How to write a literature review
Step-by-step guide to writing an academic literature review: search strategy, synthesis, structure, and citation integrity for university students.
A literature review surveys scholarly sources on a topic — it is not a book report and not an annotated bibliography listed one paper at a time without synthesis. Your goal is to show what is known, how studies relate, and where gaps remain.
Start with a narrow research question. 'Climate policy' is too broad; 'carbon pricing adoption in OECD countries since 2015' gives you boundaries for searching and inclusion criteria.
Search peer-reviewed databases systematically. Record your keywords, filters (date range, study type), and why you included or excluded papers. This methodology section is often worth marks in postgraduate work.
Read for themes, not just summaries. Group studies by methodology, population, outcome, or theoretical framework. Synthesis means explaining agreements and disagreements — for example, why two RCTs reach different conclusions.
Structure commonly moves from broad context to specific themes, then gaps and your project's contribution. Introduction sets scope; body sections follow themes; conclusion states implications for your research question.
Cite every substantive claim. Paraphrase in your own words where possible; use direct quotes sparingly. Match your faculty's style guide (APA, Harvard, etc.) consistently.
Finally, revise for critical voice. Markers want evaluation — strengths and limitations of the literature — not neutral description alone.
Where Scholise helps
Scholise helps you search 200M+ peer-reviewed papers, save sources to a project, and build evidence tables that extract findings and methods for faster synthesis. Export your reference list in the style your faculty requires.
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