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Writing a Literature Review

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A literature review is a document or section of a document that collects key sources on a topic and discusses those sources in conversation with each other (also called synthesis ). The lit review is an important genre in many disciplines, not just literature (i.e., the study of works of literature such as novels and plays). When we say “literature review” or refer to “the literature,” we are talking about the research ( scholarship ) in a given field. You will often see the terms “the research,” “the scholarship,” and “the literature” used mostly interchangeably.

Where, when, and why would I write a lit review?

There are a number of different situations where you might write a literature review, each with slightly different expectations; different disciplines, too, have field-specific expectations for what a literature review is and does. For instance, in the humanities, authors might include more overt argumentation and interpretation of source material in their literature reviews, whereas in the sciences, authors are more likely to report study designs and results in their literature reviews; these differences reflect these disciplines’ purposes and conventions in scholarship. You should always look at examples from your own discipline and talk to professors or mentors in your field to be sure you understand your discipline’s conventions, for literature reviews as well as for any other genre.

A literature review can be a part of a research paper or scholarly article, usually falling after the introduction and before the research methods sections. In these cases, the lit review just needs to cover scholarship that is important to the issue you are writing about; sometimes it will also cover key sources that informed your research methodology.

Lit reviews can also be standalone pieces, either as assignments in a class or as publications. In a class, a lit review may be assigned to help students familiarize themselves with a topic and with scholarship in their field, get an idea of the other researchers working on the topic they’re interested in, find gaps in existing research in order to propose new projects, and/or develop a theoretical framework and methodology for later research. As a publication, a lit review usually is meant to help make other scholars’ lives easier by collecting and summarizing, synthesizing, and analyzing existing research on a topic. This can be especially helpful for students or scholars getting into a new research area, or for directing an entire community of scholars toward questions that have not yet been answered.

What are the parts of a lit review?

Most lit reviews use a basic introduction-body-conclusion structure; if your lit review is part of a larger paper, the introduction and conclusion pieces may be just a few sentences while you focus most of your attention on the body. If your lit review is a standalone piece, the introduction and conclusion take up more space and give you a place to discuss your goals, research methods, and conclusions separately from where you discuss the literature itself.

Introduction:

• An introductory paragraph that explains what your working topic and thesis is
• A forecast of key topics or texts that will appear in the review
• Potentially, a description of how you found sources and how you analyzed them for inclusion and discussion in the review (more often found in published, standalone literature reviews than in lit review sections in an article or research paper)
• Summarize and synthesize: Give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole
• Analyze and interpret: Don’t just paraphrase other researchers – add your own interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole
• Critically Evaluate: Mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources
• Write in well-structured paragraphs: Use transition words and topic sentence to draw connections, comparisons, and contrasts.

Conclusion:

• Summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance
• Connect it back to your primary research question

How should I organize my lit review?

Lit reviews can take many different organizational patterns depending on what you are trying to accomplish with the review. Here are some examples:

• Chronological : The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time, which helps familiarize the audience with the topic (for instance if you are introducing something that is not commonly known in your field). If you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order. Try to analyze the patterns, turning points, and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred (as mentioned previously, this may not be appropriate in your discipline — check with a teacher or mentor if you’re unsure).
• Thematic : If you have found some recurring central themes that you will continue working with throughout your piece, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic. For example, if you are reviewing literature about women and religion, key themes can include the role of women in churches and the religious attitude towards women.
• Qualitative versus quantitative research
• Empirical versus theoretical scholarship
• Divide the research by sociological, historical, or cultural sources
• Theoretical : In many humanities articles, the literature review is the foundation for the theoretical framework. You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts. You can argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach or combine various theorical concepts to create a framework for your research.

What are some strategies or tips I can use while writing my lit review?

Any lit review is only as good as the research it discusses; make sure your sources are well-chosen and your research is thorough. Don’t be afraid to do more research if you discover a new thread as you’re writing. More info on the research process is available in our "Conducting Research" resources .

As you’re doing your research, create an annotated bibliography ( see our page on the this type of document ). Much of the information used in an annotated bibliography can be used also in a literature review, so you’ll be not only partially drafting your lit review as you research, but also developing your sense of the larger conversation going on among scholars, professionals, and any other stakeholders in your topic.

Usually you will need to synthesize research rather than just summarizing it. This means drawing connections between sources to create a picture of the scholarly conversation on a topic over time. Many student writers struggle to synthesize because they feel they don’t have anything to add to the scholars they are citing; here are some strategies to help you:

• It often helps to remember that the point of these kinds of syntheses is to show your readers how you understand your research, to help them read the rest of your paper.
• Writing teachers often say synthesis is like hosting a dinner party: imagine all your sources are together in a room, discussing your topic. What are they saying to each other?
• Look at the in-text citations in each paragraph. Are you citing just one source for each paragraph? This usually indicates summary only. When you have multiple sources cited in a paragraph, you are more likely to be synthesizing them (not always, but often
• Read more about synthesis here.

The most interesting literature reviews are often written as arguments (again, as mentioned at the beginning of the page, this is discipline-specific and doesn’t work for all situations). Often, the literature review is where you can establish your research as filling a particular gap or as relevant in a particular way. You have some chance to do this in your introduction in an article, but the literature review section gives a more extended opportunity to establish the conversation in the way you would like your readers to see it. You can choose the intellectual lineage you would like to be part of and whose definitions matter most to your thinking (mostly humanities-specific, but this goes for sciences as well). In addressing these points, you argue for your place in the conversation, which tends to make the lit review more compelling than a simple reporting of other sources.

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• How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates

How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates

Published on January 2, 2023 by Shona McCombes . Revised on September 11, 2023.

What is a literature review? A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research that you can later apply to your paper, thesis, or dissertation topic .

There are five key steps to writing a literature review:

• Search for relevant literature
• Evaluate sources
• Identify themes, debates, and gaps
• Outline the structure
• Write your literature review

A good literature review doesn’t just summarize sources—it analyzes, synthesizes , and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.

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Table of contents

What is the purpose of a literature review, examples of literature reviews, step 1 – search for relevant literature, step 2 – evaluate and select sources, step 3 – identify themes, debates, and gaps, step 4 – outline your literature review’s structure, step 5 – write your literature review, free lecture slides, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions, introduction.

• Quick Run-through
• Step 1 & 2

When you write a thesis , dissertation , or research paper , you will likely have to conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge. The literature review gives you a chance to:

• Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and its scholarly context
• Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research
• Position your work in relation to other researchers and theorists
• Show how your research addresses a gap or contributes to a debate
• Evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge of the scholarly debates around your topic.

Writing literature reviews is a particularly important skill if you want to apply for graduate school or pursue a career in research. We’ve written a step-by-step guide that you can follow below.

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See an example

Writing literature reviews can be quite challenging! A good starting point could be to look at some examples, depending on what kind of literature review you’d like to write.

• Example literature review #1: “Why Do People Migrate? A Review of the Theoretical Literature” ( Theoretical literature review about the development of economic migration theory from the 1950s to today.)
• Example literature review #2: “Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines” ( Methodological literature review about interdisciplinary knowledge acquisition and production.)
• Example literature review #3: “The Use of Technology in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Thematic literature review about the effects of technology on language acquisition.)
• Example literature review #4: “Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Chronological literature review about how the concept of listening skills has changed over time.)

You can also check out our templates with literature review examples and sample outlines at the links below.

Download Word doc Download Google doc

Before you begin searching for literature, you need a clearly defined topic .

If you are writing the literature review section of a dissertation or research paper, you will search for literature related to your research problem and questions .

Make a list of keywords

Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research question. Include each of the key concepts or variables you’re interested in, and list any synonyms and related terms. You can add to this list as you discover new keywords in the process of your literature search.

• Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok
• Body image, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health
• Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth

Search for relevant sources

Use your keywords to begin searching for sources. Some useful databases to search for journals and articles include:

• Your university’s library catalogue
• Google Scholar
• Project Muse (humanities and social sciences)
• Medline (life sciences and biomedicine)
• EconLit (economics)
• Inspec (physics, engineering and computer science)

You can also use boolean operators to help narrow down your search.

Make sure to read the abstract to find out whether an article is relevant to your question. When you find a useful book or article, you can check the bibliography to find other relevant sources.

You likely won’t be able to read absolutely everything that has been written on your topic, so it will be necessary to evaluate which sources are most relevant to your research question.

For each publication, ask yourself:

• What question or problem is the author addressing?
• What are the key concepts and how are they defined?
• What are the key theories, models, and methods?
• Does the research use established frameworks or take an innovative approach?
• What are the results and conclusions of the study?
• How does the publication relate to other literature in the field? Does it confirm, add to, or challenge established knowledge?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?

Make sure the sources you use are credible , and make sure you read any landmark studies and major theories in your field of research.

You can use our template to summarize and evaluate sources you’re thinking about using. Click on either button below to download.

Take notes and cite your sources

As you read, you should also begin the writing process. Take notes that you can later incorporate into the text of your literature review.

It is important to keep track of your sources with citations to avoid plagiarism . It can be helpful to make an annotated bibliography , where you compile full citation information and write a paragraph of summary and analysis for each source. This helps you remember what you read and saves time later in the process.

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To begin organizing your literature review’s argument and structure, be sure you understand the connections and relationships between the sources you’ve read. Based on your reading and notes, you can look for:

• Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results): do certain approaches become more or less popular over time?
• Themes: what questions or concepts recur across the literature?
• Debates, conflicts and contradictions: where do sources disagree?
• Pivotal publications: are there any influential theories or studies that changed the direction of the field?
• Gaps: what is missing from the literature? Are there weaknesses that need to be addressed?

This step will help you work out the structure of your literature review and (if applicable) show how your own research will contribute to existing knowledge.

• Most research has focused on young women.
• There is an increasing interest in the visual aspects of social media.
• But there is still a lack of robust research on highly visual platforms like Instagram and Snapchat—this is a gap that you could address in your own research.

There are various approaches to organizing the body of a literature review. Depending on the length of your literature review, you can combine several of these strategies (for example, your overall structure might be thematic, but each theme is discussed chronologically).

Chronological

The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time. However, if you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order.

Try to analyze patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred.

If you have found some recurring central themes, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic.

For example, if you are reviewing literature about inequalities in migrant health outcomes, key themes might include healthcare policy, language barriers, cultural attitudes, legal status, and economic access.

Methodological

If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods , you might want to compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:

• Look at what results have emerged in qualitative versus quantitative research
• Discuss how the topic has been approached by empirical versus theoretical scholarship
• Divide the literature into sociological, historical, and cultural sources

Theoretical

A literature review is often the foundation for a theoretical framework . You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts.

You might argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach, or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.

Like any other academic text , your literature review should have an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion . What you include in each depends on the objective of your literature review.

The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose of the literature review.

Depending on the length of your literature review, you might want to divide the body into subsections. You can use a subheading for each theme, time period, or methodological approach.

As you write, you can follow these tips:

• Summarize and synthesize: give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole
• Analyze and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other researchers — add your own interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole
• Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources
• Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transition words and topic sentences to draw connections, comparisons and contrasts

In the conclusion, you should summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance.

When you’ve finished writing and revising your literature review, don’t forget to proofread thoroughly before submitting. Not a language expert? Check out Scribbr’s professional proofreading services !

This article has been adapted into lecture slides that you can use to teach your students about writing a literature review.

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If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• Sampling methods
• Simple random sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Cluster sampling
• Likert scales
• Reproducibility

 Statistics

• Null hypothesis
• Statistical power
• Probability distribution
• Effect size
• Poisson distribution

Research bias

• Optimism bias
• Cognitive bias
• Implicit bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Anchoring bias
• Explicit bias

A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources (such as books, journal articles, and theses) related to a specific topic or research question .

It is often written as part of a thesis, dissertation , or research paper , in order to situate your work in relation to existing knowledge.

There are several reasons to conduct a literature review at the beginning of a research project:

• To familiarize yourself with the current state of knowledge on your topic
• To ensure that you’re not just repeating what others have already done
• To identify gaps in knowledge and unresolved problems that your research can address
• To develop your theoretical framework and methodology
• To provide an overview of the key findings and debates on the topic

Writing the literature review shows your reader how your work relates to existing research and what new insights it will contribute.

The literature review usually comes near the beginning of your thesis or dissertation . After the introduction , it grounds your research in a scholarly field and leads directly to your theoretical framework or methodology .

A literature review is a survey of credible sources on a topic, often used in dissertations , theses, and research papers . Literature reviews give an overview of knowledge on a subject, helping you identify relevant theories and methods, as well as gaps in existing research. Literature reviews are set up similarly to other  academic texts , with an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion .

An  annotated bibliography is a list of  source references that has a short description (called an annotation ) for each of the sources. It is often assigned as part of the research process for a  paper .  

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What is a Literature Review? How to Write It (with Examples)

A literature review is a critical analysis and synthesis of existing research on a particular topic. It provides an overview of the current state of knowledge, identifies gaps, and highlights key findings in the literature. 1 The purpose of a literature review is to situate your own research within the context of existing scholarship, demonstrating your understanding of the topic and showing how your work contributes to the ongoing conversation in the field. Learning how to write a literature review is a critical tool for successful research. Your ability to summarize and synthesize prior research pertaining to a certain topic demonstrates your grasp on the topic of study, and assists in the learning process. 

Table of Contents

What is the purpose of literature review , a. habitat loss and species extinction: , b. range shifts and phenological changes: , c. ocean acidification and coral reefs: , d. adaptive strategies and conservation efforts: .

• Choose a Topic and Define the Research Question: 
• Decide on the Scope of Your Review: 
• Select Databases for Searches: 
• Conduct Searches and Keep Track: 
• Review the Literature: 
• Organize and Write Your Literature Review: 
• How to write a literature review faster with Paperpal? 

Frequently asked questions 

What is a literature review .

A well-conducted literature review demonstrates the researcher’s familiarity with the existing literature, establishes the context for their own research, and contributes to scholarly conversations on the topic. One of the purposes of a literature review is also to help researchers avoid duplicating previous work and ensure that their research is informed by and builds upon the existing body of knowledge.

A literature review serves several important purposes within academic and research contexts. Here are some key objectives and functions of a literature review: 2  

1. Contextualizing the Research Problem: The literature review provides a background and context for the research problem under investigation. It helps to situate the study within the existing body of knowledge. 

2. Identifying Gaps in Knowledge: By identifying gaps, contradictions, or areas requiring further research, the researcher can shape the research question and justify the significance of the study. This is crucial for ensuring that the new research contributes something novel to the field.

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3. Understanding Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks: Literature reviews help researchers gain an understanding of the theoretical and conceptual frameworks used in previous studies. This aids in the development of a theoretical framework for the current research. 

4. Providing Methodological Insights: Another purpose of literature reviews is that it allows researchers to learn about the methodologies employed in previous studies. This can help in choosing appropriate research methods for the current study and avoiding pitfalls that others may have encountered. 

5. Establishing Credibility: A well-conducted literature review demonstrates the researcher’s familiarity with existing scholarship, establishing their credibility and expertise in the field. It also helps in building a solid foundation for the new research. 

6. Informing Hypotheses or Research Questions: The literature review guides the formulation of hypotheses or research questions by highlighting relevant findings and areas of uncertainty in existing literature. 

Literature review example 

Let’s delve deeper with a literature review example: Let’s say your literature review is about the impact of climate change on biodiversity. You might format your literature review into sections such as the effects of climate change on habitat loss and species extinction, phenological changes, and marine biodiversity. Each section would then summarize and analyze relevant studies in those areas, highlighting key findings and identifying gaps in the research. The review would conclude by emphasizing the need for further research on specific aspects of the relationship between climate change and biodiversity. The following literature review template provides a glimpse into the recommended literature review structure and content, demonstrating how research findings are organized around specific themes within a broader topic. 

Literature Review on Climate Change Impacts on Biodiversity:  

Climate change is a global phenomenon with far-reaching consequences, including significant impacts on biodiversity. This literature review synthesizes key findings from various studies: 

Climate change-induced alterations in temperature and precipitation patterns contribute to habitat loss, affecting numerous species (Thomas et al., 2004). The review discusses how these changes increase the risk of extinction, particularly for species with specific habitat requirements. 

Observations of range shifts and changes in the timing of biological events (phenology) are documented in response to changing climatic conditions (Parmesan & Yohe, 2003). These shifts affect ecosystems and may lead to mismatches between species and their resources. 

The review explores the impact of climate change on marine biodiversity, emphasizing ocean acidification’s threat to coral reefs (Hoegh-Guldberg et al., 2007). Changes in pH levels negatively affect coral calcification, disrupting the delicate balance of marine ecosystems. 

Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the literature review discusses various adaptive strategies adopted by species and conservation efforts aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change on biodiversity (Hannah et al., 2007). It emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary approaches for effective conservation planning. 

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How to write a good literature review 

Writing a literature review involves summarizing and synthesizing existing research on a particular topic. A good literature review format should include the following elements. 

Introduction: The introduction sets the stage for your literature review, providing context and introducing the main focus of your review. 

• Opening Statement: Begin with a general statement about the broader topic and its significance in the field. 
• Scope and Purpose: Clearly define the scope of your literature review. Explain the specific research question or objective you aim to address. 
• Organizational Framework: Briefly outline the structure of your literature review, indicating how you will categorize and discuss the existing research. 
• Significance of the Study: Highlight why your literature review is important and how it contributes to the understanding of the chosen topic. 
• Thesis Statement: Conclude the introduction with a concise thesis statement that outlines the main argument or perspective you will develop in the body of the literature review. 

Body: The body of the literature review is where you provide a comprehensive analysis of existing literature, grouping studies based on themes, methodologies, or other relevant criteria. 

• Organize by Theme or Concept: Group studies that share common themes, concepts, or methodologies. Discuss each theme or concept in detail, summarizing key findings and identifying gaps or areas of disagreement. 
• Critical Analysis: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each study. Discuss the methodologies used, the quality of evidence, and the overall contribution of each work to the understanding of the topic. 
• Synthesis of Findings: Synthesize the information from different studies to highlight trends, patterns, or areas of consensus in the literature. 
• Identification of Gaps: Discuss any gaps or limitations in the existing research and explain how your review contributes to filling these gaps. 
• Transition between Sections: Provide smooth transitions between different themes or concepts to maintain the flow of your literature review. 

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Conclusion: The conclusion of your literature review should summarize the main findings, highlight the contributions of the review, and suggest avenues for future research. 

