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Sociology Research Guide

What is a Literature Review?

Literature reviews ("lit reviews") provide an overview of existing research on the topic you are studying. As part of a larger research paper, literature reviews let your readers know what existing research says (or doesn't say) about your research topic, placing your work in the existing scholarly conversation. Stand-alone literature reviews keep readers up-to-date on the research literature on a particular topic.

Conducting a literature review can:

  • familiarize you with the existing research on your topic
  • reveal the important scholars studying your research topics
  • help you generate ideas for your work (like deciding on a particular research method)
  • ensure that you are not duplicating existing research
  • find gaps in the literature (parts of the topic that have been under-researched or perspectives that have yet to be considered)

How to Write a Literature Review