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How to Write a Literature Review

• Andrew S. Denney
• Richard Tewksbury

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Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

• Choosing a Topic
• Databases & Articles
• Search Strategies for Sociology

Literature Reviews

• Encyclopedias - Online
• Anthologies and Readers
• Journals and Websites
• For Faculty
• Related Research Guides

Many assignments require you to write a literature review, a qualitative analysis of writings on your chosen topic up to this point. While writing literature reviews can be challenging, the process also helps you hone and distinguish your topic. 

Here is a very simplified guide to writing a literature review:

• Use a citation manager to organize your research. Full information on citation managers offered through the SJSU Library can be found on our citation managers guide .
• Establish your topic or research inquiry (see Choosing a Topic).
• Search our databases on your topic, saving and pinning articles in a citation manager as you find them. During your search, you will discover whether your topic is too broad or too narrow. If possible, limit search results on your topic to 50-100 articles.  If necessary, go back and forth between step 1 and step 2 until you find your footing.
• Unpin articles unrelated to your newly-honed topic. Find those that are related and save, browse, or read them.
• Identify a theme as a way to summarize and analyze the resources you've found. Do they tell a chronological story? Are there subtopics they all address or partially address? Do they have similar or different methodologies? Are there gaps in the literature? 
• Create an outline based on the theme you have discovered. Read and save articles according to your outline.
• Write your literature review.
• Remember to cite all your sources, both within the text and at the end of your paper. 
• Optional: In the conclusion of your literature review, identify what has not been discussed in the literature yet. This is a set-up for your own topic. 

Other Resources for Literature Reviews

• Writing a Literature Review Paper Short video from King Library for SJSU students
• Video: An Overview of Literature Reviews More detailed video tutorial on literature reviews
• How to Write a Literature Review by Denney, A., & Tewksbury, R. (2012) This article is intended to provide both undergraduate and graduate students in the criminal justice field specifically, and social sciences more generally, skills and perspectives on how to develop and/or strengthen their skills in writing a literature review

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Criminology - Research Guide: Sources for Lit Reviews

• Getting started
• Sources for Lit Reviews
• Gray literature collections
• Crime Rates
• Corrections
• Law Enforcement & Courts

Lit Review Sources

Journals featuring literature reviews.

• Annual Reviews Articles are lengthy literature reviews with BIG bibliographies. Useful for both the text summary and the citations for further reading. Includes Annual Review of Criminology , Annual Review of Law and Social Science and Annual Review of Sociology. HINT! Use the "Advanced Search" link in the upper right corner of the startup window. This permits searching in title, abstract, and keywords only and in specific journals.
• Crime & Justice. 1979- . A journal composed of literature review on criminal justice topics, published annually.
• Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science Penn's house journal since 1889, Ann AAPSS publishes single-topic issues six times per year. Recent issues on criminology and criminal justice have been: • Fatal police shootings : patterns, policy, and prevention . Ann AAPSS 687 (January 2020). • Regulating crime : the new criminology of crime control . Ann AAPSS 679 (September 2018). • Migrant smuggling as a collective strategy and insurance policy : views from the margins . Ann AAPSS 676 (March 2018). • The Middle East and regional transition, terrorism, and countering violent extremism : what the next President will face . Ann AAPSS 668 (November 2016). • Tough on crime, tough on families? Criminal justice and family life in America . Ann AAPSS 665 (May 2016). • The great experiment : realigning criminal justice in California and beyond . Ann AAPSS 664 (March 2016).
• Advances in Criminological Theory. 1989- . Print volumes, some e-books. Single-topic volumes.
• Criminal Justice History. 19 vols. 1980-2003. Print only, now ceased. Published by John Jay Press for the Crime and Justice History Group.
• Translational Criminology. 2009- . Published by the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, George Mason University. More a report on current research projects in evidence-based crime policy than a journal of literature reviews.
• Sociology of Crime, Law, and Deviance An ebook series, each volume focused on a specific topic. Recent volumes include Methods of Criminology and Criminal Justice Research; Race, Ethnicity and Law; The Politics of Policing; and Punishment and Incarceration : a Global Perspective.

