Prepared by Arndt, J.E. & Turley, N. 1

How to Write a Literature Review for a Research Proposal

Introduction A literature review surveys the scholarly articles, books, and other scholarly sources (e.g., dissertations, conference proceedings) that are relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory. The purpose of the literature review is to critically evaluate the scholarly work included in the review, with the goal of providing an overview of the significant literature published on a topic. In the context of a research proposal, the literature review is the argument that leads the reader to your research question.

A literature review should include the following elements:

 An overview of the subject, issue, or theory under consideration, along with the objective of the literature review  Division of works under review into categories (e.g., those in support of a particular position, those against, and those offering alternative theses entirely)  Explanation of how each work is similar to and how it varies from the others, with the goal of explaining differences and similarities in research findings or theoretical positions

A literature review has the following goals:

 To place each work in the context of its contribution to the understanding of the subject under review  Describe the relationship of each work to the others under consideration  Identify new ways to interpret, and shed light on any gaps in previous research  Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory previous studies  Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort  Place one’s original work in the context of existing literature

Common pitfalls in developing a literature review for a research proposal:

 Too narrowly focused – the reading required for a literature review will vary greatly depending on the topic. As a general guideline, for the purposes of a research proposal try to find 15 papers that are relevant to your topic and that can be included in your literature review.  Too broadly focused – for the purposes of a research proposal, you want the reader to have enough knowledge to form an opinion as to whether or not your research question is well-informed and relevant in the context of the existing literature on your topic. Hint: Try to explain your idea to a friend or spouse. Note the key points of information that Prepared by Arndt, J.E. & Turley, N. 2

they needed to understand your research question. Make these points the main points of your literature review.  Too strongly worded – avoid the use of extreme wording (e.g., always, never, obviously). Create an argument that naturally leads your reader to your conclusions.  Too weakly worded – a literature review should identify gaps and make suggestions as to why those gaps exist. Do not hesitate to point out inconsistencies or issues with the author’s methodologies or arguments.

The framework of your literature review should be broad at first and become increasingly narrow to your point (i.e., your research question). An example template of a research proposal literature review is outlined in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1. Structural template of a research proposal literature review. Prepared by Arndt, J.E. & Turley, N. 3

The Most Frequently Asked Question

Q: Where might I find an example of a published literature review for a research proposal?

A: The introduction to any good research paper follows the structure of a literature review you might use for a research proposal. Note that a research article introduction starts broad and narrows its focus to a point (i.e., the research question). Also note that a research article introduction reviews the relevant literature and identifies gaps. In the final paragraph of the introduction to any good research article, the research question is identified and the researchers’ plan/method to answer this question is briefly outlined.

Common grammatical errors – things to correct when you are editing your final piece

1) Capitalization: Use this sparingly. We capitalize proper nouns (i.e., names, provinces, cities). We do not capitalize the word doctor or physician unless we are using it as a direct address (i.e., instead of a name). For example, “Several primary care doctors/physicians have argued in favour of primary care networks” versus “Can I please get a prescription, Doctor?”

2) Among versus amongst: You can use among and amongst interchangeably (i.e., they mean the same thing). Many editors find the use of the word amongst in research articles to be off putting. As best as you can, try to avoiding the use of archaisms (i.e., old or out-of-date language choices) in your research writing.

3) Then versus than: Whereas the word then indicates a time, the word than indicates a comparison. For example, “I have more spaghetti than you do” versus “I saw you at the market and then again at the pool”.

4) Use of contractions: A contraction is a shortened version of a written word or group of words, created by the omission of letters. Some examples include; don’t, shouldn’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t, isn’t, it’s. In formal writing, please use the formal: do not, should not, could not, would not, is not, and it is.

5) Unclear pronoun reference: All pronouns must clearly refer to definite referents [nouns]. Use it, they, this, that, these, those, and which carefully to prevent confusion. To be sure, for each pronoun in your work ask yourself this question: Who? If there is more than one possible answer to that question, then you need to reframe your sentence.

6) Unidentified Acronyms: Specify your acronym before using is in your paper. We cannot make assumptions that the reader knows what your acronym stands for. For example, whereas ER might mean emergency room to you, it might mean emotion regulation in a different literature. Be very clear what you are referring to.

7) Overuse of Acronyms: As a general rule, only use an acronym if you plan to use it more than 3 times in your work. If you use it less than this, write the term out in whole.