ABSTRACT
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The literature review is a comprehensive survey of previous inquiries related to a research question. Although it can often be wide in scope, covering decades, perhaps even centuries of material, it should also be narrowly tailored, addressing only the scholarship that is directly related to the research question. This is by no means an easy task. However, by using a systematic approach to previous scholarship, the literature review allows the author to place his or her research into an intellectual and historical context. In other words, the literature review helps the author declare why their research matters.
