POSC 325: Political Analysis: Literature Review Tips

The literature review is meant to serve as preliminary research, conducted before you write a research paper. You conduct this review of the literature after you develop a topic that interests you, and before you solidify your position. It is both a summary and a general timeline of research done on the subject you're about to discuss in detail. Essentially, you're trying to:

• Determine what's already been written on a topic
• Evaluate what's already been written on a topic
• Identify gaps that haven't been heavily researched
• Join into the conversation that's already been started by other scholars

When Preparing to Write:

• Identify the most significant studies and scholars concerning your topic or research question. Read the works carefully and consistently and take notes
• State the central research questions investigated by scholars, the key concepts, and hypotheses advanced, and their methodological strengths and weaknesses
• Identify significant trends or patterns in the results of the studies
• Identify any gaps you may find in the literature - questions left unexplored, concepts or theories misused, or methodological errors made
• Think about how the studies all fit together
• Summarize the state of the field for this research topic

When Writing:

• Describe the topic or problem area. Note why the topic is important and why it is worth studying
• Identify the research question you are investigating or the hypothesis you are testing
• Discuss how the previous work (that is, its findings, methods, trends, and theories) sets the stage for your own research
• Discuss how your research effort is similar to or differs from previous ones
• Discuss what you plan to do in your research paper
• Write the literature review in an essay format with proper citations and a bibliography

Sections to Include in Your Literature Review:

• Introduction
• Literature Review
• Model and Hypothesis
• Research Design
• Analysis
• Conclusion