Outline for writing your literature review:
1. Introduction (without this heading)
Write an introduction paragraph for your review. This paragraph:
a. States the topic for this review
b. Tells the reader specific information on how many articles you reviewed and how you sorted the articles into common themes based on findings (results).
2. Body (without this heading)
Before you begin this section, be sure that you have sorted your articles into different themes based on the articles’ findings (sometimes called results). After you sort your articles, it is important to give your sorted groups a descriptive name. The names of the sorted articles will become your headings for each of the paragraphs that you write in the body of your review. The body of your literature review will include:
- Theme 1: a paragraph or several paragraphs that describe the first theme that you identified and compare, contrast and/or connect the articles you’ve selected.
- Theme 2: a paragraph or several paragraphs that describes the second theme that you identified and compare, contrast and/or connect the articles you’ve selected.
- Theme 3: a paragraph or several paragraphs that describes the third theme that you identified and compare, contrast and/or connect the articles you’ve selected.
- … …
3. Summary
This is the last paragraph of your literature review. In this paragraph, it is important to briefly summarize the main findings from the articles that you reviewed and to point out how your inquiry questions were answered or not answered, what the gap is (what if my questions are all answered – you then need to identify new inquiries so that you will contribute to the field).
4. References
This is the last pages of your review. It serves as a listing of all references that you mentioned in your paper. Please make sure that only references cited in your drafts will be listed here. Please use APA style when completing this list.