literature review in social sciences

This guide is designed to help you as you get started on a literature review in the social sciences. It contains search tips, advice on where to look for sources, and information on how to organize and evaluate the sources you find.

A literature review may consist of simply a summary of key sources, but in the social sciences, a literature review usually has an organizational pattern and combines both summary and synthesis, often within specific conceptual categories.

This chapter presents an assessable guide to writing a comprehensive review of literature. It begins with a discussion of the purpose of the literature review and then presents steps to conduct an organized, relevant review.

This book is a guide to planning and conducting a particular type of literature review, one that is increasingly used as a scientific tool: the systematic literature review.

Write your literature review. A good literature review doesn’t just summarize sources—it analyzes, synthesizes, and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject. Tip. We’ve also compiled a few examples, templates, and sample outlines for you below.

In the social sciences, a literature review is a paper or section of a paper that summarizes and synthesizes. To summarize is to describe the main arguments and conclusions. To synthesize is to compare, contrast, highlight relevant points, relate to ongoing trends or problems, and generally to draw out an argument or position based on the ...

There are a couple different ways to structure the body of your literature review. Here are some ideas: Thematic: organize by themes or sub-topics within your general topic. Methodological: by different methodologies or approaches to the subject.

In general, there are two common ways to conduct and present literature review: An exploratory way to discover the conceptual development of a topic or technique. The trends, patterns, or gaps identified from the review may be presented in a thematic, theoretical, or chronological way.

Literature reviews are comprehensive summaries and syntheses of the previous research on a given topic. While narrative reviews are common across all academic disciplines, reviews that focus on appraising and synthesizing research evidence are increasingly important in the health and social sciences. Most evidence synthesis methods use formal ...

An overview of conducting literature reviews in the social sciences and STEM fields. Structure. Organize your review according to the following structure: Abstract (it might help to write this section last!) Provide a concise overview of your primary thesis and the studies you explore in your review. Introduction. Present the subject of your review