How to Write a Literature Review Outline

A literature review is an evaluation of a collection of materials available upon a particular topic. The reviewer needs to determine which items are most valuable for answering questions about the topic, which are most cogent, and which are most clearly organized for the intended audience. A college student preparing a thesis would review information upon a specific topic; a second grade teacher might review text books for teaching math or English at that grade level.

Things You'll Need

  • Specific topic
  • Pertinent materials
  • Word processing tool
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Instructions

    • 1

      Create a preliminary list of expectations for this set of materials. Materials to address a doctoral thesis will be quite different from those needed to instruct second grade students in reading. A popular book about ecology may not be useful as part of the curriculum for wastewater management. Use the list as criteria for collecting the material and as an aid in evaluating it.

    • 2

      Collect the material, and organize it in a way that is logical to you. For example, you might place the books on a shelf in alphabetical order, the pamphlets into folders labeled with general topics headings and bookmark Internet resources in the computer you use most often or make an interactive list in a cloud computing resource.

    • 3

      Budget time to read or skim the resources. Expand upon your original list by making notes about the various resources you are reviewing. Create a rating system such as a 1 for most useful and a 4 for least, with 2 and 3 being median ratings. As you make notes about the materials, consider how best to present the materials to the audience that will need the review. Devise a logical order for your presentation.

    • 4

      Organize your notes, ratings and observations into a logical order. You could present the items chronologically, topically or alphabetically. The best order will depend upon the type of information you are reviewing. Material for instructing wastewater managers may need to considered topically; but instructional materials for second graders could be presented alphabetically. The precise type of organization is up to you, but you will need to group the material into a format understandable by your audience.

    • 5

      Write an introduction that explains the purpose of the review, the manner in which it was done, and the organization of the materials examined. After presenting the material, summarize the main points. Finally, be sure to include resources quoted and a bibliography of the materials examined.

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