Literature Review Outline: Structure, Format, Examples

A literature review outline is a structured plan that guides the organization of your review of scholarly materials related to your research topic. It provides a roadmap for discussing the various studies, theories, and arguments that exist in the existing literature.

Purpose of a Literature Review Outline

The purpose of a literature review outline is multi-fold. Primarily, it helps to organize your thoughts and the material you have read. This structure aids in identifying gaps in the current knowledge that your research aims to fill. Moreover, it helps in establishing connections between your study and the existing research, thereby situating your work within the broader academic discourse.

How is it Used in Academic Writing?

In academic writing, a literature review outline is used as a basis for writing the literature review section of research papers, theses, dissertations, and research proposals. It aids in demonstrating your understanding of the research topic and justifying the relevance and necessity of your own research.

What is a Literature Review Outline?

A literature review outline is a structured plan that helps organize your thoughts and arguments when conducting a literature review. It serves as a roadmap, guiding you through the process of analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating existing research on a specific topic.

Here’s a basic structure of a literature review outline:

1. Introduction
2. • Briefly explain the purpose and relevance of the literature review.
   • Identify the topic and establish your reason for reviewing the literature.
   • Define or identify the general topic, issue, or area of concern.
2. Body
   ii. Theme/Sub-topic 2 – Repeat the same structure as Sub-topic 1.
   iii. Continue with additional themes/sub-topics as necessary.
3. • This part can be divided into thematic sections or categories. Each category should reflect the key themes that emerge from the literature you are reviewing.
     i. Theme/Sub-topic 1
   • • Overview of the theme.
     • Summary of studies relevant to the theme.
     • Critique and comparison of the different studies.
3. Conclusion
4. • Summarize the major contributions, controversies, and gaps in the existing literature.
   • Indicate how your research will contribute to the existing knowledge.
   • Suggest areas for future research.

Basic Elements of Literature Review Outline

A literature review outline is a structured way to organize your thoughts and ideas about the literature you have studied. Here are the basic elements of a literature review outline:

1. Introduction
   • Topic: Briefly introduce the topic you will be discussing.
   • Scope: Define the scope of your review, which includes the period you’re interested in, the type of literature you’ll be reviewing, and the topics or issues you’ll be addressing.
   • Objective: Clearly state the objective or purpose of your review.
2. Conceptual Framework
   • Definitions: Define any key terms or concepts.
   • Theory: Discuss any theories that are relevant to your review.
3. Review of Literature
   • Methodology: Describe the method you used to select the literature you’ll be reviewing.
   • Analysis: Analyze the literature piece by piece, discussing each one’s strengths, weaknesses, and contributions.
   • Synthesis: Synthesize the literature, drawing connections between different pieces and showing how they contribute to the overall understanding of the topic.
4. Discussion
   • Interpretation: Interpret the findings of your review, discussing what they mean in the context of your field.
   • Implications: Discuss the implications of your findings for future research.
5. Conclusion
   • Summary: Summarize the main findings of your review.
   • Recommendations: Make recommendations for future research based on your findings.
6. References
   • List all the sources you’ve used in your review in the required citation style.

Literature review outline example

Here is an example of a literature review outline:

I. Introduction

• Brief overview of the topic
• Importance of the research
• Scope of the literature review
• Objectives and aim of the review

II. Conceptual Framework

• Explanation of key theories, concepts or variables related to the topic
• Relationship between these concepts or variables

III. Review of Literature

• Topic 1
• • Study 1: Brief summary, methodology, findings, strengths, and weaknesses
  • Study 2: Brief summary, methodology, findings, strengths, and weaknesses
  • Synthesis: What can be learned from these studies? How do they compare or contrast?
• Topic 2
• • Study 1: Brief summary, methodology, findings, strengths, and weaknesses
  • Study 2: Brief summary, methodology, findings, strengths, and weaknesses
  • Synthesis: What can be learned from these studies? How do they compare or contrast?
• Topic 3
• • Study 1: Brief summary, methodology, findings, strengths, and weaknesses
  • Study 2: Brief summary, methodology, findings, strengths, and weaknesses
  • Synthesis: What can be learned from these studies? How do they compare or contrast?

IV. Gaps in the Literature

• Discussion about what has not been addressed or is still unclear in the current literature

V. Conclusion

• Summary of the key findings or arguments presented in the review
• Implications for future research

Author: tutlance