• Summary of Key Findings: Recap the main findings from the literature and restate how they contribute to your research question or objective. 
• Contributions to the Field: Discuss the overall contribution of your literature review to the existing knowledge in the field. 
• Implications and Applications: Explore the practical implications of the findings and suggest how they might impact future research or practice. 
• Recommendations for Future Research: Identify areas that require further investigation and propose potential directions for future research in the field. 
• Final Thoughts: Conclude with a final reflection on the importance of your literature review and its relevance to the broader academic community. 

Conducting a literature review 

Conducting a literature review is an essential step in research that involves reviewing and analyzing existing literature on a specific topic. It’s important to know how to do a literature review effectively, so here are the steps to follow: 1  

Choose a Topic and Define the Research Question:  

• Select a topic that is relevant to your field of study. 
• Clearly define your research question or objective. Determine what specific aspect of the topic do you want to explore? 

Decide on the Scope of Your Review:  

• Determine the timeframe for your literature review. Are you focusing on recent developments, or do you want a historical overview? 
• Consider the geographical scope. Is your review global, or are you focusing on a specific region? 
• Define the inclusion and exclusion criteria. What types of sources will you include? Are there specific types of studies or publications you will exclude? 

Select Databases for Searches:  

• Identify relevant databases for your field. Examples include PubMed, IEEE Xplore, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. 
• Consider searching in library catalogs, institutional repositories, and specialized databases related to your topic. 

Conduct Searches and Keep Track:  

• Develop a systematic search strategy using keywords, Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT), and other search techniques. 
• Record and document your search strategy for transparency and replicability. 
• Keep track of the articles, including publication details, abstracts, and links. Use citation management tools like EndNote, Zotero, or Mendeley to organize your references. 

Review the Literature:  

• Evaluate the relevance and quality of each source. Consider the methodology, sample size, and results of studies. 
• Organize the literature by themes or key concepts. Identify patterns, trends, and gaps in the existing research. 
• Summarize key findings and arguments from each source. Compare and contrast different perspectives. 
• Identify areas where there is a consensus in the literature and where there are conflicting opinions. 
• Provide critical analysis and synthesis of the literature. What are the strengths and weaknesses of existing research? 

Organize and Write Your Literature Review:  

• Literature review outline should be based on themes, chronological order, or methodological approaches. 
• Write a clear and coherent narrative that synthesizes the information gathered. 
• Use proper citations for each source and ensure consistency in your citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.). 
• Conclude your literature review by summarizing key findings, identifying gaps, and suggesting areas for future research. 

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How to write a literature review faster with Paperpal?  

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Here’s how to use the Research feature:  

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• Review and Save: Paperpal summarizes the information, while citing sources and listing relevant reads. You can quickly scan the results to identify relevant references and save these directly to your built-in citations library for later access. 
• Cite with Confidence: Paperpal makes it easy to incorporate relevant citations and references in 10,000+ styles into your writing, ensuring your arguments are well-supported by credible sources. This translates to a polished, well-researched literature review. 

The literature review sample and detailed advice on writing and conducting a review will help you produce a well-structured report. But remember that a good literature review is an ongoing process, and it may be necessary to revisit and update it as your research progresses. By combining effortless research with an easy citation process, Paperpal Research streamlines the literature review process and empowers you to write faster and with more confidence. Try Paperpal Research now and see for yourself.  

A literature review is a critical and comprehensive analysis of existing literature (published and unpublished works) on a specific topic or research question and provides a synthesis of the current state of knowledge in a particular field. A well-conducted literature review is crucial for researchers to build upon existing knowledge, avoid duplication of efforts, and contribute to the advancement of their field. It also helps researchers situate their work within a broader context and facilitates the development of a sound theoretical and conceptual framework for their studies.

Literature review is a crucial component of research writing, providing a solid background for a research paper’s investigation. The aim is to keep professionals up to date by providing an understanding of ongoing developments within a specific field, including research methods, and experimental techniques used in that field, and present that knowledge in the form of a written report. Also, the depth and breadth of the literature review emphasizes the credibility of the scholar in his or her field.  

Before writing a literature review, it’s essential to undertake several preparatory steps to ensure that your review is well-researched, organized, and focused. This includes choosing a topic of general interest to you and doing exploratory research on that topic, writing an annotated bibliography, and noting major points, especially those that relate to the position you have taken on the topic. 

Literature reviews and academic research papers are essential components of scholarly work but serve different purposes within the academic realm. 3 A literature review aims to provide a foundation for understanding the current state of research on a particular topic, identify gaps or controversies, and lay the groundwork for future research. Therefore, it draws heavily from existing academic sources, including books, journal articles, and other scholarly publications. In contrast, an academic research paper aims to present new knowledge, contribute to the academic discourse, and advance the understanding of a specific research question. Therefore, it involves a mix of existing literature (in the introduction and literature review sections) and original data or findings obtained through research methods. 

Literature reviews are essential components of academic and research papers, and various strategies can be employed to conduct them effectively. If you want to know how to write a literature review for a research paper, here are four common approaches that are often used by researchers.  Chronological Review: This strategy involves organizing the literature based on the chronological order of publication. It helps to trace the development of a topic over time, showing how ideas, theories, and research have evolved.  Thematic Review: Thematic reviews focus on identifying and analyzing themes or topics that cut across different studies. Instead of organizing the literature chronologically, it is grouped by key themes or concepts, allowing for a comprehensive exploration of various aspects of the topic.  Methodological Review: This strategy involves organizing the literature based on the research methods employed in different studies. It helps to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of various methodologies and allows the reader to evaluate the reliability and validity of the research findings.  Theoretical Review: A theoretical review examines the literature based on the theoretical frameworks used in different studies. This approach helps to identify the key theories that have been applied to the topic and assess their contributions to the understanding of the subject.  It’s important to note that these strategies are not mutually exclusive, and a literature review may combine elements of more than one approach. The choice of strategy depends on the research question, the nature of the literature available, and the goals of the review. Additionally, other strategies, such as integrative reviews or systematic reviews, may be employed depending on the specific requirements of the research.

The literature review format can vary depending on the specific publication guidelines. However, there are some common elements and structures that are often followed. Here is a general guideline for the format of a literature review:  Introduction:   Provide an overview of the topic.  Define the scope and purpose of the literature review.  State the research question or objective.  Body:   Organize the literature by themes, concepts, or chronology.  Critically analyze and evaluate each source.  Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the studies.  Highlight any methodological limitations or biases.  Identify patterns, connections, or contradictions in the existing research.  Conclusion:   Summarize the key points discussed in the literature review.  Highlight the research gap.  Address the research question or objective stated in the introduction.  Highlight the contributions of the review and suggest directions for future research.

Both annotated bibliographies and literature reviews involve the examination of scholarly sources. While annotated bibliographies focus on individual sources with brief annotations, literature reviews provide a more in-depth, integrated, and comprehensive analysis of existing literature on a specific topic. The key differences are as follows: 

References 

• Denney, A. S., & Tewksbury, R. (2013). How to write a literature review.  Journal of criminal justice education ,  24 (2), 218-234. 
• Pan, M. L. (2016).  Preparing literature reviews: Qualitative and quantitative approaches . Taylor & Francis. 
• Cantero, C. (2019). How to write a literature review.  San José State University Writing Center . 

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• Literature Review: The What, Why and How-to Guide
• Introduction

Literature Review: The What, Why and How-to Guide — Introduction

• Getting Started
• How to Pick a Topic
• Strategies to Find Sources
• Evaluating Sources & Lit. Reviews
• Tips for Writing Literature Reviews
• Writing Literature Review: Useful Sites
• Citation Resources
• Other Academic Writings

What are Literature Reviews?

So, what is a literature review? "A literature review is an account of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers. In writing the literature review, your purpose is to convey to your reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. As a piece of writing, the literature review must be defined by a guiding concept (e.g., your research objective, the problem or issue you are discussing, or your argumentative thesis). It is not just a descriptive list of the material available, or a set of summaries." Taylor, D.  The literature review: A few tips on conducting it . University of Toronto Health Sciences Writing Centre.

Goals of Literature Reviews

What are the goals of creating a Literature Review?  A literature could be written to accomplish different aims:

• To develop a theory or evaluate an existing theory
• To summarize the historical or existing state of a research topic
• Identify a problem in a field of research 

Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1997). Writing narrative literature reviews .  Review of General Psychology , 1 (3), 311-320.

What kinds of sources require a Literature Review?

• A research paper assigned in a course
• A thesis or dissertation
• A grant proposal
• An article intended for publication in a journal

All these instances require you to collect what has been written about your research topic so that you can demonstrate how your own research sheds new light on the topic.

Types of Literature Reviews

What kinds of literature reviews are written?

Narrative review: The purpose of this type of review is to describe the current state of the research on a specific topic/research and to offer a critical analysis of the literature reviewed. Studies are grouped by research/theoretical categories, and themes and trends, strengths and weakness, and gaps are identified. The review ends with a conclusion section which summarizes the findings regarding the state of the research of the specific study, the gaps identify and if applicable, explains how the author's research will address gaps identify in the review and expand the knowledge on the topic reviewed.

• Example : Predictors and Outcomes of U.S. Quality Maternity Leave: A Review and Conceptual Framework:  10.1177/08948453211037398  

Systematic review : "The authors of a systematic review use a specific procedure to search the research literature, select the studies to include in their review, and critically evaluate the studies they find." (p. 139). Nelson, L. K. (2013). Research in Communication Sciences and Disorders . Plural Publishing.

• Example : The effect of leave policies on increasing fertility: a systematic review:  10.1057/s41599-022-01270-w

Meta-analysis : "Meta-analysis is a method of reviewing research findings in a quantitative fashion by transforming the data from individual studies into what is called an effect size and then pooling and analyzing this information. The basic goal in meta-analysis is to explain why different outcomes have occurred in different studies." (p. 197). Roberts, M. C., & Ilardi, S. S. (2003). Handbook of Research Methods in Clinical Psychology . Blackwell Publishing.

• Example : Employment Instability and Fertility in Europe: A Meta-Analysis:  10.1215/00703370-9164737

Meta-synthesis : "Qualitative meta-synthesis is a type of qualitative study that uses as data the findings from other qualitative studies linked by the same or related topic." (p.312). Zimmer, L. (2006). Qualitative meta-synthesis: A question of dialoguing with texts .  Journal of Advanced Nursing , 53 (3), 311-318.

• Example : Women’s perspectives on career successes and barriers: A qualitative meta-synthesis:  10.1177/05390184221113735

Literature Reviews in the Health Sciences

• UConn Health subject guide on systematic reviews Explanation of the different review types used in health sciences literature as well as tools to help you find the right review type
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• What is a Literature Review? | Guide, Template, & Examples

What is a Literature Review? | Guide, Template, & Examples

Published on 22 February 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on 7 June 2022.

What is a literature review? A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research.

There are five key steps to writing a literature review:

• Search for relevant literature
• Evaluate sources
• Identify themes, debates and gaps
• Outline the structure
• Write your literature review

A good literature review doesn’t just summarise sources – it analyses, synthesises, and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.

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Table of contents

Why write a literature review, examples of literature reviews, step 1: search for relevant literature, step 2: evaluate and select sources, step 3: identify themes, debates and gaps, step 4: outline your literature review’s structure, step 5: write your literature review, frequently asked questions about literature reviews, introduction.

• Quick Run-through
• Step 1 & 2

When you write a dissertation or thesis, you will have to conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge. The literature review gives you a chance to:

• Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and scholarly context
• Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research
• Position yourself in relation to other researchers and theorists
• Show how your dissertation addresses a gap or contributes to a debate

You might also have to write a literature review as a stand-alone assignment. In this case, the purpose is to evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge of scholarly debates around a topic.

The content will look slightly different in each case, but the process of conducting a literature review follows the same steps. We’ve written a step-by-step guide that you can follow below.

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Writing literature reviews can be quite challenging! A good starting point could be to look at some examples, depending on what kind of literature review you’d like to write.

• Example literature review #1: “Why Do People Migrate? A Review of the Theoretical Literature” ( Theoretical literature review about the development of economic migration theory from the 1950s to today.)
• Example literature review #2: “Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines” ( Methodological literature review about interdisciplinary knowledge acquisition and production.)
• Example literature review #3: “The Use of Technology in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Thematic literature review about the effects of technology on language acquisition.)
• Example literature review #4: “Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Chronological literature review about how the concept of listening skills has changed over time.)

You can also check out our templates with literature review examples and sample outlines at the links below.

Download Word doc Download Google doc

Before you begin searching for literature, you need a clearly defined topic .

If you are writing the literature review section of a dissertation or research paper, you will search for literature related to your research objectives and questions .

If you are writing a literature review as a stand-alone assignment, you will have to choose a focus and develop a central question to direct your search. Unlike a dissertation research question, this question has to be answerable without collecting original data. You should be able to answer it based only on a review of existing publications.

Make a list of keywords

Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research topic. Include each of the key concepts or variables you’re interested in, and list any synonyms and related terms. You can add to this list if you discover new keywords in the process of your literature search.

• Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok
• Body image, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health
• Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth

Search for relevant sources

Use your keywords to begin searching for sources. Some databases to search for journals and articles include:

• Your university’s library catalogue
• Google Scholar
• Project Muse (humanities and social sciences)
• Medline (life sciences and biomedicine)
• EconLit (economics)
• Inspec (physics, engineering and computer science)

You can use boolean operators to help narrow down your search:

Read the abstract to find out whether an article is relevant to your question. When you find a useful book or article, you can check the bibliography to find other relevant sources.

To identify the most important publications on your topic, take note of recurring citations. If the same authors, books or articles keep appearing in your reading, make sure to seek them out.

You probably won’t be able to read absolutely everything that has been written on the topic – you’ll have to evaluate which sources are most relevant to your questions.

For each publication, ask yourself:

• What question or problem is the author addressing?
• What are the key concepts and how are they defined?
• What are the key theories, models and methods? Does the research use established frameworks or take an innovative approach?
• What are the results and conclusions of the study?
• How does the publication relate to other literature in the field? Does it confirm, add to, or challenge established knowledge?
• How does the publication contribute to your understanding of the topic? What are its key insights and arguments?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?

Make sure the sources you use are credible, and make sure you read any landmark studies and major theories in your field of research.

You can find out how many times an article has been cited on Google Scholar – a high citation count means the article has been influential in the field, and should certainly be included in your literature review.

The scope of your review will depend on your topic and discipline: in the sciences you usually only review recent literature, but in the humanities you might take a long historical perspective (for example, to trace how a concept has changed in meaning over time).

Remember that you can use our template to summarise and evaluate sources you’re thinking about using!

Take notes and cite your sources

As you read, you should also begin the writing process. Take notes that you can later incorporate into the text of your literature review.

It’s important to keep track of your sources with references to avoid plagiarism . It can be helpful to make an annotated bibliography, where you compile full reference information and write a paragraph of summary and analysis for each source. This helps you remember what you read and saves time later in the process.

You can use our free APA Reference Generator for quick, correct, consistent citations.

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To begin organising your literature review’s argument and structure, you need to understand the connections and relationships between the sources you’ve read. Based on your reading and notes, you can look for:

• Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results): do certain approaches become more or less popular over time?
• Themes: what questions or concepts recur across the literature?
• Debates, conflicts and contradictions: where do sources disagree?
• Pivotal publications: are there any influential theories or studies that changed the direction of the field?
• Gaps: what is missing from the literature? Are there weaknesses that need to be addressed?

This step will help you work out the structure of your literature review and (if applicable) show how your own research will contribute to existing knowledge.

• Most research has focused on young women.
• There is an increasing interest in the visual aspects of social media.
• But there is still a lack of robust research on highly-visual platforms like Instagram and Snapchat – this is a gap that you could address in your own research.

There are various approaches to organising the body of a literature review. You should have a rough idea of your strategy before you start writing.

Depending on the length of your literature review, you can combine several of these strategies (for example, your overall structure might be thematic, but each theme is discussed chronologically).

Chronological

The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time. However, if you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarising sources in order.

Try to analyse patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred.

If you have found some recurring central themes, you can organise your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic.

For example, if you are reviewing literature about inequalities in migrant health outcomes, key themes might include healthcare policy, language barriers, cultural attitudes, legal status, and economic access.

Methodological

If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods , you might want to compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:

• Look at what results have emerged in qualitative versus quantitative research
• Discuss how the topic has been approached by empirical versus theoretical scholarship
• Divide the literature into sociological, historical, and cultural sources

Theoretical

A literature review is often the foundation for a theoretical framework . You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts.

You might argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach, or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.

Like any other academic text, your literature review should have an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion . What you include in each depends on the objective of your literature review.

The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose of the literature review.

If you are writing the literature review as part of your dissertation or thesis, reiterate your central problem or research question and give a brief summary of the scholarly context. You can emphasise the timeliness of the topic (“many recent studies have focused on the problem of x”) or highlight a gap in the literature (“while there has been much research on x, few researchers have taken y into consideration”).

Depending on the length of your literature review, you might want to divide the body into subsections. You can use a subheading for each theme, time period, or methodological approach.

As you write, make sure to follow these tips:

• Summarise and synthesise: give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole.
• Analyse and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other researchers – add your own interpretations, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole.
• Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources.
• Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transitions and topic sentences to draw connections, comparisons and contrasts.

In the conclusion, you should summarise the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasise their significance.

If the literature review is part of your dissertation or thesis, reiterate how your research addresses gaps and contributes new knowledge, or discuss how you have drawn on existing theories and methods to build a framework for your research. This can lead directly into your methodology section.

A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources (such as books, journal articles, and theses) related to a specific topic or research question .

It is often written as part of a dissertation , thesis, research paper , or proposal .

There are several reasons to conduct a literature review at the beginning of a research project:

• To familiarise yourself with the current state of knowledge on your topic
• To ensure that you’re not just repeating what others have already done
• To identify gaps in knowledge and unresolved problems that your research can address
• To develop your theoretical framework and methodology
• To provide an overview of the key findings and debates on the topic

Writing the literature review shows your reader how your work relates to existing research and what new insights it will contribute.

The literature review usually comes near the beginning of your  dissertation . After the introduction , it grounds your research in a scholarly field and leads directly to your theoretical framework or methodology .

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Literature Reviews

• What is a literature review?
• Steps in the Literature Review Process
• Define your research question
• Determine inclusion and exclusion criteria
• Choose databases and search
• Review Results
• Synthesize Results
• Analyze Results
• Librarian Support
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What is a Literature Review?