Best practices and systematic reviews databases

• The Campbell Collaboration See The Campbell Library for published systematic reviews of interventions in crime and justice, as well as social welfare, education, and international development. Campbell systematic reviews also appear in the open-access ejournal, Campbell Systematic Reviews .
• CrimeSolutions.gov / National Institute of Justice Web-based clearinghouse of more than 500 evaluated programs and practices.
• Model Programs Guide / Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Identifies evidence-based juvenile justice and youth prevention, intervention, and reentry programs. Provides a finely-detailed topics list.
• What Works in Reentry Clearinghouse / Council of State Governments Scores specific reentry programs and practices for beneficial harmful evidence.
• Evidence-based practice online resources / Justice Research and Statistics Association Link list of government, academic, and nonprofit programs.

Dissertations

Every dissertation should include a literature review, to demonstrate how the dissertation fits into the research landscape.

• ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Searches doctoral dissertations, an excellent source for lit reviews.
• NCJRS Abstracts / National Criminal Justice Reference Service. c.1970- . Describes 220,000+ research reports, journal articles, and government documents relating to crime, law enforcement, and the justice system. Many fulltext documents and US Dept of Justice gray literature. HINT! Use the Advanced Search page's "Source Type" filter option for "Literature review", "Best practice/state-of-the-art review", "Issue overview", "Guideline", "Overview text" and other lit review-like genres. HINT! Use the NCJRS Thesaurus to find subject terms.
• Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text. 1968- . Abstracts of the scholarly literature and applied literature on criminology and related disciplines. Many citations also include fulltext. Reflects materials received at the Gottfredson Library (formerly Criminal Justice/National Council on Crime and Delinquency Library), Rutgers University Library, Newark.
• Index to Legal Periodicals (Current & Retrospective). 1908- . An excellent tool for tackling the enormous law review, legal yearbook, bar association, and government legal publications literature from the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. For foreign legal research, consider using Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals (1985- ).
• Sociological Abstracts. 1963- . From across the field of sociology, useful subject terms include "crime rates," "recidivism," "victim offender relations," and "family violence." . Recently absorbed Social Services Abstracts, adding coverage for social work and social services journals.
• Gray Literature Database. (Gottfredson Library of Criminal Justice, Rutgers Univ.) A supplement to Criminal Justice Abstracts , describing technical reports, working papers, government and agency reports, and conference proceedings - that is, information not commercially published - available online or at the Gottfredson Library. CrimDoc is a similar gray literature database from Univ of Toronto.
• HeinOnline Legal research database containing fulltext documents organized into collections. New collections include Gun Regulation & Legislation in America and History of Capital Punishment.
• PsycINFO. 1887- . Published by American Psychological Association. Comprehensive coverage of the psychological research literature. HINT! The Advanced Search page has a "Methodology" search option filter - select "Literature Review" , "Meta Analysis" , and "Systematic Review" .

Guides and Tips for Writing Literature Reviews

• "How to write a literature review" / Andrew S Denney & Richard Tewksbury Journal of Criminal Justice Education 24, 2 (2013): 218-324 (via HeinOnline).
• "Doing a literature review" / Jeffrey W Knopf PS: Political Science & Politics 39, 1 (January 2006): 127-132 (via Cambridge Journals Online).
• Systematic approaches to a successful literature review / Andrew Booth. (SAGE, 2012) Print only.
• The literature review: a step-by-step guide for students / Diana Ridley. (2nd ed. SAGE, 2012) Print only.
• Preparing Literature Reviews in the Social Sciences (Penn Libraries guide) Needs updating, but still useful for suggestions.

Reference works

Reference works make excellent starting points for research; they provide concise articles on key topics by scholars of the field, often accompanied by suggestions for further reading. The sources listed below are print volumes shelved in the Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks , on the first floor of Van Pelt, unless otherwise noted.

• Compendium of Research on violence against women, 1993-2016. (National Institute of Justice, 2017) Annually-updated reference work describing every NIJ-funded research project on violence against women since 1993.

