Literature Review Essay

Literature reviews are useful tools but they can be a little complex to write. Among planning the structure, looking for the right sources and collecting information, there are so many details to pay attention to. It gets hard to find a way to give the firsts steps. In this article, we tell you the best tips to write a great literature review.

What is a literature review?

A literature review is research that collects scholarly sources that can give an overview of a particular study subject. The intention is to list which are the most relevant studies and publications about the topic and display them with a structure. The objective of this paper is to show an organized bibliography that demonstrates the state of a topic in the academic world, a field of knowledge or subject of study.

Literature reviews are academic papers, and, as such, they should follow a particular structure, this is to keep a universal code in order to assure that any person can understand the information in them. To that end, every literature review must contain a general description of the publication, a summary of the main points, a space to explain the gaps in research and a final evaluation of the contribution the publication gave to the topic. A good literature review also includes information about different points in which diverse publications differ from one another.

The main utility that literature reviews have is that they are very handy when you need to inform yourself about a topic but don’t have the time to do thorough research. By reading a literature review, you can have the necessary information to gain a general knowledge of the subject, and it’s the best way to find relevant studies that will guide the rest of your research paper or academic investigation.

How to write a literature review?

It is not too easy to start writing a literature review. Since it’s an academic paper, it has a lot of rules and notions that must be taken into account that increase the complexity of the work. Also, you need to study every publication you intend to include. There are a lot of things but don’t panic because we are here to help. Let us give you the steps to write the best literature review possible:

  1. Define your objective: are you doing a profound study and will need the literature reviewas a resource? Or do you want to do it now and use it in the future? Maybe you want to study the topic and to write the review will make your learning more efficient. Decide and define what you need from the review.
  2. Structure the length. A literature review’s length will depend on the length of the paper, if your paper must have 5 pages, then the literature review should have between 2 and 3 pages. This also defines the number of publications you are going to review.
  3. Start your research: here’s where the hunting begins. Use books, internet, articles and any formal publication. Read as much as you can and take the authors’opinions regarding which studies are the most respectable and reliable. Takes notes while you are reading, they will be very useful later.
  4. Select the “ones”: once you have read enough, make a selection of the publications adequate for your review, organize them by priority and select useful quotes.
  5. Start writing: after you have all the research done, you just need to summarize what you have already read and organized it in an adequate structure for a literature review.

The structure of a literature review

The structure of a literature review should obey some academic writing parameters that will depend on the type of format you are giving to it. Here are the most commons.

  • The chronological format, in which publications are organized according to the order of the events it studied.
  • The methodological format, in which publications are organized according to the research methods that were used to perform it.
  • The thematic format that structures the publications according to the similarity of the informationthey provide and subjects that were studied.
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Find extra essay topics on Literature Review Essay by our writers.

Literature broadly is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include oral literature, much of which has been transcribed.
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Theme

A literary theme is the main idea or underlying meaning a writer explores in a novel, short story, or other literary work. The theme of a story can be conveyed using characters, setting, dialogue, plot, or a combination of all of these elements.


Voice

In literature, the voice expresses the narrator or author's emotions, attitude, tone and point of view through artful, well thought out use of word choice and diction. A piece of literature's voice is one of its most defining and important features and can completely change the way a story is read and received.


Structure

What is structure in literature? The definition of literary structure is that it is the organization of a story's various elements, including plot, characters, and themes. It forms a frame that helps a reader understand how a story's elements tie together.


Literature classics

  • Nineteen Eighty‑Four
  • Pride and Prejudice
  • The Great Gatsby
  • The Catcher in the Rye
  • Little Women

Literary short stories

  • Araby
  • The Tell‑Tale Heart
  • The Gift of the Magi
  • The Lottery
  • The Necklace

Frequently asked questions

How do you start a literature essay?
It will depend on the particular literature essay you are writing. However, there are some general tips that you can follow to help you get started.First, you will need to choose the piece of literature you wish to write about. Once you have decided on this, you should then read the piece several times, paying close attention to the characters, plot, and themes. As you read, take notes on anything that you find interesting or significant.Once you have a good understanding of the literature you are writing about, you can start to formulate your own ideas and interpretations. These will form the basis of your essay. To develop your ideas further, you may wish to read other essays or articles about the same piece of literature, or consult a specialist in the field.Once you have a clear idea of what you want to say in your essay, you can start to plan and structure it. A good literature essay will typically have an introduction, body, and conclusion. In the introduction, you should introduce the reader to the literature you are writing about and present your main thesis or argument. The body of the essay should then develop your ideas further, using evidence and examples from the literature to support your points. Finally, the conclusion should summarise your main arguments and leave the reader with something to think about.
What is a literature essay?
A literature essay is a type of essay that analyzes, interprets, and criticizes a work of literature. It can be a book, a play, a poem, or any other type of literary work. A literature essay must be written in a formal, academic style and should include an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
How do you write a good literature essay?
There are some general guidelines that can help you get started.First, make sure you understand the prompt or question that you are being asked to answer. What are the specific requirements of the essay? What are the key concepts or ideas that you need to focus on? Once you have a good understanding of the task at hand, you can start brainstorming ideas and developing a thesis statement.Your thesis statement should be a concise, arguable claim that you will support with evidence from the text. Once you have your thesis, you can start planning and drafting your essay.When writing your essay, be sure to include textual evidence to support your claims. Quote and analyze passages from the text to illustrate your points. In addition, be sure to address counterarguments or alternative interpretations of the text.Finally, proofread and edit your essay before submitting it. Make sure that your argument is clear and well-supported, and that your writing is free of grammar and punctuation errors.
What should a literature essay include?
A literature essay should include an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.In the introduction, you should provide background information on the author and the work you are discussing. You should also present your thesis statement, which is the main argument of your essay.In the body paragraphs, you should discuss the key themes and ideas in the work. You should use evidence from the text to support your points.In the conclusion, you should summarize your main points and restate your thesis. You may also discuss the broader implications of the work or the author's place in the literary canon.

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