This is a guide to help you develop a literature review from your research question. There’s no need to do all of the steps, so do any that you think will help you. At the end, you will have the opportunity to save your work for future use. Only you will see your work.
If you are using the Canvas mobile app to complete this form, you will not be able to export your completed document and save your work. Use the link below to open this form in your web browser for complete functionality.
Name:
Net ID:
This worksheet is intended to provide some guidance while you work on your literature review. Completing each of the sections to the best of your ability is a helpful way to tackle your literature review if you are having trouble finding a place to begin.
Your literature review should reflect the purpose of your research, so start by reflecting on your research question.
My Research Question:
Name three important topics within your research question:
What library databases and search strategies will you use to find articles that support of offer background information on your research question?
Find and name five key authors in the field:
Cite five articles/sources to begin analyzing for your literature review:
A key component of writing a literature review is to understand the research that has already been conducted related to your topic. Use this page to gather your thoughts on the handful of articles you have gathered as you begin to summarize and analyze prior research.
Name four key points and one criticism about the first key article you picked.
Name four key points and one criticism about the second key article you picked.
Name four key points and one criticism about the third key article you picked.
Name four key points and one criticism about the fourth key article you picked.
Name four key points and one criticism about the fifth key article you picked.
Were there any key similarities in these sources? Differences? Compare and contrast your five sources.
How will you organize the literature you are identifying? Is there a chronological trend you will follow? Are there different themes in the research you have encountered?
Summarize the literature you read in three sentences.
Is there anything important that is missing from this literature (gaps)?
Why is the topic of this literature review important and/or what should be the next step of this study? (Think of this as a way to justify your research)
And that’s it! You’ve started your literature review.
This form will be available to you throughout the semester, so if you’re ever stuck while you’re searching or writing, you can come back and use it again.
To save your work, click "Create document." Then, click export to save your work as a Word File. If you do not do this, your work will be lost.