How to write your literature review
Keeping track of your reading
when you've finished this page you will be able to...
- keep a record of the literature you read
Top tip...
Reference management software (like EndNote), is a useful tool for making a list of the references you use. It also makes compiling a list of references or bibliography much easier.
At this point, you know your literature review should demonstrate that you've read and understood the important and influential work in your research area, and that you must only include studies that are directly relevant to your research. There's a vast amount of literature out there, and you need to be discerning when deciding what to read. This is where a good knowledge of how to use reference databases (Web of Knowledge, MEDLINE etc.) comes in useful.
Top tip...
You should define the scope - what you're going to include and what you're going to leave out - of your review carefully to avoid wasting time reading irrelevant studies.
Once you've identified the relevant literature, it's vital to make good notes while you read - it will save you an awful lot of time later. There's little worse than remembering a fascinating article you read earlier, but not remembering where you read it.
For the activity below you'll need:
- a notepad, or a pack of filing cards
- a pen
Activity: Keeping a record of your reading - 5 minutes
You should create an entry in your reading record each time you read something new.
1. Divide the first page of your notepad, or a filing card, into 3 columns.
2. Title the first column Reference.
3. Title the second column Notes.
4. Title the third column Quotations.
5. For an illustration of what your record might look like, take a look at the example below - it was made by a student writing a literature review for an education project.
Keep your record up-to-date - you'll be glad of it when you come to write your review.
Education project literature review record
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Recommended Further Reading
In the next section, we'll look at how to use the literature to give context and support to your research question.
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