Literature Review Guide
Research guide
A literature review is a conversation map.
It explains how existing research relates: where studies agree, differ, develop an idea or leave a gap.
01Find
→Search systematically and record the databases, keywords and limits you used.
02Group
→Organize sources by theme, method, theory, period or debate.
03Compare
→Notice agreements, contradictions, strengths, limits and missing perspectives.
04Synthesize
→Write around patterns and claims—not one isolated summary per article.
05Cite
Keep the evidence traceable and use the required citation style consistently.
Avoid the list
Source A says… Source B says… Source C says…
Build the synthesis
Across the studies, two explanations emerge; however, their methods produce different limits.