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What is a literature review? A literature review sets the stage for a paper or thesis. In a research thesis (where data is gathered), the literature review answers "What have other researchers done to answer my research question?" In a paper, the literature review should "paint a picture" of the research that is related to the topic of the paper. The reader should fully understand how the paper or thesis fits into the rest of the related research that had already been done. The "literature" that is reviewed includes research articles (such as those you would find in journals), ERIC documents (presentations at conferences, research reports), books, reports, websites (sometimes), and even "personal communications." The best type of document to use are those which have been "peer reviewed" or "refereed." This means that the content of the document has been reviewed by qualified researchers and found to be valid. Non-reviewed documents should be used sparingly, if at all. A literature review is often a separate chapter in a thesis and generally comes near the beginning of a paper or thesis. It may have several sections, each of which includes research on a particular aspect of the paper or thesis. Some examples: Research question:  Do peace-building activities decrease fights at the high school level? Possible literature review sections: Peace-Building Activities in High Schools, School Violence, research on a particular method of peace-building Research question: Is computer-assisted instruction (CAI) effective in teaching fractions to special education students? Possible literature review sections: Effectiveness of CAI (across subjects/ages), Effectiveness of CAI for Special Needs Students, Effectiveness of Mathematics CAI, Effectiveness of Fractions CAI A literature review is NOT an annotated bibliography, that is, it should not simply list and describe numerous related articles in no particular order. The literature review makes statements and supports those statements with citations from the literature. For example, the author may make a statement like "Computers have been found to be effective in teaching mathematics to special needs students." This statement would be followed by a citation such as (Smith, 1999; Jones & Writter, 2004) listing documents that support the statement. Check for Understanding  (a short quiz) This page was created by F. Fisher for students in the College of Education at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Last update 8/06. Button created at http://www.buttongenerator.com/.