Literature Review Outline: Structure + Free Template (2023)

FAQs

How do you outline the structure of a literature review? ›

A literature review should be structured like any other essay: it should have an introduction, a middle or main body, and a conclusion.

Just like most academic papers, literature reviews also must contain at least three basic elements: an introduction or background information section; the body of the review containing the discussion of sources; and, finally, a conclusion and/or recommendations section to end the paper.

It helps to deconstruct the literature review into a four-part process, including: 1) Developing a Topic; 2) Searching the Literature; 3) Narrowing the Scope; and 4) Synthesizing Prior Research.

To give you a rough idea, that is about 2-3 pages for a 15-page paper. In case you are writing a literature review as a stand-alone assignment, its length should be specified in the instructions provided.

Elements of the Literature Review

Background/Introduction – Give an overview of your research topic and what prompted it. Methods - Describe step by step how your performed your evaluation of the materials. Discussion/Body - The body contains the evaluation or synthesis of the materials.

Preface -- Introduction -- Step 1 : Select a topic -- Step 2 : Search the literature -- Step 3 : Develop the argument -- Step 4 : Survey the literature -- Step 5 : Critique the literature -- Step 6 : Write the review.

Literary Elements are the foundational building blocks of all stories. Students will learn to identify six basic elements (setting, point of view, plot, character, conflict, theme), and to evaluate and analyze whether an author has used them...

What are the 5 elements of literature? ›

These five components are: the characters, the setting, the plot, the conflict, and the resolution. These essential elements keep the story running smoothly and allow the action to develop in a logical way that the reader can follow.

Poor writing in a literature review is often the result of failing to integrate arguments into the review. Many people make the mistake of simply summarising their readings. Avoid using words like 'are reported'. These types of words often lead to descriptive writing.

Use an introduction, body paragraph(s), and a conclusion. Include summary, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation (if appropriate). Lit review may be as short as a few paragraphs or as long as a chapter.

Ways to structure your Literature Review

Topical order (by main topics or issues, showing relationship to the main problem or topic) Chronological order (simplest of all, organise by dates of published literature) Problem-cause-solution order. General to specific order.

What is a literature review step by step? ›

Steps in the Literature Review Process. Define your research question. Determine inclusion and exclusion criteria. Choose databases and search. Review Results.

The literature review is a written overview of major writings and other sources on a selected topic. Sources covered in the review may include scholarly journal articles, books, government reports, Web sites, etc. The literature review provides a description, summary and evaluation of each source.

The Review Matrix

Using a review matrix enables you to quickly compare and contrast articles in order to determine the scope of research across time. A review matrix can help you more easily spot differences and similarities between journal articles about a given research topic.

The 7 Literary Standards The seven literary standards are: artistry, suggestiveness, intellectual value, spiritual value, permanence, universality and style. These are a set of characteristics to determine whether or not a work is literary. The criteria was developed by writer William J.

A literary element refers to components of a literary work (character, setting, plot, theme, frame, exposition, ending/denouement, motif, titling, narrative point-‐of-‐view). These are technical terms for the “what” of a work.

In the landscape of literature, there are four major genres: poetry, drama, fiction, and creative nonfiction. While there are certain key recognizable features of each genre, these are not so much rules as they are tools, or conventions, the author uses.

A typical plot structure contains an exposition, rising action, a climax, falling action, and a denouement. The introduction or exposition tells the reader what they need to know to start the story (the background and setting).

A theme is a central, unifying idea. It's the bigger issue that emerges as the characters pursue their goals. It has less to do with whether they'll win the race, or get the date, or find the treasure, and more to do with the deeper questions about identity, philosophy, or morality that arise during their attempts.

What is the structure of literature? ›

The most common elements of the narrative structure are setting, plot, and theme. The parts of narrative plot include exposition (the beginning), rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. The resolution is also called the denouement.

These five components are: the characters, the setting, the plot, the conflict, and the resolution. These essential elements keep the story running smoothly and allow the action to develop in a logical way that the reader can follow.

Buildings, aircraft, skeletons, anthills, beaver dams, bridges and salt domes are all examples of load-bearing structures. The results of construction are divided into buildings and non-building structures, and make up the infrastructure of a human society.