Q. How do I write a literature review?

Start with this 10 minute video "Literature Reviews: An Overview for Graduate Students" created by the North Carolina State University Libraries. It is a great overview that is not just for graduate students.

There are some differences in literature reviews depending on your discipline, but most literature reviews share these traits:

• A literature review summarizes, analyzes and organizes sources tied to an overarching theme
• A criteria is used and described for selecting the sources to review
• Provides and explains differing conclusions between sources on similar questions

As business topics fall under the discipline of the social sciences, these books provide excellent guidance for the majority of the literature reviews you would need to research & write:

• Research methods for business students by Mark Saunders.
• Doing your literature review : traditional and systematic techniques by Jill Jesson.
• 100 questions (and answers) about research methods by Neil J. Salkind.
• The literature review: six steps to success by Lawrence A. Machi & Brenda T. McEvoy.

The citation style manuals for each discipline also have chapters of guidance on how to write a literature review.
Here is a listing of the citation style manuals available at the Bentley Library.

Search the Library's article databases for examples of literature reviews done by experts in the core journals of your field. You can use them as sample of how to structure your own review.

For other disciplines, ask your professor or a librarian to recommend a text to guide you through the process.

Reference Librarians are available to help you find sources for your literature review.

Related topic: How do I find a literature review?