If you’ve ever found yourself buried under a mountain of academic papers while trying to create a literature review, you’re not alone. Whether you’re a college student preparing to write your thesis statement or a professional interested in relevant literature on a specific research topic, doing a literature review will be in your near future. This article will help you crush your literature review research without losing your mind.
Completing a literature review is like a right of passage for academic research; you will have to comb through academic literature, scholarly articles and scientific papers to find the right supporting information for your lit review. BMJ Journal reports that academics even spend an average of 100 to 200 hours conducting and synthesizing literature reviews for their research, with some fields like social sciences and humanities requiring even more time due to the breadth of existing literature.
That is why you need a research review strategy and a few trusted tools. Before we dig into how to get through all the research required by a literature review without losing your mind, let’s set the scene by covering exact what a literature review is.
What Is A Literature Review
A literature review is a comprehensive synthesis of existing research and scholarly work on a particular topic or research question. It involves gathering, evaluating, and summarizing relevant sources such as books, academic papers, and articles to provide an overview of what is known and understood in the field.
That means you will be looking through every source currently available to see what is already written about your research topic. Then you will reflect these diverse voices in your lit review all in one paper.
Why It Is Important To Do A Literature Review
Literature reviews help academics and professionals orient to what is already published on a specific research topic. A lit review is not just a list of relevant research that has already been done. Rather than simply summarizing each source, a literature review critically analyzes the relationships between studies, identifying trends, gaps, and debates within the literature so that new research can build on and expand on the current findings without duplication.
The purpose is to provide context for a research project by highlighting existing knowledge, offering insights into different perspectives, and identifying areas where further research is needed. A well-structured literature review helps to establish the foundation for new research by positioning it within the broader academic conversation. The sheer amount of research you will need to get through makes it crucial for you to have a system to crush your literature review research without losing your mind.
How To Do Research For A Literature Review
Start By Identifying a Research Question or Focus
The first thing you need to do before diving into research is to clarify you focus by choosing a research question that reflects your topic. Start by determining the scope of your literature review. Define a clear research question or focus area that will guide what sources to include. The topic should not be too broad or too narrow.
A well crafted research question takes time. Consider working with your institution and leadership to craft a question that will speak to the important issues in your topic.
Next, Gather Research For Your Literature Review
When gathering research for your literature review, remember that sources must come from relevant literature. This can include sources like articles, academic papers, and newspaper articles. Don’t forget to check your institution’s guidelines and requirements for specifics on what recent papers can be included.
Some institutes require your sources to be no older than 10 years while others may want all available resources from any year. Social sciences may be less strict on types of sources while other academic disciplines may want you to use only peer-reviewed literature in your paper. Knowing your institute’s specific requirements will save you from any unnecessary rework in the future.
1. Academic Databases
There are plenty of resources online like YouTube videos that cover how to write research papers. Some of these even cover the specifics of a well written lit review. Most resources agree that searching an academic database is a good place to start.
Popular academic databases include Google Scholar, A freely accessible web search engine that indexes scholarly articles across many disciplines, JSTOR, A digital library especially strong in the humanities and social sciences, and PubMed, a leading database for medical, healthcare, and life sciences research.
2. University Library Databases
Most universities provide access to subscription-based academic databases that contain peer-reviewed journals, e-books, and other academic materials. If you have access to a university library, it’s often the best place to find a wide range of academic sources.
3. Research Gate
This is a platform where researchers share their work with the global research community. You can often find full-text articles or request copies directly from the authors.
4. Open Access Journals
Many journals make their content freely available online, and these can be a great resource if you don’t have access to subscription-based databases. Websites like Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) curate lists of peer-reviewed, freely available academic journals.
Then, Review The Research (Without Losing Your Mind)
Now that you have all of the articles, papers, and sources, it is time to review them. Sure, you could read every source, but let’s be real: Reading page after page of dense academic text is exhausting. Your eyes get tired, your brain starts skipping words, and before you know it, you’re re-reading the same sentence for the tenth time. Instead try our go-to approach to crush your literature review research without losing your mind.
Consider taking a different approach to the mountain of research: turn those complex papers into natural-sounding audio so you can listen while you walk, commute, or even hit the gym. Imagine getting through your research while getting in your steps or doing your laundry.
Consider these three tips on how to use text-to-speech from Listening.com to make your lit review research an absolute breeze to get through:
1. Review Those Dense Articles with Ease
Academic papers can be quite dense. They’re full of great information, but they are also full of jargon, citations, and footnotes that can make even the most seasoned academic want to throw in the towel. With Listening.com, you can skip those unnecessary sections and get straight to the core of the content. Want to jump straight to the findings or skip the tedious references? Easy.
