What are the major issues and debates? What are the main questions and ideas that have been researched to date? What are the key theoretical and conceptual ideas?

Rather than simply summarising arguments that have gone before, a good literature review points out where there have been differences of opinion and who has influenced what, where and when. You need to have enough breadth of understanding to be able to critically evaluate what you are reading. In the literature review that you prepare, remember to concentrate on comparing and contrasting the papers you read and on critically evaluating them. Think about what surprises you, some of the points you would like to learn more about and where there are gaps in the research that you could pursue.

You will find it helpful to organise your literature review into sections. Begin with an introduction that describes your topic and sets the scene. End with a conclusion that both summarises the main points you have extracted from your critical evaluation and sets out your research question(s). There is no prescribed format for structuring the sections in between. The following structure and questions may help you to organise your material logically, so that readers can follow your argument.

Introduction

What are the origins and definitions of this topic?
How does this relate to my focus within the topic?
Questions that might inform section headings

What are the major issues and debates?
What are the main questions and ideas that have been researched to date?
What are the key theoretical and conceptual ideas?
How has the literature increased knowledge and understanding of the topic?
What are the main sources that support my line of argument?
What are the main sources that question my line of argument?
Are there any areas that have not been explored previously in the literature?
Conclusion

What are the key points and what proposed research question(s) has this led me to?

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