Literature reviews

A literature review is a discussion of scholarly articles relevant to a particular topic or issue. 

In a postgraduate thesis the literature is an important device for setting your study in context, justifying your choice of theoretical or conceptual framework, and indicating your familiarity with the field of study.

At both undergraduate and postgraduate level, the purpose of the literature review gives you the opportunity to demonstrate:

• your depth of knowledge of a topic or issue.
• your skills in comparing, analysing and evaluating scholarly writing
• understanding of scholarly writing, debates and competing arguments.
• awareness of different research methodologies.

There are several steps in writing a literature review that are explained in the following:

Writing literature reviews from Monash University