Conducting a literature review may serve one or more purposes, depending on your role as an administrator, teacher, graduate student, or other. Though there are a lot of possible uses, let's concentrate on a few popular ones: (a) to assist in determining what works; (b) to investigate a subject, issue, or query of professional or personal interest; (c) to identify a field requiring additional research; (d) to offer an explanation or context for the study; and (e) to survey or evaluate research methods. You might be conducting a literature review for one, more, or even all of these reasons.

1. To Help Figure Out What Works

2. To Pursue a Topic, Problem, or Question of Professional and/or Personal Interest

3. To Pinpoint an Area of Further Study

4. To Provide a Rationale/Background for Study

5. To Survey or Analyze Research Methodology

Whether you have one or more purposes for conducting a literature review, there is a process that can take you from knowing little or nothing to understanding something meaningful and informative. This process may be referred to as conducting a literature search. This includes (a) determining your focus and (b) searching literature databases.

Determining Your Focus

Step 1: Picking a Topic.

Step 2: Making Decisions About What to Include and Exclude.

Step 3: Translating the Topic into Key Terms.

Searching Literature Databases

Select the databases to be used.

Know how to use such databases.