A literature or narrative review is a comprehensive review and analysis of the published literature on a specific topic or research question. The literature that is reviewed contains: books, articles, academic articles, conference proceedings, association papers, and dissertations. It contains the most pertinent studies and points to important past and current research and practices. It provides background and context, and shows how your research will contribute to the field. 

A literature review should: 

• Provide a comprehensive and updated review of the literature;
• Explain why this review has taken place;
• Articulate a position or hypothesis;
• Acknowledge and account for conflicting and corroborating points of view

From  S age Research Methods

Purpose of a Literature Review

A literature review can be written as an introduction to a study to:

• Demonstrate how a study fills a gap in research
• Compare a study with other research that's been done

Or it can be a separate work (a research article on its own) which:

• Organizes or describes a topic
• Describes variables within a particular issue/problem

Limitations of a Literature Review

Some of the limitations of a literature review are:

• It's a snapshot in time. Unlike other reviews, this one has beginning, a middle and an end. There may be future developments that could make your work less relevant.
• It may be too focused. Some niche studies may miss the bigger picture.
• It can be difficult to be comprehensive. There is no way to make sure all the literature on a topic was considered.
• It is easy to be biased if you stick to top tier journals. There may be other places where people are publishing exemplary research. Look to open access publications and conferences to reflect a more inclusive collection. Also, make sure to include opposing views (and not just supporting evidence).

Source: Grant, Maria J., and Andrew Booth. “A Typology of Reviews: An Analysis of 14 Review Types and Associated Methodologies.” Health Information & Libraries Journal, vol. 26, no. 2, June 2009, pp. 91–108. Wiley Online Library, doi:10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x.

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For help, please contact the librarian for your subject area.  We have a guide to library specialists by subject .

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Literature reviews, what is a literature review, learning more about how to do a literature review.

• Planning the Review
• The Research Question
• Choosing Where to Search
• Organizing the Review
• Writing the Review

A literature review is a review and synthesis of existing research on a topic or research question. A literature review is meant to analyze the scholarly literature, make connections across writings and identify strengths, weaknesses, trends, and missing conversations. A literature review should address different aspects of a topic as it relates to your research question. A literature review goes beyond a description or summary of the literature you have read. 

• Sage Research Methods Core This link opens in a new window SAGE Research Methods supports research at all levels by providing material to guide users through every step of the research process. SAGE Research Methods is the ultimate methods library with more than 1000 books, reference works, journal articles, and instructional videos by world-leading academics from across the social sciences, including the largest collection of qualitative methods books available online from any scholarly publisher. – Publisher

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What is a literature review? [with examples]

What is a literature review?

The purpose of a literature review, how to write a literature review, the format of a literature review, general formatting rules, the length of a literature review, literature review examples, frequently asked questions about literature reviews, related articles.

A literature review is an assessment of the sources in a chosen topic of research.

In a literature review, you’re expected to report on the existing scholarly conversation, without adding new contributions.

If you are currently writing one, you've come to the right place. In the following paragraphs, we will explain:

• the objective of a literature review
• how to write a literature review
• the basic format of a literature review

Tip: It’s not always mandatory to add a literature review in a paper. Theses and dissertations often include them, whereas research papers may not. Make sure to consult with your instructor for exact requirements.

The four main objectives of a literature review are:

• Studying the references of your research area
• Summarizing the main arguments
• Identifying current gaps, stances, and issues
• Presenting all of the above in a text

Ultimately, the main goal of a literature review is to provide the researcher with sufficient knowledge about the topic in question so that they can eventually make an intervention.

The format of a literature review is fairly standard. It includes an:

• introduction that briefly introduces the main topic
• body that includes the main discussion of the key arguments
• conclusion that highlights the gaps and issues of the literature

➡️ Take a look at our guide on how to write a literature review to learn more about how to structure a literature review.

First of all, a literature review should have its own labeled section. You should indicate clearly in the table of contents where the literature can be found, and you should label this section as “Literature Review.”

➡️ For more information on writing a thesis, visit our guide on how to structure a thesis .

There is no set amount of words for a literature review, so the length depends on the research. If you are working with a large amount of sources, it will be long. If your paper does not depend entirely on references, it will be short.

Take a look at these three theses featuring great literature reviews:

• School-Based Speech-Language Pathologist's Perceptions of Sensory Food Aversions in Children [ PDF , see page 20]
• Who's Writing What We Read: Authorship in Criminological Research [ PDF , see page 4]
• A Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experience of Online Instructors of Theological Reflection at Christian Institutions Accredited by the Association of Theological Schools [ PDF , see page 56]

Literature reviews are most commonly found in theses and dissertations. However, you find them in research papers as well.

There is no set amount of words for a literature review, so the length depends on the research. If you are working with a large amount of sources, then it will be long. If your paper does not depend entirely on references, then it will be short.

No. A literature review should have its own independent section. You should indicate clearly in the table of contents where the literature review can be found, and label this section as “Literature Review.”

The main goal of a literature review is to provide the researcher with sufficient knowledge about the topic in question so that they can eventually make an intervention.

What Is A Literature Review?

A plain-language explainer (with examples).

By:  Derek Jansen (MBA) & Kerryn Warren (PhD) | June 2020 (Updated May 2023)

If you’re faced with writing a dissertation or thesis, chances are you’ve encountered the term “literature review” . If you’re on this page, you’re probably not 100% what the literature review is all about. The good news is that you’ve come to the right place.

Literature Review 101

• What (exactly) is a literature review
• What’s the purpose of the literature review chapter
• How to find high-quality resources
• How to structure your literature review chapter
• Example of an actual literature review

What is a literature review?

The word “literature review” can refer to two related things that are part of the broader literature review process. The first is the task of  reviewing the literature  – i.e. sourcing and reading through the existing research relating to your research topic. The second is the  actual chapter  that you write up in your dissertation, thesis or research project. Let’s look at each of them:

Reviewing the literature

The first step of any literature review is to hunt down and  read through the existing research  that’s relevant to your research topic. To do this, you’ll use a combination of tools (we’ll discuss some of these later) to find journal articles, books, ebooks, research reports, dissertations, theses and any other credible sources of information that relate to your topic. You’ll then  summarise and catalogue these  for easy reference when you write up your literature review chapter. 

The literature review chapter

The second step of the literature review is to write the actual literature review chapter (this is usually the second chapter in a typical dissertation or thesis structure ). At the simplest level, the literature review chapter is an  overview of the key literature  that’s relevant to your research topic. This chapter should provide a smooth-flowing discussion of what research has already been done, what is known, what is unknown and what is contested in relation to your research topic. So, you can think of it as an  integrated review of the state of knowledge  around your research topic. 

What’s the purpose of a literature review?

The literature review chapter has a few important functions within your dissertation, thesis or research project. Let’s take a look at these:

Purpose #1 – Demonstrate your topic knowledge

The first function of the literature review chapter is, quite simply, to show the reader (or marker) that you  know what you’re talking about . In other words, a good literature review chapter demonstrates that you’ve read the relevant existing research and understand what’s going on – who’s said what, what’s agreed upon, disagreed upon and so on. This needs to be  more than just a summary  of who said what – it needs to integrate the existing research to  show how it all fits together  and what’s missing (which leads us to purpose #2, next). 

Purpose #2 – Reveal the research gap that you’ll fill

The second function of the literature review chapter is to  show what’s currently missing  from the existing research, to lay the foundation for your own research topic. In other words, your literature review chapter needs to show that there are currently “missing pieces” in terms of the bigger puzzle, and that  your study will fill one of those research gaps . By doing this, you are showing that your research topic is original and will help contribute to the body of knowledge. In other words, the literature review helps justify your research topic.  

Purpose #3 – Lay the foundation for your conceptual framework

The third function of the literature review is to form the  basis for a conceptual framework . Not every research topic will necessarily have a conceptual framework, but if your topic does require one, it needs to be rooted in your literature review. 

For example, let’s say your research aims to identify the drivers of a certain outcome – the factors which contribute to burnout in office workers. In this case, you’d likely develop a conceptual framework which details the potential factors (e.g. long hours, excessive stress, etc), as well as the outcome (burnout). Those factors would need to emerge from the literature review chapter – they can’t just come from your gut! 

So, in this case, the literature review chapter would uncover each of the potential factors (based on previous studies about burnout), which would then be modelled into a framework. 

Purpose #4 – To inform your methodology

The fourth function of the literature review is to  inform the choice of methodology  for your own research. As we’ve  discussed on the Grad Coach blog , your choice of methodology will be heavily influenced by your research aims, objectives and questions . Given that you’ll be reviewing studies covering a topic close to yours, it makes sense that you could learn a lot from their (well-considered) methodologies.

So, when you’re reviewing the literature, you’ll need to  pay close attention to the research design , methodology and methods used in similar studies, and use these to inform your methodology. Quite often, you’ll be able to  “borrow” from previous studies . This is especially true for quantitative studies , as you can use previously tried and tested measures and scales. 

How do I find articles for my literature review?

Finding quality journal articles is essential to crafting a rock-solid literature review. As you probably already know, not all research is created equally, and so you need to make sure that your literature review is  built on credible research . 

We could write an entire post on how to find quality literature (actually, we have ), but a good starting point is Google Scholar . Google Scholar is essentially the academic equivalent of Google, using Google’s powerful search capabilities to find relevant journal articles and reports. It certainly doesn’t cover every possible resource, but it’s a very useful way to get started on your literature review journey, as it will very quickly give you a good indication of what the  most popular pieces of research  are in your field.

One downside of Google Scholar is that it’s merely a search engine – that is, it lists the articles, but oftentimes  it doesn’t host the articles . So you’ll often hit a paywall when clicking through to journal websites. 

Thankfully, your university should provide you with access to their library, so you can find the article titles using Google Scholar and then search for them by name in your university’s online library. Your university may also provide you with access to  ResearchGate , which is another great source for existing research. 

Remember, the correct search keywords will be super important to get the right information from the start. So, pay close attention to the keywords used in the journal articles you read and use those keywords to search for more articles. If you can’t find a spoon in the kitchen, you haven’t looked in the right drawer. 

Need a helping hand?

How should I structure my literature review?

Unfortunately, there’s no generic universal answer for this one. The structure of your literature review will depend largely on your topic area and your research aims and objectives.

You could potentially structure your literature review chapter according to theme, group, variables , chronologically or per concepts in your field of research. We explain the main approaches to structuring your literature review here . You can also download a copy of our free literature review template to help you establish an initial structure.

In general, it’s also a good idea to start wide (i.e. the big-picture-level) and then narrow down, ending your literature review close to your research questions . However, there’s no universal one “right way” to structure your literature review. The most important thing is not to discuss your sources one after the other like a list – as we touched on earlier, your literature review needs to synthesise the research , not summarise it .

Ultimately, you need to craft your literature review so that it conveys the most important information effectively – it needs to tell a logical story in a digestible way. It’s no use starting off with highly technical terms and then only explaining what these terms mean later. Always assume your reader is not a subject matter expert and hold their hand through a journe y of the literature while keeping the functions of the literature review chapter (which we discussed earlier) front of mind.

Example of a literature review

In the video below, we walk you through a high-quality literature review from a dissertation that earned full distinction. This will give you a clearer view of what a strong literature review looks like in practice and hopefully provide some inspiration for your own. 

Wrapping Up

In this post, we’ve (hopefully) answered the question, “ what is a literature review? “. We’ve also considered the purpose and functions of the literature review, as well as how to find literature and how to structure the literature review chapter. If you’re keen to learn more, check out the literature review section of the Grad Coach blog , as well as our detailed video post covering how to write a literature review . 

Psst… there’s more!

This post is an extract from our bestselling short course, Literature Review Bootcamp . If you want to work smart, you don't want to miss this .

16 Comments

Thanks for this review. It narrates what’s not been taught as tutors are always in a early to finish their classes.

Thanks for the kind words, Becky. Good luck with your literature review 🙂

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This is review is amazing. I benefited from it a lot and hope others visiting this website will benefit too.

Timothy T. Chol [email protected]

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This is an amazing talk. I paved way for myself as a researcher. Thank you GradCoach!

Well-presented overview of the literature!

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Literature review.

• What is a Literature Review?
• What is Its Purpose?
• 1. Select a Topic
• 2. Set the Topic in Context
• 3. Types of Information Sources
• 4. Use Information Sources
• 5. Get the Information
• 6. Organize / Manage the Information
• 7. Position the Literature Review
• 8. Write the Literature Review

A literature review is a comprehensive summary of previous research on a topic. The literature review surveys scholarly articles, books, and other sources relevant to a particular area of research.  The review should enumerate, describe, summarize, objectively evaluate and clarify this previous research.  It should give a theoretical base for the research and help you (the author) determine the nature of your research.  The literature review acknowledges the work of previous researchers, and in so doing, assures the reader that your work has been well conceived.  It is assumed that by mentioning a previous work in the field of study, that the author has read, evaluated, and assimiliated that work into the work at hand.

A literature review creates a "landscape" for the reader, giving her or him a full understanding of the developments in the field.  This landscape informs the reader that the author has indeed assimilated all (or the vast majority of) previous, significant works in the field into her or his research. 

 "In writing the literature review, the purpose is to convey to the reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. The literature review must be defined by a guiding concept (eg. your research objective, the problem or issue you are discussing, or your argumentative thesis). It is not just a descriptive list of the material available, or a set of summaries.( http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific-types-of-writing/literature-review )

Recommended Reading

• Next: What is Its Purpose? >>
• Last Updated: Oct 2, 2023 12:34 PM

Research Methods

• Getting Started
• Literature Review Research
• Research Design
• Research Design By Discipline
• SAGE Research Methods
• Teaching with SAGE Research Methods

Literature Review

• What is a Literature Review?
• What is NOT a Literature Review?
• Purposes of a Literature Review
• Types of Literature Reviews
• Literature Reviews vs. Systematic Reviews
• Systematic vs. Meta-Analysis

Literature Review  is a comprehensive survey of the works published in a particular field of study or line of research, usually over a specific period of time, in the form of an in-depth, critical bibliographic essay or annotated list in which attention is drawn to the most significant works.

Also, we can define a literature review as the collected body of scholarly works related to a topic:

• Summarizes and analyzes previous research relevant to a topic
• Includes scholarly books and articles published in academic journals
• Can be an specific scholarly paper or a section in a research paper

The objective of a Literature Review is to find previous published scholarly works relevant to an specific topic

• Help gather ideas or information
• Keep up to date in current trends and findings
• Help develop new questions

A literature review is important because it:

• Explains the background of research on a topic.
• Demonstrates why a topic is significant to a subject area.
• Helps focus your own research questions or problems
• Discovers relationships between research studies/ideas.
• Suggests unexplored ideas or populations
• Identifies major themes, concepts, and researchers on a topic.
• Tests assumptions; may help counter preconceived ideas and remove unconscious bias.
• Identifies critical gaps, points of disagreement, or potentially flawed methodology or theoretical approaches.
• Indicates potential directions for future research.

All content in this section is from Literature Review Research from Old Dominion University 

Keep in mind the following, a literature review is NOT:

Not an essay 

Not an annotated bibliography  in which you summarize each article that you have reviewed.  A literature review goes beyond basic summarizing to focus on the critical analysis of the reviewed works and their relationship to your research question.

Not a research paper   where you select resources to support one side of an issue versus another.  A lit review should explain and consider all sides of an argument in order to avoid bias, and areas of agreement and disagreement should be highlighted.

A literature review serves several purposes. For example, it

• provides thorough knowledge of previous studies; introduces seminal works.
• helps focus one’s own research topic.
• identifies a conceptual framework for one’s own research questions or problems; indicates potential directions for future research.
• suggests previously unused or underused methodologies, designs, quantitative and qualitative strategies.
• identifies gaps in previous studies; identifies flawed methodologies and/or theoretical approaches; avoids replication of mistakes.
• helps the researcher avoid repetition of earlier research.
• suggests unexplored populations.
• determines whether past studies agree or disagree; identifies controversy in the literature.
• tests assumptions; may help counter preconceived ideas and remove unconscious bias.

As Kennedy (2007) notes*, it is important to think of knowledge in a given field as consisting of three layers. First, there are the primary studies that researchers conduct and publish. Second are the reviews of those studies that summarize and offer new interpretations built from and often extending beyond the original studies. Third, there are the perceptions, conclusions, opinion, and interpretations that are shared informally that become part of the lore of field. In composing a literature review, it is important to note that it is often this third layer of knowledge that is cited as "true" even though it often has only a loose relationship to the primary studies and secondary literature reviews.

Given this, while literature reviews are designed to provide an overview and synthesis of pertinent sources you have explored, there are several approaches to how they can be done, depending upon the type of analysis underpinning your study. Listed below are definitions of types of literature reviews:

Argumentative Review      This form examines literature selectively in order to support or refute an argument, deeply imbedded assumption, or philosophical problem already established in the literature. The purpose is to develop a body of literature that establishes a contrarian viewpoint. Given the value-laden nature of some social science research [e.g., educational reform; immigration control], argumentative approaches to analyzing the literature can be a legitimate and important form of discourse. However, note that they can also introduce problems of bias when they are used to to make summary claims of the sort found in systematic reviews.

Integrative Review      Considered a form of research that reviews, critiques, and synthesizes representative literature on a topic in an integrated way such that new frameworks and perspectives on the topic are generated. The body of literature includes all studies that address related or identical hypotheses. A well-done integrative review meets the same standards as primary research in regard to clarity, rigor, and replication.

Historical Review      Few things rest in isolation from historical precedent. Historical reviews are focused on examining research throughout a period of time, often starting with the first time an issue, concept, theory, phenomena emerged in the literature, then tracing its evolution within the scholarship of a discipline. The purpose is to place research in a historical context to show familiarity with state-of-the-art developments and to identify the likely directions for future research.

Methodological Review      A review does not always focus on what someone said [content], but how they said it [method of analysis]. This approach provides a framework of understanding at different levels (i.e. those of theory, substantive fields, research approaches and data collection and analysis techniques), enables researchers to draw on a wide variety of knowledge ranging from the conceptual level to practical documents for use in fieldwork in the areas of ontological and epistemological consideration, quantitative and qualitative integration, sampling, interviewing, data collection and data analysis, and helps highlight many ethical issues which we should be aware of and consider as we go through our study.

Systematic Review      This form consists of an overview of existing evidence pertinent to a clearly formulated research question, which uses pre-specified and standardized methods to identify and critically appraise relevant research, and to collect, report, and analyse data from the studies that are included in the review. Typically it focuses on a very specific empirical question, often posed in a cause-and-effect form, such as "To what extent does A contribute to B?"

