what is a literature review in criminology

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What is a Literature Review?

The scholarly conversation.

A literature review provides an overview of previous research on a topic that critically evaluates, classifies, and compares what has already been published on a particular topic. It allows the author to synthesize and place into context the research and scholarly literature relevant to the topic. It helps map the different approaches to a given question and reveals patterns. It forms the foundation for the author’s subsequent research and justifies the significance of the new investigation.

A literature review can be a short introductory section of a research article or a report or policy paper that focuses on recent research. Or, in the case of dissertations, theses, and review articles, it can be an extensive review of all relevant research.

• The format is usually a bibliographic essay; sources are briefly cited within the body of the essay, with full bibliographic citations at the end.
• The introduction should define the topic and set the context for the literature review. It will include the author's perspective or point of view on the topic, how they have defined the scope of the topic (including what's not included), and how the review will be organized. It can point out overall trends, conflicts in methodology or conclusions, and gaps in the research.
• In the body of the review, the author should organize the research into major topics and subtopics. These groupings may be by subject, (e.g., globalization of clothing manufacturing), type of research (e.g., case studies), methodology (e.g., qualitative), genre, chronology, or other common characteristics. Within these groups, the author can then discuss the merits of each article and analyze and compare the importance of each article to similar ones.
• The conclusion will summarize the main findings, make clear how this review of the literature supports (or not) the research to follow, and may point the direction for further research.
• The list of references will include full citations for all of the items mentioned in the literature review.

Key Questions for a Literature Review

A literature review should try to answer questions such as

• Who are the key researchers on this topic?
• What has been the focus of the research efforts so far and what is the current status?
• How have certain studies built on prior studies? Where are the connections? Are there new interpretations of the research?
• Have there been any controversies or debate about the research? Is there consensus? Are there any contradictions?
• Which areas have been identified as needing further research? Have any pathways been suggested?
• How will your topic uniquely contribute to this body of knowledge?
• Which methodologies have researchers used and which appear to be the most productive?
• What sources of information or data were identified that might be useful to you?
• How does your particular topic fit into the larger context of what has already been done?
• How has the research that has already been done help frame your current investigation ?

Examples of Literature Reviews

Example of a literature review at the beginning of an article: Forbes, C. C., Blanchard, C. M., Mummery, W. K., & Courneya, K. S. (2015, March). Prevalence and correlates of strength exercise among breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer survivors . Oncology Nursing Forum, 42(2), 118+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.sonoma.idm.oclc.org/ps/i.do?p=HRCA&sw=w&u=sonomacsu&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA422059606&asid=27e45873fddc413ac1bebbc129f7649c Example of a comprehensive review of the literature: Wilson, J. L. (2016). An exploration of bullying behaviours in nursing: a review of the literature.   British Journal Of Nursing ,  25 (6), 303-306. For additional examples, see:

Galvan, J., Galvan, M., & ProQuest. (2017). Writing literature reviews: A guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences (Seventh ed.). [Electronic book]

Pan, M., & Lopez, M. (2008). Preparing literature reviews: Qualitative and quantitative approaches (3rd ed.). Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Pub. [ Q180.55.E9 P36 2008]

Useful Links

• Write a Literature Review (UCSC)
• Literature Reviews (Purdue)
• Literature Reviews: overview (UNC)
• Review of Literature (UW-Madison)

Evidence Matrix for Literature Reviews

The  Evidence Matrix  can help you  organize your research  before writing your lit review.  Use it to  identify patterns  and commonalities in the articles you have found--similar methodologies ?  common  theoretical frameworks ? It helps you make sure that all your major concepts covered. It also helps you see how your research fits into the context  of the overall topic.

• Evidence Matrix Special thanks to Dr. Cindy Stearns, SSU Sociology Dept, for permission to use this Matrix as an example.
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Criminology - Research Guide: Sources for Lit Reviews

• Getting started
• Sources for Lit Reviews
• Gray literature collections
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Lit Review Sources

Journals featuring literature reviews.

• Annual Reviews Articles are lengthy literature reviews with BIG bibliographies. Useful for both the text summary and the citations for further reading. Includes Annual Review of Criminology , Annual Review of Law and Social Science and Annual Review of Sociology. HINT! Use the "Advanced Search" link in the upper right corner of the startup window. This permits searching in title, abstract, and keywords only and in specific journals.
• Crime & Justice. 1979- . A journal composed of literature review on criminal justice topics, published annually.
• Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science Penn's house journal since 1889, Ann AAPSS publishes single-topic issues six times per year. Recent issues on criminology and criminal justice have been: • Fatal police shootings : patterns, policy, and prevention . Ann AAPSS 687 (January 2020). • Regulating crime : the new criminology of crime control . Ann AAPSS 679 (September 2018). • Migrant smuggling as a collective strategy and insurance policy : views from the margins . Ann AAPSS 676 (March 2018). • The Middle East and regional transition, terrorism, and countering violent extremism : what the next President will face . Ann AAPSS 668 (November 2016). • Tough on crime, tough on families? Criminal justice and family life in America . Ann AAPSS 665 (May 2016). • The great experiment : realigning criminal justice in California and beyond . Ann AAPSS 664 (March 2016).
• Advances in Criminological Theory. 1989- . Print volumes, some e-books. Single-topic volumes.
• Criminal Justice History. 19 vols. 1980-2003. Print only, now ceased. Published by John Jay Press for the Crime and Justice History Group.
• Translational Criminology. 2009- . Published by the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, George Mason University. More a report on current research projects in evidence-based crime policy than a journal of literature reviews.
• Sociology of Crime, Law, and Deviance An ebook series, each volume focused on a specific topic. Recent volumes include Methods of Criminology and Criminal Justice Research; Race, Ethnicity and Law; The Politics of Policing; and Punishment and Incarceration : a Global Perspective.

