Literature Review in Research Paper Example: A Comprehensive Guide

Aliterature review is academic writing based on analyzing multiple research articles focused on a single topic and making a single conclusion.

Although writing this kind of article seems simple compared to a research article, which requires both working on a project and then bringing the result to paper, it is difficult for beginners with no experience to write a review article.

If you are interested in writing a review article and need help knowing where to begin, stay with us in this article to learn about literature review in research paper examples.

What is the structure of the literature review?

What is the structure of the literature review?

Depending on the type of literature review paper, its structure can vary. But in this article, we introduce you to the basic format of the literature review paper.

·        Introduction

In the introduction section, you can find information about the overview and the main purpose of writing an article.

·        Background

The background section revolves around the history of the topic and previous research in that case, discussing gaps in previous research, controversies, and the remaining issues.

·        Methods

In this section, you should include the type of search strategy, analyzing data, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and data extraction process. Used software and tools mentioned in this section help the reader to know what type of analyzing tool is used for this paper.

·        Results

Here, you will see the result and findings of the literature in different versions, such as a summary table and figure. Using these items helps the reader to better understand the result by inserting more detail about them, such as sample size, genders, and more.

·        Discussion

The purpose of this section is to summarize the findings in the literature and explore their implications for the research question or objectives, acknowledge any limitations or deficiencies in the literature, and propose possible strategies to conduct research in the future.

·        Conclusion

This section provides the reader with a brief of the findings and the main purpose of the literature review.

·        References

The references part includes the list of studies used in the literature review by giving citations throughout the article.

Why do we need to write a literature review in a research paper?

Before researching a particular topic, it is better to read a relevant review paper to understand the topic comprehensively.

Helping you to be familiar with key theories, methodologies, and findings of the papers.

Above all, reading this type of article gives readier to gain prospects into the gaps in the research area and what they should do in their research on the same topic to resolve unanswered issues.

Another benefit of a literature review in a research paper is avoiding publishing duplicate research on your topic.

By reading these kinds of articles, you will better understand the strengths and weaknesses of previous studies to consider them in your project.

(3) The types of literature review

Different types of literature reviews vary due to the research question, discipline, and area of the project.

Depending on your research objective, you can choose one of the various types mentioned below:

1.    Narrative literature review

The first kind of literature review provides the reader with a comprehensive summary of the previous analysis.

This type of article is mostly used in humanities and social science.

It can be useful for formulating theories, identifying gaps, and exploring theoretical and conceptual frameworks in the field. However, this is based on bias and subjectivity, needs more rigor and clarity of systematic reviews, and the data do not collide and are summarized in quantity.

2.    Systematic literature review

A systematic review is the second method of literature review that is more complex than a narrative review and includes more details such as identifying, choosing, critically evaluating studies, and combing finding the existing research with the help of a predetermined methodology.

This review article is handy for health science, engineering, and other papers.

A systematic review provides a comprehensive, transparent, and quantitative summary of the literature on a particular topic, reducing bias and subjectivity through a structured search and selection process. However, it can be time-consuming and takes a lot of resources because of the exclusion of relevant studies. It shouldn’t.

3.    Meta-Analysis

Another common type of literature review in research papers that you can see is Meta-Analysis.

In this type, they gather all results of various research papers and end up with a final result using statistical methods.

A meta-analysis, including data, is used in medicine, social science, and other scientific fields.

A meta-analysis is a powerful tool for quantitatively summarizing effect sizes in research, increasing statistical power, and providing more accurate estimates of treatment effects. Still, it requires study homogeneity, sensitivity to study quality, and of its integrity and is subject to publication bias and selection reporting.

Final words

A Literature review paper is a form of an article based on critically analyzing and synthesizing previous research papers on a particular topic. In this article, we discuss the importance of literature review in research papers and different types of literature review.

Each literature review article has pros and cons; depending on your research question and objective, you can choose one of the best fits.

Please read this article and become familiar with the examples of the literature review in the research paper.

If you have a further question in this field that needs to be answered through the article, please feel free to ask us in the comment section.