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Literature Reviews in the Sciences Micro-course

The Science & Engineering Libraries, in collaboration with The Writing Center, developed an asynchronous, interactive micro-course based on the content of a highly attended in-person workshop, co-taught between the UW Libraries and the UW Writing Center.

This micro-course enables residential and online students to access the content whenever and wherever it is convenient for them to engage, or re-engage, with the topic. Access to this instruction is no longer limited to when the librarian and writing instructor are able to coordinate schedules. This micro-course explores the skills and tools necessary to research and write a literature review in the sciences, including planning, organization, disciplinary-based source exploration, drafting, and revision. The content for this micro-course was developed by Barb Sisolak (on behalf of the Libraries) and Angela Zito (on behalf of the UW-Madison Writing Center), with Jules Arendsdorf (Teaching & Learning Programs E-Learning Team) assisting with instructional design.  Additional contact: Angela Zito, UW Writing Center ( [email protected] )

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• Lesson 3: Fundamental Writing Skills

Literature Reviews in the Sciences

• Introduction
• Lesson 1: What is a Literature Review
• Lesson 2: Fundamental Research Skills
• Lesson 4: Resources

Composing the Review

It’s a common misconception that researching and writing a literature review is a straightforward process that starts with research and ends with writing. The reality is that research and writing are intertwined, often with one process informing and reinforcing the other. This chapter of the micro-course provides some guidance in how to approach writing as a recursive and integrated process that most effectively (and efficiently!) occurs along with your research.

A helpful analogy for thinking about the interconnected activities of researching and writing is that of a band performing music. While individual musicians in a band will sometimes play louder, and some musicians may stop playing their instruments during a song, the musicians all remain on stage together, building on and responding to one another. Similarly, while you may conduct more research or more writing at different points during your literature review process, the two activities are very much interrelated, building on each other and responding to each other. To try to conduct your research and write completely separately would be like playing only one instrument in a band at a time—it wouldn’t sound very cohesive.

Analogy: Literature Reviews as Playing in a Band

Open Band Analogy in a new window

Read sample literature reviews rhetorically

As you conduct your research, you will likely read many sources that model the same kind of literature review that you yourself are researching and writing. While your original intent in reading those sources is likely to learn from the studies’ content (e.g. their results and discussion), it will benefit you to re-read these articles rhetorically.

Reading rhetorically means paying attention to how a text is written—how it has been structured, how it presents its claims and analyses, how it employs transitional words and phrases to move from one idea to the next. You might also pay attention to an author’s stylistic choices, like the use of first-person pronouns, active and passive voice, or technical terminology.

Consider this notion:  Reading sample literature reviews rhetorically constitutes a form of writing.  It does! When you read to write you are likely composing thoughts and experimenting with organization in your head. That cognitive activity is crucial to building familiarity with the nebulous literature review genre, and it also helps to build an effective and efficient writing process that works for you.

Write informally along the way

Writing can (and should!) be folded into your research process. It’s not only a strategy for getting the writing process started earlier, but a means of deepening your thinking about your project.

You might, for instance, incorporate informal writing activities into your data collection and management by writing short  summaries  or critiques of sources as you read them (you may know this strategy as creating an “annotated bibliography”). Alternatively, you might fill out pre-made  templates  for your sources to ensure you record all the most important information (e.g. experimental methods used, populations studied), or you might  annotate  your sources directly by hand or electronically.

Click on the following headings to learn more about each of these informal writing strategies.

Informal Writing Strategies

How this strategy works:

In addition to tracking citation information for all your selected sources, an annotated bibliography collects short descriptions of each source in one space. In a document, spreadsheet, notebook, or  citation manager , keep a running list of all the sources you intend to incorporate into your review. For each source, set aside some space to write a brief summary after you have read the source carefully. Your summary might be simply informative (i.e. identify the main argument or hypothesis, methods, major findings, and/or conclusions), or it might be evaluative as well (i.e. state why the source is interesting or useful for your review, or why it is not).

Why this strategy might be useful:

Taking the time to write short informative and/or evaluative summaries of your sources while you are researching can help you transition into the drafting stage later on. By making a record of your sources’ contents and your reactions to them, you make it less likely that you will need to go back and re-read many sources while drafting, and you might also start to gain a clearer idea of the overarching shape of your review.

You can find this information (and more!) in the Writing Center’s online  Writer’s Handbook section on Annotated Bibliographies .

This strategy might be used by itself or in combination with writing summaries. To create a template, consider what will be the most important information for you to glean from your sources as you read them. Then, write short prompts for yourself in a document, spreadsheet, or notebook that will remind you to gather that information. Copy these prompts for each source, and write short responses to each prompt as you read. Here are some sample prompts you might incorporate into a note-taking template:

• Bibliographic information (author(s), title, journal, etc.):
• Purpose or aims of the study:
• Major claims, hypothesis, or argument:
• Main findings and issues raised in discussion (i.e. the major take-aways):
• What’s especially valuable about it? What are its limitations? How is it relevant to your project?

A note-taking template can help ensure that you gather information consistently across all the sources you collect, and can serve as a self-reminder to evaluate the usefulness and relevance of sources as your project progresses.

Annotating sources refers to the process of writing notes directly on your reading material (e.g. articles, patents, etc.). This might be done digitally, as when  adding comments to a PDF document , or manually, as when writing on a print copy. Annotating a source is often used in combination with highlighting or other means of visually drawing attention to specific content. Importantly, annotations reflect  your own  ideas and reactions to the content of a source (as opposed to simply repeating what already appears in the text).

Annotating a source while reading it can deepen your engagement with its content—its ideas, arguments, methods, and findings. Be sure to consider whether digital or hard copy will be more accessible for you (e.g. is managing screen fatigue a priority for you?), as well as how you would like to be able search for and find your annotations at a later date.

