Skip to Content

  • Home
    • For international students
    • For Māori students
    • For postgraduate students
    • For prospective students
  • About Massey
    • University Management
      • Council
      • Vice-Chancellor
      • Strategic plans and reports
      • more...
    • Subsidiaries and commercial ventures
      • Massey University Foundation
      • e-Centre
      • Wharerata
      • more...
    • Alumni
      • Merchandise
      • Chapters
      • Benefits
      • more...
    • News
      • Latest releases
      • Research news
      • University news
      • more...
    • Events and key dates
      • Albany campus
      • Manawatu campus
      • Wellington campus
      • more...
    • Jobs
      • Academic
      • General
      • Staff benefits
      • more...
    • History of the University
      • 1879 - 1926
      • 1927 - 1945
      • 1946 - 1963
      • more...
    • Calendar
      • 2010
      • 2009
      • 2008
      • 2007
      • more...
  • Learning
    • Courses
      • Programme search
      • Paper search
      • Course advice
      • more...
    • Distance Learning (Extramural)
      • Contact courses
      • Study information
      • Getting in contact
      • more...
    • Colleges
      • Business
      • Creative Arts
      • Education
      • Humanities and Social Sciences
      • Sciences
    • Departments
      • Aviation
      • Psychology
      • Food, Nutrition and Human Health
      • more...
    • Academic teaching timetables
      • 2010
      • 2009
      • Timetable planner
      • Building codes
      • more...
    • Examinations
      • Exam timetable
      • Exam venues
      • Key exam dates
      • more...
    • Online learning
      • Stream
    • Learning resources
      • Online Writing and Learning Link
      • MathsFirst
      • more...
  • Research
    • Library
      • Find information
      • Library services
      • Help and instruction
      • more...
    • PhD and doctoral degree administration
      • Doctoral handbook
      • Administration forms
      • Citations
      • more...
    • Centres of research
      • Allan Wilson Centre
      • Riddet Institute
      • NZ Centre for Ecological Economics
      • more...
    • Research Ethics
      • Human Ethics
      • Animal Ethics
      • Genetic Technology
    • Conferences
      • DevNet 2010
      • 19th NZASIA
      • 14th International Mobility Conference
      • more...
    • Journals
      • Marketing Bulletin
      • International Journal on Smart Sensing and Intelligent Systems
      • more...
    • Research projects
      • Automated Recognition of Pollen
      • Tools for Delivering Scenario-based E-learning
      • more...
    • Support for researchers
      • Funding opportunities
      • Guide to managing research
      • Resources
      • more...
  • Admission
    • Enrolment
      • Online enrolment
      • Enrolment forms
      • International students
      • more...
    • Entry requirements
      • New Zealand citizens
      • Australian students
      • International students
      • more...
    • Fees
      • Calculator
      • Programme fees
      • International student fees
      • more...
    • Scholarships and awards
      • Undergraduate
      • Postgraduate
      • High Achiever
      • more...
    • Accommodation
      • Applications
      • Albany
      • Manawatu
      • Wellington
  • Student life
    • Albany campus
      • Accommodation
      • Student services
      • Maps and transport
      • more...
    • Manawatu campus
      • Accommodation
      • Student services
      • Maps and transport
      • more...
    • Wellington campus
      • Accommodation
      • Student services
      • Maps and transport
      • more...
    • Services for students
      • Accommodation services
      • Recreation centres
      • Career Services
      • more...
    • Student Exchange Programme
      • Locations
      • Costs
      • Application process
      • more...
    • Graduation
      • Applying to graduate
      • Auckland
      • Palmerston North
      • Wellington
      • more...
    • Student associatons and societies
      • EXMSS
      • MUSA
      • ASA
      • MAWSA
      • more...
    • Sport
      • Academy of Sport
      • Recreation and training
      • more...
  • Contact Massey
    • Contact Centre
    • Albany campus
    • Manawatu campus
    • Wellington campus
    • Student liaison advisors
    • International enquiries
    • Media enquiries
    • Alumni
    • Human Resources
    • Justice of the Peace
    • Accidents and emergencies
    • Staff directory
Go to the Massey University home page

Massey University

Library | Alumni Portal | Staffroom | MyMassey
Massey University > OWLL > Assignment types > Literature review