Best practices and systematic reviews databases

• The Campbell Collaboration See The Campbell Library for published systematic reviews of interventions in crime and justice, as well as social welfare, education, and international development. Campbell systematic reviews also appear in the open-access ejournal, Campbell Systematic Reviews .
• CrimeSolutions.gov / National Institute of Justice Web-based clearinghouse of more than 500 evaluated programs and practices.
• Model Programs Guide / Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Identifies evidence-based juvenile justice and youth prevention, intervention, and reentry programs. Provides a finely-detailed topics list.
• What Works in Reentry Clearinghouse / Council of State Governments Scores specific reentry programs and practices for beneficial harmful evidence.
• Evidence-based practice online resources / Justice Research and Statistics Association Link list of government, academic, and nonprofit programs.

Dissertations

Every dissertation should include a literature review, to demonstrate how the dissertation fits into the research landscape.

• ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Searches doctoral dissertations, an excellent source for lit reviews.
• NCJRS Abstracts / National Criminal Justice Reference Service. c.1970- . Describes 220,000+ research reports, journal articles, and government documents relating to crime, law enforcement, and the justice system. Many fulltext documents and US Dept of Justice gray literature. HINT! Use the Advanced Search page's "Source Type" filter option for "Literature review", "Best practice/state-of-the-art review", "Issue overview", "Guideline", "Overview text" and other lit review-like genres. HINT! Use the NCJRS Thesaurus to find subject terms.
• Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text. 1968- . Abstracts of the scholarly literature and applied literature on criminology and related disciplines. Many citations also include fulltext. Reflects materials received at the Gottfredson Library (formerly Criminal Justice/National Council on Crime and Delinquency Library), Rutgers University Library, Newark.
• Index to Legal Periodicals (Current & Retrospective). 1908- . An excellent tool for tackling the enormous law review, legal yearbook, bar association, and government legal publications literature from the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. For foreign legal research, consider using Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals (1985- ).
• Sociological Abstracts. 1963- . From across the field of sociology, useful subject terms include "crime rates," "recidivism," "victim offender relations," and "family violence." . Recently absorbed Social Services Abstracts, adding coverage for social work and social services journals.
• Gray Literature Database. (Gottfredson Library of Criminal Justice, Rutgers Univ.) A supplement to Criminal Justice Abstracts , describing technical reports, working papers, government and agency reports, and conference proceedings - that is, information not commercially published - available online or at the Gottfredson Library. CrimDoc is a similar gray literature database from Univ of Toronto.
• HeinOnline Legal research database containing fulltext documents organized into collections. New collections include Gun Regulation & Legislation in America and History of Capital Punishment.
• PsycINFO. 1887- . Published by American Psychological Association. Comprehensive coverage of the psychological research literature. HINT! The Advanced Search page has a "Methodology" search option filter - select "Literature Review" , "Meta Analysis" , and "Systematic Review" .

Guides and Tips for Writing Literature Reviews

• "How to write a literature review" / Andrew S Denney & Richard Tewksbury Journal of Criminal Justice Education 24, 2 (2013): 218-324 (via HeinOnline).
• "Doing a literature review" / Jeffrey W Knopf PS: Political Science & Politics 39, 1 (January 2006): 127-132 (via Cambridge Journals Online).
• Systematic approaches to a successful literature review / Andrew Booth. (SAGE, 2012) Print only.
• The literature review: a step-by-step guide for students / Diana Ridley. (2nd ed. SAGE, 2012) Print only.
• Preparing Literature Reviews in the Social Sciences (Penn Libraries guide) Needs updating, but still useful for suggestions.

Reference works

Reference works make excellent starting points for research; they provide concise articles on key topics by scholars of the field, often accompanied by suggestions for further reading. The sources listed below are print volumes shelved in the Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks , on the first floor of Van Pelt, unless otherwise noted.

• Compendium of Research on violence against women, 1993-2016. (National Institute of Justice, 2017) Annually-updated reference work describing every NIJ-funded research project on violence against women since 1993.

• ASC Division on Corrections & Sentencing Handbook Series Ebook series sponsored by the American Society of Criminology.

• Elsevier's dictionary of criminal science, in eight languages : English/American, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, and German. Call Number: Available online Publication Date: Elsevier, 1960
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What's on this Page

This page is meant to help you create a literature review for academic projects and publications. Each tab outlines a different aspect of what a literature review is and how to build one. If you need help finding sources for your literature reviews, check out How To pages.

How to Build a Literature Review

• What is a Lit Review?
• Why Write a Lit Review?
• Building a Lit Review
• Prepping for a Lit Review
• Basic Example
• Other Resources/Examples

What is a Literature Review?

A literature review is a comprehensive summary and analysis of previously published research on a particular topic. Literature reviews should give the reader an overview of the important theories and themes that have previously been discussed on the topic, as well as any important researchers who have contributed to the discourse. This review should connect the established conclusions to the hypothesis being presented in the rest of the paper.

What a Literature Review Is Not:

• Annotated Bibliography: An annotated bibliography summarizes and assesses each resource individually and separately. A literature review explores the connections between different articles to illustrate important themes/theories/research trends within a larger research area. 
• Timeline: While a literature review can be organized chronologically, they are not simple timelines of previous events. They should not be a list of any kind. Individual examples or events should be combined to illustrate larger ideas or concepts.
• Argumentative Paper: Literature reviews are not meant to be making an argument. They are explorations of a concept to give the audience an understanding of what has already been written and researched about an idea. As many perspectives as possible should be included in a literature review in order to give the reader as comprehensive understanding of a topic as possible.

Why Write a Literature Review?

After reading the literature review, the reader should have a basic understanding of the topic. A reader should be able to come into your paper without really knowing anything about an idea, and after reading the literature, feel more confident about the important points.

A literature review should also help the reader understand the focus the rest of the paper will take within the larger topic. If the reader knows what has already been studied, they will be better prepared for the novel argument that is about to be made.

A literature review should help the reader understand the important history, themes, events, and ideas about a particular topic. Connections between ideas/themes should also explored. Part of the importance of a literature review is to prove to experts who do read your paper that you are knowledgeable enough to contribute to the academic discussion. You have to have done your homework.