• ASC Division on Corrections & Sentencing Handbook Series Ebook series sponsored by the American Society of Criminology.

• Elsevier's dictionary of criminal science, in eight languages : English/American, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, and German. Call Number: Available online Publication Date: Elsevier, 1960
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How to Write a Literature Review

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A guide to writing the dissertation literature review.

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This article is intended to provide both undergraduate and graduate students in the criminal justice field specifically, and social sciences more generally, skills and perspectives on how to develop and/or strengthen their skills in writing a literature review.   Included in this discussion are foci on the structure, process, and art of writing a literature review.  

Q2. What is the common form of data used for statistical analysis in quantitative social science studies?

Surveys in criminal justice and criminology official records are the most common form of data used for statistical analysis in quantitative social science studies.  

Q3. What is the way to determine if a logical sequential order has been achieved?

If the order and flow of the themes/subtopics goes from broad to narrow with the desired outcome, then a correct order has been achieved.  

Q4. What is the resource for criminal justice related documents?

Another excellent resource for criminal justice related documents is the Department of Justice website (http://www.justice.gov/publications).  

Q5. What is the framework to follow when deciding what to include in the classic studies?

The best framework to follow when deciding what/what not to include in the classic studies is to only include the cornerstone research of the topic.  

Q6. What is the common error in a literature review?

A common error that reflects a mistargeted literature review is to string together a series of sentences or paragraphs that tell the reader study A found this, study B found this, and study C found this.  

Q7. What is the way to weld the pieces of a stairway together?

Each weld needs to be as smooth as possible so that someone later examining the finished product cannot identify weaknesses in connection that may lead the stairway/discussion to collapse.  

Q8. Who are the likely to cite problems with a manuscript?

it is the graduate students and assistant professors who, as manuscript reviewers, are most likely to cite problems with reviewed manuscripts’ literature reviews.  

Trending Questions (3)

The paper provides guidance on how to write a literature review, including the importance of outlining, choosing a general topic, and utilizing different types of sources.

The paper provides guidance on how to write a literature review, which involves summarizing and synthesizing prior research on a specific topic.

The process of outlining is important in writing a literature review as it helps in organizing information and sources.

CRM 310 Research Methods for Criminology: Literature Review Handout/Video

• Article Types
• Finding Articles
• Crime Data Sets
• Reference Sources
• Finding Books and Videos
• Literature Review Handout/Video
• Reading in Criminology/Sociology
• APA Tutorial & Tools
• APA 7th Guide
• How to Write a Literature Review From the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This handout is from the Writing Center at the University. It is a great step by step guide to assist you in writing your literature review.

Synthesis Matrix

• Sythesis Matrix A Synthesis Matrix is a great way to organize your ideas for your Literature Review.

Writing a Literature Review

How to write a literature review.

A literature review is a important step in the process of writing a research paper. 

Please click on the image to access the complete article.  

Denney, A. S., & Tewksbury, R. (2013).  How to write a literature review.  Journal of Criminal Justice Education 24( 2), 218-235. 

     http://doi:dx.doi.org/10.1080/10511253.2012.730617 

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What is a Literature Review? How to Write It (with Examples)

A literature review is a critical analysis and synthesis of existing research on a particular topic. It provides an overview of the current state of knowledge, identifies gaps, and highlights key findings in the literature. 1 The purpose of a literature review is to situate your own research within the context of existing scholarship, demonstrating your understanding of the topic and showing how your work contributes to the ongoing conversation in the field. Learning how to write a literature review is a critical tool for successful research. Your ability to summarize and synthesize prior research pertaining to a certain topic demonstrates your grasp on the topic of study, and assists in the learning process. 

