This engaging guide by bestselling author Bryan Greetham takes students step-by-step through the process of writing a literature review, and equips them with practical strategies to help them navigate each stage. Each bite-sized chapter focuses on a specific aspect of the process, from generating ideas and pinning down the research problem through to searching for sources, citing references and planning, writing and editing the review. Chapters feature examples and exercises to help students apply ideas to their own work.

Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- PART 1: TYPES OF LITERATURE REVIEWS. 1. Stand-alone literature reviews 1: non-systematic -- 2. Stand-alone literature reviews 2: systematic -- 3. Literature reviews for dissertations and theses -- PART 2: SEARCHING YOUR SOURCES. 4. How to generate your own ideas -- 5. Finding a research question -- 6. How to search -- 7. Searching the Internet -- PART 3: PROCESSING IDEAS. 8. Critically evaluating your sources 1: the arguments -- 9. Critically evaluating your sources 2: the evidence and language -- 10. Analysing concepts 1: finding connections between ideas -- 11. Analysing concepts 2: adapting structures of ideas -- 12. Synthesis - creating patterns and finding gaps -- PART 4: ORGANISING YOUR WORK. 13. Managing your time -- 14. Managing your material -- 15. Reading -- 16. Note-taking -- PART 5: PLANNING YOUR REVIEW. 17. Deciding which sources to use -- 18. Planning the review -- 19. Integrating your review with other chapters -- PART 6: WRITING YOUR REVIEW. 20. Discussing the literature -- 21. The first draft -- 22. Finding your own voice -- 23. Style: simplicity and economy -- 24. Finding the right words -- PART 7: USING YOUR SOURCES. 25. Plagiarism -- 26. Citing your sources -- PART 8: EDITING. 27. Revision 1: structure -- 28. Revision 2: content --Conclusion --Bibliography --Index.