A literature review should also identify the gaps in research to show the reader what hasn't yet been explored. Your thesis should ideally address one of the gaps identified in the research. Scholarly articles are meant to push academic conversations forward with new ideas and arguments. Before knowing where the gaps are in a topic, you need to have read what others have written.

What does a literature review look like?

As mentioned in other tabs, literature reviews should discuss the big ideas that make up a topic. Each literature review should be broken up into different subtopics. Each subtopic should use groups of articles as evidence to support the ideas. There are several different ways of organizing a literature review. It will depend on the patterns one sees in the groups of articles as to which strategy should be used. Here are a few examples of how to organize your review:

Chronological

If there are clear trends that change over time, a chronological approach could be used to organize a literature review. For example, one might argue that in the 1970s, the predominant theories and themes argued something. However, in the 1980s, the theories evolved to something else. Then, in the 1990s, theories evolved further. Each decade is a subtopic, and articles should be used as examples. 

Themes/Theories

There may also be clear distinctions between schools of thought within a topic, a theoretical breakdown may be most appropriate. Each theory could be a subtopic, and articles supporting the theme should be included as evidence for each one. 

If researchers mainly differ in the way they went about conducting research, literature reviews can be organized by methodology. Each type of method could be a subtopic,  and articles using the method should be included as evidence for each one.

Preliminary Steps for Literature Review

• Define your research question
• Compile a list of initial keywords to use for searching based on question
• Search for literature that discusses the topics surrounding your research question
• Assess and organize your literature into logical groups
• Identify gaps in research and conduct secondary searches (if necessary)
• Reassess and reorganize literature again (if necessary)
• Write review

Here is an example of a literature review, taken from the beginning of a research article. You can find other examples within most scholarly research articles. The majority of published scholarship includes a literature review section, and you can use those to become more familiar with these reviews.

Source:  Perceptions of the Police by LGBT Communities

• ISU Writing Assistance The Julia N. Visor Academic Center provides one-on-one writing assistance for any course or need. By focusing on the writing process instead of merely on grammar and editing, we are committed to making you a better writer.
• University of Toronto: The Literature Review Written by Dena Taylor, Health Sciences Writing Centre
• Purdue OWL - Writing a Lit Review Goes over the basic steps
• UW Madison Writing Center - Review of Literature A description of what each piece of a literature review should entail.
• USC Libraries - Literature Reviews Offers detailed guidance on how to develop, organize, and write a college-level research paper in the social and behavioral sciences.
• Creating the literature review: integrating research questions and arguments Blog post with very helpful overview for how to organize and build/integrate arguments in a literature review
• Understanding, Selecting, and Integrating a Theoretical Framework in Dissertation Research: Creating the Blueprint for Your “House” Article focusing on constructing a literature review for a dissertation. Still very relevant for literature reviews in other types of content.

A note that many of these examples will be far longer and in-depth than what's required for your assignment. However, they will give you an idea of the general structure and components of a literature review. Additionally, most scholarly articles will include a literature review section. Looking over the articles you have been assigned in classes will also help you.

• Sample Literature Review (Univ. of Florida) This guide will provide research and writing tips to help students complete a literature review assignment.
• Sociology Literature Review (Univ. of Hawaii) Written in ASA citation style - don't follow this format.
• Sample Lit Review - Univ. of Vermont Includes an example with tips in the footnotes.
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What is a literature review?

A literature review is an evaluative report of information found in the literature related to your selected area of study. The review should describe, summarise, evaluate and clarify this literature. It should give a theoretical base for the research and help you  determine the nature of your research.

During the course of your studies you may be required to carry out a literature review on a specfic topic. A literature review will often form part of your dissertation.

For guidance on literature reviews in Criminology and the Social Sciences, see: Denney, A.S. and Tewksbury, R. (2013) ‘How to Write a Literature Review’, Journal of criminal justice education , 24(2), pp. 218–234. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10511253.2012.730617 .

Writing literature reviews

Emerald's "How to guides.." are very useful for help starting research, In particular their guide on literature reviews:  How to write a literature review.

The first step in your literature review is to carry out a  literature search .

You can also find support for writing literature reviews and developing academic writing on the LET web pages , and on the MyLearning page for your module.

Literature Reviews as a Research Method

While many studies include background literature reviews to gather existing evidence before undertaking their own primary data collection, others may use literature reviews as a method themselves. This involves critically appraising the available evidence already constructed on a topic and drawing conclusions, and is a type of secondary, or desk-based research. You may choose this method for your undergraduate or postgraduate dissertation.

Studies that use literature reviews as a method include:

• Narrative reviews  e.g. Kiriakidis, S.P. and Kavoura, A. (2010) ‘Cyberbullying: A Review of the Literature on Harassment Through the Internet and Other Electronic Means’, Family & Community Health , 33(2), pp. 82–93.
• Systematic reviews e.g. Higgs, T., Carter, A. J., Tully, R. J. and Browne, K. D. (2017) ‘Sexual murder typologies: A systematic review’, Aggression and Violent Behavior , 35, pp. 1–12.
• Rapid evidence assessments e.g. Hobson, J.. Twyman-Ghoshal, A., Ash, D. P., and Banwell-Moore, R. (2022) Metropolitan Police Service Restorative Justice Rapid Evidence Assessment for Violence Against Women and Girls and Youth Violence. Project Report. University of Gloucestershire.
• Meta-analysis e.g. Baranyi, G., Di Marco, M. H., Russ, T. C., Dibben, C. and Pearce, J. (2021) ‘The impact of neighbourhood crime on mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis’,  Social science & medicine , 282, pp. 114106–114106.

For more information on this topic, see Dr Myrna Papadouka's excellent workshop: Literature Reviews as a Research Method (MDX users only). This article also contains a useful summary of different types of reviews.

If you come across one of these published literature reviews in your own topic, you can use these to help you gather the existing evidence, before going on to conduct your own research.

Books on Literature Reviews

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CRM4000: Research Methods in Criminology (Zipper)

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Writing a Literature Review

Synthesis visualization.