Once you have done enough research that you feel you’re in a good position to begin drafting in earnest, it will be important to consider what the overall structure of your literature review will look like. As you know from previous lessons, the type and form of your review will dictate to a large degree the structure of your final product.

It will be important for you to find example literature reviews of the same type and form that you are writing so that you can get a sense of the specific expectations of that kind of review. If possible, you might look at specific examples that also target the same audience and pursue the same purposes as your own literature review. For example, you might find sample dissertation chapters written by peers with the same adviser as you; or you might find reviews published in the same journal that you’re submitting to.

With a clear sense of what the final product should look like, you might begin drafting your literature review in a number of ways. Some writers like to begin by  outlining  the different sections of the review, either in broad strokes or in specific detail. Other writers like to begin with a  mind map  of all their collected sources to help them envision relationships among them. Yet other writers like to begin with  freewriting , which allows them to get ideas onto the page and deal with organization later.

Click on the following headings to learn more about each of these drafting strategies.

Drafting Strategies

Take the sources, ideas and connections you’ve generated and write them out in the order you might address first, second, third, etc. Use subpoints to create hierarchies of logic through which you might introduce specific groups or categories of sources. Maybe you want to identify specific conclusions or methodologies within the sources you might use. Maybe you want to keep your outline elements general. Do whatever is most useful to help you think through the sequence of your ideas. Remember that outlines can and should be revised as you continue to develop and refine the flow of your review.

Outlines emphasize the sequence and hierarchy of ideas—your main points and subpoints as represented by the sources you’ve selected. If you have identified several key ideas emerging from the literature you have reviewed, outlining can help you consider how to best guide your readers through these ideas. What do your readers need to understand first? Where might certain studies fit most naturally? These are the kinds of questions that an outline can clarify.

You can find this information (and more!) in the Writing Center’s online  Writer’s Handbook section on Outlining .

This technique is a form of brainstorming that lets you visualize how your ideas function and relate. To get started, you might find a blank sheet of unlined paper or, for a larger work area, a whiteboard. You could also download software that lets you easily manipulate and group text, images, and shapes (like  Coggle ,  FreeMind , or  MindMaple ). Write down a central idea, then identify associated concepts, features, or questions around that idea. If some of those thoughts need expanding, continue this map, cluster, or web in whatever direction makes sense to you. Make lines attaching various ideas, or arrows to signify directional relationships. Add and rearrange individual elements or whole subsets as necessary. Use different shapes, sizes, or colors to indicate commonalities, sequences, or relative importance.

This drafting technique allows you to generate ideas while thinking visually about how they function together. As you follow lines of thought, you can see which ideas can be connected, where certain pathways lead, and what the scope of your project might look like. Additionally, by drawing out a map you may be able to see what elements of your review are underdeveloped and may benefit from more focused attention. It’s important to note that not all of the ideas or sources in your mind map would necessarily appear in the final draft.

You can find this information (and more!) in the Writing Center’s online  Writer’s Handbook section on Mind Mapping .

Sit down and write without stopping for a set amount of time (i.e., 5-10 minutes). The goal is to generate a continuous, forward-moving flow of text, to track down all of your thoughts about each source, as if you are thinking on the page. Even if all you can think is, “I don’t know what to write,” or, “Is this important?” write that down and keep on writing. Repeat the same word or phrase over again if you need to. Write in full sentences or in phrases, whatever helps keep your thoughts flowing. Through this process, don’t worry about errors of any kind or gaps in logic. Don’t stop to reread or revise what you wrote. Let your words follow your thought process wherever it takes you.

The purpose of this technique is to open yourself up to the possibilities of your ideas while establishing a record of what those ideas are. Through the unhindered nature of this open process, you are free to stumble into interesting options you might not have previously considered.

You can find this information (and more!) in the Writing Center’s online  Writer’s Handbook section on Freewriting .

Depending on the kind of literature review you’re writing, the overarching structure can look quite different. For the purposes of this introductory micro-course though, let’s walk through a fairly common structure for narrative reviews—that is, reviews that typically feature a clear introduction, body, and conclusion.

Each of these three sections has a specific rhetorical purpose. In other words, they are meant to do certain things:

 Introduction

• Define the general topic, issue, or area
• Point out overall trends, conflicts, and gaps in the published literature
• Establish your point of view and the line of inquiry you’ll be pursuing
• Provide a “road map” of how your review will proceed
• Group studies according to common themes
• Paraphrase study findings and elaborate on their significance according to their relative importance
• Provide strong umbrella sentences, effective transitions, and brief “so what” summaries

 Conclusion

• Summarize major contributions of significant studies to the body of knowledge under review
• Evaluate the current “state of the art” of the knowledge reviewed, noting flaws, gaps, inconsistencies, and areas for future study
• Provide some insight into the relationship between your central topic and a larger area of study

While you’re drafting, try to keep in mind the purpose of each section, and plan on spending a significant amount of time revising your document to ensure that each of these purposes is met.

As you might imagine, drafting and revising the  body  can be particularly labor-intensive! Consider breaking this component of your drafting into smaller, less intimidating tasks. For example:

• Develop categories for the sources you plan to include in your review
• Determine the order in which you’ll discuss your selected sources
• Background information 🡪 specific information
• Areas of consensus 🡪 areas of controversy
• Add section headings
• Include summative sentences at the conclusion of paragraphs (that is, clearly state why the sources addressed are important to your study)

Above all, allow yourself to engage in drafting as an ongoing (and often messy!) process. There is no one “correct” way to draft a literature review, and you may find that using different strategies at different stages will help you make progress toward the final product you’re aiming for.

Remember, writing is a cognitive process, so allow yourself to use the drafting process as a means of deepening and organizing your own thinking about your research. Revision, on the other hand, presents an opportunity to transform your writing from a thinking tool to a communication tool. In other words, revising is a process for considering how your target audience will experience your writing through its relative clarity and cohesion.

