Understanding the role of the literature review

Purpose

In a thesis, and in journal articles, a literature review has several important and related purposes:

to ensure you are thoroughly informed about the key debates in your field
to show your examiner that you understand where your research fits within your discipline
to acknowledge, interrogate and critique the research done by others in your subject area
to identify the gaps in previous research
to position your own research in relation to the research of others
to argue a case for the necessity of your own project

Scope

Your literature review should be selective and it should be focused on current research, outlining the historical developments of theories and debates where relevant. It should NOT attempt to deal with all the literature on a given subject.

Critique

You need to approach the literature critically, evaluating it based on various academic criteria, such as limitations, use of methodology, lack of evidence. (See Reading Critically if you need a few tips here). You should not be simply describing, but critiquing what others have done. Not all critique is negative, but you must show that you have engaged thoroughly and critically with the work of others in order to justify your own position as a serious researcher.

See Language for Critique and Evaluation for some suggestions about language to use in critical evaluation.

Positioning your own research

Your Literature Review should not just be a survey of the literature you have read; it should ultimately be an argument for your own research. One way to think about it is as a justification for your own work. You are seeking to show how and why there is a need for your project, where the gaps are in the current research and how you propose to fill them.