• Data Analysis
• Literature Review Class Activity
• Lit Review Matrix
• Lit Review Organizer
• Lit Review Worksheet 1
• Lit Review Worksheet 2
• Lit Review Worksheet 3
• Lit Review Template
• Click on the activity link above
• Select File > Make a Copy
• Complete the activity on  YOUR COPY

Selected Books

Online Resources

• Basics of a Literature Review (Merrimack College's Writing Center)
• Library Guide to Capstone Literature Reviews: Role of the Literature Review
• The Literature Review: A Few Tips on Writing It University of Toronto
• Lit Review Matrix This one is customized for Higher Education students, but may be helpful for others.
• Matrix Examples This page from Walden University gives examples of different types of literature review matrices. A matrix can be very helpful in taking notes and preparing sources for your literature review.
• OWL's Literature Reviews
• Review of Literature UW - Madison, Writing Center
• UNC at Chapel Hill's Literature Reviews

What Is a Literature Review? 

A literature review is a survey of scholarly articles, books, or other sources that pertain to a specific topic, area of research, or theory. The literature review offers brief descriptions, summaries, and critical evaluations of each work, and does so in the form of a well-organized essay. Scholars often write literature reviews to provide an overview of the most significant recent literature published on a topic. They also use literature reviews to trace the evolution of certain debates or intellectual problems within a field. Even if a literature review is not a formal part of a research project, students should conduct an informal one so that they know what kind of scholarly work has been done previously on the topic that they have selected. 

How Is a Literature Review Different from a Research Paper? 

An academic research paper attempts to develop a new argument and typically has a literature review as one of its parts. In a research paper, the author uses the literature review to show how his or her new insights build upon and depart from existing scholarship. A literature review by itself does not try to make a new argument based on original research but rather summarizes, synthesizes, and critiques the arguments and ideas of others, and points to gaps in the current literature. Before writing a literature review, a student should look for a model from a relevant journal or ask the instructor to point to a good example. 

Organizing a Literature Review  

A successful literature review should have three parts that break down in the following way: 

INTRODUCTION 

• Defines and identifies the topic and establishes the reason for the literature review. 
• Points to general trends in what has been published about the topic. 
• Explains the criteria used in analyzing and comparing articles. 

BODY OF THE REVIEW 

• Groups articles into thematic clusters, or subtopics. Clusters may be grouped together chronologically, thematically, or methodologically (see below for more on this).
• Proceeds in a logical order from cluster to cluster. 
• Emphasizes the main findings or arguments of the articles in the student’s own words. Keeps quotations from sources to an absolute minimum. 

CONCLUSION 

• Summarizes the major themes that emerged in the review and identifies areas of controversy in the literature. 
• Pinpoints strengths and weaknesses among the articles (innovative methods used, gaps in research, problems with theoretical frameworks, etc.). 
• Concludes by formulating questions that need further research within the topic, and provides some insight into the relationship between that topic and the larger field of study or discipline. 

In the four examples of student writing below, only one shows a good example of synthesis: the fourth column, Student D. (Click on the image below to see larger)

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The Library : Criminology

What is a literature review.

A literature review is a study of the existing literature, journal articles, books, reports and other information and evidence published on a given topic. It is a critical and evaluative account of any published work around a research field, including a description and analysis of existing knowledge of the topic, the identification of any gaps in the existing body of knowledge, and - where appropriate - an explanation of how your research might further develop current understanding of the subject. 

A literature review is  not  simply a description or summary of each individual paper. It should instead be structured around the findings of the articles considered, and is therefore an opportunity to identify common themes and issues as well as highlighting opposing arguments.

• Literature reviews Further information from Skills for Learning on the purpose, structure and style of literature reviews.

The Research Process

• Your question
• Developing a search strategy
• Identify resources
• Evaluate information
• Referencing
• Academic writing

When you are given an assignment questions make sure you fully understand what is being asked on you. Refer to the guidance in your module handbook or lecture slides for further information, or discuss it with your tutors.

1. Identify the 'question' word(s)

You could use the 'Analysing the question' section of the Skills for Learning website to help you.

2. Identify core concepts/keywords

What is the main focus of the question?

3. Identify synonyms or related terms

Examine with reference to the literature mental health services within the prison setting

'Examine' is the question word - it's what you have to do

On the next tab you will find tips and tricks to help you develop your search strategy and make your searching more efficient.

Once you have identifying your keywords, synonyms and related terms you can start to construct a search strategy.

4. Use search tools: 

Phrase searching uses speech marks to help you search for phrases e.g. "pains of imprisonment"

Truncation uses the asterisk to help you search for terms with variant endings e.g. prison* = prison, prisoner.

5. Combine terms using AND, OR and NOT 

AND - for combining different concepts

OR - for identifying research that use synonyms or related terms. You need to put the similar terms in brackets.

NOT - use when you want to exclude a term (use with caution as it can eliminate useful results too)

(prison OR incarceration OR imprisonment) AND ("mental health" OR counselling OR "in-reach")

Some resources have an 'advanced search' feature which can help you to combine your searches.

6. Identify appropriate resources to search.

   a. Reading lists - are there any core textbooks that your tutors recommend on your topic?

        Check your modules in MyBeckett

    b. Use Discover to find additional books and e-books

   c. Use Discover to search our e-journals and other subscriptions

   d. Use databases to help you focus your results - available on the 'Databases' page of this guide

You can search most databases in exactly the same way, the search screen may just look a bit different.

To help you refine your results and make them more manageable look for limiters such as 'Publication date' or 'Resource type'

There are several tools to help with evaluating the quality of articles and research papers. The PROMPT mnemonic can be used to help you identify key areas to evaluate when reading a paper.

P resentation: look out for poor use of language and inappropriate or ineffectual writing style

R elevance: does the paper answer your question and fit within the geographical or time period restrictions of your search strategy?

O bjectivity: look for any hidden bias or selective interpretation of data. Also authors usually list conflicts of interest and sponsorship/ funding sources at the end of the article which may influence their arguments.

