Dissertation Planner - Writing the Literature Review: Writing the literature review

What is a literature review? What's the point of it? How do you evaluate literature?

• Use our Writing the literature review guide for answers to these questions and more.
• Watch our Writing the Dissertation: the Literature Review recorded webinar to explore the conventions of a literature review, structural approaches, and techniques for managing the synthesis of a range of information.

You might find it useful to write an annotated bibliography as a way of organising your thoughts on secondary sources in a structured and methodical way.

A literature review is built on the work of others, but you shouldn't rely on the words of others when expressing their views. For this reason, Paraphrasing is a particularly important skill when writing a literature review.

Don't leave your citing and referencing to the end. Do your citations as you write and build your reference list throughout each chapter. Refer to our Citing and referencing webpage for guidance on your reference style.