A literature review is a summary of the available research (articles, books, etc.) on a particular topic or question. It should include relevant background information, reference major studies, point out areas that need more research, and discuss significant controversies or debates. A good literature review will help your readers understand why your own research is relevant and important, as well as catch them up on concepts and developments they need to know to understand your work.
Literature reviews can vary in length depending on the type of project you’re working on. Literature reviews for theses and dissertations can be very long and run to several pages. Literature reviews for research papers or articles are shorter, usually just a few substantial paragraphs.
Before you dive into the library's databases to look for articles for your literature review, make sure you have a clearly defined question to answer. Keeping your research focused will save hours of time. Some examples of good literature review questions are:
The Fulton Library has more than 200 databases in all different subject areas, as well as subject librarians who can help you get started. Once you've chosen a few databases, simplify your question to just the essential search terms and use those to find relevant articles from the databases.
Because your literature review needs to explore a question in depth, there are some additional steps to take to ensure you've found all of the relevant research:
There is no defined number of sources for a literature review. If you reach a point in your search where you're not finding anything new, you've most likely found everything. If you've found dozens of articles and are still finding new information that answers your research question, you may need to refocus that question to be more specific. You can also limit your search to studies of a particular demographic, published within a certain time frame, or use some other exclusion criteria.
OneSearch is the Fulton Library's main database. It allows you to search the library's articles, books, streaming media, and more. OneSearch includes resources on almost every topic, making it a great place to start your research!
To use OneSearch, go to the UVU Fulton Library Homepage link below. OneSearch is the main search box on the page. Enter search terms into the box, then hit enter or click the magnifying glass. Once your search runs, you can filter your results clicking the All Filters button that appears below the search box.