M ethod: is it clear how the research was carried out? Use your knowledge from previous lectures/ tutorials to critique the methods for data collection. Question whether the methods are appropriate? Look at things like the size of the sample tested in the study, was a pilot study conducted prior to the main research to iron out any potential problems? Look at the design of the questions if a questionnaire was used.

P rovenance; look at the qualifications of the author. Do they have a particularly controversial view on the subject? Also, check whether the researcher has been sponsored. If so, are they sponsored by a commercial, voluntary or research organisation? Is the organisation well established? Remember to check the publication method. Has the article been published in a well regarded, peer reviewed journal?

T imelines; depending upon your topic, you may decide you need up to date information.

The CRAAP mnemonic is also an easy way to remember key points to look for when critiquing papers and websites

C urrency: how up to date is the research

R elevancy: does the paper answer your research question and any exclusion criteria

A ccuracy: how reliable are the methods of data collection. Has the researcher chosen the best way to investigate their question

A uthority: who has written the paper? Are they a reliable source

P urpose: why has the paper been written. was it to entertain, education or sell something?

For more information about referencing, including the full Leeds Beckett Harvard guide - please click on the referencing tab at the top of the page or visit our Referencing & Plagiarism pages.

• Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism by Karen Fisher, Catherine Parkin, Maria Simões & Jennie Winterburn Last Updated Aug 7, 2024 14912 views this year
• Skills for Learning The Skills for Learning webpages contain advice, resources and activities on university study, academic writing, maths and IT skills

Recording your search

Conducting a literature review involves a LOT of searching and reading. It is therefore important to keep a record of what searching you have done and where. It is recommended that you keep a searching log. Keep a notebook and record;

• which databases you have searched 
• what terms you have used as well as any searching techniques such as truncation
• any limits you have applied e.g. date or geography
• how many results you retrieved
• how many of the results were relevant

You may wish to keep a record using a document such as the Search Log here. Check with your tutor whether this would be suitable to include in your Appendix. Think of it as a paper trail of your searching or even as a set of instructions for whoever is marking your work.

• Searching Log

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• Last Updated: Aug 15, 2024 1:42 PM
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CRJU U361 - Criminal Justice Research Methods: Literature Review

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What is a Literature Review?

A Literature Review is a systematic and comprehensive analysis of books, scholarly articles, and other sources relevant to a specific topic providing a base of knowledge on a topic. Literature reviews are designed to identify and critique the existing literature on a topic to justify your research by exposing gaps in current research. This investigation should provide a description, summary, and critical evaluation of works related to the research problem and should also add to the overall knowledge of the topic as well as demonstrating how your research will fit within a larger field of study. A literature review should offer a critical analysis of the current research on a topic and that analysis should direct your research objective. This should not be confused with a book review or an annotated bibliography both research tools but very different in purpose and scope. A Literature Review can be a stand-alone element or part of a larger end product, know your assignment. The key to a good Literature Review is to document your process.

Literature Review LibGuide

To see the Full Literature Review Guide click here

There is SO much more information on the full LibGuide for Literature Reviews Please make sure to click over to that LibGuide for more examples, explanations, and hints.

Elements in a Literature Review

• Elements in a Literature Review txt of infographic

Critical Evaluation

Process of a literature review.

The process of writing a literature review is not necessarily a linear process, you will often have to loop back and refine your topic, try new searches and altar your plans. The info graphic above illustrates this process.  It also reminds you to continually keep track of your research by citing sources and creating a bibliography.

• Know what the review is for; each assignment will offer the purpose for the review.  For example, is it for “background”, or a “pro and con discussion”, "integration", “summarizing”, etc.
• Create a “search plan”, decide where you will search for information, what type of information you will need.
• Research   - Preform Searches; choose sources and collect information to use in your paper.  Make sure you cite the sources used.
• Think  - Analyze information in a systematic manner and begin your literature review (e.g., summarize, synthesize, etc.). Make sure you cite the sources used.
• Complete  - Write your paper, proof & revise and create your finished bibliography.

Literature Review Places to Look

Help from other universities.

Help and tips in writing a Review of Literature ​

• Learn How to Write a Review of Literature - University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center Learn How to Write a Review of Literature - From the University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center.
• Literature Reviews - UNC Chapel Hill Writing Center
• The Literature Review: A Few Tips on Conducting It
• Writing a Literature Review by Temple University
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Conducting Literature Reviews

The APA definition of a literature review (from http://www.apa.org/databases/training/method-values.html ):

 Survey of previously published literature on a particular topic to define and clarify a particular problem; summarize previous investigations; and to identify relations, contradictions, gaps, and inconsistencies in the literature, and suggest the next step in solving the problem.

 Literature Reviews should:

• Key concepts that are being researched
• The areas that are ripe for more research—where the gaps and inconsistencies in the literature are
• A critical analysis of research that has been previously conducted
• Will include primary and secondary research
• Be selective—you’ll review many sources, so pick the most important parts of the articles/books.
• Introduction: Provides an overview of your topic, including the major problems and issues that have been studied.
• Discussion of Methodologies:   If there are different types of studies conducted, identifying what types of studies have been conducted is often provided.
• Identification and Discussion of Studies: Provide overview of major studies conducted, and if there have been follow-up studies, identify whether this has supported or disproved results from prior studies.
• Identification of Themes in Literature: If there has been different themes in the literature, these are also discussed in literature reviews.   For example, if you were writing a review of treatment of OCD, cognitive-behavioral therapy and drug therapy would be themes to discuss.
• Conclusion/Discussion—Summarize what you’ve found in your review of literature, and identify areas in need of further research or gaps in the literature.

Finding Literature Reviews in Psycinfo

Because literature reviews are a major part of research in psychology, Psycinfo allows you to easily limit to literature reviews.  In the advanced search screen, you can select "literature review" as the methodology.

Now all you'll need to do is enter your search terms, and your results should show you many literature reviews conducted by professionals on your topic.

When you find an literature review article that is relevant to your topic, you should look at who the authors cite and who is citing the author, so that you can begin to use their research to help you locate sources and conduct your own literature review.  The best way to do that is to use the "Cited References" and "Times Cited" links in Psycinfo, which is pictured below.