Just like drafting, there are multiple revising strategies you might explore, but generally speaking revision is most effective when it moves intentionally from global concerns to local concerns. Global concerns are whole-text issues that impact a reader’s overall experience of your piece. For example: Does it have a clear focus? Is it effectively organized? Local concerns are paragraph- or sentence-specific issues that impact a reader’s experience in particular areas. For example: Are there clear transitions? Could word choice be more precise? Are there proofreading errors?

 Global concerns:

• Focus and relevance
• Unity and cohesion
• Clarity and organization

 Local concerns:

• Paragraph-level (transitions, topic sentences)
• Sentence-level (tone and style, punctuation)
• Word-level (diction, spelling, grammar)

Once you’ve addressed the major global concerns in your draft and considered how your readers might experience navigating the document, you might take a final pass through your language—sentence by sentence—to fine-tune your style.

 Some stylistic considerations:

• Objective tone
• Appropriately qualified language
• Limited quotations
• Appropriate use of active/passive voice
• No leisurely sentence openers

Click on the following headings to learn more about each revision strategy.

Revision Strategies

How this strategy works :

Reverse outlining is a process whereby you take away all of the supporting writing and are left with a paper’s main points or main ideas, sometimes represented by your paper’s topic sentences. Your reverse outline provides a bullet-point view of your literature review’s structure because you are looking only at the main points of the review in its current state.

Reverse outlining allows you to read a condensed version of what you wrote, and provides one good way to examine and produce a successful review. This strategy is particularly useful for large-scale revisions that tackle global concerns. It can help you determine if your literature review meets its goals, discover places to expand on your discussion of sources, and see where readers might be confused by your organization or structure.

You can find this information (and more!) in the Writing Center’s online  Writer’s Handbook section on Reverse Outlining .

Editing for clarity and concision occurs most effectively toward the end of your writing process, after you have addressed any global concerns in the literature review. This requires re-reading each paragraph and each sentence carefully, considering how your language might communicate your ideas most effectively to your readers.

Every writer has quirks and inconsistencies in their writing, so the specific edits you make in your review will look different from other writers’ edits. The UW-Madison Writing Center’s online Writer’s Handbook features a  section on improving your writing style  that can guide you through a variety of editing procedures. For example,  how to use active voice  and  how to avoid vague nouns .

Your literature review will undergo many drafts and revisions along the way, and this might easily lead to some chopped sentences, confusing grammar, and gaps in transitions. Editing—especially with the help of outside readers – can help ensure that you are communicating your ideas as clearly and effectively as possible.

Finally, don’t forget that talking about your writing with knowledgeable, engaged readers is an effective way to gain new perspectives, learn new strategies, and make progress toward your goals.  Lesson 4  provides a list of resources (including outside readers like Writing Center instructors!) to support you in your research and writing.

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Writing literature reviews : a guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences

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Publication Details

• Galvan, Melisa C
• 7th edition
• New York : Taylor and Francis, 2017
• 1 online resource (xix, 288 pages)
• Description based upon print version of record.
• Step 4: Organize Yourself before Reading the Articles
• Includes bibliographical references and index.
• Cover; Title Page; Copyright Page; Dedication; Table of Contents; Preface; Audiences; Unique Features; New to This Edition; Ancillaries; Notes to the Instructor; Special Acknowledgment; Acknowledgments; Notes; Part I: Managing the Literature Search; 1 Writing Reviews of Academic Literature: An Overview; An Introduction to Reviewing Primary Sources; Empirical Research Reports; Theoretical Articles; Literature Review Articles; Anecdotal Reports; Reports on Professional Practices and Standards; The Writing Process; Finding Your 'Writer's Voice': Writing for a Specific Purpose
• Writing a Literature Review as a Term Paper for a ClassWriting a Literature Review Chapter for a Thesis or Dissertation; Writing a Literature Review for a Research Article; The Parts of this Text; Managing the Literature Search-Part I; Analyzing the Relevant Literature-Part II; Writing the First Draft of Your Literature Review-Part III; Editing and Preparing the Final Draft of Your Review-Part IV; Activities for Chapter 1; Notes; 2 Learn to Navigate the Electronic Resources in Your University's Library; Step 1: Formalize Your Institutional Affiliation with Your University Library
• Step 2: Set Up Your Online Access Credentials and/or Proxy ServerStep 3: Inquire about University Library Research Workshops; Step 4: Select a Search Engine that Best Suits Your Needs; Step 5: Familiarize Yourself with How Online Databases Function; Step 6: Experiment with the "Advanced Search" Feature; Step 7: Identify an Array of Subject Keywords to Locate Your Sources; Step 8: Learn How You Can Access the Articles You Choose; Step 9: Identify Additional Databases that May Be Useful for Your Field of Study; Step 10: Repeat the Search Procedures with Other Databases; Activities for Chapter 2
• Note3 Selecting a Topic for Your Review; Step 1: Define Your General Topic; Step 2: Familiarize Yourself with the Basic Organization of Your Selected Online Database; Step 3: Begin Your Search with a General Keyword, then Limit the Output; Step 4: Identify Narrower Topic Areas If Your Initial List of Search Results Is Too Long; Step 5: Increase the Size of Your Reference List, If Necessary; Step 6: Consider Searching for Unpublished Studies; Step 7: Start with the Most Current Research, and Work Backward; Step 8: Search for Theoretical Articles on Your Topic; Step 9: Look for Review Articles
• Step 10: Identify the Landmark or Classic Studies and TheoristsStep 11: Assemble the Collection of Sources You Plan to Include in Your Review; Step 12: Write the First Draft of Your Topic Statement; Step 13: Redefine Your Topic More Narrowly; Step 14: Ask for Feedback from Your Instructor or Advisor; Activities for Chapter 3; Notes; 4 Organizing Yourself to Begin the Selection of Relevant Titles; Step 1: Scan the Articles to Get an Overview of Each One; Step 2: Based on Your Prereading of the Articles, Group Them by Category; Step 3: Conduct a More Focused Literature Search if Gaps Appear