Theoretical Review      The purpose of this form is to concretely examine the corpus of theory that has accumulated in regard to an issue, concept, theory, phenomena. The theoretical literature review help establish what theories already exist, the relationships between them, to what degree the existing theories have been investigated, and to develop new hypotheses to be tested. Often this form is used to help establish a lack of appropriate theories or reveal that current theories are inadequate for explaining new or emerging research problems. The unit of analysis can focus on a theoretical concept or a whole theory or framework.

* Kennedy, Mary M. "Defining a Literature."  Educational Researcher  36 (April 2007): 139-147.

All content in this section is from The Literature Review created by Dr. Robert Larabee USC

Robinson, P. and Lowe, J. (2015),  Literature reviews vs systematic reviews.  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 39: 103-103. doi: 10.1111/1753-6405.12393

What's in the name? The difference between a Systematic Review and a Literature Review, and why it matters . By Lynn Kysh from University of Southern California

Systematic review or meta-analysis?

A  systematic review  answers a defined research question by collecting and summarizing all empirical evidence that fits pre-specified eligibility criteria.

A  meta-analysis  is the use of statistical methods to summarize the results of these studies.

Systematic reviews, just like other research articles, can be of varying quality. They are a significant piece of work (the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at York estimates that a team will take 9-24 months), and to be useful to other researchers and practitioners they should have:

• clearly stated objectives with pre-defined eligibility criteria for studies
• explicit, reproducible methodology
• a systematic search that attempts to identify all studies
• assessment of the validity of the findings of the included studies (e.g. risk of bias)
• systematic presentation, and synthesis, of the characteristics and findings of the included studies

Not all systematic reviews contain meta-analysis. 

Meta-analysis is the use of statistical methods to summarize the results of independent studies. By combining information from all relevant studies, meta-analysis can provide more precise estimates of the effects of health care than those derived from the individual studies included within a review.  More information on meta-analyses can be found in  Cochrane Handbook, Chapter 9 .

A meta-analysis goes beyond critique and integration and conducts secondary statistical analysis on the outcomes of similar studies.  It is a systematic review that uses quantitative methods to synthesize and summarize the results.

An advantage of a meta-analysis is the ability to be completely objective in evaluating research findings.  Not all topics, however, have sufficient research evidence to allow a meta-analysis to be conducted.  In that case, an integrative review is an appropriate strategy. 

Some of the content in this section is from Systematic reviews and meta-analyses: step by step guide created by Kate McAllister.

• << Previous: Getting Started
• Next: Research Design >>
• Last Updated: Jul 15, 2024 10:34 AM
• URL: https://guides.lib.udel.edu/researchmethods

How to Write a Literature Review

What is a literature review.

• What Is the Literature
• Writing the Review

A literature review is much more than an annotated bibliography or a list of separate reviews of articles and books. It is a critical, analytical summary and synthesis of the current knowledge of a topic. Thus it should compare and relate different theories, findings, etc, rather than just summarize them individually. In addition, it should have a particular focus or theme to organize the review. It does not have to be an exhaustive account of everything published on the topic, but it should discuss all the significant academic literature and other relevant sources important for that focus.

This is meant to be a general guide to writing a literature review: ways to structure one, what to include, how it supplements other research. For more specific help on writing a review, and especially for help on finding the literature to review, sign up for a Personal Research Session .

The specific organization of a literature review depends on the type and purpose of the review, as well as on the specific field or topic being reviewed. But in general, it is a relatively brief but thorough exploration of past and current work on a topic. Rather than a chronological listing of previous work, though, literature reviews are usually organized thematically, such as different theoretical approaches, methodologies, or specific issues or concepts involved in the topic. A thematic organization makes it much easier to examine contrasting perspectives, theoretical approaches, methodologies, findings, etc, and to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of, and point out any gaps in, previous research. And this is the heart of what a literature review is about. A literature review may offer new interpretations, theoretical approaches, or other ideas; if it is part of a research proposal or report it should demonstrate the relationship of the proposed or reported research to others' work; but whatever else it does, it must provide a critical overview of the current state of research efforts. 

Literature reviews are common and very important in the sciences and social sciences. They are less common and have a less important role in the humanities, but they do have a place, especially stand-alone reviews.

Types of Literature Reviews

There are different types of literature reviews, and different purposes for writing a review, but the most common are:

• Stand-alone literature review articles . These provide an overview and analysis of the current state of research on a topic or question. The goal is to evaluate and compare previous research on a topic to provide an analysis of what is currently known, and also to reveal controversies, weaknesses, and gaps in current work, thus pointing to directions for future research. You can find examples published in any number of academic journals, but there is a series of Annual Reviews of *Subject* which are specifically devoted to literature review articles. Writing a stand-alone review is often an effective way to get a good handle on a topic and to develop ideas for your own research program. For example, contrasting theoretical approaches or conflicting interpretations of findings can be the basis of your research project: can you find evidence supporting one interpretation against another, or can you propose an alternative interpretation that overcomes their limitations?
• Part of a research proposal . This could be a proposal for a PhD dissertation, a senior thesis, or a class project. It could also be a submission for a grant. The literature review, by pointing out the current issues and questions concerning a topic, is a crucial part of demonstrating how your proposed research will contribute to the field, and thus of convincing your thesis committee to allow you to pursue the topic of your interest or a funding agency to pay for your research efforts.
• Part of a research report . When you finish your research and write your thesis or paper to present your findings, it should include a literature review to provide the context to which your work is a contribution. Your report, in addition to detailing the methods, results, etc. of your research, should show how your work relates to others' work.

A literature review for a research report is often a revision of the review for a research proposal, which can be a revision of a stand-alone review. Each revision should be a fairly extensive revision. With the increased knowledge of and experience in the topic as you proceed, your understanding of the topic will increase. Thus, you will be in a better position to analyze and critique the literature. In addition, your focus will change as you proceed in your research. Some areas of the literature you initially reviewed will be marginal or irrelevant for your eventual research, and you will need to explore other areas more thoroughly. 

Examples of Literature Reviews

See the series of Annual Reviews of *Subject* which are specifically devoted to literature review articles to find many examples of stand-alone literature reviews in the biomedical, physical, and social sciences. 

Research report articles vary in how they are organized, but a common general structure is to have sections such as:

• Abstract - Brief summary of the contents of the article
• Introduction - A explanation of the purpose of the study, a statement of the research question(s) the study intends to address
• Literature review - A critical assessment of the work done so far on this topic, to show how the current study relates to what has already been done
• Methods - How the study was carried out (e.g. instruments or equipment, procedures, methods to gather and analyze data)
• Results - What was found in the course of the study
• Discussion - What do the results mean
• Conclusion - State the conclusions and implications of the results, and discuss how it relates to the work reviewed in the literature review; also, point to directions for further work in the area

Here are some articles that illustrate variations on this theme. There is no need to read the entire articles (unless the contents interest you); just quickly browse through to see the sections, and see how each section is introduced and what is contained in them.

The Determinants of Undergraduate Grade Point Average: The Relative Importance of Family Background, High School Resources, and Peer Group Effects , in The Journal of Human Resources , v. 34 no. 2 (Spring 1999), p. 268-293.

This article has a standard breakdown of sections:

• Introduction
• Literature Review
• Some discussion sections

First Encounters of the Bureaucratic Kind: Early Freshman Experiences with a Campus Bureaucracy , in The Journal of Higher Education , v. 67 no. 6 (Nov-Dec 1996), p. 660-691.

This one does not have a section specifically labeled as a "literature review" or "review of the literature," but the first few sections cite a long list of other sources discussing previous research in the area before the authors present their own study they are reporting.

• Next: What Is the Literature >>
• Last Updated: Jan 11, 2024 9:48 AM
• URL: https://libguides.wesleyan.edu/litreview

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Introduction to Literature Reviews

Introduction.

• Step One: Define
• Step Two: Research
• Step Three: Write
• Suggested Readings

A literature review is a written work that :

• Compiles significant research published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers;
• Surveys scholarly articles, books, dissertations, conference proceedings, and other sources;
• Examines contrasting perspectives, theoretical approaches, methodologies, findings, results, conclusions.
• Reviews critically, analyzes, and synthesizes existing research on a topic; and,
• Performs a thorough “re” view, “overview”, or “look again” of past and current works on a subject, issue, or theory.

From these analyses, the writer then offers an overview of the current status of a particular area of knowledge from both a practical and theoretical perspective.

Literature reviews are important because they are usually a  required  step in a thesis proposal (Master's or PhD). The proposal will not be well-supported without a literature review. Also, literature reviews are important because they help you learn important authors and ideas in your field. This is useful for your coursework and your writing. Knowing key authors also helps you become acquainted with other researchers in your field.

Look at this diagram and imagine that your research is the "something new." This shows how your research should relate to major works and other sources.

Olivia Whitfield | Graduate Reference Assistant | 2012-2015

• Next: Step One: Define >>
• Last Updated: Aug 29, 2024 1:55 PM
• URL: https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/literaturereview

• Library Homepage

Literature Review: The What, Why and How-to Guide: Literature Reviews?

• Literature Reviews?
• Strategies to Finding Sources
• Keeping up with Research!
• Evaluating Sources & Literature Reviews
• Organizing for Writing
• Writing Literature Review
• Other Academic Writings

What is a Literature Review?

So, what is a literature review .

"A literature review is an account of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers. In writing the literature review, your purpose is to convey to your reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. As a piece of writing, the literature review must be defined by a guiding concept (e.g., your research objective, the problem or issue you are discussing, or your argumentative thesis). It is not just a descriptive list of the material available or a set of summaries." - Quote from Taylor, D. (n.d)."The Literature Review: A Few Tips on Conducting it".

• Citation: "The Literature Review: A Few Tips on Conducting it"

What kinds of literature reviews are written?

Each field has a particular way to do reviews for academic research literature. In the social sciences and humanities the most common are:

• Narrative Reviews: The purpose of this type of review is to describe the current state of the research on a specific research topic and to offer a critical analysis of the literature reviewed. Studies are grouped by research/theoretical categories, and themes and trends, strengths and weaknesses, and gaps are identified. The review ends with a conclusion section that summarizes the findings regarding the state of the research of the specific study, the gaps identify and if applicable, explains how the author's research will address gaps identify in the review and expand the knowledge on the topic reviewed.
• Book review essays/ Historiographical review essays : A type of literature review typical in History and related fields, e.g., Latin American studies. For example, the Latin American Research Review explains that the purpose of this type of review is to “(1) to familiarize readers with the subject, approach, arguments, and conclusions found in a group of books whose common focus is a historical period; a country or region within Latin America; or a practice, development, or issue of interest to specialists and others; (2) to locate these books within current scholarship, critical methodologies, and approaches; and (3) to probe the relation of these new books to previous work on the subject, especially canonical texts. Unlike individual book reviews, the cluster reviews found in LARR seek to address the state of the field or discipline and not solely the works at issue.” - LARR

What are the Goals of Creating a Literature Review?

• To develop a theory or evaluate an existing theory
• To summarize the historical or existing state of a research topic
• Identify a problem in a field of research 
• Baumeister, R.F. & Leary, M.R. (1997). "Writing narrative literature reviews," Review of General Psychology , 1(3), 311-320.

When do you need to write a Literature Review?

• When writing a prospectus or a thesis/dissertation
• When writing a research paper
• When writing a grant proposal

In all these cases you need to dedicate a chapter in these works to showcase what has been written about your research topic and to point out how your own research will shed new light into a body of scholarship.

Where I can find examples of Literature Reviews?

Note:  In the humanities, even if they don't use the term "literature review", they may have a dedicated  chapter that reviewed the "critical bibliography" or they incorporated that review in the introduction or first chapter of the dissertation, book, or article.

• UCSB electronic theses and dissertations In partnership with the Graduate Division, the UC Santa Barbara Library is making available theses and dissertations produced by UCSB students. Currently included in ADRL are theses and dissertations that were originally filed electronically, starting in 2011. In future phases of ADRL, all theses and dissertations created by UCSB students may be digitized and made available.

Where to Find Standalone Literature Reviews

Literature reviews are also written as standalone articles as a way to survey a particular research topic in-depth. This type of literature review looks at a topic from a historical perspective to see how the understanding of the topic has changed over time. 

• Find e-Journals for Standalone Literature Reviews The best way to get familiar with and to learn how to write literature reviews is by reading them. You can use our Journal Search option to find journals that specialize in publishing literature reviews from major disciplines like anthropology, sociology, etc. Usually these titles are called, "Annual Review of [discipline name] OR [Discipline name] Review. This option works best if you know the title of the publication you are looking for. Below are some examples of these journals! more... less... Journal Search can be found by hovering over the link for Research on the library website.

Social Sciences

• Annual Review of Anthropology
• Annual Review of Political Science
• Annual Review of Sociology
• Ethnic Studies Review

Hard science and health sciences:

• Annual Review of Biomedical Data Science
• Annual Review of Materials Science
• Systematic Review From journal site: "The journal Systematic Reviews encompasses all aspects of the design, conduct, and reporting of systematic reviews" in the health sciences.
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• Steps in Conducting a Literature Review

What is a literature review?

A literature review is an integrated analysis -- not just a summary-- of scholarly writings and other relevant evidence related directly to your research question.  That is, it represents a synthesis of the evidence that provides background information on your topic and shows a association between the evidence and your research question.

A literature review may be a stand alone work or the introduction to a larger research paper, depending on the assignment.  Rely heavily on the guidelines your instructor has given you.

Why is it important?

A literature review is important because it:

• Explains the background of research on a topic.
• Demonstrates why a topic is significant to a subject area.
• Discovers relationships between research studies/ideas.
• Identifies major themes, concepts, and researchers on a topic.
• Identifies critical gaps and points of disagreement.
• Discusses further research questions that logically come out of the previous studies.

APA7 Style resources

APA Style Blog - for those harder to find answers

1. Choose a topic. Define your research question.

Your literature review should be guided by your central research question.  The literature represents background and research developments related to a specific research question, interpreted and analyzed by you in a synthesized way.

• Make sure your research question is not too broad or too narrow.  Is it manageable?
• Begin writing down terms that are related to your question. These will be useful for searches later.
• If you have the opportunity, discuss your topic with your professor and your class mates.

2. Decide on the scope of your review

How many studies do you need to look at? How comprehensive should it be? How many years should it cover? 

• This may depend on your assignment.  How many sources does the assignment require?

3. Select the databases you will use to conduct your searches.

Make a list of the databases you will search. 

Where to find databases:

• use the tabs on this guide
• Find other databases in the Nursing Information Resources web page
• More on the Medical Library web page
• ... and more on the Yale University Library web page

4. Conduct your searches to find the evidence. Keep track of your searches.

• Use the key words in your question, as well as synonyms for those words, as terms in your search. Use the database tutorials for help.
• Save the searches in the databases. This saves time when you want to redo, or modify, the searches. It is also helpful to use as a guide is the searches are not finding any useful results.
• Review the abstracts of research studies carefully. This will save you time.
• Use the bibliographies and references of research studies you find to locate others.
• Check with your professor, or a subject expert in the field, if you are missing any key works in the field.
• Ask your librarian for help at any time.
• Use a citation manager, such as EndNote as the repository for your citations. See the EndNote tutorials for help.

Review the literature

Some questions to help you analyze the research:

• What was the research question of the study you are reviewing? What were the authors trying to discover?
• Was the research funded by a source that could influence the findings?
• What were the research methodologies? Analyze its literature review, the samples and variables used, the results, and the conclusions.
• Does the research seem to be complete? Could it have been conducted more soundly? What further questions does it raise?
• If there are conflicting studies, why do you think that is?
• How are the authors viewed in the field? Has this study been cited? If so, how has it been analyzed?

Tips: 

• Review the abstracts carefully.  
• Keep careful notes so that you may track your thought processes during the research process.
• Create a matrix of the studies for easy analysis, and synthesis, across all of the studies.
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Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper

• 5. The Literature Review
• Purpose of Guide
• Design Flaws to Avoid
• Independent and Dependent Variables
• Glossary of Research Terms
• Reading Research Effectively
• Narrowing a Topic Idea
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A literature review surveys prior research published in books, scholarly articles, and any other sources relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory, and by so doing, provides a description, summary, and critical evaluation of these works in relation to the research problem being investigated. Literature reviews are designed to provide an overview of sources you have used in researching a particular topic and to demonstrate to your readers how your research fits within existing scholarship about the topic.

Fink, Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper . Fourth edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2014.

Importance of a Good Literature Review

A literature review may consist of simply a summary of key sources, but in the social sciences, a literature review usually has an organizational pattern and combines both summary and synthesis, often within specific conceptual categories . A summary is a recap of the important information of the source, but a synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information in a way that informs how you are planning to investigate a research problem. The analytical features of a literature review might:

• Give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old interpretations,
• Trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates,
• Depending on the situation, evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the most pertinent or relevant research, or
• Usually in the conclusion of a literature review, identify where gaps exist in how a problem has been researched to date.

Given this, the purpose of a literature review is to:

• Place each work in the context of its contribution to understanding the research problem being studied.
• Describe the relationship of each work to the others under consideration.
• Identify new ways to interpret prior research.
• Reveal any gaps that exist in the literature.
• Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory previous studies.
• Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort.
• Point the way in fulfilling a need for additional research.
• Locate your own research within the context of existing literature [very important].

Fink, Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2005; Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998; Jesson, Jill. Doing Your Literature Review: Traditional and Systematic Techniques . Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2011; Knopf, Jeffrey W. "Doing a Literature Review." PS: Political Science and Politics 39 (January 2006): 127-132; Ridley, Diana. The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students . 2nd ed. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2012.

Types of Literature Reviews

It is important to think of knowledge in a given field as consisting of three layers. First, there are the primary studies that researchers conduct and publish. Second are the reviews of those studies that summarize and offer new interpretations built from and often extending beyond the primary studies. Third, there are the perceptions, conclusions, opinion, and interpretations that are shared informally among scholars that become part of the body of epistemological traditions within the field.

In composing a literature review, it is important to note that it is often this third layer of knowledge that is cited as "true" even though it often has only a loose relationship to the primary studies and secondary literature reviews. Given this, while literature reviews are designed to provide an overview and synthesis of pertinent sources you have explored, there are a number of approaches you could adopt depending upon the type of analysis underpinning your study.

Argumentative Review This form examines literature selectively in order to support or refute an argument, deeply embedded assumption, or philosophical problem already established in the literature. The purpose is to develop a body of literature that establishes a contrarian viewpoint. Given the value-laden nature of some social science research [e.g., educational reform; immigration control], argumentative approaches to analyzing the literature can be a legitimate and important form of discourse. However, note that they can also introduce problems of bias when they are used to make summary claims of the sort found in systematic reviews [see below].