This article on procrastination has 423 references, and 48 other articles in psycinfo are citing this literature review.  And, the citations are either available in full text or to request through ILL.  Check out  the article "The Nature of Procrastination" to see how these features work.

By searching for existing literature reviews, and then using the references of those literature reviews to begin your own literature search, you can efficiently gather the best research on a topic.  You'll want to keep in mind that you'll need to summarize and analyze the articles you read, and won't be able to use every single article you choose.

You can use the search box below to get started.

More Help on Conducting Literature Reviews

Adelphi Library's tutorial, Conducting a Literature Review in Education and the Behavioral Sciences covers how to gather sources from library databases for your literature review.

The University of Toronto also provides "A Few Tips on Conducting a Literature Review" that offers some good advice and questions to ask when conducting a literature review.

Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL) has several resources that discuss literature reviews: 

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/666/01/

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/994/04/   (for grad students, but is still offers some good tips and advice for anyone writing a literature review)

Journal articles (covers more than 1,700 periodicals), chapters, books, dissertations and reports on psychology and related fields.

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Crafting a thesis

Outlining your literature review, the introduction, the closing, style of writing for a literature review, writing tips for a literature review, help with citation.

The literature review process allows for such a great amount of reading about your research topic. After you have finished reading, collecting, taking notes, and making connections about the resources you found, you will form some sort of an opinion or conclusion about your research topic. Your literature review as a piece of writing then allows you to present your conclusions in a way that answers your research question and argues your opinion. 

When drafting your literature review, you should organize the discussion of the literature so that you develop your argument and prove your thesis. 

According to Ridley (2008), a literature review should have three main parts:

• An introduction which explains the organization of your review
• A body made up of paragraphs labeled with headings and sub headings which map out your argument
• A closing which summarizes your arguments 

Machi and McEvoy (2016, pg. 141-142) suggest that the introduction to your literature review flows through six main parts: 

• The Opening : Draw the reader into your topic by introducing the ideas in an interesting way. Provide an example, use a narrative, or suggest the debate at the heart of your research question. 
• The Study Topic : Provide a succinct and specific description of your topic. Identify and define key ideas while describing perspective from which you are writing in two or three paragraphs. 
• The Context : Discuss the environment which has created a need for this research in the first place. Mention debates or concerns surrounding the topic. 
• The Significance : Provide justification for the study or exploration. Suggest what value your writing has on the larger discussion surrounding the topic.
• The Problem Statement : Present the research question in two or three sentences. Then, explain why the question is being asked if needed. 
• The Organization : Provide the reader with an outline for how the literature review is organized. 

The body of your literature review will span several paragraphs and pages. This section is the bulk of your writing which discusses the connections and gaps in the literature in an effort to argue your thesis. You will design a logical framework in which to discuss the literature you read. No matter how present your research, you will work to achieve two goals: sharing the background for your topic and the conclusions of your study of the literature.  The background section of your body, which is usually lengthy, will discuss what is already known about the topic from previous research and studies while providing your analysis. The final few paragraphs explore the conclusions of the study where you present your thesis, discuss your claim, provide evidence, and prove your ideas. (Machi and McEvoy, 2016, pg. 142). 

The background of the literature review

Not every background section in a literature review is organized the same. How you decide to organize your ideas will largely rely on the information you found and the connections which can naturally be made. Weissenberg and Buker (as cited by Riley, 2008, pg. 83) suggest three types of organization:

• Distant to close : Discuss sources which present information most distantly related to your study or thesis before discussing sources most closely relate to your study or thesis.
• Chronological : Discuss the oldest sources first before discussing those most recent. This can allow you to present the topic as it has progressed over time. 
• Compare and Contrast : This type allows you to focus on the trends, themes, or methodologies of the sources. 

The conclusion of the literature review

In this section of the body, present the thesis or conclusions drawn from your literature review. Present your arguments and justify your claims through a critique of the literature. Suggest gaps in the literature and justify those conclusions  (Machi and McEvoy, 2016, pg. 142-145). 

In this section, provide a summary of the literature review. State your thesis and the arguments supporting the thesis in a concise manner. Describe or explain how the thesis answers the original research question. Then, discuss the implications your study may have on future research on this topic. 

Here are some universal tips for writing your literature review: 

• Use section headings and titles as this allows your reader to trace your argument and evidence (e.g. Introduction, Body, Conclusion)
• Write using active voice  (Machi and McEvoy, 2016, pg. 151). 
• Make sure your verb tense and point of view are consistent throughout. Note that APA style requires past tense (e.g. researchers presented)
• Paraphrase and summarize the sources discussed instead of using direct quotes
• Actively synthesize your sources

Examples of tone:

Another page, "Finding Examples of Literature Reviews", will help you locate actual literature reviews with information on your topic.

The most important thing to remember when writing the review is to group your resources by the main ideas or points you want to cover. Let's say you were reviewing the use of social media in the workplace. You might want to group research studies that found negative aspects and discuss them altogether, for example:

A number of studies have focused on negative aspects of social media in the workplace. Gaudin (2009) shared statistics regarding the impact that Facebook use had in lowering employee productivity. Additional studies examined employee struggles to maintain work-home balance (Derks, Duin, Tims, & Bakker, 2015) and serious issues such as cyberbullying (Hall & Lewis, 2014).

Then you could contrast these studies with ones that found positive outcomes from using social media in the office, for example:

Despite ongoing concerns regarding social media use in the workplace, studies of a number of businesses have pointed to what are clearly positive aspects of such use. Researchers reported numerous benefits, including better communication between employees and administrators (Barker, 2008), facilitation of intergenerational collaboration (Majchrzak, Cherbakov, & Ives, 2009), and encouraging a culture of innovation (Dahl, Lawrence, & Pierce, 2011).

References* to the sources cited in the above examples 

*Please note: The content of these references are in APA citation style. In a true APA reference list the citations would be double spaced with a hanging indent (second and subsequent lines for each citation would be indented 5 spaces). Review  Purdue OWL's APA Sample Paper to see how a References section is formatted.

