VIC150 : School and Society

“A literature review is a survey of everything that has been written about a particular topic, theory, or research question. It may provide the background for a larger work, or it may stand on its own. Much more than a list of sources, an effective literature review analyzes and synthesizes information about key themes and issues.” --UTSC, Writing Centre

• The tools/resources and search tips used in Historical and Conceptual Research also apply to doing a literature review. In fact, many of the articles and books found when researching those sections will be part of the literature review - there is some overlap.
• You can read other literature reviews on your topic.
• You can add keywords to your search to find review articles: literature review; review article; etc.

Galvan, Jose L. Writing Literature Reviews: A Guide for Students of the Social and Behavioral Sciences. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Publishing. 3rd ed. 2006.

• Keep in mind what kind of literature review you are doing: research paper, publishable article, dissertation
• Refine your topic
   
• Start with most current research first and work backwards
• Look for review articles
• Include theoretical articles
• Look for explicit definitions of key terms
• Look for key statistics
   
• Identify landmark studies and theorists in the field
• Group articles by categories
   
• Check your review for adequate coverage and currency

• Identify trends, relationships, and gaps in the literature [within which you can situate your own arguments]

Also see:
Skene, Allyson. Writing A Literature Review. University of Toronto at Scarborough: The Writing Centre, 2010.

McLaughlin Library. University of Guelph. Writing a Literature Review.

1. Determine the parameters of your literature review:
    
   • what type(s) of authors will you cover: academics, journalists, community members, etc.
      
   • define your subject parameters: thesis, historical background, conceptual framework, etc.
      
2. Check to see if any published literature reviews or bibliographies already exist (use library catalogue & databases; use keywords like literature review, review article, etc.)
   
   
3. Check a seminal journal title for literature review articles, eg. Canadian Journal of Native Education (note a recurring title in your research)
    
4. Check for other works by seminal authors  (use library catalogue & databases)
    
5. Check the works cited of major papers and authors in the field
    
6. Check to see who has cited the major works/authors in the field (do a cited reference search)