The Literature Review (also known as the Narrative Review)

For more information on getting started with the research process, check out our LibGuide!

Image Source: Picking Your Research Topic IS Research by NC State University Libraries published under a Creative Commons 3.0 BY-NC-SA US license. 

Remember: The research cycle for a review is NOT linear, it is cyclical! Going back to the drawing board and starting over with a new research topic is normal. Give yourself enough time to account for this process.

TOPIC Choose an initial topic and begin exploring the literature to see what has already been published. Is there a lot of literature on your topic or very little? Who are the important scholars in your field? Is the scope of your topic too narrow or too broad?

RESEARCH Gather scholarly sources by searching databases and utilizing library resources. (Don't forget, librarians are here to help you throughout this process!)

CITE Save the citation information for any and all articles you may be interested in. For more substantive research, utilize EndNote.

ENGAGE WITH TEXT Read, take notes, and analyze.

WRITE AND REVISE Begin grouping the literature into themes and see how your research fits in. Write your review a little bit at a time, don't try to cram it all in one session.

Source: Picking Your Research Topic IS Research by NC State University Libraries

Finding the Big Names in Your Field

• It is important to find the leading scholars in your field so you can establish what the dominant scholarship is, see who it is coming from, and respond to their work like other scholars before you.
• Go to Google Scholar and search for your topic; you'll determine relevant scholars by the "CITED BY" section in the citation (see the picture below). Articles with higher "CITED BY" numbers are one way to determine authority in a field. For more tips on utilizing Google Scholar for your review, check out our libguide.
• Once you have names of scholars, conduct a search using DUQSearch to see what literature they've published. Published literature is another good sign that you've found an authoritative source.

This video by the University of Melbourne concisely explains how to evaluate sources and why certain sources have more authority. Click the button to play at the "Evaluating Sources" chapter.

One way to organize your notes is by utilizing a review matrix. Download the templates below.