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Dissertations & Theses

A guide to finding citations and full-text for graduate dissertations and theses

What Is a Literature Review?

A literature review is an integrated analysis of scholarly writings that are related directly to your research question. Put simply, it's a critical evaluation of what's already been written on a particular topic. It represents the literature that provides background information on your topic and shows a connection between those writings and your research question.

A literature review may be a stand-alone work or the introduction to a larger research paper, depending on the assignment. Rely heavily on the guidelines your instructor has given you.

What a Literature Review Is Not:

  • A list or summary of sources
  • An annotated bibliography
  • A grouping of broad, unrelated sources
  • A compilation of everything that has been written on a particular topic
  • Literary criticism (think English) or a book review

Why Literature Reviews Are Important

  • They explain the background of research on a topic
  • They demonstrate why a topic is significant to a subject area
  • They discover relationships between research studies/ideas
  • They identify major themes, concepts, and researchers on a topic
  • They identify critical gaps and points of disagreement
  • They discuss further research questions that logically come out of the previous studies

To Learn More about Conducting and Writing a Lit Review . . .

Monash University (in Australia) has created several extremely helpful, interactive tutorials. 

Keep Track of Your Sources!

A citation manager can be helpful way to work with large numbers of citations. See UMSL Libraries' Citing Sources guide for more information. Personally, I highly recommend Zotero—it's free, easy to use, and versatile. If you need help getting started with Zotero or one of the other citation managers, please contact a librarian.