Literature Review Support & Research Resources

A literature review explains how existing work relates to a research question. It compares findings, approaches and limitations instead of presenting unrelated paper summaries. Students, professors and researchers can use this guide to prepare a review brief and identify the support they need.

Specify the subject, population or context you want to study. Decide which time period, languages and types of evidence belong in the review. A narrow question makes it easier to explain why a source is relevant and where the review’s boundaries lie.

• Develop a research topic

Build a reading list from sources appropriate to your discipline. For each study, record its question, methods, context, main findings and limitations. A source comparison table helps reveal agreements, conflicting findings and differences in how a topic has been investigated.

The Academic Bank catalog lets you explore materials by academic field and paper type. Read the abstract and file details before using a listing in your reading plan. Check original references and current publication information independently when they are important to your review.

• Find research in your discipline
• Explore research materials

Group sources around themes, theories, methods or developments over time. Explain how each group addresses your question, where the evidence is limited and how the work connects to your project. Support claims about a research gap with the sources you actually examined.

If you already have a draft, an academic review request can specify feedback on organization, argument and methodology. State whether you want comments on the outline, a particular section or the overall manuscript so the proposed work has a clear scope.

• Review your literature review draft

In the custom research form, choose Literature Review as the paper type and describe your question, field, methodology, language and expected scope. Mention an existing reading list or draft in the instructions and explain the specific assistance requested. The team reviews the request before providing a quotation.

If your project requires a systematic review, describe its protocol, search strategy, inclusion criteria and any reporting requirements so the request can be assessed. A general literature review should not be described as systematic without the corresponding method. Confirm deliverables before ordering and retain responsibility for source verification and attribution.

• Describe your literature review request
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