Barker, P. (2008). How social media is transforming employee communications at Sun Microsystems.  Global Business & Organizational Excellence, 27 (4), 6-14. doi:10.1002/joe.20209

Dahl, A., Lawrence, J., & Pierce, J. (2011). Building an innovation community. Research Technology Management, 54 (5), 19-27. doi:10.5437.08956308X5405006

Derks, D., Duin, D., Tims, M., & Bakker, A. B. (2015). Smartphone use and work-home interference: The moderating role of social norms and employee work engagement.  Journal of Occupational & Organizational Psychology, 88 (1), 155-177. doi:10.1111/joop.12083

Gaudin, S. (2009, July 22). Study: Facebook use cuts productivity at work. Computerworld. Retrieved from http://www.computerworld.com/article/2526045/web-apps/study--facebook-use-cuts-productivity-at-work.html

Hall, R., & Lewis, S. (2014). Managing workplace bullying and social media policy: Implications for employee engagement. Academy of Business Research Journal, 1 , 128-138.

Majchrzak, A., Cherbakov, L., & Ives, B. (2009). Harnessing the power of the crowds with corporate social networking tools: How IBM does it. MIS Quarterly Executive, 8 (2), 103-108.

• Learn how to write a review of literature (U. Wisconsin-Madison) This site by the University of Wisconsin Library offers information about how to write a literature review and provides sample papers of literature reviews.
• Literature review (Walden U. capstone resources) This site by Walden University Library offers information on the role of literature reviews as well as some short videos about the research process of literature reviews.
• Write a literature review (VCU Libraries) This by Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries discusses literature review and a synthesis matrix. A synthesis matrix helps you record the main points of each source and document how sources relate to each other.

When in doubt, ask your instructor which citation style to use for your paper or project. Some of the most widely used citation styles include:

• Chicago / Turabian Style
• Harvard Style

Please see our Writing Resources page for additional help.

• Writing Resources Links to Webster University's Writing Center and the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL), style and grammar guides, dictionaries, and more.
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Cjus 4700: research methods in criminal justice: write a literature review.

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Literature Review Process online guide

The Literature Review Process guide explains what a literature review is and provides instructions on how to write one.

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AIMS AND SCOPE OF JOURNAL: The Annual Review of Criminology provides comprehensive reviews of significant developments in the multidisciplinary field of criminology, defined as the study of both the nature of criminal behavior and societal reactions to crime.  

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Criminology and policing: systematic reviews.

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Systematic Reviews

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What is a systematic review and do you really need to do one?

A systematic review is a very specific approach to searching for literature which seeks to find all studies which have been published and which meet the review's eligibility criteria.  A true systematic review should include clear objectives with eligibility criteria for inclusion; a methodology, which it should be possible to replicate; critical appraisal of the findings of included studies; and a systematic presentation and synthesis of the findings of the selected studies (Higgins & Green, 2011). If you are not sure whether you need to do a systematic review or just a literature review, here is a useful guide which will help you decide, produced by Covidence (a company who provide systematic review software).

In the words of the Cochrane Handbook,

"A systematic review attempts to collate all empirical evidence that fits pre-specified eligibility criteria in order to answer a specific research question.  It uses explicit, systematic methods that are selected with a view to minimizing bias, thus providing more reliable findings from which conclusions can be drawn and decisions made"

Here is a useful video from  Rachael McCoo l at York Health Economics Consortium outlining the differences between the types of review:

Cochrane have created a free online course available for those who want to learn more about conducting systematic reviews, entitled Conducting an Intervention Review. Developed by world-leading experts, this course provides over 10 hours of self-directed learning on the complete systematic review process for both new and experienced review authors.  It is available here .

There are more useful definitions of different types of systematic review linked to on the  Glasgow Caledonian University website . 

Antman,  1992,  Oxman ,  1993 (cited in  Higgins & Green, 2011, section 1.2.2).

Higgins, J.P.T. & Thomas, J. (Eds.).  Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions  Version 6 (updated October 2019). The Cochrane Collaboration, 2019. Retrieved from:  https://training.cochrane.org/handbook/current

Running and recording your searches

At this stage in the process, good record keeping is vital.  You will need to keep an up to date and accurate list of searches run against keywords and how many results each line of your search strategy produced.  Because new articles are always being added to databases, always keep a record of the dates you ran your searches.  Because accuracy is so important, it is a good idea to write up your searches as you run them.

Some databases enable you to register your own account so that you can save searches to retrieve them later and also set up alerts to be informed of new articles which are added to the database which match your search criteria.  

If the database you're using has a Search History function like CINAHL, this will enable you to easily combine different lines of your search strategy. For more information on this functionality, see the CINAHL help pages .

Critical appraisal and synthesis of your results

Once you have decided which studies are to be included in your systematic review report, you will need to critically appraise their quality.  There are a number of tools available which will help you to do this, including:

• SIGN Critical Appraisal Notes and Checklists

You will also need to pull your findings together, or "synthesise" them.  You may choose to do this using narrative synthesis, if you are dealing with qualitative research or statistical synthesis, if you are dealing with quantitative research.  There are two chapters in York University's Centre for Reviews and Dissemination guidance for systematic reviews which will be of great help with this process:

• CRD Guidance: 1.3.5.1: Narrative Synthesis
• CRD Guidance: 1.3.5.2: Quantitative synthesis of comparative studies

Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. (2009).  Systematic Reviews: CRD’s guidance for undertaking reviews in health care . York: CRD, University of York.

Writing and reporting your review

When writing up your research, there are a number of models you can use to guide your reporting process

• PRISMA : PRISMA is used primarily for reporting on systematic reviews and meta-analyses. It's useful for lots of different types of research, but was designed primarily with randomised trials in mind.
• MOOSE : Meta-analysis of observational studies in epidemiology (MOOSE). Please note, more information on MOOSE is available here , but is not part of library subscriptions

Your search strategy

Before you start searching you will need to develop a detailed search protocol.  Your search will need to aim for high sensitivity, in other words, it needs to be a very broad, comprehensive search which covers all possible terminology.  This will mean a corresponding low level of precision, or relevance.

