Engineering

The literature review surveys and evaluates the relevant and related scholarship on a particular area of research or issue. It summarizes and evaluates the discussions and debate surrounding the topic, noting limitations, interpretations and approaches that support and establish the significance of your argument, research or methodology.  

• Presents a justification for your paper/research: show how your work fills a gap, or fulfills a need that has been identified by other researchers in the field.
• Informs your methodology
• Provides data that can be used to test your theories or results.
• Helps generate a new theory.

The Process

Engineering: The Literature Research Process (Arizona State University)

Literature Review Process (Case Western)

Types of Research (MBA Knowledge Base)

Types of Literature Reviews (Univ. of Alabama Libraries)

Choosing a topic (Eastern University)

5 Quick Tips- Writing a Literature Review

How to search

Database Searching Guide: Basic Search Tools (Columbia University)

Internet and Database Searching (Excelsior College Online Writing Lab)

Boolean (and,or,not) Searching MIT Libraries

Evaluate what you find

Literature evaluation and analysis (Case Western)

Evaluating Information tip sheet (University of Wisconsin)

Synthesizing the literature (Case Western)

Searching the literature:

There are many online videos and other sources which discuss conducting an effective literature review.  The following links are to selected sources.  

• Literature Reviews: An Overview for Graduate Students (North Carolina State University)
• Writing the Literature Review (University of Maryland) [video]
• Writing a Literature Review (UNL)
• Construction Dissertation Guide
• The Literature Review: A Few Tips On Conducting It (University of Toronto)
• Writing a Literature Review (Boston College)
• Thesis Writing - Reviewing the Literature (University of Wollongong)
• Writing Engineering Reports (Purdue)