A literature review is a methodical examination of the published literature on a specific topic or research question, aimed at analyzing rather than merely summarizing scholarly works relevant to your research. It includes literature that offers background on your topic and demonstrates how it aligns with your research question.
A literature review and an annotated bibliography are both tools used to assess and present scholarly research, but they serve different purposes and have distinct formats:
| Literature Review | Annotated Bibliography | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Provides an examination of a collection of scholarly work as they pertain to a specific topic of interest. | Provides a summary of the contents of each example in a collection of scholarly works. |
| Elements | Includes an introduction, body, conclusion, and bibliography similar to a research paper. | A selection of research and/or scholarly works each with its own summary. |
| Construction | Sources are logically organized and synthesized to demonstrate the author's understanding of the material. | An alphabetized list of works with a complete citation and a brief statement of the main components. |
| Critical Evaluation | Contains a collective critique of a body of work related to a specific topic. Assesses the strengths, weaknesses, gaps, and possible future research needs for that topic. | Any critique it contains will focus on the quality of the research and/or argument found in each scholarly work. |
The Literature Review portion of a scholarly article is usually close to the beginning. It often follows the introduction, or may be combined with the introduction. The writer may discuss his or her research question first, or may choose to explain it while surveying previous literature.
If you are lucky, there will be a section heading that includes "literature review". If not, look for the section of the article with the most citations or footnotes.