Integrative Review Considered a form of research that reviews, critiques, and synthesizes representative literature on a topic in an integrated way such that new frameworks and perspectives on the topic are generated. The body of literature includes all studies that address related or identical hypotheses or research problems. A well-done integrative review meets the same standards as primary research in regard to clarity, rigor, and replication. This is the most common form of review in the social sciences.

Historical Review Few things rest in isolation from historical precedent. Historical literature reviews focus on examining research throughout a period of time, often starting with the first time an issue, concept, theory, phenomena emerged in the literature, then tracing its evolution within the scholarship of a discipline. The purpose is to place research in a historical context to show familiarity with state-of-the-art developments and to identify the likely directions for future research.

Methodological Review A review does not always focus on what someone said [findings], but how they came about saying what they say [method of analysis]. Reviewing methods of analysis provides a framework of understanding at different levels [i.e. those of theory, substantive fields, research approaches, and data collection and analysis techniques], how researchers draw upon a wide variety of knowledge ranging from the conceptual level to practical documents for use in fieldwork in the areas of ontological and epistemological consideration, quantitative and qualitative integration, sampling, interviewing, data collection, and data analysis. This approach helps highlight ethical issues which you should be aware of and consider as you go through your own study.

Systematic Review This form consists of an overview of existing evidence pertinent to a clearly formulated research question, which uses pre-specified and standardized methods to identify and critically appraise relevant research, and to collect, report, and analyze data from the studies that are included in the review. The goal is to deliberately document, critically evaluate, and summarize scientifically all of the research about a clearly defined research problem . Typically it focuses on a very specific empirical question, often posed in a cause-and-effect form, such as "To what extent does A contribute to B?" This type of literature review is primarily applied to examining prior research studies in clinical medicine and allied health fields, but it is increasingly being used in the social sciences.

Theoretical Review The purpose of this form is to examine the corpus of theory that has accumulated in regard to an issue, concept, theory, phenomena. The theoretical literature review helps to establish what theories already exist, the relationships between them, to what degree the existing theories have been investigated, and to develop new hypotheses to be tested. Often this form is used to help establish a lack of appropriate theories or reveal that current theories are inadequate for explaining new or emerging research problems. The unit of analysis can focus on a theoretical concept or a whole theory or framework.

NOTE: Most often the literature review will incorporate some combination of types. For example, a review that examines literature supporting or refuting an argument, assumption, or philosophical problem related to the research problem will also need to include writing supported by sources that establish the history of these arguments in the literature.

Baumeister, Roy F. and Mark R. Leary. "Writing Narrative Literature Reviews."  Review of General Psychology 1 (September 1997): 311-320; Mark R. Fink, Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper . 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2005; Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998; Kennedy, Mary M. "Defining a Literature." Educational Researcher 36 (April 2007): 139-147; Petticrew, Mark and Helen Roberts. Systematic Reviews in the Social Sciences: A Practical Guide . Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2006; Torracro, Richard. "Writing Integrative Literature Reviews: Guidelines and Examples." Human Resource Development Review 4 (September 2005): 356-367; Rocco, Tonette S. and Maria S. Plakhotnik. "Literature Reviews, Conceptual Frameworks, and Theoretical Frameworks: Terms, Functions, and Distinctions." Human Ressource Development Review 8 (March 2008): 120-130; Sutton, Anthea. Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review . Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, 2016.

Structure and Writing Style

I.  Thinking About Your Literature Review

The structure of a literature review should include the following in support of understanding the research problem :

• An overview of the subject, issue, or theory under consideration, along with the objectives of the literature review,
• Division of works under review into themes or categories [e.g. works that support a particular position, those against, and those offering alternative approaches entirely],
• An explanation of how each work is similar to and how it varies from the others,
• Conclusions as to which pieces are best considered in their argument, are most convincing of their opinions, and make the greatest contribution to the understanding and development of their area of research.

The critical evaluation of each work should consider :

• Provenance -- what are the author's credentials? Are the author's arguments supported by evidence [e.g. primary historical material, case studies, narratives, statistics, recent scientific findings]?
• Methodology -- were the techniques used to identify, gather, and analyze the data appropriate to addressing the research problem? Was the sample size appropriate? Were the results effectively interpreted and reported?
• Objectivity -- is the author's perspective even-handed or prejudicial? Is contrary data considered or is certain pertinent information ignored to prove the author's point?
• Persuasiveness -- which of the author's theses are most convincing or least convincing?
• Validity -- are the author's arguments and conclusions convincing? Does the work ultimately contribute in any significant way to an understanding of the subject?

II.  Development of the Literature Review

Four Basic Stages of Writing 1.  Problem formulation -- which topic or field is being examined and what are its component issues? 2.  Literature search -- finding materials relevant to the subject being explored. 3.  Data evaluation -- determining which literature makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the topic. 4.  Analysis and interpretation -- discussing the findings and conclusions of pertinent literature.

Consider the following issues before writing the literature review: Clarify If your assignment is not specific about what form your literature review should take, seek clarification from your professor by asking these questions: 1.  Roughly how many sources would be appropriate to include? 2.  What types of sources should I review (books, journal articles, websites; scholarly versus popular sources)? 3.  Should I summarize, synthesize, or critique sources by discussing a common theme or issue? 4.  Should I evaluate the sources in any way beyond evaluating how they relate to understanding the research problem? 5.  Should I provide subheadings and other background information, such as definitions and/or a history? Find Models Use the exercise of reviewing the literature to examine how authors in your discipline or area of interest have composed their literature review sections. Read them to get a sense of the types of themes you might want to look for in your own research or to identify ways to organize your final review. The bibliography or reference section of sources you've already read, such as required readings in the course syllabus, are also excellent entry points into your own research. Narrow the Topic The narrower your topic, the easier it will be to limit the number of sources you need to read in order to obtain a good survey of relevant resources. Your professor will probably not expect you to read everything that's available about the topic, but you'll make the act of reviewing easier if you first limit scope of the research problem. A good strategy is to begin by searching the USC Libraries Catalog for recent books about the topic and review the table of contents for chapters that focuses on specific issues. You can also review the indexes of books to find references to specific issues that can serve as the focus of your research. For example, a book surveying the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may include a chapter on the role Egypt has played in mediating the conflict, or look in the index for the pages where Egypt is mentioned in the text. Consider Whether Your Sources are Current Some disciplines require that you use information that is as current as possible. This is particularly true in disciplines in medicine and the sciences where research conducted becomes obsolete very quickly as new discoveries are made. However, when writing a review in the social sciences, a survey of the history of the literature may be required. In other words, a complete understanding the research problem requires you to deliberately examine how knowledge and perspectives have changed over time. Sort through other current bibliographies or literature reviews in the field to get a sense of what your discipline expects. You can also use this method to explore what is considered by scholars to be a "hot topic" and what is not.

III.  Ways to Organize Your Literature Review

Chronology of Events If your review follows the chronological method, you could write about the materials according to when they were published. This approach should only be followed if a clear path of research building on previous research can be identified and that these trends follow a clear chronological order of development. For example, a literature review that focuses on continuing research about the emergence of German economic power after the fall of the Soviet Union. By Publication Order your sources by publication chronology, then, only if the order demonstrates a more important trend. For instance, you could order a review of literature on environmental studies of brown fields if the progression revealed, for example, a change in the soil collection practices of the researchers who wrote and/or conducted the studies. Thematic [“conceptual categories”] A thematic literature review is the most common approach to summarizing prior research in the social and behavioral sciences. Thematic reviews are organized around a topic or issue, rather than the progression of time, although the progression of time may still be incorporated into a thematic review. For example, a review of the Internet’s impact on American presidential politics could focus on the development of online political satire. While the study focuses on one topic, the Internet’s impact on American presidential politics, it would still be organized chronologically reflecting technological developments in media. The difference in this example between a "chronological" and a "thematic" approach is what is emphasized the most: themes related to the role of the Internet in presidential politics. Note that more authentic thematic reviews tend to break away from chronological order. A review organized in this manner would shift between time periods within each section according to the point being made. Methodological A methodological approach focuses on the methods utilized by the researcher. For the Internet in American presidential politics project, one methodological approach would be to look at cultural differences between the portrayal of American presidents on American, British, and French websites. Or the review might focus on the fundraising impact of the Internet on a particular political party. A methodological scope will influence either the types of documents in the review or the way in which these documents are discussed.

Other Sections of Your Literature Review Once you've decided on the organizational method for your literature review, the sections you need to include in the paper should be easy to figure out because they arise from your organizational strategy. In other words, a chronological review would have subsections for each vital time period; a thematic review would have subtopics based upon factors that relate to the theme or issue. However, sometimes you may need to add additional sections that are necessary for your study, but do not fit in the organizational strategy of the body. What other sections you include in the body is up to you. However, only include what is necessary for the reader to locate your study within the larger scholarship about the research problem.

Here are examples of other sections, usually in the form of a single paragraph, you may need to include depending on the type of review you write:

• Current Situation : Information necessary to understand the current topic or focus of the literature review.
• Sources Used : Describes the methods and resources [e.g., databases] you used to identify the literature you reviewed.
• History : The chronological progression of the field, the research literature, or an idea that is necessary to understand the literature review, if the body of the literature review is not already a chronology.
• Selection Methods : Criteria you used to select (and perhaps exclude) sources in your literature review. For instance, you might explain that your review includes only peer-reviewed [i.e., scholarly] sources.
• Standards : Description of the way in which you present your information.
• Questions for Further Research : What questions about the field has the review sparked? How will you further your research as a result of the review?

IV.  Writing Your Literature Review

Once you've settled on how to organize your literature review, you're ready to write each section. When writing your review, keep in mind these issues.

Use Evidence A literature review section is, in this sense, just like any other academic research paper. Your interpretation of the available sources must be backed up with evidence [citations] that demonstrates that what you are saying is valid. Be Selective Select only the most important points in each source to highlight in the review. The type of information you choose to mention should relate directly to the research problem, whether it is thematic, methodological, or chronological. Related items that provide additional information, but that are not key to understanding the research problem, can be included in a list of further readings . Use Quotes Sparingly Some short quotes are appropriate if you want to emphasize a point, or if what an author stated cannot be easily paraphrased. Sometimes you may need to quote certain terminology that was coined by the author, is not common knowledge, or taken directly from the study. Do not use extensive quotes as a substitute for using your own words in reviewing the literature. Summarize and Synthesize Remember to summarize and synthesize your sources within each thematic paragraph as well as throughout the review. Recapitulate important features of a research study, but then synthesize it by rephrasing the study's significance and relating it to your own work and the work of others. Keep Your Own Voice While the literature review presents others' ideas, your voice [the writer's] should remain front and center. For example, weave references to other sources into what you are writing but maintain your own voice by starting and ending the paragraph with your own ideas and wording. Use Caution When Paraphrasing When paraphrasing a source that is not your own, be sure to represent the author's information or opinions accurately and in your own words. Even when paraphrasing an author’s work, you still must provide a citation to that work.

V.  Common Mistakes to Avoid

These are the most common mistakes made in reviewing social science research literature.

• Sources in your literature review do not clearly relate to the research problem;
• You do not take sufficient time to define and identify the most relevant sources to use in the literature review related to the research problem;
• Relies exclusively on secondary analytical sources rather than including relevant primary research studies or data;
• Uncritically accepts another researcher's findings and interpretations as valid, rather than examining critically all aspects of the research design and analysis;
• Does not describe the search procedures that were used in identifying the literature to review;
• Reports isolated statistical results rather than synthesizing them in chi-squared or meta-analytic methods; and,
• Only includes research that validates assumptions and does not consider contrary findings and alternative interpretations found in the literature.

Cook, Kathleen E. and Elise Murowchick. “Do Literature Review Skills Transfer from One Course to Another?” Psychology Learning and Teaching 13 (March 2014): 3-11; Fink, Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper . 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2005; Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998; Jesson, Jill. Doing Your Literature Review: Traditional and Systematic Techniques . London: SAGE, 2011; Literature Review Handout. Online Writing Center. Liberty University; Literature Reviews. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J. and Rebecca Frels. Seven Steps to a Comprehensive Literature Review: A Multimodal and Cultural Approach . Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2016; Ridley, Diana. The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students . 2nd ed. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2012; Randolph, Justus J. “A Guide to Writing the Dissertation Literature Review." Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation. vol. 14, June 2009; Sutton, Anthea. Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review . Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, 2016; Taylor, Dena. The Literature Review: A Few Tips On Conducting It. University College Writing Centre. University of Toronto; Writing a Literature Review. Academic Skills Centre. University of Canberra.

Writing Tip

Break Out of Your Disciplinary Box!

Thinking interdisciplinarily about a research problem can be a rewarding exercise in applying new ideas, theories, or concepts to an old problem. For example, what might cultural anthropologists say about the continuing conflict in the Middle East? In what ways might geographers view the need for better distribution of social service agencies in large cities than how social workers might study the issue? You don’t want to substitute a thorough review of core research literature in your discipline for studies conducted in other fields of study. However, particularly in the social sciences, thinking about research problems from multiple vectors is a key strategy for finding new solutions to a problem or gaining a new perspective. Consult with a librarian about identifying research databases in other disciplines; almost every field of study has at least one comprehensive database devoted to indexing its research literature.

Frodeman, Robert. The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity . New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.

Another Writing Tip

Don't Just Review for Content!

While conducting a review of the literature, maximize the time you devote to writing this part of your paper by thinking broadly about what you should be looking for and evaluating. Review not just what scholars are saying, but how are they saying it. Some questions to ask:

• How are they organizing their ideas?
• What methods have they used to study the problem?
• What theories have been used to explain, predict, or understand their research problem?
• What sources have they cited to support their conclusions?
• How have they used non-textual elements [e.g., charts, graphs, figures, etc.] to illustrate key points?

When you begin to write your literature review section, you'll be glad you dug deeper into how the research was designed and constructed because it establishes a means for developing more substantial analysis and interpretation of the research problem.

Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1 998.

Yet Another Writing Tip

When Do I Know I Can Stop Looking and Move On?

Here are several strategies you can utilize to assess whether you've thoroughly reviewed the literature:

• Look for repeating patterns in the research findings . If the same thing is being said, just by different people, then this likely demonstrates that the research problem has hit a conceptual dead end. At this point consider: Does your study extend current research?  Does it forge a new path? Or, does is merely add more of the same thing being said?
• Look at sources the authors cite to in their work . If you begin to see the same researchers cited again and again, then this is often an indication that no new ideas have been generated to address the research problem.
• Search Google Scholar to identify who has subsequently cited leading scholars already identified in your literature review [see next sub-tab]. This is called citation tracking and there are a number of sources that can help you identify who has cited whom, particularly scholars from outside of your discipline. Here again, if the same authors are being cited again and again, this may indicate no new literature has been written on the topic.

Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J. and Rebecca Frels. Seven Steps to a Comprehensive Literature Review: A Multimodal and Cultural Approach . Los Angeles, CA: Sage, 2016; Sutton, Anthea. Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review . Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, 2016.

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Literature Reviews

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What is a literature review?

A literature review discusses published information in a particular subject area. Often part of the introduction to an essay, research report or thesis, the literature review is literally a "re" view or "look again" at what has already been written about the topic, wherein the author analyzes a segment of a published body of knowledge through summary, classification, and comparison of prior research studies, reviews of literature, and theoretical articles. Literature reviews provide the reader with a bibliographic history of the scholarly research in any given field of study. As such,  as new information becomes available, literature reviews grow in length or become focused on one specific aspect of the topic.

A literature review can be just a simple summary of the sources, but usually contains an organizational pattern and combines both summary and synthesis. A summary is a recap of the important information of the source, whereas a synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information. The literature review might give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old interpretations. Or it might trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates. Depending on the situation, the literature review may evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the most pertinent or relevant.

A literature review is NOT:

• An annotated bibliography – a list of citations to books, articles and documents that includes a brief description and evaluation for each citation. The annotations inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy and quality of the sources cited.
• A literary review – a critical discussion of the merits and weaknesses of a literary work.
• A book review – a critical discussion of the merits and weaknesses of a particular book.
• Teaching Information Literacy Reframed: 50+ Framework-Based Exercises for Creating Information-Literate Learners
• The UNC Writing Center – Literature Reviews
• The UW-Madison Writing Center: The Writer’s Handbook – Academic and Professional Writing – Learn How to Write a Literature Review

What is the difference between a literature review and a research paper?

The focus of a literature review is to summarize and synthesize the arguments and ideas of others without adding new contributions, whereas academic research papers present and develop new arguments that build upon the previously available body of literature.

How do I write a literature review?

There are many resources that offer step-by-step guidance for writing a literature review, and you can find some of them under Other Resources in the menu to the left. Writing the Literature Review: A Practical Guide suggests these steps:

• Chose a review topic and develop a research question
• Locate and organize research sources
• Select, analyze and annotate sources
• Evaluate research articles and other documents
• Structure and organize the literature review
• Develop arguments and supporting claims
• Synthesize and interpret the literature
• Put it all together

What is the purpose of writing a literature review?

Literature reviews serve as a guide to a particular topic: professionals can use literature reviews to keep current on their field; scholars can determine credibility of the writer in his or her field by analyzing the literature review.

As a writer, you will use the literature review to:

• See what has, and what has not, been investigated about your topic
• Identify data sources that other researches have used
• Learn how others in the field have defined and measured key concepts
• Establish context, or background, for the argument explored in the rest of a paper
• Explain what the strengths and weaknesses of that knowledge and ideas might be
• Contribute to the field by moving research forward
• To keep the writer/reader up to date with current developments in a particular field of study
• Develop alternative research projects
• Put your work in perspective
• Demonstrate your understanding and your ability to critically evaluate research in the field
• Provide evidence that may support your own findings
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Conducting a literature review: why do a literature review, why do a literature review.

• How To Find "The Literature"
• Found it -- Now What?

Besides the obvious reason for students -- because it is assigned! -- a literature review helps you explore the research that has come before you, to see how your research question has (or has not) already been addressed.

You identify:

• core research in the field
• experts in the subject area
• methodology you may want to use (or avoid)
• gaps in knowledge -- or where your research would fit in

It Also Helps You:

• Publish and share your findings
• Justify requests for grants and other funding
• Identify best practices to inform practice
• Set wider context for a program evaluation
• Compile information to support community organizing

Great brief overview, from NCSU

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Literature Reviews

What is a Literature Review?

