Library Website : Write Abstracts, Literature Reviews, and Annotated Bibliographies: Home (2024)

A literature review is a body of text that aims to review the critical points of current knowledge including substantive findings as well as theoretical and methodological contributions to a particular topic. Literature reviews are secondary sources, and as such, do not report any new or original experimental work.Most often associated with academic-oriented literature, such as a thesis, a literature review usually precedes a research proposal and results section. Its ultimate goal is to bring the reader up to date with current literature on a topic and forms the basis for another goal, such as future research that may be needed in the area.A well-structured literature review is characterized by a logical flow of ideas; current and relevant references with consistent, appropriate referencing style; proper use of terminology; and an unbiased and comprehensive view of the previous research on the topic. (Wikipedia)

Literature Review: An extensive search of the information available on a topic which results in a list of references to books, periodicals, and other materials on the topic. (Online Library Learning Center Glossary)

"... a literature review uses as its database reports of primary or original scholarship, and does not report new primary scholarship itself. The primary reports used in the literature may be verbal, but in the vast majority of cases reports are written documents. The types of scholarship may be empirical, theoretical, critical/analytic, or methodological in nature. Second a literature review seeks to describe, summarize, evaluate, clarify and/or integrate the content of primary reports."

Cooper, H. M. (1988), "The structure of knowledge synthesis",
Knowledge in Society, Vol. 1, pp. 104-126

Library Website : Write Abstracts, Literature Reviews, and Annotated Bibliographies: Home (2024)

FAQs

How to write an annotated bibliography for a literature review? ›

Annotated Bibliography:
  1. Concise: Go to the point of what is the book/article about, in few words, summarize.
  2. Evaluative: Determine who is the author, what is his/her expertise in the topic, how reliable is the information.
  3. Critical: Reflect on what is the strength and weakness of the work, what is missing, etc.
Jan 8, 2024

How to write an abstract for a literature review? ›

An abstract for a literature review or meta-analysis should describe: (1) the problem or relations under investigation (2) study eligibility criteria (3) types of participants (4) main results, including the most important effect sizes, and any important moderators of these effect sizes (5) conclusions, including ...

What is the difference between an abstract and an annotated bibliography? ›

To sum up: an abstract is an author/editor written preview of their own work; an annotation is a description and evaluation of the work written by a student, researcher, or scholar.

What is the difference between an abstract and a literature review? ›

A literature review and an abstract are two different elements of an academic paper. While an abstract is a brief summary of the paper, a literature review is a more detailed analysis of the existing literature on the topic. Abstract: An abstract is a concise summary of an academic paper.

What are the 3 parts of an annotated bibliography? ›

What are the 3 parts of an annotated bibliography? The three different parts of an annotated bibliography include the title, annotation, and citation. The title and citation format will vary based on the style you use. The annotation can include a summary, evaluation, or reflection.

What is the easiest way to write an annotated bibliography? ›

Annotated Bibliography: a step by step guide
  1. Select a Topic. Pick something you can handle well within your time and space limitations. ...
  2. Get a Good Overview. Use several good reference sources to become familiar with your topic. ...
  3. Review your Assignment! ...
  4. Select What to Include. ...
  5. Write the Annotations. ...
  6. Put It All Together.
Apr 20, 2024

What are the 7 steps to writing an abstract? ›

Here are the basic steps to follow when writing an abstract:
  • Write your paper. Since the abstract is a summary of a research paper, the first step is to write your paper . ...
  • Review the requirements. ...
  • Consider your audience and publication. ...
  • Explain the problem. ...
  • Explain your methods. ...
  • Describe your results. ...
  • Give a conclusion.
Jul 31, 2023

How long is an abstract in a literature review? ›

An abstract is a summary of your paper and/or research project. It should be single-spaced, one paragraph, and approximately 250-300 words.

How to write an abstract example? ›

ABSTRACT GUIDELINES:

It should have an intro, body and conclusion. It is a well-developed paragraph, should be exact in wording, and must be understandable to a wide audience. Abstracts should be no more than 250 words, formatted in Microsoft Word, and single-spaced, using size 12 Times New Roman font.

What should an annotated bibliography look like? ›

What does an annotated bibliography look like? Each entry in an annotated biliography has two components: a bibliographic citation followed by. a short paragraph (an annotation) that includes concise descriptions and evaluations of each source.

Should an annotated bibliography be in your own words? ›

In writing an annotation, you should try to put the ideas of the text you are reading into your own language, which you may then re-use in your eventual paper (with citations, of course!).

What are the 4 steps in an annotated bibliography? ›

Review the items. Choose those sources that provide a variety of perspectives on your topic. Cite the book, article, or document using the appropriate style. Write a concise annotation that summarizes the central theme and scope of the item.

What should we not include in our review? ›

Do not include extended quotations, and use direct quotes sparingly, if at all. The literature review is a synthesis and analysis of research on your topic in your own words. Most ideas can be and should be paraphrased. Professors sometimes perceive undue reliance on quotations as intellectual laziness.

What should an abstract look like? ›

A good abstract: ▪ uses one well-developed paragraph that is coherent and concise, and is able to stand alone as a unit of information ▪ covers all the essential academic elements of the full-length paper, namely the background, purpose, focus, methods, results and conclusions ▪ contains no information not included in ...

How long should a literature review be? ›

In a PhD thesis, the literature review typically comprises one chapter (perhaps 8-10,000 words), for a Masters dissertation it may be around 2-3,000 words, and for an undergraduate dissertation it may be no more than 2,000 words.

Does a literature review have an annotated bibliography? ›

A literature review gives the researcher an overview and understanding of research findings to date on a particular topic or issue. An annotated bibliography is a list of resources that you have gathered on a topic that includes an annotation following the reference.

What is annotated bibliography in literature? ›

An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.

What are the 4 parts of an annotated bibliography? ›

The annotated bibliography is written in paragraph form and composed of 4 parts: the citation, the summary of the content, an evaluation of the source, and a reflection on its use.

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