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The Madison Review

The Madison Review is an independent literary arts journal published through the University of Wisconsin–Madison Creative Writing Department. Published semiannually, each issue of The Madison Review contains previously unpublished fiction, poetry, and art as well as interviews with well-known writers. The Madison Review is also committed to bringing literary arts to the community by hosting readings, discussions and other events. Contributors to The Madison Review have included I.B. Singer, Stephen Dunn, Lisel Mueller, May Sarton, Charles Baxter, Roberto Fernandez, and C.K. Williams. The Madison Review has also had the privilege of interviewing such literary figures as Joe Meno, Billy Collins, Maurice Manning, Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, David Sedaris, Lorrie Moore, Dean Young, Ira Glass, Nathan Englander, Heather Swan, and Amy Quan Barry.

Founded in the early 1970s by students from the university’s creative writing program, The Madison Review remains a student-run journal to this day. The staff—including editors—is composed entirely of undergraduates from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Since the staff changes frequently, each issue attempts to showcase the distinct aesthetics of that year’s reviewing panel. Professor Ron Kuka has acted as the faculty advisor for The Madison Review since 1990.

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* For a plagiarized version of this article, see http://writingcenter.uconn.edu/writing-in-psychology-4/ at the University of Connecticut Writing Center).

** For a plagiarized version of this article, go to the UW Writing Center for Political Science, Law Societies and Justice, Jackson School of International Studies, Comparative History of Ideas.

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The following publications are produced in conjunction with the English Department and its affiliated programs.

Contemporary Literature

Published quarterly by the University of Wisconsin Press,  Contemporary Literature  publishes scholarly essays on contemporary writing in English, interviews with established and emerging authors, and reviews of recent critical books in the field. The journal welcomes articles on multiple genres, including poetry, the novel, drama, creative nonfiction, new media and digital literature, and graphic narrative.

Contemporary Literature  published the first articles on Thomas Pynchon and Susan Howe and the first interviews with Margaret Drabble and Don DeLillo; it also helped to introduce Kazuo Ishiguro, Eavan Boland, and J.M. Coetzee to American readers. As a forum for discussing issues animating the range of contemporary literary studies,  CL  features the full diversity of critical practices. The editors seek articles that frame their analysis of texts within larger literary historical, theoretical or cultural debates.

Dictionary of American Regional English

The  Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE)  is a multi-volume reference work that documents words, phrases, and pronunciations that vary from one place to another place across the United States. Challenging the popular notion that our language has been “homogenized” by the media and our mobile population,  DARE  demonstrates that there are many thousands of differences that characterize the dialect regions of the U.S.

DARE  is based on face-to-face interviews carried out in all 50 states between 1965 and 1970 and on a comprehensive collection of written materials (diaries, letters, novels, histories, biographies, newspapers, government documents, etc.) that cover our history from the colonial period to the present. The entries in  DARE  include regional pronunciations, variant forms, some etymologies, and regional and social distributions of the words and phrases.

The Madison Review

The Madison Review  is an independent literary arts journal published through the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Published semiannually, each issue of  The Madison Review  contains previously unpublished fiction, poetry, and art as well as interviews with well-known writers. Contributors to the  Review  have included I.B. Singer, Stephen Dunn, Lisel Mueller, May Sarton, Charles Baxter, Roberto Fernandez, and C.K. Williams.  The Madison Review  has also had the privilege of interviewing such literary figures as Billy Collins, Maurice Manning, Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, David Sedaris, Lorrie Moore, Dean Young, Ira Glass, and Nathan Englander.

Founded in the early 1970s by students from the university’s creative writing program,  The Madison Review  remains a student-run journal to this day. The staff—including editors—is composed entirely of undergraduates from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Since the staff changes frequently, each issue attempts to showcase the distinct aesthetics of that year’s reviewing panel. Professor Ron Kuka has acted as the faculty advisor for  The Madison Review  since 1990.

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Literature Reviews

You may be asked to write a literature review as part of your Library Science coursework. 

On this page, you will find:

• Tutorial videos on the topic of literature review (left column)
• A definition of a literature review (right column)
• Links to helpful tools to help you write a lit review (right column)
• Outline of a basic literature review (right column)

The Literature Review

This tutorial from NCSU gives a good overview of the process of the literature review.

Types of Literature Reviews

Completing Literature Reviews

What is a Literature Review (Lit Review)?

A Literature Review  is an integrated summary of existing research on a particular topic. In it, you identify sources, summarize their points, and then critically evaluate them as they relate to each other. You also need to establish that the existing research has not yet covered the aspect of the topic that you are or will be researching. Aspects of the topic that need further research or which are controversial should be identified, as well.

Links to Further Help You...

• Purdue Online Writing Lab Social Work Literature Review Guidelines (Not only for Social Work!)
• UW-Madison Writing Center Learn How to Write a Review of Literature
• Mindmap The Literature Review in Under 5 Minutes

Basic Outline

Detailed literature reviews typically include the following:

• Introduction : Explain how you will organize your literature review (e.g. thematic or chronological) and your thesis (argument).
• Body : Summarize, compare, contrast, etc. the various sources and their arguments. Discuss your thesis in relation to the existing research. Identify the gaps that led to your thesis and those that remain.
• Implications : State how your research impacts the field.
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Communication-B & Writing-Intensive Criteria and Courses

Requirements for Writing-Intensive Courses

Guidelines for writing-intensive courses.

