ABSTRACT
Literature reviews are sections of a paper in which the writer summarises recently published work on the topic. They are standard in dissertations, but in many essays a summary of relevant and recent authorities is included in the introduction. Occasionally, the whole focus of an essay may be a lengthy literature review, but in most student writing it will only form a relatively short section of the paper. Only a minority have a separate section headed The Literature or Literature Review. But in all cases, it is necessary to show that people are familiar with the main sources, so that their writing can build on these. A literature review is not simply a list of sources that people have studied. It is also common to use the literature section to clarify the varying positions held by other researchers. The chapter also presents example Literature reviews.
