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Conducting a Literature Review

This guide will help you understand, conduct, and compose a literature review.

How to Read a Scholarly Article Strategically

Sitting down to read a scholarly article can be a daunting task, but there are some strategies that can help maximize your time and understanding. 

Begin by getting a grasp on the main ideas by reading the:

  • Title
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Conclusion

Then dive deeper for more details by reading the sections of the main body of the article including the:

  • Discussion
  • Results
  • Methods
  • References

Strategy and language inspired by the "Reading Scientific Research" lesson module from the New Literacies Alliance from Kansas State University. Email 

Here are additional resources featuring in-depth strategies for how to read a scholarly article. 

Synthesizing the Articles

Literature reviews synthesize large amounts of information and present it in a coherent, organized fashion. In a literature review you will be combining material from several texts to create a new text – your literature review.

You will use common points among the sources you have gathered to help you synthesize the material. This will help ensure that your literature review is organized by subtopic, not by source. This means various authors' names can appear and reappear throughout the literature review, and each paragraph will mention several different authors.

When you shift from writing summaries of the content of a source to synthesizing content from sources, there are a number of things you must keep in mind:

  • Look for specific connections between your sources and how those relate to your thesis or question.
  • Be aware that your readers need to understand how and why the information from the different sources overlap.
  • Organize your literature review by the themes you find within your sources or themes you have identified. 

You can use a synthesis chart to help keep your sources and main ideas organized. Here are some examples:

This document from North Carolina State University includes detailed examples for how to use a synthesis matrix.

California State University, Northridge. (2017). Literature Review How-To: Synthesizing Sources. Retrieved from https://libguides.csun.edu/literature-review/synthesis.

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

During the beginning stages of research, it can be helpful to sort your articles by type of source. This will help you with the next step in the process. Many papers (but not all) fall into one of two categories:

  • Primary source: a report by the original researchers of a study.
  • Secondary source: a description or summary of research by somebody other than the original author(s), like a review article.
Primary Sources                           Secondary Sources (i.e. reviews)
Title Title
Author and year Author and year
Journal Journal
Purpose of study Review questions/purpose
Type of study Key definitions
Setting Review boundaries
Data collection method Appraisal criteria
Major findings Synthesis of studies
Recommendations Summary/Conclusions
Key thoughts/comments (e.g. strengths/weaknesses) Key thoughts/comments (e.g. strengths/weaknesses)

Cronin, P., Ryan, F., & Coughlan, M. (2008). Undertaking a literature review: A step-by-step approach. British Journal of Nursing, 17(1), 38-43. Retrieved from: https://bit.ly/2wLeCge.

When Am I Done?

You might be done with your literature review synthesis when :

  • You are not finding any new ideas
  • You encounter the same authors repeatedly, and/or
  • You feel that you have a strong understanding of the topic