2. Learning That Fits Your Life
You don’t need to choose between productivity and downtime anymore. You can listen to your readings during your commute, your morning run, or even while cooking dinner. This makes Listening.com perfect for auditory learners or anyone who’s juggling a packed schedule. Plus, it’s designed for mobile and desktop, so you’re never without your study material.
3. Save Time While Reviewing Research Articles
Here’s a cool stat: People can process spoken information up to 4x faster than reading. With Listening.com’s speed control feature, you can listen to your papers at a pace that fits you. Zip through easier material at double speed or slow it down when you need to focus. No more endless hours glued to your screen—just streamlined, high-quality audio designed to make your life easier.
Finally, Analyze The Articles And Start Writing
Once you have reviewed your research, now it is time to anchor back to the big picture, gather your main points, and write that lit review! Writing a lit review will include analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating articles based on all the information, knowledge, and arguments you read (or listened to) during the research phase.
It will be helpful to group the literature sources by themes, theories, methodologies, or chronological order. This will help in creating a structured flow and allow you to get a first draft of your review on paper. Some common ways to organize include:
1. Thematic: By major themes or issues
Organizing the literature thematically involves grouping research by major themes, topics, or issues within the field of study. This approach is particularly useful when the research addresses multiple aspects of a larger question or when different perspectives or angles exist within the same topic.
2. Methodological: By the types of research methods used
A methodological approach to organizing a literature review involves grouping studies based on the research methods used. This can be helpful when there is a diversity of approaches in the field, such as experimental studies, qualitative interviews, case studies, or surveys.
3. Chronological: By the historical development of the field
Chronologically organizing the literature involves presenting studies based on the historical development of research in the field. This approach helps to demonstrate how knowledge has evolved over time and can provide insights into shifts in perspectives, methodologies, or theoretical frameworks.
Next, Turn That Research Into A Structured Lit Review
Now that you have a draft on paper, organize it into the right structure for a lit review. Every lit review will have the same structure that includes these four main areas: the introduction, the body, the conclusion, and the references. Some institutions may also want you to include an Abstract.
Check your institution’s requirements for exactly what they expect to be in your lit review, and double check what they want to see in an abstract if one is necessary. Here is a break down of what goes in each section of the lit review:
1. The Abstract
The abstract is a single-page short summary of the entire lit review that stands alone and comes before the introduction section. Abstracts follow a very specific format and contain specific information like the author of the lit review and the institution or program the author is writing the lit review on behalf of.
2. The Introduction
The introduction section explains the purpose and scope of the review. This will include a clear thesis or rationale for why the literature review is important.
3. The Body
The body section discusses the literature in a well-organized manner based on your organizational framework (themes, chronology, etc.). This is where you will critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the studies.
4. The Conclusion
The conclusion section summarizes the key findings from the literature and discusses how they relate to your research question. This is where you will identify any gaps in the research that your work will address.
5. The Reference Page
The references are all displayed on a separate page immediately after the conclusion and will include all of the sources you used from your bibliography.
Bonus Tips For Writing A Research Paper
Use the Appropriate Citation Style
Different academic programs and professional institutions may want to see the lit review organized in a specific writing style. The most common writing styles are American Psychiatric Association (APA), Modern Language Association (MLA), and the Chicago citation style.
Make sure to use the appropriate citation style as required by your field or instructor. Keep track of all sources, including page numbers for direct quotes or specific information so that you make sure to cite it properly for the style you are using.
Use AI For Ideas an Iterations
One tip that I cannot stress enough: Use AI tools to help you organize your thoughts, but do not copy and paste information directly from AI generators for academic papers. AI generated content is a good example of what to write but should not be taken word for word. Make sure to put it in your own words; academic fraud is no laughing matter.
That being said, AI tools can be extremely helpful when writing a lit review. They can help you start your list of research articles to review, can help you synthesize your writing, and some AI tools can even help you approach your research review with ease like the text-to-speech tools at Listening.com.
Start Your Bibliography Early In The Process
As you find relevant academic literature that goes with your research topic, you will want to start an annotated bibliography. The early information-gathering phase of writing is a great time to start your bibliography; create a bibliography reference for every potential article before you start writing. Trust me, you will thank yourself later for this small but highly impactful preparation step.
After You Write, Make Sure To Review and Edit
Before you submit your lit review, review it for clarity, coherence, and accuracy. Ensure that the flow of information makes sense and that all sources are properly cited. It is also a great idea to have another person quality check your work before you submit just in case something slips past you; two sets of eyes are always better than one!
Get Out There And Crush It
Now that you know exactly what goes into a literature review and you have all the tools and tips from Listening.com, you are ready to crush your literature review research without losing your mind.. Check back for more ways to make your academic and professional research a breeze; we are always adding helpful tips to our blog.