• Steps for Creating a Literature Review
• Providing Evidence / Critical Analysis
• Challenges when writing a Literature Review
• Systematic Literature Reviews

A literature review is an academic text that surveys, synthesizes, and critically evaluates the existing literature on a specific topic. It is typically required for theses, dissertations, or long reports and  serves several key purposes:

• Surveying the Literature : It involves a comprehensive search and examination of relevant academic books, journal articles, and other sources related to the chosen topic.
• Synthesizing Information : The literature review summarizes and organizes the information found in the literature, often identifying patterns, themes, and gaps in the current knowledge.
• Critical Analysis : It critically analyzes the collected information, highlighting limitations, gaps, and areas of controversy, and suggests directions for future research.
• Establishing Context : It places the current research within the broader context of the field, demonstrating how the new research builds on or diverges from previous studies.

Types of Literature Reviews

Literature reviews can take various forms, including:

• Narrative Reviews : These provide a qualitative summary of the literature and are often used to give a broad overview of a topic. They may be less structured and more subjective, focusing on synthesizing the literature to support a particular viewpoint.
• Systematic Reviews : These are more rigorous and structured, following a specific methodology to identify, evaluate, and synthesize all relevant studies on a particular question. They aim to minimize bias and provide a comprehensive summary of the existing evidence.
• Integrative Reviews : Similar to systematic reviews, but they aim to generate new knowledge by integrating findings from different studies to develop new theories or frameworks.

Importance of Literature Reviews

• Foundation for Research : They provide a solid background for new research projects, helping to justify the research question and methodology.

Identifying Gaps : Literature reviews highlight areas where knowledge is lacking, guiding future research efforts.

• Building Credibility : Demonstrating familiarity with existing research enhances the credibility of the researcher and their work.

In summary, a literature review is a critical component of academic research that helps to frame the current state of knowledge, identify gaps, and provide  a basis for new research.

The research, the body of current literature, and the particular objectives should all influence the structure of a literature review. It is also critical to remember that creating a literature review is an ongoing process - as one reads and analyzes the literature, one's understanding may change, which could require rearranging the literature review.

Paré, G. and Kitsiou, S. (2017) 'Methods for Literature Reviews' , in: Lau, F. and Kuziemsky, C. (eds.)  Handbook of eHealth evaluation: an evidence-based approach . Victoria (BC): University of Victoria.

Perplexity AI (2024) Perplexity AI response to Kathy Neville, 31 July.       

Royal Literary Fund (2024)  The structure of a literature review.  Available at: https://www.rlf.org.uk/resources/the-structure-of-a-literature-review/ (Accessed: 23 July 2024).

Library Services for Undergraduate Research (2024) Literature review: a definition . Available at: https://libguides.wustl.edu/our?p=302677 (Accessed: 31 July 2024).

Further Reading:

Methods for Literature Reviews

Literature Review (The University of Edinburgh)

Literature Reviews (University of Sheffield)

• How to Write a Literature Review Paper? Wee, Bert Van ; Banister, David ISBN: 0144-1647

• Next: Steps for Creating a Literature Review >>
• Last Updated: Sep 4, 2024 11:43 AM
• URL: https://library.lsbu.ac.uk/literaturereviews

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What is a literature review?

A literature review is a critical analysis of the literature related to your research topic. It evaluates and critiques the literature to establish a theoretical framework for your research topic and/or identify a gap in the existing research that your research will address.

A literature review is not a summary of the literature. You need to engage deeply and critically with the literature. Your literature review should show your understanding of the literature related to your research topic and lead to presenting a rationale for your research.

A literature review focuses on:

• the context of the topic
• key concepts, ideas, theories and methodologies
• key researchers, texts and seminal works
• major issues and debates
• identifying conflicting evidence
• the main questions that have been asked around the topic
• the organisation of knowledge on the topic
• definitions, particularly those that are contested
• showing how your research will advance scholarly knowledge (generally referred to as identifying the ‘gap’).

This module will guide you through the functions of a literature review; the typical process of conducting a literature review (including searching for literature and taking notes); structuring your literature review within your thesis and organising its internal ideas; and styling the language of your literature review.

The purposes of a literature review

A literature review serves two main purposes:

1) To show awareness of the present state of knowledge in a particular field, including:

• seminal authors
• the main empirical research
• theoretical positions
• controversies
• breakthroughs as well as links to other related areas of knowledge.

2) To provide a foundation for the author’s research. To do that, the literature review needs to:

• help the researcher define a hypothesis or a research question, and how answering the question will contribute to the body of knowledge;
• provide a rationale for investigating the problem and the selected methodology;
• provide a particular theoretical lens, support the argument, or identify gaps.

Before you engage further with this module, try the quiz below to see how much you already know about literature reviews.

Research and Writing Skills for Academic and Graduate Researchers Copyright © 2022 by RMIT University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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A literature review is a discussion of the literature (aka. the "research" or "scholarship") surrounding a certain topic. A good literature review doesn't simply summarize the existing material, but provides thoughtful synthesis and analysis. The purpose of a literature review is to orient your own work within an existing body of knowledge. A literature review may be written as a standalone piece or be included in a larger body of work.

You can read more about literature reviews, what they entail, and how to write one, using the resources below. 

Am I the only one struggling to write a literature review?

Dr. Zina O'Leary explains the misconceptions and struggles students often have with writing a literature review. She also provides step-by-step guidance on writing a persuasive literature review.

An Introduction to Literature Reviews

Dr. Eric Jensen, Professor of Sociology at the University of Warwick, and Dr. Charles Laurie, Director of Research at Verisk Maplecroft, explain how to write a literature review, and why researchers need to do so. Literature reviews can be stand-alone research or part of a larger project. They communicate the state of academic knowledge on a given topic, specifically detailing what is still unknown.

This is the first video in a whole series about literature reviews. You can find the rest of the series in our SAGE database, Research Methods:

Videos covering research methods and statistics

Identify Themes and Gaps in Literature (with real examples) | Scribbr

Finding connections between sources is key to organizing the arguments and structure of a good literature review. In this video, you'll learn how to identify themes, debates, and gaps between sources, using examples from real papers.

4 Tips for Writing a Literature Review's Intro, Body, and Conclusion | Scribbr

While each review will be unique in its structure--based on both the existing body of both literature and the overall goals of your own paper, dissertation, or research--this video from Scribbr does a good job simplifying the goals of writing a literature review for those who are new to the process. In this video, you’ll learn what to include in each section, as well as 4 tips for the main body illustrated with an example.

• Literature Review This chapter in SAGE's Encyclopedia of Research Design describes the types of literature reviews and scientific standards for conducting literature reviews.
• UNC Writing Center: Literature Reviews This handout from the Writing Center at UNC will explain what literature reviews are and offer insights into the form and construction of literature reviews in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences.
• Purdue OWL: Writing a Literature Review The overview of literature reviews comes from Purdue's Online Writing Lab. It explains the basic why, what, and how of writing a literature review.

Organizational Tools for Literature Reviews

One of the most daunting aspects of writing a literature review is organizing your research. There are a variety of strategies that you can use to help you in this task. We've highlighted just a few ways writers keep track of all that information! You can use a combination of these tools or come up with your own organizational process. The key is choosing something that works with your own learning style.

Citation Managers

Citation managers are great tools, in general, for organizing research, but can be especially helpful when writing a literature review. You can keep all of your research in one place, take notes, and organize your materials into different folders or categories. Read more about citations managers here:

• Manage Citations & Sources

Concept Mapping

Some writers use concept mapping (sometimes called flow or bubble charts or "mind maps") to help them visualize the ways in which the research they found connects.

There is no right or wrong way to make a concept map. There are a variety of online tools that can help you create a concept map or you can simply put pen to paper. To read more about concept mapping, take a look at the following help guides:

• Using Concept Maps From Williams College's guide, Literature Review: A Self-guided Tutorial

Synthesis Matrix

A synthesis matrix is is a chart you can use to help you organize your research into thematic categories. By organizing your research into a matrix, like the examples below, can help you visualize the ways in which your sources connect. 

• Walden University Writing Center: Literature Review Matrix Find a variety of literature review matrix examples and templates from Walden University.
• Writing A Literature Review and Using a Synthesis Matrix An example synthesis matrix created by NC State University Writing and Speaking Tutorial Service Tutors. If you would like a copy of this synthesis matrix in a different format, like a Word document, please ask a librarian. CC-BY-SA 3.0
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Types of Literature Review — A Guide for Researchers

Table of Contents

Researchers often face challenges when choosing the appropriate type of literature review for their study. Regardless of the type of research design and the topic of a research problem , they encounter numerous queries, including:

What is the right type of literature review my study demands?

• How do we gather the data?
• How to conduct one?
• How reliable are the review findings?
• How do we employ them in our research? And the list goes on.

If you’re also dealing with such a hefty questionnaire, this article is of help. Read through this piece of guide to get an exhaustive understanding of the different types of literature reviews and their step-by-step methodologies along with a dash of pros and cons discussed.

Heading from scratch!

What is a Literature Review?

A literature review provides a comprehensive overview of existing knowledge on a particular topic, which is quintessential to any research project. Researchers employ various literature reviews based on their research goals and methodologies. The review process involves assembling, critically evaluating, and synthesizing existing scientific publications relevant to the research question at hand. It serves multiple purposes, including identifying gaps in existing literature, providing theoretical background, and supporting the rationale for a research study.

What is the importance of a Literature review in research?

Literature review in research serves several key purposes, including:

• Background of the study: Provides proper context for the research. It helps researchers understand the historical development, theoretical perspectives, and key debates related to their research topic.
• Identification of research gaps: By reviewing existing literature, researchers can identify gaps or inconsistencies in knowledge, paving the way for new research questions and hypotheses relevant to their study.
• Theoretical framework development: Facilitates the development of theoretical frameworks by cultivating diverse perspectives and empirical findings. It helps researchers refine their conceptualizations and theoretical models.
• Methodological guidance: Offers methodological guidance by highlighting the documented research methods and techniques used in previous studies. It assists researchers in selecting appropriate research designs, data collection methods, and analytical tools.
• Quality assurance and upholding academic integrity: Conducting a thorough literature review demonstrates the rigor and scholarly integrity of the research. It ensures that researchers are aware of relevant studies and can accurately attribute ideas and findings to their original sources.

Types of Literature Review

Literature review plays a crucial role in guiding the research process , from providing the background of the study to research dissemination and contributing to the synthesis of the latest theoretical literature review findings in academia.

However, not all types of literature reviews are the same; they vary in terms of methodology, approach, and purpose. Let's have a look at the various types of literature reviews to gain a deeper understanding of their applications.

1. Narrative Literature Review

A narrative literature review, also known as a traditional literature review, involves analyzing and summarizing existing literature without adhering to a structured methodology. It typically provides a descriptive overview of key concepts, theories, and relevant findings of the research topic.

Unlike other types of literature reviews, narrative reviews reinforce a more traditional approach, emphasizing the interpretation and discussion of the research findings rather than strict adherence to methodological review criteria. It helps researchers explore diverse perspectives and insights based on the research topic and acts as preliminary work for further investigation.

Steps to Conduct a Narrative Literature Review

Source:- https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Steps-of-writing-a-narrative-review_fig1_354466408

Define the research question or topic:

The first step in conducting a narrative literature review is to clearly define the research question or topic of interest. Defining the scope and purpose of the review includes — What specific aspect of the topic do you want to explore? What are the main objectives of the research? Refine your research question based on the specific area you want to explore.

Conduct a thorough literature search

Once the research question is defined, you can conduct a comprehensive literature search. Explore and use relevant databases and search engines like SciSpace Discover to identify credible and pertinent, scholarly articles and publications.

Select relevant studies

Before choosing the right set of studies, it’s vital to determine inclusion (studies that should possess the required factors) and exclusion criteria for the literature and then carefully select papers. For example — Which studies or sources will be included based on relevance, quality, and publication date?

*Important (applies to all the reviews): Inclusion criteria are the factors a study must include (For example: Include only peer-reviewed articles published between 2022-2023, etc.). Exclusion criteria are the factors that wouldn’t be required for your search strategy (Example: exclude irrelevant papers, preprints, written in non-English, etc.)

Critically analyze the literature

Once the relevant studies are shortlisted, evaluate the methodology, findings, and limitations of each source and jot down key themes, patterns, and contradictions. You can use efficient AI tools to conduct a thorough literature review and analyze all the required information.

Synthesize and integrate the findings

Now, you can weave together the reviewed studies, underscoring significant findings such that new frameworks, contrasting viewpoints, and identifying knowledge gaps.

Discussion and conclusion

This is an important step before crafting a narrative review — summarize the main findings of the review and discuss their implications in the relevant field. For example — What are the practical implications for practitioners? What are the directions for future research for them?

Write a cohesive narrative review

Organize the review into coherent sections and structure your review logically, guiding the reader through the research landscape and offering valuable insights. Use clear and concise language to convey key points effectively.

Structure of Narrative Literature Review

A well-structured, narrative analysis or literature review typically includes the following components:

• Introduction: Provides an overview of the topic, objectives of the study, and rationale for the review.
• Background: Highlights relevant background information and establish the context for the review.
• Main Body: Indexes the literature into thematic sections or categories, discussing key findings, methodologies, and theoretical frameworks.
• Discussion: Analyze and synthesize the findings of the reviewed studies, stressing similarities, differences, and any gaps in the literature.
• Conclusion: Summarizes the main findings of the review, identifies implications for future research, and offers concluding remarks.

Pros and Cons of Narrative Literature Review

• Flexibility in methodology and doesn’t necessarily rely on structured methodologies
• Follows traditional approach and provides valuable and contextualized insights
• Suitable for exploring complex or interdisciplinary topics. For example — Climate change and human health, Cybersecurity and privacy in the digital age, and more
• Subjectivity in data selection and interpretation
• Potential for bias in the review process
• Lack of rigor compared to systematic reviews

Example of Well-Executed Narrative Literature Reviews

Paper title:  Examining Moral Injury in Clinical Practice: A Narrative Literature Review

Source: SciSpace

You can also chat with the papers using SciSpace ChatPDF to get a thorough understanding of the research papers.

While narrative reviews offer flexibility, academic integrity remains paramount. So, ensure proper citation of all sources and maintain a transparent and factual approach throughout your critical narrative review, itself.

2. Systematic Review

A systematic literature review is one of the comprehensive types of literature review that follows a structured approach to assembling, analyzing, and synthesizing existing research relevant to a particular topic or question. It involves clearly defined criteria for exploring and choosing studies, as well as rigorous methods for evaluating the quality of relevant studies.

It plays a prominent role in evidence-based practice and decision-making across various domains, including healthcare, social sciences, education, health sciences, and more. By systematically investigating available literature, researchers can identify gaps in knowledge, evaluate the strength of evidence, and report future research directions.

Steps to Conduct Systematic Reviews

Source:- https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Steps-of-Systematic-Literature-Review_fig1_321422320

Here are the key steps involved in conducting a systematic literature review

Formulate a clear and focused research question

Clearly define the research question or objective of the review. It helps to centralize the literature search strategy and determine inclusion criteria for relevant studies.

Develop a thorough literature search strategy

Design a comprehensive search strategy to identify relevant studies. It involves scrutinizing scientific databases and all relevant articles in journals. Plus, seek suggestions from domain experts and review reference lists of relevant review articles.

Screening and selecting studies

Employ predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria to systematically screen the identified studies. This screening process also typically involves multiple reviewers independently assessing the eligibility of each study.

Data extraction

Extract key information from selected studies using standardized forms or protocols. It includes study characteristics, methods, results, and conclusions.

Critical appraisal

Evaluate the methodological quality and potential biases of included studies. Various tools (BMC medical research methodology) and criteria can be implemented for critical evaluation depending on the study design and research quetions .

Data synthesis

Analyze and synthesize review findings from individual studies to draw encompassing conclusions or identify overarching patterns and explore heterogeneity among studies.

Interpretation and conclusion

Interpret the findings about the research question, considering the strengths and limitations of the research evidence. Draw conclusions and implications for further research.

The final step — Report writing

Craft a detailed report of the systematic literature review adhering to the established guidelines of PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). This ensures transparency and reproducibility of the review process.

By following these steps, a systematic literature review aims to provide a comprehensive and unbiased summary of existing evidence, help make informed decisions, and advance knowledge in the respective domain or field.

Structure of a systematic literature review

A well-structured systematic literature review typically consists of the following sections:

• Introduction: Provides background information on the research topic, outlines the review objectives, and enunciates the scope of the study.
• Methodology: Describes the literature search strategy, selection criteria, data extraction process, and other methods used for data synthesis, extraction, or other data analysis..
• Results: Presents the review findings, including a summary of the incorporated studies and their key findings.
• Discussion: Interprets the findings in light of the review objectives, discusses their implications, and identifies limitations or promising areas for future research.
• Conclusion: Summarizes the main review findings and provides suggestions based on the evidence presented in depth meta analysis.

*Important (applies to all the reviews): Remember, the specific structure of your literature review may vary depending on your topic, research question, and intended audience. However, adhering to a clear and logical hierarchy ensures your review effectively analyses and synthesizes knowledge and contributes valuable insights for readers.

Pros and Cons of Systematic Literature Review

• Adopts rigorous and transparent methodology
• Minimizes bias and enhances the reliability of the study
• Provides evidence-based insights
• Time and resource-intensive
• High dependency on the quality of available literature (literature research strategy should be accurate)
• Potential for publication bias

Example of Well-Executed Systematic Literature Review

Paper title: Systematic Reviews: Understanding the Best Evidence For Clinical Decision-making in Health Care: Pros and Cons.

Read this detailed article on how to use AI tools to conduct a systematic review for your research!

3. Scoping Literature Review

A scoping literature review is a methodological review type of literature review that adopts an iterative approach to systematically map the existing literature on a particular topic or research area. It involves identifying, selecting, and synthesizing relevant papers to provide an overview of the size and scope of available evidence. Scoping reviews are broader in scope and include a diverse range of study designs and methodologies especially focused on health services research.

The main purpose of a scoping literature review is to examine the extent, range, and nature of existing studies on a topic, thereby identifying gaps in research, inconsistencies, and areas for further investigation. Additionally, scoping reviews can help researchers identify suitable methodologies and formulate clinical recommendations. They also act as the frameworks for future systematic reviews or primary research studies.

Scoping reviews are primarily focused on —

• Emerging or evolving topics — where the research landscape is still growing or budding. Example — Whole Systems Approaches to Diet and Healthy Weight: A Scoping Review of Reviews .
• Broad and complex topics : With a vast amount of existing literature.
• Scenarios where a systematic review is not feasible: Due to limited resources or time constraints.

