A Literature Review involves finding sources about your topic so you can understand what has already been written about that topic and you can see where your research essay might contribute to that overall body of knowledge. Will it add to existing knowledge in some area of your topic or provide additional knowledge in some area? That’s what you’ll determine in the lit review.
When we use the term “literature”, we don’t mean literary works like you’d find in literature class. We use the term broadly, as those in each academic discipline or career area might use it, to mean the set of written works on a topic in a field of study.
The Rhetorical Situation
Your lit review focuses on reviewing the research by looking for critical points of knowledge and understanding on your particular topic. It does not report on new findings; rather, it attempts to bring together your body of research into a cohesive piece that presents an understanding and awareness of the sources. Your ultimate goal is to bring your audience up to speed on the research you are conducting and suggest possible opportunities or reasons for future research in this area.
A well-structured lit review is characterized by a logical flow of ideas; it refers to the sources in a consistent and appropriate style by using proper terminology; and it presents the research in an unbiased and comprehensive way. In short, you are presenting your research in a way that draws on connections between sources through in-depth analysis of the different sources. You are reading across sources (each source may connect to more than one other source).
By the time your lit review is finished, all your research should be finished, so that you are working with all of your sources.
- Sources for this Project: at least 6 academic sources and at least 4 popular media sources relevant to your topic
- Length Requirement: 4-6 pages (approximately 1000-1400 words) *excluding the references/works cited section
Review this
on Literature Reviews from the University of North Carolina. (Or use the link below, which can be pasted into a browser)
The literature review can be considered a treasure hunt of sorts. You are looking for key evidence based in the peer-reviewed, professional, and popular media sources that provide the audience with a foundational knowledge about all components of your research question (in other words, what you are exploring about your topic). It should provide a snapshot of the major conflicts, consensus points, and remaining unanswered questions from authors that relate to your question, problem statement, and professional field. This is an entirely evidence based section. There is no “new” knowledge created in the Lit Review.
Audience and Purpose
For this project you’ll write to an academic audience within the field/discipline of study that most closely aligns with your research question, which means your language and tone should be representative of that context.
Your goal is to synthesize across the sources — show how they can have a “conversation” together. Writing a Lit Review means you will have paragraphs with multiple sources, because synthesis involves reviewing information discussed in multiple sources, usually organized around a set of themes.
Key Points to Remember:
- A Lit Review doesn’t function like a traditional essay, which means it should not read like one. It should be separated into themes (connections or disconnections across the sources).
- Your sources should cross/connect/overlap together. This means when you start writing a lot (not all but a lot) of your paragraphs should feature more than one source. Unlike a traditional essay, it isn’t just a summary or an argument. Each paragraph should feature multiple sources.
- A summary is not a synthesis.
- When you use information from a source whether a direct quote or a paraphrase an in-text citation is needed. Give credit to sources for ideas, not just quotes.
- Your paragraphs must have support. Your Lit Review is based on secondary sources, which means you need evidence to support what you are writing about. Each point you make will come from the sources you gather, so supporting the points is a matter of organizing each paragraph around a key point and supporting it with those sources as you explain.
- The Lit Review feeds into your findings. You’ll have some of your research essay developed through the Lit Review, so the better job you do here the more prepared you are for P3.
- Each theme should have a short (2-4 sentences) intro/overview and a conclusion to provide context for the audience and help to establish the purpose of the theme.
- You will be adding your own insights (not opinions!) to the Lit Review. Insights are evidenced through research, while opinions may or may not actually be based on evidence.
The Lit Review will help you clearly understand the research so that you can develop understanding and contribute knowledge when writing your research essay.
Project Two Overview Assignment
so I need 4 popular sources, and 6 academic sources that are credible.
the 4 popular sources can be instagram post, or a youtube video yk
and my topic is the impact of narrcism on mental health
Research Question: How does narcissism affect mental health outcomes, such as depression and anxiety?
