of relevance to your project
    2. what are the advantages and disadvantages of these techniques?
  5. Your research question/ hypothesis 
    1. how has the existing research led to/ informed the development of your research project?

Adapted from Walliman, Nicholas. 2018. Research Methods : the Basics. Second edition. Abingdon, Oxon.
Graphic: Literature Review Overview, JMU Writing Center: literature review structure and examples of source synthesis.