How to Write a Literature Review for an Academic Paper

Professors often study for years in order to learn the subtle nuances of how words affect our world. You do not have to be a professor of literature, however, in order to write a literature review for an academic paper. Know that if you want to write effectively, you should have a little background in the subject you are writing about. This article will explain how to write a literature review for an academic paper.

Things You'll Need

• A library card
• Local bookstore
• Word processing software
• Pen, paper and pencil

Instructions

Writing a Literature Review for an Academic Paper

1. Know basic writing structure. It is going to be very difficult to assess someone else's writing, for the purposes of a literature review, if you do not know how to write yourself. Be sure to know about the rules that govern introduction, body text and conclusion. Learn buzz words like “style, content and context.”

2. Have some academic background. To write a literature review for an academic paper, you will need to know a bit about literary theory. Familiarize yourself with concepts like "new historicism," "culturalism" and "diversity."

3. Read other reviews and visualize. Many libraries are loaded with collections of literary reviews. It is a good idea to look over them in order to visualize how your own should look.

4. Determine the influence. You must determine what influence, in any, the paper will have on a particular academic field to write a literature review correctly. If it has none, that could be one direction you could take. Know that you will need to study a bit about how literature works and what it might mean when it works either effectively or ineffectively. This will help you narrow down the focus of your review a bit. In most respects, academics want to influence the direction of knowledge in their chosen fields. They do this by writing papers and relaying their ideas to others.

5. Make a draft. Your literature review will be basically comprised of the same elements as the academic paper you are reviewing. You should incorporate, into your introduction, details about the paper--the name of the work or the author, for example. An academic is expected to provide a thesis and evidence that will support that thesis. Use the body of your review to talk about the author's proofs and supports.

Tips & Warnings

• There is a lot of discussion in academic circles about what the definition of literature entails

• Learn about cultural criticism

• Study critical thinking

• Beware of subjectivity in your writing when it is not warranted. Be sure to have some academic background before attempting to write a literature review for an academic paper.