A literature review is one of the most important parts of any research paper, thesis, or dissertation. It explains the main topic of your research and connects your work with existing studies, and identifies what still needs to be explored. In simple words, a literature review tells the story of what has been studied, what is missing, and how your work fills that gap. Writing a good literature review may seem challenging at first, but with the right steps, it becomes clear and manageable. This guide will walk you through how to plan, write, and organise a literature review, with useful examples and tips along the way.
Understand the Purpose of a Literature Review
Before you start writing, you must know why you are writing a literature review.
A literature review is not just a list of what others have written. It explains several key purposes, such as understanding of the topic, summarises the previous research and identifies problems in existing studies and connects with earlier work.
Example:
If your topic is about “microplastics in freshwater,” your literature review should explain what earlier researchers discovered, what methods they used, and what areas still need study.
For example, microplastics in drinking water or soil.
Search for Relevant Literature
Start by collecting research papers, journal articles, books, and credible sources related to your topic.
Use trusted databases like:
- Google Scholar
- Scopus
- PubMed
- Web of Science
When searching, use keywords that match your research area.
For example, if your topic is “biochar treatment of microplastics,” use phrases like:
“Biochar for microplastic removal,” “biochar adsorption,” “microplastic pollution treatment,” etc.
✅ Tips to remember:
- Use recent papers (preferably within the past 5 years).
- Read the abstract first to see if the paper is relevant.
Organise Your Literature by Themes
One of the biggest mistakes in a literature review is listing one author after another.
Instead, group studies by themes or ideas, not by authors.
For example:
If your topic is “microplastics in water,” your themes could be:
- Sources of microplastics
- Effects on aquatic life
- Removal methods (biochar, filters, etc.)
- Gaps in existing research
Under each theme, discuss what different authors found, compare and connect their findings.
Example:
“While early studies (A, B) focused on identifying sources of microplastics, recent research (C, D) explores how natural materials like biochar can help in removal.”
Identify the Research Gap
Every literature review must lead to one clear point: The gap your study will fill.
After analysing all the studies, “What has not been done yet?”
That missing part is your research gap.
Example:
“Most studies focused on water treatment, while limited research has examined how biochar interacts with microplastics in soil environments. The current study aims to address this gap.”
Structure Your Literature Review Clearly
A clear structure helps readers to follow the ideas easily.
Here’s a simple and effective format:
Introduction – Explain the topic and why it’s important.
Thematic Discussion – Group studies by themes or ideas.
Critical Analysis – Discuss strengths, weaknesses, and comparisons.
Research Gap & Conclusion – Summarise what is missing and how your study fills it.
Build a Logical Flow Between Sections
Readers should feel like they are being guided step by step through your reasoning, not jumping from one idea to another.
Use linking sentences at the end of each paragraph.
Compare and Contrast Studies Clearly
When you compare studies, it shows your ability to think critically.
✅ Example:
“Whereas Smith et al. (2019) found a positive impact of X, Johnson and Lee (2021) reported opposite results under similar conditions. This difference may be due to variations in sample size or analytical methods.”
Combine Theories and Concepts
Strong literature reviews also discuss theoretical frameworks and the ideas
For example, if you are writing about “customer loyalty,” you can discuss Theory of Planned Behavior or Expectation Confirmation Theory.
Show which theory fits your study best, and why others are less suitable. Maintain the Right Balance of Old and New Sources. However, older studies can still be valuable, especially if they are used as foundational papers that first introduced a key concept.
✅Tips to remember:
Use about 70–80% recent papers and 20–30% past references.
Example:
“The concept of microplastic pollution was first introduced by Thompson et al. (2004), but recent studies (Li et al., 2023; Ahmed et al., 2024) have expanded its environmental implications.”
Avoid Plagiarism and AI-Generated Similarity
A common issue in research writing is high similarity percentage due to copied sentences or AI-generated text.
Here’s how to avoid it:
- Always rewrite in your own words
- Use paraphrasing tools only for support, not to write your entire review.
- Run your paper through plagiarism checkers like Turnitin or iThenticate.
- Avoid overusing direct quotes; paraphrase instead.
Include Contradictory Studies
Many researchers only cite papers that support their ideas. But a high-quality literature review should also include studies that disagree or show different results.
Example:
“While several researchers (Chen et al., 2020; Lin et al., 2021) found biochar effective in removing pollutants, others (Yuan et al., 2022) reported limited efficiency under real field conditions.”
Use Visuals to Simplify Complex Information
Adding tables, figures, or concept maps can help summarize your review effectively.
✅ Examples of visuals you can create on Canva:
- A table comparing studies (author, year, method, result, limitation).
- A concept map showing relationships between variables.
- A timeline of how the research topic evolved.
Include Grey Literature and Reviews
In addition to journal papers, you can also include:
- Government or NGO reports
- Conference papers
- Review articles and meta-analyses
