I’m not the best at writing but my literature reviews were absolutely the worst. I got really frustrated and decided to research it so long story short I got really good at it. Here are a few tricks that I use.
1. Get as specific as possible with the topic
I mean zoom in on the exact wording of your thesis without being vague at all. This will help with defining proper search terms and really streamline the process.
2. Create a database of sources as early on as possible
I basically create a google sheet with everything related I find and links to it. I add stuff to the sheet even if I’m studying for another class. It also saves a ton of time to write/generate citations in the necessary format and save them in that sheet as well.
3. Practice your analytical skills
The trickiest part of writing literature reviews is keeping away from retelling the sources in your own words. I read everything at least 2-3 times to sport any gaps, inconsistencies, controversies and so on. Then when I put it in writing it makes my paper look really thought out.
4. Save source libraries for later and create a general database
Besides doing a sheet for a specific paper I also keep a one large knowledge collection in Notion with tags for different classes and topics. Same as with the google sheet I’ll just save anything that might help me in the future there and that way writing for any class becomes a lot faster.
5. Perfect the structure
I like to call it a skeleton, but it’s pretty much a detailed paper outline as in: intro, objective, 1st paragraph, 2nd paragraph, 3rd paragraph, so on, and conclusion with all the things I will mention and transitions between them. Once I do this thoroughly I just need to add some text to tie it all together. If you are confused on where to start you can always find literature review samples online to sort of copy the structure.
For anyone wondering a literature review outline is basically this:
-Introduction with some background info on the topic
-Rationale explaining why you want to write a paper on this topic or why is you paper necessary
-Objective stating your research question in a formal, academic way
-Methods part describes how you selected your sources and summarizes your source base
-Results is where you describe your findings
-Discussion includes analysis of your sources
-Methodological challenges talk about any potential limitations you had while researching
-Strengths and limitations is where you talk about the pros and cons of the sources you’ve used
-Conclusion is obviously a round-up of the whole thing that addresses your objective
What I did when I first got a task like that is go to my prof. He was very helpful and I pretty much drafted an outline while I was at his office. But with that said I had a topic and a general idea of the papers I am going to review.