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Learning from Others and Reviewing the Literature

Literature is an oral or written record of a variety of significant experiences that are artistically communicated in a straightforward manner. Man's best thoughts and feelings about the universe are embodied in any literary work such as an essay, novel, journal, story, biography, and so on.

​An analysis of man's written or spoken knowledge is a review of related literature. You look at how people think and see the world in order to see if your research has anything to do with what they already know.

There are numerous ways to collect and thoroughly summarize your related literature. However, we decided to sum it up into 7 steps to help guide you and your writing.

1. Narrow your topic and select papers accordingly.​

It is undeniable that there are hundreds or maybe even millions of papers that are related to your study. That being said, you have to narrow it down and consider your scope and delimitations. Carefully analyze the variables and events you are dealing with to help you narrow down the topic and find necessary papers.

2. Search for literature

With the technology we have today we do not have to go to the library to search for related literature. One of the most promising sites to search for these papers is Google Scholar. It is a big help in finding the necessary papers for your study. Use different keywords and phrases to help you find what you need. You may also add contradicting studies to your paper and compare what you will do differently from them.

3. Read the selected articles thoroughly and evaluate them

Finding research with somewhat similar titles is not where you should stop. Read their paper carefully as there may be some pieces of the puzzle that would help you in creating your research. These papers are your aid in connecting dots together to paint a picture and tell a story to your readers about why your research is relevant and plausible.

4. Organize the selected papers by looking for patterns and by developing subtopics

Researching about similar topics can sometimes draw the same conclusions. There can be times when each methodology, sample population, and data-gathering instruments differ from one another. However, some researchers draw the same conclusions. If not, what was in their study that was done differently from the other? Compare and contrast each piece of literature you find to further support your paper.

5. Develop a thesis or purpose statement

Write a one- or two-sentence statement that summarizes the conclusion you've formed regarding the significant trends and changes you've noticed in your subject's research.

6. Write the paper

Visualize the story you want to tell your readers. Have each idea organized and well constructed so no misinterpretations will happen. Try to avoid making sentences that begin with "According to" or "Based on." Rather try limiting the construction of these sentences. It seems as if you just describe what happened or what took place in another man's research. Try gathering ideas and putting their credentials at the end of the sentence. In this way, you have numerous writers without too long of a story.

7. Review your work

Always review your work. You may have the necessary data, you may have the proper flow, and you may even find the most latest papers. However, that doesn't mean your paper can be easily understood. Your research paper must explain every detail that can be easily understood without someone looking up words in the dictionary. It needs to have that objective flow when being read. 

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