A literature review is an evaluative account of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers. The purpose of a literature review IS NOT to create an original argument and support your position with scholarly research (this is the typical college research paper assignment), but instead to ...
- summarize the available research in the field,
- assess the value of the research already done by others,
- identify prevalent trends and
- discover what research remains to be done in a particular subject area.
Literature reviews direct the formation of new research questions and are routinely included in the opening sections of scholarly research reports. A successful literature review must be defined by a guiding concept such as a specific research objective.
