A literature review is not a stack of article summaries. It is an argument about what the research collectively tells us.
One of the biggest shifts in graduate writing is moving from reporting what individual authors said to
synthesizing a body of research. A strong literature review shows patterns, disagreements, developments,
limitations, and gaps while building the scholarly foundation for your own study.
KNOW THE PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW
The literature review should establish what is already known, how scholars have approached the issue, where
findings converge or differ, and why your study belongs in the conversation.
SBH LITERATURE REVIEW NOTE: Every section should help build the rationale for the study.
ORGANIZE BY IDEAS, NOT BY AUTHORS
A paragraph that moves from Smith said this, Jones said that, and Lee said something else often becomes an
annotated bibliography. Group research around themes, concepts, methods, debates, or findings. Bring multiple sources into the same discussion.
SBH LITERATURE REVIEW NOTE: Synthesis happens when sources speak to one another
USE A SYSTEM TO TRACK SOURCES
Create a literature matrix or another consistent method for recording purpose, methodology, sample, findings,
limitations, themes, and how each source relates to your study. Organization early can save hours when you begin drafting and revising.
SBH LITERATURE REVIEW NOTE: Do not rely on memory after reading dozens—or hundreds—of sources.
PRIORITIZE RELEVANT AND CREDIBLE RESEARCH
Follow your institution’s requirements for peer-reviewed, current, seminal, and other acceptable sources. Use
older scholarship intentionally when it is foundational rather than simply because it is easy to find.
SBH LITERATURE REVIEW NOTE: Source quality matters as much as source quantity.
ANALYZE AGREEMENT AND DISAGREEMENT
Do not hide conflicting findings. Differences can reveal important questions about context, population, method,
or theory. Explain where the literature is consistent and where it remains unsettled.
SBH LITERATURE REVIEW NOTE: Contradiction can be analytically useful.
KEEP THE RESEARCH PROBLEM VISIBLE
Interesting information can still be irrelevant. Regularly ask whether a paragraph helps the reader understand the
problem, variables or phenomenon, framework, population, or methodological context of the study.
SBH LITERATURE REVIEW NOTE: Relevance is more valuable than showing everything you have read.
REVISE FOR SYNTHESIS
On revision, look at each paragraph and ask whether it has a clear idea, evidence from multiple appropriate
sources, analysis, and a connection to the larger argument. A strong review often emerges during revision, not the first draft.
SBH LITERATURE REVIEW NOTE: Your voice should guide the literature even when the evidence comes
from other scholars.
THE LITERATURE REVIEW SHOULD LEAD SOMEWHERE
By the end, the reader should understand the scholarly landscape and why the proposed study is a logical next
step. Your job is not to prove that you read everything. Your job is to organize the most relevant scholarship into a clear, evidence-based argument.