Scoping the review in detail is crucial, for example what population is of interest and within that population what age group?  How far back in time do you need to go?  You will also need to identify all the databases and other sources of literature which are relevant to search, including grey literature.  At the scoping stage it is important to run preliminary searches to identify some key papers which are relevant to the review.

You will need to turn your question into a search strategy which uses both free text and thesaurus terms, having first ensured that you have read and understood any proposals or protocols which have been agreed for the review. You may find it helpful to use a tool to structure your search strategy such as PICO or SPIDER. 

It is a good idea for more than one person to be involved with drafting the search strategy and it should always be checked to ensure that it retrieves key papers which have already been identified at the scoping stage. The strategy can then be revised before the full search is run.  Once you have identified a strategy which works for one database, you can adapt it for other databases.

For help with search strategies, here are some useful links:

• A list of alternative search concept tools to PICO
• General search strategy help
• Key databases which we subscribe to at Huddersfield
• Resources for searching grey literature
• Grindley. D. J. C. & Karantana, A. (2018). Putting the 'systematic' into searching: tips and resources for search strategies in systematic reviews. Journal of Hand Surgery. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1753193418778978 - this article includes lots of useful tips on developing a comprehensive list of search terms, as well as general guidance.

Managing your search results

To manage your results effectively, we recommend that you use a reliable reference manager. As well as providing a good place to store your references and organise them thematically, reference management software has a deduplication tool which will be invaluable to you as you will be using multiple databases to run your systematic review, so some duplication of results is inevitable.

More information is available from our reference management guide .

Further help

Bryony Ramsden a nd Kate McGuinn are available to advise on search strategies for systematic reviews but, due to time constraints, are not currently able to take part in the systematic review process. If you need further help, the following links and information may be of assistance .

Guides available online

• The University of Oxford Bodleian Library has a subject guide about all aspects of systematic reviews
• The University of York has published a free guide on systematic reviews that is available here .
• Glasgow Caledonian has a website filled with useful information on carrying out a systematic review

Books in the library

• Glasziou, P. (2001). Systematic reviews in health care: a practical guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Gough, D., Oliver, S., & Thomas, J. (2017). An introduction to systematic reviews (2nd Ed.). London: SAGE.
• Webb, C., & Roe, B. H. (2007). Reviewing research evidence for nursing practice: systematic reviews. Oxford: Blackwell.

Organisation websites

• Cochrane - Cochrane's website has a wealth of information about systematic reviews and details of online and face to face training
• Cochrane Training - Cochrane's training arm has a YouTube channel filled with useful information and guidance
• Campbell Collaboration - Information and support for reviewers in the areas of Crime and Justice, Disability, Education, International Development, Knowledge Translation and Implementation, Nutrition and Social Welfare
• Joanna Briggs Institute - an international not-for-profit, research and development centre at the University of Adelaide, South Australia
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1st Edition

How to Write Your Undergraduate Dissertation in Criminology

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Description

This book provides a guide for undergraduate criminology and criminal justice students undertaking their final-year dissertation. It speaks to the specific challenges for criminology students who may wish to research closed institutions (such as prisons, courts, or the police) or vulnerable populations (such as people with convictions, victims of crime, or young people), and offers guidance on how to undertake research on these topics whilet avoiding many of the access and ethical obstacles. It takes students through each phase of the dissertation, from designing and planning the research to writing up and presenting the completed work. The complexities of undertaking research on sensitive topics and with criminal justice institutions are discussed throughout, offering an insight into some of the challenges that students may be faced with and suggestions to overcome obstacles. It offers practical guidance for empirical and library-based projects and provides students with suggested resources for accessing primary and secondary data. It utilises a mixture of worked examples, top tips, practical strategies, and student activities to ensure the dissertation is a manageable and enjoyable process. This book will be beneficial to all undergraduate criminology students who have to undertake either a library-based or empirical dissertation. The examples and activities in the book will also be useful for dissertation supervisors who can use them to support their dissertation students.　

Table of Contents

Suzanne Young is an Associate Professor in Criminal Justice at the School of Law, University of Leeds, UK.

Critics' Reviews

" How to Write Your Undergraduate Dissertation in Criminology offers the essential guide to producing your dissertation. From the literature review to the methodology chapter, from finding data to finding your voice, it guides you step by step through the process using examples specific to criminology. As such, it gives you the best chance of excelling in your dissertation." Dr David Churchill , Associate Professor in Criminal Justice, University of Leeds " How to Write Your Undergraduate Dissertation in Criminology provides a helpful step by step guide to undertaking undergraduate research, complemented by a range of activities to encourage students to think about their dissertation research and writing in a manageable way. This text is also an excellent resource to support teaching and learning on dissertation modules with activities that academic staff can use in their teaching practice." Dr Helen Nichols , Associate Professor in Criminology, University of Lincoln "Academic writing is challenging, especially for students faced with writing a dissertation. What is needed is a practical, supportive, and user-friendly guide addressing all stages of the process from selecting a viable topic to producing a final edit. This is that guide. Authored by a leading expert in teaching and learning in criminology, all students will benefit from reading it and putting the advice into action." Professor Gavin Dingwall , Professor of Criminal Justice Policy, De Montfort University " How to Write Your Undergraduate Dissertation in Criminology will provide students with necessary skills and help them to work with their supervisors to plan and execute a research project. The book is well structured and covers everything students need to know to complete their dissertation. The design of the book is very engaging and encourages students to interact with the content through a series of exercises. As such, it provides an excellent learning resource." Debbie Jones , Associate Professor in Criminology, Swansea University 　 "This is an excellent, supportive, and engaging book for students embarking on their undergraduate dissertation in criminology. With activities and diagrams to guide decision-making, the book breaks down what can be a daunting task into a manageable – and even enjoyable – process. The practical takeaways make this an essential read for students navigating the dissertation journey." Dr Christine Haddow , Lecturer in Criminology, Edinburgh Napier University

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