Writing-Intensive (WI) courses in the College of Letters and Science incorporate frequent writing assignments in ways that help students learn both the subject matter of the courses and discipline-specific ways of thinking and writing. Generally, WI courses are at the intermediate or advanced level and are designed specifically for majors. Please note that writing-intensive courses are in L&S departments only, and that writing-intensive courses are different from the Bascom or Communication-B courses which will satisfy Part B of the university-wide general education communication requirements. For more information about Communication-B courses, please contact the chair of the implementation committee for those courses: Professor Nancy Westphal-Johnson, [email protected].

In most semesters, there are between 70 and 100 courses in over 30 different L&S departments designated as writing-intensive. In October 1999, the L&S Faculty Senate passed legislation recommending that all L&S departments develop enough writing-intensive courses so that all of their majors would take at least one as part of their undergraduate studies. Both the L&S curriculum committee and Faculty Senate felt strongly that the writing skills students learn in Communication-A and -B courses should be further developed, nurtured, and practiced in subsequent, more advanced writing-intensive courses.

The procedure for designating a course as writing-intensive is simple. As long as you feel that the course will meet the writing-intensive guidelines outlined below, please go ahead and list it as writing-intensive.

All you need to do is:

• Ask the person in your department responsible for preparing the Timetable to add a footnote to your course listing. Standard Note Number 0003 is for a “Writing-Intensive Course.”
• Send Brad Hughes, the director of the L&S Program in Writing Across the Curriculum, a note or email message (English Department, Helen C. White Hall, [email protected]) letting him know which course you’re designating as writing-intensive.
• If you have questions about writing-intensive courses or would like advice about designing assignments and a syllabus for a WI course, please contact Brad Hughes, director of the L&S Program in Writing Across the Curriculum (3-3823, [email protected]). Please also explore the sample syllabi and assignments available in this sourcebook.

Strong Recommendations

• Departments may wish to limit enrollment to 30 or fewer students per instructor.
• The course syllabus should explain the writing-intensive nature of the course and should contain a schedule for writing assignments and revisions.
• Assignments should follow a logical sequence and should match the learning goals for the course. Among the many options: assignments can move from more basic to more sophisticated kinds of thinking about course material; assignments can move from clearly defined problems toward more ill-defined problems for students to solve; assignments can move from familiar to new perspectives on course material; assignments can give students repeated practice that builds particular thinking and writing skills; complex assignments can be sequenced–students write proposals for research, write drafts, receive feedback on drafts, and then revise their papers.
• Assignments should include time for students to prepare to write and time for them to reflect on their writing. Courses should include some informal, ungraded writing (such as journals, freewriting, reading logs, questions, proposals, response papers . . .) in order to encourage regular practice with writing, to help students reflect on and synthesize course material, and to provide opportunities for students to discover promising ideas for formal papers.
• Students should receive detailed written instructions for each writing assignment, including an explanation of the goals and specific evaluation criteria for that assignment.
• Instructors should require students to keep all of their writing in portfolios and to submit their past writing with new papers, so that instructors can gauge and guide students’ improvement as writers.
• Instructors should hold at least one individual conference with each student.
• Instructors should have students complete midterm and final evaluations of the writing component of the course.
• Instructors should consult with the staff of the L&S Program in Writing Across the Curriculum about the design of the writing component of their courses.

Models to Illustrate Number of Assignments and Number of Pages of Writing in Writing-Intensive Courses

• one 3-page paper, with draft and revision
• one longer paper, c. 10 pages, with a proposal, draft, and revision
• one 3-page paper
• two 2-page papers, one of which is revised
• two 6-page papers, one of which is revised
• two 8-page papers, each with a draft and revision
• five 1-page response papers
• one 10-page paper, with a draft; developed from one of the response papers
• two 5-page papers, one revised
• a graded journal
• one 5 or 6-page paper, which is revised
• one 5-page take-home midterm
• one 5 or 6-page paper
• two 2-page papers
• one 5-page group project report
• one 5-page paper, with draft and revision
• one 20-25-page paper, with proposal, draft, and revision

UW-Madison WAC Sourcebook 2020 Copyright © by UW-Madison Writing Across the Curriculum Program. All Rights Reserved.

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MERRIMACK COLLEGE MCQUADE LIBRARY

Crm4000: research methods in criminology (zipper).

• Get Started
• Find Background Information
• Determine Keywords
• Find Books & Media
• Find Articles
• Types of Articles
• Find Criminology Journals
• Evaluate Sources
• Cite Sources
• Zotero This link opens in a new window
• Creating an Annotated Bibliography

Writing a Literature Review

Synthesis visualization.

• Data Analysis
• Literature Review Class Activity
• Lit Review Matrix
• Lit Review Organizer
• Lit Review Worksheet 1
• Lit Review Worksheet 2
• Lit Review Worksheet 3
• Lit Review Template
• Click on the activity link above
• Select File > Make a Copy
• Complete the activity on  YOUR COPY

Selected Books

Online Resources

• Basics of a Literature Review (Merrimack College's Writing Center)
• Library Guide to Capstone Literature Reviews: Role of the Literature Review
• The Literature Review: A Few Tips on Writing It University of Toronto
• Lit Review Matrix This one is customized for Higher Education students, but may be helpful for others.
• Matrix Examples This page from Walden University gives examples of different types of literature review matrices. A matrix can be very helpful in taking notes and preparing sources for your literature review.
• OWL's Literature Reviews
• Review of Literature UW - Madison, Writing Center
• UNC at Chapel Hill's Literature Reviews

What Is a Literature Review? 

A literature review is a survey of scholarly articles, books, or other sources that pertain to a specific topic, area of research, or theory. The literature review offers brief descriptions, summaries, and critical evaluations of each work, and does so in the form of a well-organized essay. Scholars often write literature reviews to provide an overview of the most significant recent literature published on a topic. They also use literature reviews to trace the evolution of certain debates or intellectual problems within a field. Even if a literature review is not a formal part of a research project, students should conduct an informal one so that they know what kind of scholarly work has been done previously on the topic that they have selected. 