Table of Contents

• What is the purpose of literature review? 
• a. Habitat Loss and Species Extinction: 
• b. Range Shifts and Phenological Changes: 
• c. Ocean Acidification and Coral Reefs: 
• d. Adaptive Strategies and Conservation Efforts: 
• How to write a good literature review 
• Choose a Topic and Define the Research Question: 
• Decide on the Scope of Your Review: 
• Select Databases for Searches: 
• Conduct Searches and Keep Track: 
• Review the Literature: 
• Organize and Write Your Literature Review: 
• Frequently asked questions 

What is a literature review?

A well-conducted literature review demonstrates the researcher’s familiarity with the existing literature, establishes the context for their own research, and contributes to scholarly conversations on the topic. One of the purposes of a literature review is also to help researchers avoid duplicating previous work and ensure that their research is informed by and builds upon the existing body of knowledge.

What is the purpose of literature review?

A literature review serves several important purposes within academic and research contexts. Here are some key objectives and functions of a literature review: 2  

• Contextualizing the Research Problem: The literature review provides a background and context for the research problem under investigation. It helps to situate the study within the existing body of knowledge. 
• Identifying Gaps in Knowledge: By identifying gaps, contradictions, or areas requiring further research, the researcher can shape the research question and justify the significance of the study. This is crucial for ensuring that the new research contributes something novel to the field. 
• Understanding Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks: Literature reviews help researchers gain an understanding of the theoretical and conceptual frameworks used in previous studies. This aids in the development of a theoretical framework for the current research. 
• Providing Methodological Insights: Another purpose of literature reviews is that it allows researchers to learn about the methodologies employed in previous studies. This can help in choosing appropriate research methods for the current study and avoiding pitfalls that others may have encountered. 
• Establishing Credibility: A well-conducted literature review demonstrates the researcher’s familiarity with existing scholarship, establishing their credibility and expertise in the field. It also helps in building a solid foundation for the new research. 
• Informing Hypotheses or Research Questions: The literature review guides the formulation of hypotheses or research questions by highlighting relevant findings and areas of uncertainty in existing literature. 

Literature review example

Let’s delve deeper with a literature review example: Let’s say your literature review is about the impact of climate change on biodiversity. You might format your literature review into sections such as the effects of climate change on habitat loss and species extinction, phenological changes, and marine biodiversity. Each section would then summarize and analyze relevant studies in those areas, highlighting key findings and identifying gaps in the research. The review would conclude by emphasizing the need for further research on specific aspects of the relationship between climate change and biodiversity. The following literature review template provides a glimpse into the recommended literature review structure and content, demonstrating how research findings are organized around specific themes within a broader topic. 

Literature Review on Climate Change Impacts on Biodiversity:

Climate change is a global phenomenon with far-reaching consequences, including significant impacts on biodiversity. This literature review synthesizes key findings from various studies: 

a. Habitat Loss and Species Extinction:

Climate change-induced alterations in temperature and precipitation patterns contribute to habitat loss, affecting numerous species (Thomas et al., 2004). The review discusses how these changes increase the risk of extinction, particularly for species with specific habitat requirements. 

b. Range Shifts and Phenological Changes:

Observations of range shifts and changes in the timing of biological events (phenology) are documented in response to changing climatic conditions (Parmesan & Yohe, 2003). These shifts affect ecosystems and may lead to mismatches between species and their resources. 

c. Ocean Acidification and Coral Reefs:

The review explores the impact of climate change on marine biodiversity, emphasizing ocean acidification’s threat to coral reefs (Hoegh-Guldberg et al., 2007). Changes in pH levels negatively affect coral calcification, disrupting the delicate balance of marine ecosystems. 

d. Adaptive Strategies and Conservation Efforts:

Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the literature review discusses various adaptive strategies adopted by species and conservation efforts aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change on biodiversity (Hannah et al., 2007). It emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary approaches for effective conservation planning. 

How to write a good literature review

Writing a literature review involves summarizing and synthesizing existing research on a particular topic. A good literature review format should include the following elements. 

Introduction: The introduction sets the stage for your literature review, providing context and introducing the main focus of your review. 

