SOC 220

The databases are great resources for your Literature Review.  Try looking at Opposing Viewpoints, ProQuest Sociology, ProQuest Social Science and ProQuest Central.

To access the databases from off-campus, click here.

To get started creating a Literature Review, look at the following steps taken from Nita Bryant at Virginia Commonwealth University and from Getting Started: Assessing Sources/Creating a Matrix/Writing a Literature Review by Virginia Commonwealth University.

1. Search for sources

An effective literature search:​

• Helps clarify the scope of your research topic
• Supports your arguments
• Addresses counter-arguments

2. Assess the relevance of the literature

• Who is the author and what are his/her credentials?
• What is the purpose and who is the audience for the article?
• How does the source fit into the larger conversation on the topic?

3. Summarize each source

• Recap the important and most relevant information found in each source  
  • Identify variables 
  • Identify context/ setting 
  • Identify theories 
  • Identify findings 
• Describe the kind of search that was conducted
• Summarize these different groups of sources in terms of how they address the question: what methodology, evidence, critical concepts, etc. do they employ?

4. Synthesize your findings

• Analyze, and organize the various responses found in the scholarly conversation regarding the question
• Explain why different scholars provide different answers for the  same or related questions
• ​Identify similarities and differences 
• Evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the most pertinent or relevant

A literature review is an extensive look at resources in a particular field and an explanation of how one's own work on the topic fits into what has already been published. A literature review may reveal holes in specific aspects of research, or may be an opportunity to compare references on the same topic. It explains what we know or do not know about a particular topic or subject.

Quick Tips for Creating a Literature Review

• Do not use first person
• Use past tense to indicate that research has already been done
• Avoid giving an opinion, unless the purpose is to make an argument
• When referring to someone's data or ideas, give them credit--do this when directly quoting or paraphrasing
• Be straightforward-avoid using slang, jargon or common expressions
• Write with a research problem in mind
• Select references that are relevant to your work