1. justify to the reader why the proposed research question is important / useful / novel
2. Provide a clear and relevant overview of the current research in the area
3. Critically engage with the current debates in the literature, identifying strengths and limitations of the author’s research methods
4. Contextualise the research question by positioning it within the current literature (identifying the gap) and demonstrating why it needs to be addressed
5. Structure the literature review in a logical and coherent narrative
6. Present the findings in accordance with the conventions of good academic writing and referencing.
structure :
Introduction (1 paragraph) : state key focus and reason for reviewing literature, outline what core ideas/themes are included in the body, establish the context importance of this research
Body (approx 4 paragraphs) : identify agreement and disagreement by theme (4 themes, 1 theme per paragraph, save 2 sentences in the end to bring it back to the research question and then link them all together)
Conclusion (1 paragraph) : the importance of the topic in the context of the literature reviewed, identify gaps, outline areas for future study