• Opening Statement: Begin with a general statement about the broader topic and its significance in the field. 
• Scope and Purpose: Clearly define the scope of your literature review. Explain the specific research question or objective you aim to address. 
• Organizational Framework: Briefly outline the structure of your literature review, indicating how you will categorize and discuss the existing research. 
• Significance of the Study: Highlight why your literature review is important and how it contributes to the understanding of the chosen topic. 
• Thesis Statement: Conclude the introduction with a concise thesis statement that outlines the main argument or perspective you will develop in the body of the literature review. 

Body: The body of the literature review is where you provide a comprehensive analysis of existing literature, grouping studies based on themes, methodologies, or other relevant criteria. 

• Organize by Theme or Concept: Group studies that share common themes, concepts, or methodologies. Discuss each theme or concept in detail, summarizing key findings and identifying gaps or areas of disagreement. 
• Critical Analysis: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each study. Discuss the methodologies used, the quality of evidence, and the overall contribution of each work to the understanding of the topic. 
• Synthesis of Findings: Synthesize the information from different studies to highlight trends, patterns, or areas of consensus in the literature. 
• Identification of Gaps: Discuss any gaps or limitations in the existing research and explain how your review contributes to filling these gaps. 
• Transition between Sections: Provide smooth transitions between different themes or concepts to maintain the flow of your literature review. 

Conclusion: The conclusion of your literature review should summarize the main findings, highlight the contributions of the review, and suggest avenues for future research. 

• Summary of Key Findings: Recap the main findings from the literature and restate how they contribute to your research question or objective. 
• Contributions to the Field: Discuss the overall contribution of your literature review to the existing knowledge in the field. 
• Implications and Applications: Explore the practical implications of the findings and suggest how they might impact future research or practice. 
• Recommendations for Future Research: Identify areas that require further investigation and propose potential directions for future research in the field. 
• Final Thoughts: Conclude with a final reflection on the importance of your literature review and its relevance to the broader academic community. 

Conducting a literature review

Conducting a literature review is an essential step in research that involves reviewing and analyzing existing literature on a specific topic. It’s important to know how to do a literature review effectively, so here are the steps to follow: 1  

Choose a Topic and Define the Research Question:

• Select a topic that is relevant to your field of study. 
• Clearly define your research question or objective. Determine what specific aspect of the topic do you want to explore? 

Decide on the Scope of Your Review:

• Determine the timeframe for your literature review. Are you focusing on recent developments, or do you want a historical overview? 
• Consider the geographical scope. Is your review global, or are you focusing on a specific region? 
• Define the inclusion and exclusion criteria. What types of sources will you include? Are there specific types of studies or publications you will exclude? 

Select Databases for Searches:

• Identify relevant databases for your field. Examples include PubMed, IEEE Xplore, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. 
• Consider searching in library catalogs, institutional repositories, and specialized databases related to your topic. 

Conduct Searches and Keep Track:

• Develop a systematic search strategy using keywords, Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT), and other search techniques. 
• Record and document your search strategy for transparency and replicability. 
• Keep track of the articles, including publication details, abstracts, and links. Use citation management tools like EndNote, Zotero, or Mendeley to organize your references. 

Review the Literature:

• Evaluate the relevance and quality of each source. Consider the methodology, sample size, and results of studies. 
• Organize the literature by themes or key concepts. Identify patterns, trends, and gaps in the existing research. 
• Summarize key findings and arguments from each source. Compare and contrast different perspectives. 
• Identify areas where there is a consensus in the literature and where there are conflicting opinions. 
• Provide critical analysis and synthesis of the literature. What are the strengths and weaknesses of existing research? 

Organize and Write Your Literature Review:

• Literature review outline should be based on themes, chronological order, or methodological approaches. 
• Write a clear and coherent narrative that synthesizes the information gathered. 
• Use proper citations for each source and ensure consistency in your citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.). 
• Conclude your literature review by summarizing key findings, identifying gaps, and suggesting areas for future research. 

The literature review sample and detailed advice on writing and conducting a review will help you produce a well-structured report. But remember that a literature review is an ongoing process, and it may be necessary to revisit and update it as your research progresses. 