How Is a Literature Review Different from a Research Paper? 

An academic research paper attempts to develop a new argument and typically has a literature review as one of its parts. In a research paper, the author uses the literature review to show how his or her new insights build upon and depart from existing scholarship. A literature review by itself does not try to make a new argument based on original research but rather summarizes, synthesizes, and critiques the arguments and ideas of others, and points to gaps in the current literature. Before writing a literature review, a student should look for a model from a relevant journal or ask the instructor to point to a good example. 

Organizing a Literature Review  

A successful literature review should have three parts that break down in the following way: 

INTRODUCTION 

• Defines and identifies the topic and establishes the reason for the literature review. 
• Points to general trends in what has been published about the topic. 
• Explains the criteria used in analyzing and comparing articles. 

BODY OF THE REVIEW 

• Groups articles into thematic clusters, or subtopics. Clusters may be grouped together chronologically, thematically, or methodologically (see below for more on this).
• Proceeds in a logical order from cluster to cluster. 
• Emphasizes the main findings or arguments of the articles in the student’s own words. Keeps quotations from sources to an absolute minimum. 

CONCLUSION 

• Summarizes the major themes that emerged in the review and identifies areas of controversy in the literature. 
• Pinpoints strengths and weaknesses among the articles (innovative methods used, gaps in research, problems with theoretical frameworks, etc.). 
• Concludes by formulating questions that need further research within the topic, and provides some insight into the relationship between that topic and the larger field of study or discipline. 

In the four examples of student writing below, only one shows a good example of synthesis: the fourth column, Student D. (Click on the image below to see larger)

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University Library

Robert S. Swanson Library and Learning Center

Graduate Student Library Guide: Literature Review

• Introduction
• Find Dissertations
• Find Theses
• Thesis Only Grads

Literature Review

• Research Methods
• Data Analysis
• Writing and Citing
• Citation Builders
• Library Access for Alumni This link opens in a new window
• LibKey: Easy Access to Library Articles This link opens in a new window

Graduate Student Library Guide

Literature review description.

1. Introduction

Not to be confused with a book review, a  literature review  surveys scholarly articles, books and other sources (e.g. dissertations, conference proceedings) relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory, providing a description, summary, and critical evaluation of each work. The purpose is to offer an overview of significant literature published on a topic.

2. Components

Similar to primary research, development of the literature review requires four stages:

• Problem formulation—which topic or field is being examined and what are its component issues?
• Literature search—finding materials relevant to the subject being explored
• Data evaluation—determining which literature makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the topic
• Analysis and interpretation—discussing the findings and conclusions of pertinent literature

Literature reviews should comprise the following elements:

• An overview of the subject, issue or theory under consideration, along with the objectives of the literature review
• Division of works under review into categories (e.g. those in support of a particular position, those against, and those offering alternative theses entirely)
• Explanation of how each work is similar to and how it varies from the others
• Conclusions as to which pieces are best considered in their argument, are most convincing of their opinions, and make the greatest contribution to the understanding and development of their area of research

In assessing each piece, consideration should be given to:

• Provenance—What are the author's credentials? Are the author's arguments supported by evidence (e.g. primary historical material, case studies, narratives, statistics, recent scientific findings)?
• Objectivity—Is the author's perspective even-handed or prejudicial? Is contrary data considered or is certain pertinent information ignored to prove the author's point?
• Persuasiveness—Which of the author's theses are most/least convincing?
• Value—Are the author's arguments and conclusions convincing? Does the work ultimately contribute in any significant way to an understanding of the subject?

3. Definition and Use/Purpose

A literature review may constitute an essential chapter of a thesis or dissertation, or may be a self-contained review of writings on a subject. In either case, its purpose is to:

• Place each work in the context of its contribution to the understanding of the subject under review
• Describe the relationship of each work to the others under consideration
• Identify new ways to interpret, and shed light on any gaps in, previous research
• Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory previous studies
• Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort
• Point the way forward for further research
• Place one's original work (in the case of theses or dissertations) in the context of existing literature

The literature review itself, however, does not present new  primary  scholarship.

4. Examples of Literature Reviews

An annotated example of a literature review may be found:

https://writingcenter.ashford.edu/sites/default/files/inline-files/Sample%20Literature%20Review_0.pdf

Find a published, peer-reviewed literature review by searching Search @UW for the following:

Raheel, H., Karim, M. S., Saleem, S., & Bharwani, S. (2012). Information and Communication Technology Use and Economic Growth.  Plos ONE, 7 (11), 1-7.

5. For more information:

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center. (2009).  Writer's Handbook: Common Writing Assignments: Review of Literature . Madison, Wisconsin: Author. Retrieved 20th of February 2020 from the World Wide Web: https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/assignments/reviewofliterature/

• Find a Database for Articles By name, subject or vendor (i.e. Ebsco, ProQuest)
• Research Guides Databases and resources organized by subject disciplines. Advise students to begin research here. Request resources or links be added to a specific guide - contact Laura Tomcik.
• Statistical and Demographic Resources Guide with resources for finding statistics and demographics.
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• Last Updated: May 3, 2024 10:41 AM
• URL: https://library.uwstout.edu/GradResearch

Research Specialist

• Madison, Wisconsin
• SCHOOL OF EDUCATION/WIS CENTER FOR EDUCATION RESCH-GEN
• Staff-Full Time
• Opening at: May 16 2024 at 14:25 CDT
• Closing at: May 30 2024 at 23:55 CDT

Job Summary:

The Learning, Cognition, & Development Lab (LCD Lab), directed by Dr. Haley Vlach, conducts research on how young children think and learn. We are currently working on a series of National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded studies examining relationships between children's attention, memory, language, categorization, and cognitive development. The Research Specialist will work with researchers in the LCD Lab to ensure the successful completion of these studies. More information about the LCD Lab's research can be found on this website: https://vlachlab.education.wisc.edu/ .  Duties will include: * Assisting with recruitment and coordination of data collection activities with parents, daycares, and preschools, both in-person and online * Contacting school administrators to discuss their possible participation in the project, describing Institutional Review Board (IRB) requirements and consenting of parents and children. * Traveling to data collection sites, such as daycares and preschools. * Coordinating data collection efforts with other lab researchers. * Administering cognitive tasks to parents and children. * Assisting in management of data, participation databases, and consent forms. * Attending and participating in regular meetings with the Principal Investigator (PI), postdoctoral scholars, graduate students, and undergraduate researchers. * Managing a team of undergraduate researchers * Creating and updating IRB protocols Other requirements to be considered for this position: * Reliable source of transportation, as some travel is required * A minimum of one-year commitment

Responsibilities:

• 50% Conducts research experiments according to established research protocols with moderate impact to the project(s). Collects data and monitors test results
• 10% Operates, cleans, and maintains organization of research equipment and research area. Tracks inventory levels and places replenishment orders
• 5% Reviews, analyzes, and interprets data and/or documents results for presentations and/or reporting to internal and external audiences
• 15% Participates in the development, interpretation, and implementation of research methodology and materials
• 15% Provides operational guidance on day-to-day activities of unit or program staff and/or student workers
• 5% Performs literature reviews and writes reports

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals. The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world. For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion

Required Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, Education, or related field.

Qualifications:

*Research experience with human subjects *Experience working with infants and/or children *College-level course work in human development, cognitive science, and/or psychology *Strong computer skills, proficiency with MS Office, and ability to learn new software *Strong organizational, social, and interpersonal skills

Full Time: 100% It is anticipated this position requires work be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location.

Appointment Type, Duration:

Ongoing/Renewable

Minimum $42,000 ANNUAL (12 months) Depending on Qualifications

Additional Information:

The Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER), established in 1964, is one of the first, most productive, and largest university-based education research and development centers in the world. WCER's researchers and staff work to make teaching and learning as effective as possible for all ages and all people. WCER's mission is to improve educational outcomes for diverse student populations, impact education practice positively and foster collaborations among academic disciplines and practitioners. To this end, our center helps scholars and practitioners develop, submit, conduct, and share grant-funded education research. At WCER, all employees share five fundamental organization values to guide the purpose and quality of our work and interactions within ourselves and our outside stakeholders. The values that the work and people of WCER strive to uphold are: - Innovation and Excellence. Continuous improvement is a driver for excellence. We innovate and improve in our work to advance education through leading research and development. - Equitable Education. Equitable education is essential to a healthy society. We aim to reverse imbalances and injustices in education through our work. - Affirming and Increasing Diversity. Individual differences and group diversity inspire creative and equitable outcomes. We actively affirm and seek to increase such diversity in our center. - Healthy Workplace. The well-being of our workplace enhances success for all. We commit to a workplace based on mutual respect and transparency - Partnering Across Differences. Diverse backgrounds and expertise improve the quality of our work. We collaborate across disciplines, methodologies, organizations, and communities to strengthen our research and development outcomes. If you need to request an accommodation because of a disability during the recruitment process, please email [email protected]  and one of our Division Disability Representatives will contact you. More information can also be found at https://employeedisabilities.wisc.edu/disability-accommodation-information-for-applicants/ . 

How to Apply:

Please click on the "Apply Now" button to start the application process. As part of the application process, you will be required to submit: - A cover letter describing how your experience and qualifications meet the requirements of this position addressed to Dr. Haley Vlach. - A current resume or CV. - A list of at least three professional references, including contact information.

Laura Hankes [email protected] 608-890-4461 Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

Official Title:

Research Specialist(RE047)

Department(s):

A17-SCHOOL OF EDUCATION/WCER

Employment Class:

Academic Staff-Renewable

Job Number:

The university of wisconsin-madison is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer..

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Make a Writing Appointment

Setting up your account.

To schedule an individual writing appointment, you will need to set up an account through our online scheduler, WCOnline. To create an account:

• Click on the “Make an Appointment” button
• Use your UW-Madison NetID to create an account

Once your account is created, you will be linked to the online scheduler. If you have trouble registering, please call the Writing Center at (608) 263-1992.

Make an Appointment!

What Kind of Writing Appointment Do You Need?

We help undergraduate and graduate writers at any stage of the writing process—from choosing a topic to drafting and revising—for any writing project. Each year, more than six thousand students from across the university—from first-year through doctoral students—benefit from talking and working with a Writing Center instructor. Learn more about the types of appointments we offer and find out which appointment is right for you.

Learn more about the types of appointments we offer and find out which appointment is right for you. Click for a downloadable PDF showing our services for students .

• In-Person Meetings at our Main Center
• In-Person Meetings at our Satellite Locations
• Virtual Meetings
• Written Feedback

Our main center is located at 6171 Helen C. White Hall ( 600 North Park Street ). Our appointments often book up several days in advance, so please plan ahead. We release same-day appointments at our satellite locations each day, so please check back for openings, or join our waitlist.

In-Person Meetings are recommended if…

• You want to meet with a Writing Center instructor in-person.
• You want to collaborate and talk with a Writing Center instructor about your writing.
• You want ideas on how to improve your writing process.
• You want guidance about an ongoing or longer project.

Directions: Helen C. White Hall is across the street from the Memorial Union and Science Hall, on Lake Mendota.

• The Writing Center cannot be accessed from within College Library.
• Take the elevator up to the sixth floor.
• At the sixth floor, turn right, and then turn right down the corridor.
• The Writing Center is located in room 6172, which is the first door on the right.

During Summer 2024, we will have one satellite location in operation. 

Satellites Across Campus

College library.

We are located in the student services area is on the first floor of College Library, to the right of the entrance and behind the main information desk.

Mondays, 2:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m.