Steps to Conduct a Scoping Literature Review

While Scoping reviews are not as rigorous as systematic reviews, however, they still follow a structured approach. Here are the steps:

Identify the research question: Define the broad topic you want to explore.

Identify Relevant Studies: Conduct a comprehensive search of relevant literature using appropriate databases, keywords, and search strategies.

Select studies to be included in the review: Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, determine the appropriate studies to be included in the review.

Data extraction and charting : Extract relevant information from selected studies, such as year, author, main results, study characteristics, key findings, and methodological approaches.  However, it varies depending on the research question.

Collate, summarize, and report the results: Analyze and summarize the extracted data to identify key themes and trends. Then, present the findings of the scoping review in a clear and structured manner, following established guidelines and frameworks .

Structure of a Scoping Literature Review

A scoping literature review typically follows a structured format similar to a systematic review. It includes the following sections:

• Introduction: Introduce the research topic and objectives of the review, providing the historical context, and rationale for the study.
• Methods : Describe the methods used to conduct the review, including search strategies, study selection criteria, and data extraction procedures.
• Results: Present the findings of the review, including key themes, concepts, and patterns identified in the literature review.
• Discussion: Examine the implications of the findings, including strengths, limitations, and areas for further examination.
• Conclusion: Recapitulate the main findings of the review and their implications for future research, policy, or practice.

Pros and Cons of Scoping Literature Review

• Provides a comprehensive overview of existing literature
• Helps to identify gaps and areas for further research
• Suitable for exploring broad or complex research questions
• Doesn’t provide the depth of analysis offered by systematic reviews
• Subject to researcher bias in study selection and data extraction
• Requires careful consideration of literature search strategies and inclusion criteria to ensure comprehensiveness and validity.

In short, a scoping review helps map the literature on developing or emerging topics and identifying gaps. It might be considered as a step before conducting another type of review, such as a systematic review. Basically, acts as a precursor for other literature reviews.

Example of a Well-Executed Scoping Literature Review

Paper title: Health Chatbots in Africa Literature: A Scoping Review

Check out the key differences between Systematic and Scoping reviews — Evaluating literature review: systematic vs. scoping reviews

4. Integrative Literature Review

Integrative Literature Review (ILR) is a type of literature review that proposes a distinctive way to analyze and synthesize existing literature on a specific topic, providing a thorough understanding of research and identifying potential gaps for future research.

Unlike a systematic review, which emphasizes quantitative studies and follows strict inclusion criteria, an ILR embraces a more pliable approach. It works beyond simply summarizing findings — it critically analyzes, integrates, and interprets research from various methodologies (qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods) to provide a deeper understanding of the research landscape. ILRs provide a holistic and systematic overview of existing research, integrating findings from various methodologies. ILRs are ideal for exploring intricate research issues, examining manifold perspectives, and developing new research questions.

Steps to Conduct an Integrative Literature Review

• Identify the research question: Clearly define the research question or topic of interest as formulating a clear and focused research question is critical to leading the entire review process.
• Literature search strategy: Employ systematic search techniques to locate relevant literature across various databases and sources.
• Evaluate the quality of the included studies : Critically assess the methodology, rigor, and validity of each study by applying inclusion and exclusion criteria to filter and select studies aligned with the research objectives.
• Data Extraction: Extract relevant data from selected studies using a structured approach.
• Synthesize the findings : Thoroughly analyze the selected literature, identify key themes, and synthesize findings to derive noteworthy insights.
• Critical appraisal: Critically evaluate the quality and validity of qualitative research and included studies by using BMC medical research methodology.
• Interpret and present your findings: Discuss the purpose and implications of your analysis, spotlighting key insights and limitations. Organize and present the findings coherently and systematically.

Structure of an Integrative Literature Review

• Introduction : Provide an overview of the research topic and the purpose of the integrative review.
• Methods: Describe the opted literature search strategy, selection criteria, and data extraction process.
• Results: Present the synthesized findings, including key themes, patterns, and contradictions.
• Discussion: Interpret the findings about the research question, emphasizing implications for theory, practice, and prospective research.
• Conclusion: Summarize the main findings, limitations, and contributions of the integrative review.

Pros and Cons of Integrative Literature Review

• Informs evidence-based practice and policy to the relevant stakeholders of the research.
• Contributes to theory development and methodological advancement, especially in the healthcare arena.
• Integrates diverse perspectives and findings
• Time-consuming process due to the extensive literature search and synthesis
• Requires advanced analytical and critical thinking skills
• Potential for bias in study selection and interpretation
• The quality of included studies may vary, affecting the validity of the review

Example of Integrative Literature Reviews

Paper Title: An Integrative Literature Review: The Dual Impact of Technological Tools on Health and Technostress Among Older Workers

5. Rapid Literature Review

A Rapid Literature Review (RLR) is the fastest type of literature review which makes use of a streamlined approach for synthesizing literature summaries, offering a quicker and more focused alternative to traditional systematic reviews. Despite employing identical research methods, it often simplifies or omits specific steps to expedite the process. It allows researchers to gain valuable insights into current research trends and identify key findings within a shorter timeframe, often ranging from a few days to a few weeks — unlike traditional literature reviews, which may take months or even years to complete.

When to Consider a Rapid Literature Review?

• When time impediments demand a swift summary of existing research
• For emerging topics where the latest literature requires quick evaluation
• To report pilot studies or preliminary research before embarking on a comprehensive systematic review

Steps to Conduct a Rapid Literature Review

• Define the research question or topic of interest. A well-defined question guides the search process and helps researchers focus on relevant studies.
• Determine key databases and sources of relevant literature to ensure comprehensive coverage.
• Develop literature search strategies using appropriate keywords and filters to fetch a pool of potential scientific articles.
• Screen search results based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria.
• Extract and summarize relevant information from the above-preferred studies.
• Synthesize findings to identify key themes, patterns, or gaps in the literature.
• Prepare a concise report or a summary of the RLR findings.

Structure of a Rapid Literature Review

An effective structure of an RLR typically includes the following sections:

• Introduction: Briefly introduce the research topic and objectives of the RLR.
• Methodology: Describe the search strategy, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and data extraction process.
• Results: Present a summary of the findings, including key themes or patterns identified.
• Discussion: Interpret the findings, discuss implications, and highlight any limitations or areas for further research
• Conclusion: Summarize the key findings and their implications for practice or future research

Pros and Cons of Rapid Literature Review

• RLRs can be completed quickly, authorizing timely decision-making
• RLRs are a cost-effective approach since they require fewer resources compared to traditional literature reviews
• Offers great accessibility as RLRs provide prompt access to synthesized evidence for stakeholders
• RLRs are flexible as they can be easily adapted for various research contexts and objectives
• RLR reports are limited and restricted, not as in-depth as systematic reviews, and do not provide comprehensive coverage of the literature compared to traditional reviews.
• Susceptible to bias because of the expedited nature of RLRs. It would increase the chance of overlooking relevant studies or biases in the selection process.
• Due to time constraints, RLR findings might not be robust enough as compared to systematic reviews.

Example of a Well-Executed Rapid Literature Review

Paper Title: What Is the Impact of ChatGPT on Education? A Rapid Review of the Literature

A Summary of Literature Review Types

Tools and Resources for Conducting Different Types of Literature Reviews

Online scientific databases.

Platforms such as SciSpace , PubMed , Scopus , Elsevier , and Web of Science provide access to a vast array of scholarly literature, facilitating the search and data retrieval process.

Reference management software

Tools like SciSpace Citation Generator , EndNote, Zotero , and Mendeley assist researchers in organizing, annotating, and citing relevant literature, streamlining the review process altogether.

Automate Literature Review with AI tools

Automate the literature review process by using tools like SciSpace literature review which helps you compare and contrast multiple papers all on one screen in an easy-to-read matrix format. You can effortlessly analyze and interpret the review findings tailored to your study. It also supports the review in 75+ languages, making it more manageable even for non-English speakers.

Goes without saying — literature review plays a pivotal role in academic research to identify the current trends and provide insights to pave the way for future research endeavors. Different types of literature review has their own strengths and limitations, making them suitable for different research designs and contexts. Whether conducting a narrative review, systematic review, scoping review, integrative review, or rapid literature review, researchers must cautiously consider the objectives, resources, and the nature of the research topic.

If you’re currently working on a literature review and still adopting a manual and traditional approach, switch to the automated AI literature review workspace and transform your traditional literature review into a rapid one by extracting all the latest and relevant data for your research!

There you go!

Frequently Asked Questions

Narrative reviews give a general overview of a topic based on the author's knowledge. They may lack clear criteria and can be biased. On the other hand, systematic reviews aim to answer specific research questions by following strict methods. They're thorough but time-consuming.

A systematic review collects and analyzes existing research to provide an overview of a topic, while a meta-analysis statistically combines data from multiple studies to draw conclusions about the overall effect of an intervention or relationship between variables.

A systematic review thoroughly analyzes existing research on a specific topic using strict methods. In contrast, a scoping review offers a broader overview of the literature without evaluating individual studies in depth.

A systematic review thoroughly examines existing research using a rigorous process, while a rapid review provides a quicker summary of evidence, often by simplifying some of the systematic review steps to meet shorter timelines.

A systematic review carefully examines many studies on a single topic using specific guidelines. Conversely, an integrative review blends various types of research to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the topic.

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What is a Living Literature Review?

Table of contents.

The number of academic papers doubles every 12 years. This wealth of new knowledge is exciting, but the pace of growth makes keeping up with the latest developments increasingly difficult.

One response to this challenge is “living literature reviews”. At Open Phil, we define a living literature review as a continuously updated online collection of accessible articles that synthesize academic research on a specific topic. These reviews are primarily written by a single expert who is responsible for its quality and accuracy.

Living literature reviews aim to be accessible to readers unfamiliar with a field while maintaining rigor. Unlike news articles that often focus on single, sensational studies, these reviews provide a broader perspective, synthesizing findings from multiple sources. They differ from traditional academic literature reviews by avoiding paywalls, dense jargon, and lengthy formats that pose barriers to non-specialists. Moreover, because they don’t assume familiarity with the assumptions of a field, living literature reviews aim to describe how conclusions were reached, not just what the conclusions are. This transparency allows readers to better understand the research methodology and form their own judgment on the strength of the findings.

Living literature reviews also help readers assess a field by relying on a single individual to provide a consistent voice, perspective, and expert curatorial taste. While these individuals collaborate with other experts in their fields, having one consistent author allows readers to gauge how much they trust the author’s judgment over time.

Finally, living literature reviews leverage digital platforms for hosting and distribution. Websites allow for post-publication corrections and updates, enabling a level of currency that traditional print reviews can’t match. Complementing these, email newsletters and podcasts extend the reach and convenience of learning about academic research.

By making research accessible to a broader audience, living literature reviews can facilitate interdisciplinary connections and inform policy work. They offer insights into work happening in adjacent fields, potentially inspiring collaborations and novel research directions.

Open Philanthropy supports several living literature reviews:

• New Things Under the Sun by Matt Clancy: social science research on science and innovation
• Existential Crunch by Florian Jehn: academic literature on societal collapse
• Some Are Useful by Tom Gebhart: how AI and machine learning are used in different parts of science
• Good Questions Review by Paul Kellner: the relationship between academic research and policy impact

We are now seeking pre-proposals from individuals to write living literature reviews . We are particularly interested in reviews on neglected topics relevant to policymaking. Ideal candidates will have a PhD or equivalent expertise in their proposed area. Our support typically allows authors to dedicate a quarter to a third of their time to the project.

If you’re interested in launching your own living literature review, we encourage you to reach out. For more information on how to submit a pre-proposal, please contact [email protected] .

Privacy Overview

A systematic literature review for load balancing and task scheduling techniques in cloud computing

• Open access
• Published: 05 September 2024
• Volume 57 , article number  276 , ( 2024 )

Cite this article

You have full access to this open access article

• Nisha Devi 1 ,
• Sandeep Dalal 1 ,
• Kamna Solanki 2 ,
• Surjeet Dalal 3 ,
• Umesh Kumar Lilhore 4 ,
• Sarita Simaiya 4 &
• Nasratullah Nuristani 5  

Cloud computing is an emerging technology composed of several key components that work together to create a seamless network of interconnected devices. These interconnected devices, such as sensors, routers, smartphones, and smart appliances, are the foundation of the Internet of Everything (IoE). Huge volumes of data generated by IoE devices are processed and accumulated in the cloud, allowing for real-time analysis and insights. As a result, there is a dire need for load-balancing and task-scheduling techniques in cloud computing. The primary objective of these techniques is to divide the workload evenly across all available resources and handle other issues like reducing execution time and response time, increasing throughput and fault detection. This systematic literature review (SLR) aims to analyze various technologies comprising optimization and machine learning algorithms used for load balancing and task-scheduling problems in a cloud computing environment. To analyze the load-balancing patterns and task-scheduling techniques, we opted for a representative set of 63 research articles written in English from 2014 to 2024 that has been selected using suitable exclusion-inclusion criteria. The SLR aims to minimize bias and increase objectivity by designing research questions about the topic. We have focused on the technologies used, the merits-demerits of diverse technologies, gaps within the research, insights into tools, forthcoming opportunities, performance metrics, and an in-depth investigation into ML-based optimization techniques.

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• Artificial Intelligence

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1 Introduction

The surge in IoT device usage has led to the emergence of cloud computing as a significant research focus. It offers a variety of services in many different application areas, with the highest level of flexibility and scalability. The high growth of information and communication technologies (ICT) has resulted in integrating big data with the IoT, revolutionizing cloud services. Within this transformative framework, cloud computing is pivotal in enabling efficient and scalable solutions for managing big data. Numerous cloud service providers enable organizations to obtain the optimal software, storage, and hardware facilities needed to accomplish their goals at a much more affordable cost. Customers subscribe to the services they require under the cloud computing paradigm and sign a service level agreement (SLA) with the cloud vendor, outlining the quality of service (QoS) and conditions of service provision. Table 1 presents the service control that the various cloud service models offer to end-users. Load balancing is a method that distributes tasks among virtual machines (VMs) using a Virtual Machine Manager (VMM). It assists in handling different types of workloads, such as CPU, network, and memory demands (Buyya 2018 ) (Mishra and Majhi 2020 ). The cloud computing infrastructure has three significant challenges: virtualization, distributed frameworks, and load balancing. The load-balancing problem is defined as the allocation of workloads among the processing modules. In a multi-node environment, it is quite probable that certain nodes will experience excessive workload while others will remain inactive. Load unbalancing is a harmful event for cloud service providers (CSPs), as it diminishes the dependability and effectiveness of computing services while also putting at risk the quality of service (QoS) guaranteed in the service level agreement (SLA) between the customer and the cloud service provider (Oduwole et al. 2022 ). Verma et al. ( 2024 ) introduced a load-balancing methodology, utilizing genetic algorithms (GA), to improve the quality of the telemedicine industry by efficiently adapting to changing workloads and network conditions at the fog level. The flexibility to adapt can enhance patient care and provide scalability for future healthcare systems. Walia et al. ( 2023 ) cover several emerging technologies in their survey, including Software-Defined Networking (SDN), Blockchain, Digital Twins, Industrial IoT (IIoT), 5G, Serverless computing, and quantum computing. These technologies can be incorporated with the current fog/edge-of-things models for improved analysis and provide business intelligence for IoT platforms. Adaptive resource management strategies are necessary for efficient scheduling and decision-offloading due to the infrastructural efficiency of these computing paradigms.

1.1 Need for load balancing, factors affecting and associated challenges

Intelligent Computing Resource Management (ICRM) is rapidly evolving to meet the increasing needs of businesses and sectors, driven by the proliferation of Internet-based technologies, cloud computing, and cyber-physical systems. With the rise of information-intensive applications, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and IoT, intelligent computing monitoring and resource allocation have become crucial (Biswas et al. 2024 ). Cloud data centers typically need to be optimized because they are built to handle hundreds of loads, which could result in low resource utilization and energy waste. The goals of load balancing include reduced job execution times, optimal resource utilization, and high system throughput. Load balancing reduces the overall resource waiting time and avoids resource overload (Apat et al. 2023 ). In terms of the equilibrium load distribution, load balancing between virtual machines (VMs) is an NP-hard problem. The difficulty of this problem can be determined by taking two elements into account: huge solution spaces and polynomial-bounded computing. The load can be characterized as under-load, overloaded, or balanced in a cloud computing environment. Identifying overloaded and under-loaded nodes and then distributing the load across them is critical to load balancing (Santhanakrishnan and Valarmathi 2022 ). With the emergence of technology, many challenges have also ushered in a sequence. These challenges include storage capacity, high processing speed, low latency, fast transmission, load balancing, efficient routing, cost efficiency, etc. Load balancing is a crucial optimisation procedure in cloud computing, and achieving this objective depends on dynamic resource allocation. Some factors that affect load balancing in cloud computing are as follows:

Workload patterns: The variating workload, unpredictable traffic patterns, and heterogeneous applications may affect the efficiency of the cloud system.

Geographical distribution: The cloud data centres are generally located in remote areas that contribute to transmission delays. So, fog computing and edge computing are required to reduce these delays. We must efficiently manage the limited resources of the fog and edge devices.

Cost and budget constraints: Cost considerations have a big impact on load-balancing strategies. It frequently aims to use less expensive resources or minimize idle assets.

The dynamic nature of applications and monitoring necessitates the elasticity and scalability of cloud services. In addition, inadequate monitoring makes it challenging to balance the load.

SLA agreements and breaches: SLA violations are impacted by the services offered by cloud service providers. It is quite necessary to maintain the quality without compromising other factors like throughput, makespan, energy consumption, and cost.

Virtual Machine (VM) Migrations: An increase in the number of VM migrations leads to a decrease in service quality. While VM migration can be beneficial to some extent, its frequency can lead to an increase in time complexity. It takes a lot of time to transfer data from one VM to another, including copying memory pages to the host machine.

Resource availability: Insufficient resources, such as CPU, memory, or bandwidth, limit the load balancing efficiency.

Energy consumption is a critical factor in data centers. Load balancing is very necessary to reduce energy consumption by migrating VMs from overloaded resources to underloaded hosts.

