Literature review is an academic paper written by comprehensively analyzing a large amount of information on a certain topic. It is a type of scientific literature.
Format and Writing
The format of a literature review is different from that of a general research paper. This is because research papers focus on research methods and results, especially positive results, while literature reviews require introducing readers to detailed information, trends, progress, prospects, and comments on the above aspects related to the topic. Therefore, the format of a literature review is relatively diverse, but in general, it generally contains the following four parts: introduction, theme, summary, and references. When writing a literature review, you can write an outline according to these four parts, and then proceed with writing based on the outline.
The preface mainly explains the purpose of writing, introduces relevant concepts and definitions and the scope of the review, briefly explains the current situation or focus of debate on the relevant topic, so that readers can have a preliminary understanding of the issues to be described in the full text. contour.
The topic part is the main body of the review. It is written in various ways and has no fixed format. It can be reviewed in chronological order, or it can be reviewed based on different issues, or it can be reviewed based on different viewpoints. No matter which format is used for the review, the collected literature materials must be summarized, sorted, analyzed and compared, and clarified. Regarding the historical background, current situation and development direction of the topic, as well as comments on these issues, special attention should be paid to the citations and comments of literature that are representative, scientific and creative in the topic section.
The summary part is somewhat similar to the summary of a research paper. It briefly summarizes the theme of the full text. It is best for authors who have researched the topic reviewed to put forward their own opinions. Although the references are placed at the end of the article, they are an important part of the literature review. Because it not only expresses respect for the authors of cited documents and the basis for citing documents, but also provides literature search clues for readers to explore relevant issues in depth. Therefore, it should be taken seriously. References should be organized with clear entries, easy to find, and accurate content. Regarding the use of references, recording items and format, they are the same as those of research papers and will not be repeated.