Frequently asked questions

A literature review is a critical and comprehensive analysis of existing literature (published and unpublished works) on a specific topic or research question and provides a synthesis of the current state of knowledge in a particular field. A well-conducted literature review is crucial for researchers to build upon existing knowledge, avoid duplication of efforts, and contribute to the advancement of their field. It also helps researchers situate their work within a broader context and facilitates the development of a sound theoretical and conceptual framework for their studies.

Literature review is a crucial component of research writing, providing a solid background for a research paper’s investigation. The aim is to keep professionals up to date by providing an understanding of ongoing developments within a specific field, including research methods, and experimental techniques used in that field, and present that knowledge in the form of a written report. Also, the depth and breadth of the literature review emphasizes the credibility of the scholar in his or her field.  

Before writing a literature review, it’s essential to undertake several preparatory steps to ensure that your review is well-researched, organized, and focused. This includes choosing a topic of general interest to you and doing exploratory research on that topic, writing an annotated bibliography, and noting major points, especially those that relate to the position you have taken on the topic. 

Literature reviews and academic research papers are essential components of scholarly work but serve different purposes within the academic realm. 3 A literature review aims to provide a foundation for understanding the current state of research on a particular topic, identify gaps or controversies, and lay the groundwork for future research. Therefore, it draws heavily from existing academic sources, including books, journal articles, and other scholarly publications. In contrast, an academic research paper aims to present new knowledge, contribute to the academic discourse, and advance the understanding of a specific research question. Therefore, it involves a mix of existing literature (in the introduction and literature review sections) and original data or findings obtained through research methods. 

Literature reviews are essential components of academic and research papers, and various strategies can be employed to conduct them effectively. If you want to know how to write a literature review for a research paper, here are four common approaches that are often used by researchers.  Chronological Review: This strategy involves organizing the literature based on the chronological order of publication. It helps to trace the development of a topic over time, showing how ideas, theories, and research have evolved.  Thematic Review: Thematic reviews focus on identifying and analyzing themes or topics that cut across different studies. Instead of organizing the literature chronologically, it is grouped by key themes or concepts, allowing for a comprehensive exploration of various aspects of the topic.  Methodological Review: This strategy involves organizing the literature based on the research methods employed in different studies. It helps to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of various methodologies and allows the reader to evaluate the reliability and validity of the research findings.  Theoretical Review: A theoretical review examines the literature based on the theoretical frameworks used in different studies. This approach helps to identify the key theories that have been applied to the topic and assess their contributions to the understanding of the subject.  It’s important to note that these strategies are not mutually exclusive, and a literature review may combine elements of more than one approach. The choice of strategy depends on the research question, the nature of the literature available, and the goals of the review. Additionally, other strategies, such as integrative reviews or systematic reviews, may be employed depending on the specific requirements of the research.

The literature review format can vary depending on the specific publication guidelines. However, there are some common elements and structures that are often followed. Here is a general guideline for the format of a literature review:  Introduction:   Provide an overview of the topic.  Define the scope and purpose of the literature review.  State the research question or objective.  Body:   Organize the literature by themes, concepts, or chronology.  Critically analyze and evaluate each source.  Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the studies.  Highlight any methodological limitations or biases.  Identify patterns, connections, or contradictions in the existing research.  Conclusion:   Summarize the key points discussed in the literature review.  Highlight the research gap.  Address the research question or objective stated in the introduction.  Highlight the contributions of the review and suggest directions for future research.

Both annotated bibliographies and literature reviews involve the examination of scholarly sources. While annotated bibliographies focus on individual sources with brief annotations, literature reviews provide a more in-depth, integrated, and comprehensive analysis of existing literature on a specific topic. The key differences are as follows: 

References 

• Denney, A. S., & Tewksbury, R. (2013). How to write a literature review.  Journal of criminal justice education ,  24 (2), 218-234. 
• Pan, M. L. (2016).  Preparing literature reviews: Qualitative and quantitative approaches . Taylor & Francis. 
• Cantero, C. (2019). How to write a literature review.  San José State University Writing Center . 

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