The Student Room Group
Voting for TSRs Ultimate Study Playlist is NOW OPEN >>
Uni students - Complete our survey >>
Voting for TSRs Ultimate Study Playlist is NOW OPEN >>
Uni students - Complete our survey >>

Can students perform literature reviews?

What is a literature review? Sorry for sounding dumb but I thought a literature review was where you just read findings around your chosen topic. Do you have to produce your own written work as well??

Scroll to see replies

A literature review is where you synthesise the scientific literature on a particular topic and present the major arguments/perspectives that are currently prevalent on that topic. A literature review is more comprehensive than just reading around a subject.
Original post by Plagioclase
A literature review is where you synthesise the scientific literature on a particular topic and present the major arguments/perspectives that are currently prevalent on that topic. A literature review is more comprehensive than just reading around a subject.

Thank you very much. What is the minimum level of professionalism it needs to be? Can it just be in a bullet point style, with some musings about each article?
Original post by aroundanaxis
Thank you very much. What is the minimum level of professionalism it needs to be? Can it just be in a bullet point style, with some musings about each article?

Literature reviews are normally peer-reviewed and published in journals, I'm pretty sure.

I'm wrong :frown:
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by Theloniouss
Literature reviews are normally peer-reviewed and published in journals, I'm pretty sure.

I thought students could do it? That's what I've been told to do
Original post by aroundanaxis
I thought students could do it? That's what I've been told to do


Yup students do it as part of their courses.

What subject are you doing?
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by GabiAbi84
Yup students do it as part of their courses.

What subject are you doing?

Right well I'm still in sixth form... Can I still technically perform a literature review?
Original post by aroundanaxis
What is a literature review? Sorry for sounding dumb but I thought a literature review was where you just read findings around your chosen topic. Do you have to produce your own written work as well??


Yes anyone can one, they're pretty easy to do & very straight forward TBH. Its literally a review of literature on a given topic.
Original post by mnot
Yes anyone can one, they're pretty easy to do & very straight forward TBH. Its literally a review of literature on a given topic.

Awesome that's a relief. So it doesn't have to be published or anything right?
Original post by aroundanaxis
Right well I'm still in sixth form... Can I still technically perform a literature review?


Yes. A literature review in the very basic entity is where you research a set topic and then write what you have learned.

It is more than bullet points and musings. It should be a full essay style paper.
Original post by aroundanaxis
Awesome that's a relief. So it doesn't have to be published or anything right?

No, most student lit reviews get no where near publication but a high quality lit review can be formed into a review paper.

TBH review papers are some of my favourite, I use them all the time.
Original post by mnot
No, most student lit reviews get no where near publication but a high quality lit review can be formed into a review paper.

TBH review papers are some of my favourite, I use them all the time.

U saved me a lot o stress thank you. What's the bear minimum quality lit review I can have? Can it just be bullet points? Someone else said it shouldn't be but I'm not tryna spin gold here, you know what I mean?
..
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by GabiAbi84
Yes. A literature review in the very basic entity is where you research a set topic and then write what you have learned.

It is more than bullet points and musings. It should be a full essay style paper.

Thank you so much. By definition, is a literature review a full essay style paper? Sorry to be pedantic, I don't have a lot of time to do it. Cheers
Original post by GabiAbi84
Review papers are especially excellent if they are almost in the topic you need to do your lit review on 😹
I enjoy meta-analyses -they give you so many sources from just them at one paper it’s awesome :smile:

That sounds like exactly what I need. How would I go about finding review papers? I'm guessing just typing it into google scholar but how would I be able to tell it's a review paper? (Really hoping the answers not "it says it's a review paper at the top")
Original post by aroundanaxis
That sounds like exactly what I need. How would I go about finding review papers? I'm guessing just typing it into google scholar but how would I be able to tell it's a review paper? (Really hoping the answers not "it says it's a review paper at the top")


Have you researched your topic?
Original post by aroundanaxis
Thank you so much. By definition, is a literature review a full essay style paper? Sorry to be pedantic, I don't have a lot of time to do it. Cheers


Yes it should be paragraphs and not bullet points.
Original post by aroundanaxis
U saved me a lot o stress thank you. What's the bear minimum quality lit review I can have? Can it just be bullet points? Someone else said it shouldn't be but I'm not tryna spin gold here, you know what I mean?

Well it depends on your expectations and what the lit review is for.

But I would say the minimum is,
an abstract, an intro, a discussion of the literature and context dependant a section at the end to tie all the sources in the discussion together.

You need to look at all the key literature that made the subject what it is and the latest papers/current boundary of knowledge.

And no its not bullet points.
Original post by GabiAbi84
Have you researched your topic?

Read the abstracts of a few papers yeah
Original post by mnot
Well it depends on your expectations and what the lit review is for.

But I would say the minimum is,
an abstract, an intro, a discussion of the literature and context dependant a section at the end to tie all the sources in the discussion together.

You need to look at all the key literature that made the subject what it is and the latest papers/current boundary of knowledge.

And no its not bullet points.

Got thanks. Minimum length? Is 1 page pushing it?

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you