Many students writing their undergraduate or masters dissertations struggle with the concept of the literature review. As it is not a usual requirement when writing essays at lower levels you might not yet have come across a literature review and it can seem daunting to face compiling one for the first time as part of your dissertation writing process.

Read on for a simple explanation and top tips on how to get it right.

What is a literature review?

A literature review is a summary of the current writings in the field you are researching and into which your masters dissertation will eventually fit.

It is not just a list of different writers in the field and their opinions, but rather it should give a clear idea of the whole field as it currently stands, describing different bodies of literature providing varying standpoints on the important issues and indicating where general opinions have recently changed or are currently being challenged.

A good literature review not only provides important background to your own dissertation writing, but also helps to show where your Masters dissertation will fit into the field.

What should a masters dissertation literature review include?

Your literature review should be as comprehensive as possible, mentioning all the major theorists or writers in the field of your dissertation subject.

You need to give a strong idea of how the field lies, so don’t just mention each writer individually, but try to relate them to one another and compare their views to give an overview of the current arguments and which bodies of literature belong together.

It might be helpful to use subheadings or bullet points in your dissertation writing to clarify the different areas of theory and the positions of each writer. These subsections might echo areas of the subject you will later visit in your masters dissertation itself.

How long should my literature review be?

It is important to mention all the main experts considered influential in the field and the most important areas of criticism surrounding the subject of your dissertation. However you do not need to include broader theory – try to keep it within the constraints of quite direct relevance to your dissertation topics.

For example, if you are writing on the impact of education on childhood behaviour, it would be relevant to include theorists who believe there is a direct relevance and theorists who argue that other influences are far more important, but it would be superfluous to mention a critic writing on the impact of education on other areas of society.

Following successful dissertation proposals, how to write a good literature review is an essential part of masters dissertation writing success. Follow these guidelines and you should be on track for top marks in your essay writing, dissertation or masters dissertation.