As we learned in Chapter 1. an essential step in the process of conducting research is for researchers review the literature. Researchers need to be aware of the knowledge that exists about the topic and problem they want to study. Knowing how to review the literature. however, is not only important for researchers. Students, practitioners, and policy makers also need to be able to locate, understand, and summarize literature about a topic. You need to understand the role that literature plays in research report, and you need to develop your skills for reviewing literature. In fact, developing these skills is probably the main reason you are taking this class and reading this book! We will consider both types of skills in this chapter, but we will begin by defining what we mean by a literature review,