MMUF Workshop: Building a Bibliography, Managing Sources, and Notetaking

Every scholarly discipline employs literature reviews in various forms, and in some cases they are published as stand-alone works of scholarship. As a scholar, you likely will have to incorporate them into research proposals, dissertations, journal articles, scholarly books, and comprehensive exam essays. It's worth taking the time and practice necessary to become proficient in the genre.

Some common elements of a literature review include:

• Summary of the main theoretical or methodological problems in a research field.
• Key debates among scholars working in the field.
• Areas where further research is needed.
• Identifying your own place within this body of scholarship.

The UC Santa Cruz University Library offers a useful overview, including examples: Write a Literature Review.

Pay close attention to literature review sections in works of published scholarship, especially journal articles and books. They will help you orient yourself in your research field and provide models on how to write one on your own.