In brief
- A literature review synthesizes published research on a question; it does more than summarize sources one by one.
- Organize the body by themes, debates or methods rather than by author.
- Every review should end by identifying the gap your own study or argument addresses.
- In APA style, use APA headings, author-date citations and a single reference list.
- Systematic and scoping reviews follow formal protocols; most thesis chapters are narrative reviews.
What is a literature review? ¶
A literature review is a structured overview and critical synthesis of the published research on a specific topic or question. It explains what is known, compares findings and methods, identifies debates and gaps, and shows how your own work fits in. It can be a chapter of a thesis, a section of an article or a standalone paper.
A lit review is not an annotated list of everything you read. Its value lies in the connections you draw: which studies agree, why others disagree, which methods produced which results, and what nobody has yet tested. That synthesis is what supervisors and reviewers look for.
Literature reviews appear in three main places:
- Thesis or dissertation chapter: usually Chapter 2, setting up your research questions.
- Introduction of a journal article: a condensed review of a few paragraphs leading to the study's aim.
- Standalone review article: a full paper whose contribution is the review itself.
Types of literature review ¶
The type you write depends on your purpose, your discipline and how much rigor your audience expects in searching and selecting sources.
| Type | Purpose | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Narrative (traditional) | Summarizes and interprets research on a topic, selected by the author's judgment. | Thesis chapters, article introductions |
| Integrative | Combines empirical and theoretical work to build a new framework or perspective. | Nursing, education, management |
| Theoretical | Compares theories that explain a phenomenon. | Social sciences, humanities |
| Systematic review | Answers a focused question with a pre-specified, reproducible search and appraisal process. | Health sciences, evidence-based policy |
| Scoping review | Maps the size and nature of a body of research and its gaps. | Emerging or broad topics |
| Meta-analysis | Statistically pools effect sizes from comparable studies. | Medicine, psychology |
If you are asked for a systematic or scoping review, the method is formal and reported with checklists such as PRISMA. See our guides to the systematic review and the scoping review.
How to write a literature review in 7 steps ¶
- Define your question and scope. Write the question your review answers and set limits: time period, population, disciplines, languages and source types.
- Search systematically. Use two or three databases suited to your field (for example PubMed, PsycINFO, ERIC, Scopus or Web of Science). Record your search terms and dates so you can repeat or report them.
- Screen and select. Read titles and abstracts first, then full texts. Keep a note of why you excluded studies.
- Read critically and take structured notes. For each source, record the aim, sample, method, key findings and limitations. A spreadsheet or synthesis matrix with one row per study makes patterns visible.
- Identify themes, debates and gaps. Group studies by what they found, how they studied it or which theory they used. Note where results conflict and why they might.
- Outline the structure. Choose an organizing principle (see the next section) and write a heading for each theme.
- Write, then revise for synthesis. Draft each section around a claim, support it with several sources, and end the review with the gap your study fills.
A synthesis matrix is the single most useful tool here. When you can see methods and findings side by side, the themes and gaps almost write themselves.
If you are stuck at the synthesis stage, our literature review help service offers feedback and coaching on structure and argument while the review stays your own work.
Literature Review Help
Need feedback on structure or synthesis? A field-matched editor comments on your literature review draft so you can strengthen it yourself.
Literature review structure and outline ¶
Every literature review format has three parts: an introduction, a body and a conclusion.
- Introduction: states the topic, why it matters, the scope of the review and how it is organized.
- Body: discusses the literature in sections. Each section makes a point and synthesizes several studies to support it.
- Conclusion: summarizes the main patterns, states the gap and links it to your research questions.
For the body, choose one main organizing principle:
| Approach | Organize by | Works well when |
|---|---|---|
| Thematic | Topics or findings | Most reviews; the safest default |
| Chronological | Periods in the development of the field | Thinking on the topic changed clearly over time |
| Methodological | Research designs or methods | Findings differ depending on how they were studied |
| Theoretical | Competing theories or models | You are building or choosing a framework |
Avoid organizing by author ("Smith found... Jones found..."). That produces summary, which is the most common weakness supervisors flag.
Synthesis vs summary: the key skill ¶
Summary reports what each source says. Synthesis combines sources to make a point of your own. Compare these two versions on the same studies.
Summary (weak)
Bloom et al. (2015) studied call-center workers in China and found that working from home increased performance. Golden et al. (2008) studied teleworkers and found that professional isolation lowered job performance. Gajendran and Harrison (2007) did a meta-analysis on telecommuting.
