Literature reviews: Tips on how to write a literature review

Your literature review should include

• an introduction which explains how your review is organized. The introduction should 
  • include a description of the essence of the debate on the topic.
  • identify the key ideas of the research and state the perspective taken in addressing the topic.
  • recount the circumstances that surround the research problem.
  • document the study's value to the academic community.
  • include the thesis question, which is the question that needs to be answered by the research study.
  • provide a brief outline of what will be presented in the body.
• a body which contains the headings and subheadings that provide a map to show the various strands of your argument. The body should include
  • background information and a description of what is known about the topic of study. Outline the arguments made in the literature.
  • the argument that leads to the thesis conclusion.
• a summary. The summary should include
  • a restatement of the research thesis.
  • a detailed interpretation and explanation of the thesis from the various perspectives.
  • the implications of the study. Note how the thesis solves the problem of the study.

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