Literature reviews are the foundation of academic research, giving us a big-picture view of what's already been done on a subject. Experts and researchers use it to identify existing trends, find gaps, and lay the foundations for new investigations using their key findings.

Writing literature reviews is quite intricate and there’s a structure you need to follow. To make this task less daunting for you, below is quick guide with tips on how to write a literature review.

Step 1: Gathering sources

Before you can write a literature review, you need to gather relevant sources. This involves searching for academic papers, journal articles, books, and other reliable materials that address your research topic. Gather as much relevant information as you can from different sources, the more data that can back up your hypothesis, the more reliable your analysis will become.

To gather sources correctly and accurately, take note of these three important things:

• Use specific keywords: enter precise keywords related to your research topic to get the most relevant results.

• Filter by publication date: ensure that you are using the most recent and relevant studies by filtering search results by publication date.

• Check for peer-reviewed sources: prioritize peer-reviewed articles as they have undergone rigorous evaluation by experts in the field.

Step 2: Summarizing articles

Once you have gathered your sources, the next step is to summarize each article. Summarizing helps you condense the main points of each study, making it easier to reference them in your review.

Creating summaries out of large volumes of data across multiple journals can get overwhelming if you do it manually, with Sharly it's now easier and faster to write coincise and accurate summaries.

Once Sharly has summarized the articles for you, it’s your turn to ensure your summary follows the standard format. Make sure it has these two things:

• Create a summary table. Use a table to list each article along with its main findings. This visual aid can help you quickly compare and contrast studies.

• Highlight key points. Focus on the most significant contributions of each article to your research topic.

Step 3: Analyzing and synthesizing information

After summarizing your sources, the next step is to analyze and synthesize the information. This involves identifying common themes, trends, and gaps in the literature. Sharly’s multi-document analysis feature is invaluable for this step. It allows you to draw connections between different studies, helping you to identify overarching themes and areas that need further investigation. 

After you make Sharly do the heavy analysis and synthesis, your job is to do the following:

• Group similar studies. Organize studies into categories based on their findings and methodologies.

• Identify gapsLook for areas where there is a lack of research or conflicting findings.

Step 4: Writing the review

With your analysis complete, you can start writing your literature review. A well-structured review should be clear, concise, and logically organized. You can integrate Sharly’s summaries and analysis into your literature review.

Make sure you're doing it right by keeping tabs on these important elements of citation:

• Follow the required format. Ensure that you use the correct citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago) as specified by your institution or publication.

• Double-check citations. Verify that all citations are accurate and complete.

Bonus tip: how to avoid information overload

Tired of spending hours sifting through endless research articles? Don’t worry we got you!

Sharly simplifies the process of writing literature reviews by enhancing research efficiency and accuracy. With its advanced AI capabilities, users can navigate complex academic literature with ease, synthesizing insights from diverse sources into cohesive, well-cited reviews. No matter what stage of the literature review process you’re at, gleaning information from large amounts of data will no longer be overwhelming!

Is information overload slowing you down? Let Sharly streamline your literature review, try it today!