Synthesis (strong)
Evidence that telework improves performance is consistent, yet it appears conditional on social contact. Experimental and meta-analytic studies report performance gains (Bloom et al., 2015; Gajendran & Harrison, 2007), but teleworkers who feel professionally isolated perform worse (Golden et al., 2008), suggesting that the benefits depend on how much connection employees retain.
The strong version opens with a claim, groups sources that agree, introduces the tension and interprets it. Signal words such as similarly, in contrast, however and taken together help readers follow the reasoning.
1. Introduction - Topic and why it matters - Review question and scope (years, populations, source types) - How the review is organized 2. Theme 1: [claim about this theme] - Studies that agree and what they show - Studies that disagree and possible reasons (methods, samples, contexts) 3. Theme 2: [claim about this theme] - Synthesis of findings - Strengths and limitations of the evidence 4. Theme 3: [claim about this theme] - Synthesis of findings - Unresolved questions 5. Conclusion - Summary of main patterns - The gap or limitation in existing research - How your study addresses it (link to research questions)
Literature review example (APA style) ¶
Here is a sample literature review paragraph in APA 7 style, written for a thesis on remote work and well-being. The cited studies are real.
Example body paragraph (APA 7)
Research on telework suggests that its benefits are real but conditional. A meta-analysis of 46 studies found that telecommuting had small beneficial associations with perceived autonomy, job satisfaction and supervisor-rated performance, and was linked to lower work–family conflict (Gajendran & Harrison, 2007). Field evidence points the same way: when call-center employees at a large Chinese travel agency were randomly assigned to work from home for 9 months, their performance rose by 13% and attrition fell by about half (Bloom et al., 2015). However, these gains appear to depend on the contact employees keep with colleagues. High-intensity telecommuting was associated with poorer coworker relationships (Gajendran & Harrison, 2007), and teleworkers reporting professional isolation showed lower job performance (Golden et al., 2008). Taken together, these findings, which are consistent with the broader review by Allen et al. (2015), suggest that the more useful question is under which conditions telework supports employees.
The matching reference list entries, in APA 7 format:
APA 7 references
Allen, T. D., Golden, T. D., & Shockley, K. M. (2015). How effective is telecommuting? Assessing the status of our scientific findings. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 16(2), 40–68. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100615593273
Bloom, N., Liang, J., Roberts, J., & Ying, Z. J. (2015). Does working from home work? Evidence from a Chinese experiment. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 130(1), 165–218. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qju032
Gajendran, R. S., & Harrison, D. A. (2007). The good, the bad, and the unknown about telecommuting: Meta-analysis of psychological mediators and individual consequences. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(6), 1524–1541. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.6.1524
Golden, T. D., Veiga, J. F., & Dino, R. N. (2008). The impact of professional isolation on teleworker job performance and turnover intentions: Does time spent teleworking, interacting face-to-face, or having access to communication-enhancing technology matter? Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(6), 1412–1421. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0012722
How to conclude a literature review (with example) ¶
The conclusion of a literature review does three jobs: it summarizes the main patterns, it names the gap or unresolved problem, and it connects that gap to your study. Keep it to one or two paragraphs and do not introduce new sources.
Literature review conclusion example
In sum, the literature indicates that telework can improve performance and reduce work–family conflict, but that these benefits weaken when employees become professionally isolated. Much of this evidence, however, predates the large-scale shift to remote and hybrid work that began in 2020, and few studies have examined how hybrid schedules affect isolation among early-career employees, who have fewer established workplace relationships. The present study addresses this gap by asking how the number of in-office days relates to professional isolation and well-being among employees in their first 3 years of work.
Notice the pattern: summary of findings → limitation of existing research → this study's aim. That bridge leads straight into your research questions; see our research question examples.
Literature review format in APA ¶
APA does not prescribe a special layout for literature reviews, so you apply the general APA 7 paper rules:
- Headings: Level 1 is centered, bold, title case; Level 2 is flush left, bold, title case; Level 3 is flush left, bold italic, title case.
- Citations: author-date format, such as (Bloom et al., 2015). Use "et al." from the first citation for works with three or more authors.
- Reference list: one alphabetical list titled "References", double-spaced, with a 0.5-inch hanging indent.
- Text: double-spaced throughout, 1-inch margins, with a consistent accessible font such as 12-point Times New Roman or 11-point Calibri.
For full details see our APA format guide and the guide to APA in-text citations.