OWLL

  • About OWLL
    • FAQ
    • Search OWLL
    • Contact us
    • Handouts (Printable)
    • Pre-reading Service
    • Workshops
      • StudyUp
      • StudyUp Recordings
      • StudyUp Postgraduate
    • Videos
    • Site map
  • Academic writing
    • Intro to academic writing
      • What is academic writing?
      • Writing objectively
      • Writing concisely
      • 1st vs. 3rd person
      • Inclusive language
      • Te Reo Māori
    • Assignment planning
      • Assignment planning calculator
      • Interpreting the assignment question
      • Command words
      • Organising points
    • Researching
      • Identifying academic sources
      • Evaluating source quality
    • Editing & proofreading
      • Apostrophes
      • Commas
      • Other punctuation
      • Active voice
      • American vs. British spelling
      • Articles
      • Conditionals
      • Prepositions
      • Pronoun Reference
      • Sentence fragments
      • Sentence Structure
      • Subject-verb agreement
      • Verb tense
      • Formatting and layout
      • Word limits and assignment length
      • Commonly confused words
    • How assignments are marked
      • Marking guides
      • Getting an A
      • Levels of assessment
      • Using feedback
    • Professional emails
  • Assignment types
    • Essay
      • What is an essay?
      • Essay planning and structure
      • Introduction
      • Thesis statement
      • Body paragraphs
      • Essay flow
      • Conclusion
      • Essay revision
      • Essay writing resources
    • Report
      • What is a report?
      • Report structure
      • Analysing issues for a report
    • Business report
      • What is a business report?
      • Business report structure
      • Inductive vs. deductive reports
      • Other kinds of business communication
      • Business report writing resources
      • Business report format and layout
    • Lab report
      • What is a lab report?
      • Lab report structure
      • Science lab report writing resources
      • Psychology lab report writing resources
      • Lab report body paragraphs
    • Literature review
      • What is a literature review?
      • Writing a literature review
      • Literature review structure
      • Literature review writing resources
    • Research proposal
      • Writing a research proposal
      • Research proposal structure
    • Other types
      • Article critique
      • Book review
      • Annotated bibliography
      • Reflective writing
      • Oral presentation
      • Abstract
      • Thesis / dissertation
      • Article / conference paper
      • Shorter responses
      • Group work
  • Computer skills
    • Microsoft Word
      • Basic formatting
      • Images, tables, & figures
      • Long documents
    • Microsoft Excel
      • Basic spreadsheets
      • Navigating & printing spreadsheets
      • Charts / graphs & formulas
    • Microsoft PowerPoint
      • Basic skills
      • Advanced skills
    • Stream
  • Distance study
    • Getting started
    • How to study
    • Online study techniques
    • Distance support
  • ESOL study
    • Reading & writing
      • Reading strategies
      • Writing strategies
      • Grammar resources
    • Listening & speaking
      • Listening strategies
      • Speaking strategies
  • Maths & statistics
    • Arithmetic
    • Algebra
    • Calculus
    • Trigonometry
    • Statistics
    • Finance formulas
  • Postgraduate study
    • Intro to postgrad study
      • Planning postgrad study
      • Postgrad resources
    • Postgrad assignment types
  • Referencing
    • Intro to referencing
      • What is referencing?
      • Why reference?
      • Plagiarism
      • Turnitin
      • Common knowledge
      • Referencing styles
      • What type of source is this?
      • Reference list vs. bibliography
      • Referencing software
    • Quoting & paraphrasing
      • Quoting
      • Paraphrasing & summarising
      • Paraphrasing techniques
    • APA style
      • APA Interactive
      • In-text citation
      • Reference list
      • Books
      • Journals
      • Online material
      • Other material
      • Headings in APA
      • Tables and Figures
      • Referencing elements
      • 5th vs. 6th edition
      • 6th vs. 7th edition
    • Chicago style
      • Chicago Interactive
      • About notes system
      • Books
      • Journals
      • Online material
      • Other material
      • Notes referencing elements
      • Quoting and paraphrasing
      • Author-date system
    • MLA style
      • MLA Interactive
      • Abbreviations
      • In-text citation
      • List of works cited
      • Books
      • Journals
      • Online material
      • Other material
      • Referencing elements
      • Captions for images
    • Footnotes
      • Oxford style
      • Chicago style
    • Other styles
      • Harvard style
      • Vancouver style
      • Legal citations
      • Visual material
      • NZVJ style
  • Sample assignments
    • Sample essay 1
    • Sample essay 2
    • Sample annotated bibliography
    • Sample book review
  • Study skills
    • Time management
      • Intro to time management
      • Procrastination & perfectionism
      • Goals & motivation
      • Time management for internal students
      • Time management for distance students
    • Memory skills
      • Principles of good memory
      • Memory strategies
    • Note-taking
      • Note-taking methods
      • Mind maps
      • Note-taking in lectures
      • Note-taking while reading
      • Digital note-taking
    • Reading
      • Reading styles
      • Skimming
      • Scanning
      • In-depth reading
      • Reading comprehension
      • Reading academic material
      • Reading a journal article
      • Reading an academic book
    • Critical thinking
      • What is critical thinking?
      • Constructing an argument
      • Critical reading
      • Logical fallacies
  • Tests & exams
    • Exam & test study
      • Planning exam study
      • Gathering & sorting information
      • Reviewing past exams
      • Phases of revision
      • Last-minute study strategies
    • Question types
      • Essay
      • Short answer
      • Multi-choice
      • Problem / computational
      • Case-study / scenario
      • Oral
      • Open book exam
      • Open web exam or test
      • Take home test
    • In the exam
      • Online exam
      • Physical exam

Literature review

Literature reviews provide a critical overview of a range of sources (literature) on a particular topic. This is often done in the context of a larger study, to provide a solid foundation for further research.

The literature review

This video lecture explains how to write a literature review, and examines which elements are required in one.

In this section

  • What is a literature review?
  • Writing a literature review
  • Literature review structure
  • Literature review writing resources

Related sections

  • Critical reading
  • Article critiques
  • Referencing
  • Researching
  • Identifying academic sources
  • Academic writing
  • Thesis / dissertation

Page authorised by Director, CTL
Last updated on 25 October, 2012

Academic Q+A

Have a study or assignment writing question? Ask an expert at Academic Q+A

Live online workshops

  • StudyUp (undergraduate)
  • StudyUp Postgraduate
  • Library

Campus workshops

  • Campus workshops
  • 0800 MASSEY | (+64 6 350 5701)
  • TXT 5222
  • contact@massey.ac.nz
  • Web chat
  • Online form
Massey University
Private Bag 11 222
Palmerston North
4442
New Zealand
Site map | A-Z index | Disclaimer | Privacy
Copyright © 1998 - 2010 Massey University. All rights reserved.