Research Guides: Social Work: Literature Reviews

What is a Literature Review?

A literature review is an essential component of every research project. It requires “re-viewing” what credible scholars in the field have said, done, and found in order to help you:

Identify what is currently known in your area of interest
Establish an empirical/ theoretical/ foundation for your research
Identify potential gaps in knowledge that you might fill
Develop viable research questions and hypotheses
Determine appropriate methodologies
Decide upon the scope of your research
Demonstrate the importance of your research to the field

A literature review is not a descriptive annotated bibliography. All works included in the review must be read, evaluated, and analyzed, and synthesized, meaning that relationships between the works must also be discussed.

VCU Libraries Guide: How to Write a Literature Review

Introduction to Literature Reviews in Social Work

Kelsey Cheshire, Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Librarian from VCU Libraries, and Audrey Wells, Student Success Writing Advisor from the School of Social Work, present an introduction to literature reviews.

Tools

Basic Search Guide
Tips for planning a search strategy
How to Use a Literature Matrix
One example of how to organize your sources for summary and synthesis.

Excel Matrix

Academic Phrasebank
Examples of common phrases used in literature reviews and reports of research findings. The items in the Academic Phrasebank are mostly content neutral and generic in nature; in using them, therefore, you are not stealing other people’s ideas and this does not constitute plagiarism.