June 17–August 9, 2024

Virtual Meetings offer real-time, face-to-face appointments in WCOnline, our online appointment system. Virtual Meetings allow us to collaborate with you through:

• a whiteboard where you and your instructor can view and comment on your writing
• conversation through video/audio
• a chat area for synchronous, written conversation

The whiteboard and chat area remain available to you after the appointment.  

Virtual Meetings are recommended if…

• You’ve enjoyed meeting in-person with Writing Center instructors.
• You are unable to attend an In-Person Meeting.
• You have a reliable internet connection.

Learn more about Virtual Meetings .

Written Feedback appointments allow you to receive written comments and suggestions from a Writing Center instructor. After uploading your draft into WCOnline, along with information about your assignment or writing project, you will receive written feedback the next business day following your appointment. This feedback will remain available to you after your appointment.

Written Feedback appointments are recommended if…

• You have a draft that you’d like to receive feedback and writing lessons on asynchronously
• You live in a different time zone that makes scheduling a Virtual Meeting difficult or impossible.
• Your internet connection is unreliable.

Learn more about Written Feedback.

We work with writers on everything from thesis statements and organization to grammar and citation methods. We will also be glad to help you learn to edit and proofread your own writing. If you have questions, check out more about what we can do at the Writing Center or read through the questions and answers below. Still have questions? Email us!

This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.

What happens during a Writing Center appointment?

During an appointment, we will talk about your goals, review your writing, and have a conversation about what next steps you might take. After your visit, you’ll leave ready to write or revise!

• You and your instructor will work together to meet your writing goals
• Together, you’ll review the prompt, plan, or project
• Together, you’ll read and talk about your draft or ideas
• You’ll leave with concrete plans or writing strategies

Who can use the Writing Center?

Any UW-Madison graduate and undergraduate student who is currently enrolled can use the Writing Center.

If you’re a recent alumnus, faculty, or staff member at UW, we’d love to see you at our workshops and other events. We can sometimes offer limited one-on-one writing consultations with alumni, faculty, and staff. Please call us directly to discuss this option.

If you’re a member of the community not directly affiliated with UW-Madison, please visit our Madison Writing Assistance webpage to learn more about the Writing Center’s partnership with Madison libraries

Do I have to pay to use the Writing Center?

No, all of our services are offered for free. Tuition from currently enrolled UW Madison student funds the Writing Center.

How should I prepare for a visit to the Writing Center?

Here’s how to make the most of your visits:

• Come early in the semester and come often–make us a regular part of your university experience!
• Know what writing concerns you’d like us to work on together
• Bring anything that explains the assignment or project
• Plan time for revision

What kinds of writing can we work on?

We help writers at any stage of the writing process–from ch

We help writers at any stage of the writing process–from choosing a topic to drafting and revising–for any writing project.

Here are some examples of what we can work on together:

Undergraduate Students

• Understanding assignments and expectations for academic writing
• Writing for specific disciplines—including History, Biology, Psychology, and Literature—and many more
• Using sources, citations, quoting, and paraphrasing
• Thesis statements, paragraphing, and organization
• Internship and study abroad applications
• Planning for writing longer research papers
• Resumes, cover letters, and business writing
• Applications for graduate and professional school, scholarships
• Poster presentations
• Plus many more!

Graduate Students

• Seminar papers
• Planning long-term projects
• Revising for publication
• Writing and planning for preliminary/qualifying exams
• Theses and dissertations
• Grant proposals
• Conference presentations
• CVs, teaching philosophy statements, and job letters
• Literature reviews

oosing a topic to drafting and revising–for any writing project. Here are some examples of what we can work on together:

Undergraduate Students (New, Transfer, or Advanced)

• plus many more!

Graduate and Professional Students

What if i'm working on a longer project.

If you’re working on a short, one-time writing project, coming once or twice to a Writing Center location in order to meet with an instructor usually is ideal.

If you’re working on multiple papers for multiple classes throughout the semester, a dissertation, master’s thesis, or similar writing project, you may want to set up a more formalized writing mentorship with the same instructor every week or every other week through an in-person appointment, Virtual Meeting, or Written Feedback. For more information, please contact the Writing Mentorship Coordinator, Lisa Marvel Johnson .

Where is the Writing Center?

We offer appointments at our main location in 6172 Helen C White Hall. You can make an appointment at our main location using our online scheduler or by calling us at 608-263-1992.

You can also meet with us at one of our satellite locations across campus and online through Virtual Meetings and Written Feedback . These appointments are offered on a first-come, first served basis.

Who are the instructors at the Writing Center?

Your Writing Center instructors are

• Graduate level teaching assistants
• Trained and experienced writing teachers and writers themselves
• Supportive, professional consultants who take their cues from you
• Eager to work with you on making your writing projects as successful as humanly possible

Read more about them !

Can I bring my laptop/tablet?

Yes! Please do!

Will the instructor proofread/edit my paper?

Writing Center instructors are experienced writing teachers who want to help you learn more about writing. Because of our focus on student learning, we don’t proofread (correct all the grammar and formatting errors in a piece of writing), but we do help you learn about grammar, editing, revising, and proofreading on your own!

Here’s what we can do:

• You can learn how to revise and proofread your paper.
• You can ask any grammar and editing questions.
• And you can learn to do this for yourself!

For additional strategies for addressing grammar and style concerns—and much more—take a look at our Writer’s Handbook .

You may be interested in our grammar and style workshops .

You may also find it helpful to start with these links:

• How to Proofread
• Twelve Common Errors: An Editing Checklist

Writing Isn’t Easy, but We Can Help!

At the Writing Center, we work with students at all stages, from first-year undergraduates to Ph.D. candidates. Most of these students have found that writing isn’t an innate talent and instead is a skill that they need to consistently develop. Watch the quick video below to hear from Writing Center students about their experiences with writing.