Other factors like fault tolerance, predictive analytics, network latency and data security also affect load balancing in a cloud system. We have divided the technologies reviewed through this SLR into five categories: conventional/traditional, heuristic, meta-heuristic, ML-Centric and Hybrid. Traditional approaches to cloud computing resource allocation and load balancing are time-consuming, unable to yield fast results, and frequently trapped in local optima (Mousavi et al. 2018 ). In different cloud systems, where resource requirements are estimated at runtime, static load balancing algorithms might not be successful. Dynamic load balancing algorithms, like ESCE and Throttled mechanism, analyse resource requirements and usage during runtime, yet they may result in extra costs and overhead. Traditional algorithms often struggle to scale with the size and complexity of problems. Several articles explore traditional task scheduling algorithms, including Min-min, First come-first serve (FCFS), and Shortest-job-first (SJF). These algorithms are not used often due to their slow processing and time-consuming behaviour. To overcome the issue of conventional methods, a heuristic approach came into the area of research. Kumar and Sharma ( 2018 ) propose a resource provisioning and de-provisioning algorithm that outperforms FCFS, SJF, and Min-min in terms of makespan time and task acceptance ratio. However, the priority of tasks is poorly considered, highlighting a limitation in task allocation strategies. Heuristic algorithms demonstrate remarkable scalability. They are highly suitable for handling large-scale optimisation challenges in various industries, including manufacturing, banking, and logistics, due to their efficiency in locating approximate solutions, even in enormous search spaces (Mishra and Majhi 2020 ). Kumar et al. ( 2018 ) presented another heuristic method named ‘Dynamic Load Balancing Algorithm with Elasticity’, showcasing reduced makespan time and increased task completion ratio. Dubey et al. ( 2018 ) introduced a Modified Heterogeneous Earliest Finish Time (HEFT) algorithm, demonstrating improved server workload distribution to reduce makespan time. While promising, both studies lack comprehensive performance evaluations and limitedly address other Quality of Service (QoS) metrics, such as response time and cost efficiency. Hung et al. ( 2019 ) proposed an Improved Max–min algorithm, achieving the lowest completion and optimal response times. It outperformed the conventional RR, max–min and min-min algorithms.

The development of meta-heuristic algorithms aimed to address the shortcomings of heuristic algorithms, which typically produce approximate rather than ideal solutions. Hybrid techniques have gained traction in recent years, combining heuristic, traditional, and machine-learning approaches. Mousavi et al. ( 2018 ) propose a hybrid technique combining Teaching Learning-Based Optimization (TLBO) and Grey Wolf Optimization (GWO), achieving maximized throughput without falling into local optima. Similarly, Behera and Sobhanayak ( 2024 ) propose a hybrid GWO-GA algorithm, outperforming GWO, GA (Rekha and Dakshayini 2019 ), and PSO in terms of makespan, cost, and energy consumption. Further, we have also discussed the cloud and fog architecture and its working principles in the upcoming sections.

1.2 Motivation for the study

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has experienced significant advancement and implementation due to the quick progress and use of artificial intelligence techniques. In Industry 5.0, the hyper-automation process involves the deployment of intelligent devices connected to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), cloud computing, smart robots, agile software, and embedded components. These systems can leverage the Industry 5.0 concept, which generates massive amounts of data for hyper-automated communication across cloud computing, digital transformation, human sectors, intelligent robots, and industrial production. Big data management requires cloud and fog technology (Souri et al. 2024 ). Similarly, telemedicine, facilitated by fog computing, has revolutionized the healthcare industry by providing remote access to medical treatments. However, ensuring minimal latency and effective resource utilization are essential for providing high-quality healthcare (Verma et al. 2024 ). Big data in the industrial sector is crucial for predictive maintenance, enabling informed decisions and enhancing task allocation in Industry 4.0, thus necessitating a proficient resource management system (Teoh et al. 2023 ). The growing demand for load balancing in various industries using cloud/fog services prompted us to contemplate and inspired us to compose an evaluation of the escalating necessity for resource management technologies. This review’s core contribution is to provide insights into innovative algorithms, their weaknesses and strengths, used dataset details, simulation tools, research gaps, and future research directions.

1.3 Objectives of the SLR

After a detailed review of the selected studies, we observe the following objectives:

Systematically categorise and identify different load balancing and task scheduling algorithms used in cloud computing.

To address fundamental research questions, such as the effectiveness of different algorithmic approaches, simulation tools, metrics evaluation, etc.

To analyse trends and patterns in the literature, such as the prevalence of Meta-heuristic, Hybrid, and ML-centric approaches, and identify any shifts or emerging paradigms in algorithm design.

To conduct a comparative analysis of the different algorithm categories, identifying strengths, weaknesses, research limitations and trade-offs between them.

Lay the groundwork for future technological advancements by identifying areas where further research and development are needed.

1.4 Research contributions of the SLR

Through this SLR, we have attempted to contribute the following insights, which are based on authentic, selected study material:

We have examined selected articles to identify the research patterns and technological advancements related to resource load balancing in cloud computing. We have devised research questions and attempted to ascertain their solutions.

Using this SLR, we presented a taxonomy of algorithms that provide solutions to the chosen problem.

We provided an in-depth examination of the limitations and advantages of different strategies, along with a thorough comparison study of the techniques discussed in Table  5 , Table  7 , and Table  8 .

We have discussed the performance metrics related to load balancing and task scheduling in the cloud system. We have also explored the simulation tools that the authors in this field prefer.

We have tabulated some benchmarked datasets (Table  6 ) utilized by various authors to achieve several performance metrics.

Finally, we compiled the research gaps and potential areas for future research.

The paper is structured in nine sections, as shown in Fig.  1 above.

Various sections and subsections of the SLR

2 Methodology of the systematic literature review

This section lays out the components of a systematic literature review, including the search criteria, review methodology, and research questions. This process involves defining research questions or objectives, identifying relevant databases and sources, and systematically searching and screening for eligible studies. The search term constitutes a string encompassing all essential keywords in the research questions and their corresponding synonyms.

2.1 Search criteria and quality assessment:

The keywords utilized to form the search strings are “load balancing”, “task scheduling”, “cloud computing”, and “machine learning.” To extract relevant papers, the below advanced search query was used in Scopus Database:

The various computer science publication libraries were manually searched. The SLR search was conducted using the Scopus database, IEEE Computer Society, ResearchGate, Science Direct, Springer, and ACM Digital Archive.

A total of 550 papers were found initially using the above-mentioned advanced query. Then we applied the Inclusion–exclusion criteria provided in Table  2 . Approximately 122 papers were excluded based on having zero citations or requiring purchase to access. We have incorporated cross-referenced studies to obtain a more comprehensive and quality analysis. We manually chose 35 cross-references from the extracted set that strictly adhered to the search criteria to encompass a broader range of reliable studies. A comprehensive selection of 96 papers was finalised, comprising 63 research articles exclusively considered for the technological survey.

2.2 Inclusion–exclusion criteria

The criterion for accepting or rejecting a research paper for the study is explained in Table  2 below.

Data extraction has been performed to capture key information from each study, such as design, methods or techniques, research limitations, future scope, tools, evaluation metrics, and other significant findings. This captured information was then synthesized and analyzed through a systematic and structured approach and placed in a tabular format to provide insights and draw conclusions about the research questions.

2.3 Research questions:

This study aims to search for answers to the following research issues by investigating, comprehending, and evaluating the methods, models, and algorithms utilized to achieve task scheduling and load balancing.

What are the current load balancing and task scheduling techniques commonly used in cloud computing environments?

What are the key factors influencing the performance of load-balancing mechanisms in cloud computing?

Which evaluation matrices are predominantly utilized for assessing the efficacy of load-balancing techniques in cloud computing environments?

Which categories of algorithms are used more in the recent research trend in the cloud computing environment for solving load balancing issues??

Which simulation software tools have garnered prominence in recent scholarly analyses within the domain of cloud computing research?

What insights do the future perspectives within the reviewed literature offer in terms of potential avenues for exploration and advancement within the field?

This next section explores the working principle and architecture of cloud computing, which consists of fog and IoT application layers.

3 Cloud-fog architecture and relevant frameworks

Cloud architecture represents a centralized infrastructure that broadens the scope of cloud computing functionalities towards the network’s edge. It leverages fog computing, an intermediate layer between cloud servers and end devices, to enable real-time processing, data storage, and analytics closer to the data source. Fog nodes, deployed at the network edge, play the role of mediators linking end devices and the cloud, thus reducing latency and bandwidth consumption. These nodes can be physical or virtual entities, such as routers, switches, gateways, or even edge servers.

3.1 Working principles

The working principles of cloud architecture involve collaboration between cloud servers, fog nodes, and end devices, creating a distributed computing environment. An end device initiates a request, which first passes through the nearest fog node. The fog node performs initial processing, filtering, and aggregation of the data before sending a subset of it to the cloud for further analysis or storage. By offloading some processing tasks to the fog nodes, cloud-fog architecture reduces the burden on the cloud, improves response times, and enhances the overall system performance. During task execution, dynamic cloud load balancing techniques assign tasks to virtual machines and adjust the load on these machines based on the system’s conditions. (Tawfeeg et al. 2022 ). Alatoun et al. ( 2022 ) presented an EEIoMT framework for critical task execution in the shortest time in smart medical services while balancing energy consumption with other tasks. The authors have utilized ECG sensors for health monitoring at home. Similarly, Swarna Priya, et al ( 2020 ) have proposed an energy-efficient framework known as the ‘EECloudIoE framework’ for retrieving information from the IoE cloud network. The authors have adopted the ‘Wind Driven optimization algorithm’ to form clusters of sensor nodes in the IoE network. Then, the Firefly algorithm is utilized to select the ‘cluster head’ (CH) for each cluster. Sensor nodes in sensor networks are also used to track physical events in cases of widely dispersed geographic locations. These nodes assist in gathering crucial data from these sites over extended periods; however, they have problems with low battery power. Therefore, it is essential to implement energy-efficient systems using wireless sensor networks to collect this data. Still, cloud computing has some limitations, such as geographical locations of cloud data centers, network connectivity with end nodes, weather conditions, etc. To overcome these issues, Fog computing emerged as a solution. Fog computing acts as an arbitrator between end devices and Cloud Computing, providing storage, networking, and computation services closer to edge devices. The introduction of Edge Computing has brought about the emergence of various computing paradigms, such as Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) and Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC). The MEC primarily emphasizes a 2- or 3-tier application in the network and mobile devices equipped with contemporary cellular base stations. It improves the efficiency of networks by optimizing content distribution and facilitating the creation of applications (Sabireen and Neelanarayanan 2021 ). Figure  2 shows how the cloud, fog, and IoT layers work in collaboration.

The fog extends the cloud closer to the devices producing data (Swarna Priya, et al 2020 ; Vergara et al. 2023 )

3.2 Cloud computing layer

Cloud computing facilitates virtualization technology, which combines distributed and parallel processes. Using centralized data centers, it transfers computations from off-premises to on-premises. It has become an advanced technology within the swiftly expanding realm of computing paradigms owing to these two principles: (1) ‘Dynamic Provisioning’ and (2) ‘Virtualization Technology’ (Tripathy et al. 2023 ). Dynamic provisioning is a fundamental concept in the realm of cloud computing. It refers to the automated process of allocating and adjusting computing resources to meet the changing needs of cloud-based applications and services. Virtual network embedding is essential to load balancing in cloud computing as it ensures the mapping of virtual network requests onto physical resources in an effective and balanced manner. By effectively embedding virtual networks onto physical machines, load-balancing algorithms can divide network traffic and workload evenly across the network infrastructure, preventing any single resource from becoming overloaded. Virtual network embedding may be utilized with load-balancing strategies like least connections, weighted round-robin, and round-robin to maximize resource usage and network performance (Apat et al. 2023 ; Santhanakrishnan and Valarmathi 2022 ).

3.3 Fog computing layer

Cisco researchers first used the term fog computing in 2012 to address the shortcomings of cloud computing. To offer fast and reliable services to mobile consumers, fog computing enhances their experiences by introducing a middle fog layer between consumers and the cloud. It is an improvement over cloud-based networking and computing services. The architecture of fog computing consists of a fog server as a fog device or fog node deployed in the proximity of IoT devices to provide resources for different applications. As a promising concept, fog computing introduces a decentralized architecture that enhances data processing capabilities at the network’s edge (Goel and Tiwari 2023 ). However, the limited resources in the fog computing model undoubtedly make it difficult to support several services for these Internet of Things applications. A prompt choice must be made regarding load balancing and application placement in the fog layer due to the diverse and ever-changing nature of application requests from IoT devices. Therefore, it is crucial to allocate resources optimally to maintain service continuity for end customers (Vergara et al. 2023 ). Unlike cloud computing, fog utilizes distributed computing with devices near clients with good computing capacity and diverse organizations for global connectivity. Mahmoud et al. ( 2018 ) introduced a new fog-enabled cloud IoT model by observing that cloud IoT is not the best option in situations where energy usage and latency are important considerations, such as the healthcare sector, where patients need to be monitored in real-time without delay. The energy allocation method used to load jobs into a fog device serves as the foundation for the entire concept. Table 3 presents a comparison between the features of cloud and fog computing paradigms.

3.4 IoT applications layer

Cloud-fog architecture finds applications in various domains, including IoT, healthcare (Alatoun et al. 2022 ), transportation, smart cities, and industrial automation (Dogo et al. 2019 ). Healthcare providers can leverage fog nodes for real-time patient monitoring, while industrial automation systems can benefit from edge analytics for predictive maintenance. Telemedicine, smart agriculture and industry 4.0 and 5.0 are other areas that employ IoT applications. Edge computing and cloud computing have given rise to additional computing paradigms such as mobile edge computing (MEC) and mobile cloud computing (MCC). The MEC primarily emphasizes a network architecture that includes a 2- or 3-tier application, and mobile devices equipped with modern wireless base stations. It improves network efficiency, as well as the dissemination of application content (Sabireen and Neelanarayanan 2021 ).

4 Literature review on load balancing (LB) and task scheduling

We have curated a representative collection of 63 research articles for a technology review. The literature review covers the period from 2014 to 2024. The main target of the LB is to spread the workload on available assets and optimize the overall turnaround time. Before 2014, traditional methods such as FCFS, SJF, MIM-min, Max–min, RR, etc., were recognized for their poor processing speeds and time-consuming job scheduling and load balancing systems. Konjaang et al. ( 2018 ) examine the difficulties associated with the conventional Max–Min algorithm and propose the Expa-Max–Min method as a possible solution. The algorithm prioritizes cloudlets with the longest and shortest execution times to schedule them efficiently. The workload can be divided into memory capacity issues, CPU load, and network load. In the meantime, load balancing techniques, with virtual machine management (VMM), are employed in cloud computing to distribute the load among virtual machines (Velpula et al. 2022 ). In 2019, Hung et al. ( 2019 ) introduced an enhanced max–min algorithm called MMSIA. The objective of the MMSIA algorithm is to improve the completion time in cloud computing by utilizing machine learning to cluster requests and optimize the utilization of virtual machines. The system allocates big requests to virtual machines (VMs) with the lowest utilization percentage, improving processing efficiency. The approach integrates supervised learning into the Max–Min scheduling algorithm to enhance clustering efficiency. Kumar et al. ( 2018 ) state that the updated HEFT algorithm creates a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) for all jobs submitted to the cloud. It also assigns computation costs and communication edges across processing resources.

The ordering of tasks is determined by their execution priority, which considers the average time it takes to complete each work on all processors and the expenses associated with communication between predecessor tasks. Subsequently, the tasks are organized in a list according to their decreasing priority and assigned to processors based on the shortest execution time. In the same way, Seth and Singh ( 2019 ) propose the Dynamic Heterogeneous Shortest Job First (DHSJF) model as a solution for work scheduling in cloud computing systems with varying capabilities. The algorithm entails the establishment of a heterogeneous cloud computing environment, the dynamic generation of cloudlet lists, and the analysis of workload and resource heterogeneity to minimize the Makespan. The DHSJF algorithm efficiently schedules dynamic requests to various resources, resulting in optimized utilization of resources. This method overcomes the limitations of the conventional Shortest Job First (SJF) method. A task scheduling process is shown graphically in Fig.  3 .

Working of task scheduling in cloud computing

Another technique that many authors increasingly employ is GWO. The GWO technique correlates the duties of grey wolves with viable solutions for distributing jobs or equalizing workloads inside a network or computing system. The Alpha wolves lead the pack, representing the most optimal solution achieved up to this point. The Alpha receives assistance in decision-making and problem-solving from the Beta and Delta wolves, who represent the second and third most optimal alternatives, respectively. The omega wolves, who stand for the remaining solutions, are inspired by the top three wolves. The algorithm represents the exploration and exploitation stages in pursuing the optimal solution through a repetitive process of encircling, hunting, and attacking the target. In 2020, Farrag et al. ( 2020 ) published a work that examines the application of the Ant-Lion optimizer (ALO) and Grey wolf optimizer (GWO) in job scheduling for Cloud Computing. The objective of ALO and GWO is to optimize the makespan of tasks in cloud systems by effectively dividing the workload. Although ALO and GWO surpass the Firefly Algorithm (FFA) in minimizing makespan, their performance relative to PSO varies depending on the specific conditions. Reddy et al. ( 2022 ) introduced the AVS-PGWO-RDA scheme, which utilizes Probabilistic Grey Wolf optimization (PGWO) in the load balancer unit to find the ideal fitness value for selecting user tasks and allocating resources for tasks with lower complexity and time consumption. The AVS approach is employed to cluster related workloads, and the RDA-based scheduler ultimately assigns these clusters to suitable virtual machines (VMs) in the cloud environment. Similarly, Janakiraman and Priya ( 2023 ) introduced the Hybrid Grey Wolf and Improved Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm with Adaptive Inertial Weight-based multi-dimensional Learning Strategy (HGWIPSOA). This algorithm combines the Grey Wolf Optimization Algorithm (GWOA) with Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) to efficiently assign tasks to Virtual Machines (VMs) and improve the accuracy and speed of task scheduling and resource allocation in cloud environments. The suggested system effectively tackles the limitations of previous LB approaches by preventing premature convergence and enhancing global search capability. As a result, it provides several benefits, including improved throughput, reduced makespan, reduced degree of imbalance, decreased latency, and reduced execution time. The combination of GWO with GA, as demonstrated by Behera and Sobhanayak ( 2024 ), yields superior results. It provides faster convergence and minimum makespan in large task scheduling scenarios.

At the beginning of 2014, metaheuristic and hybrid-metaheuristic algorithms were used to address cloud computing optimization and load-balancing challenges. Zhan et al. ( 2014 ) suggested a load-aware genetic algorithm called LAGA which is a modified version of the genetic algorithm (GA). LAGA employs the TLB model to optimize makespan and load balance, establishing a new fitness function to find suitable schedules that maintain makespan while maintaining load balance. Rekha and Dakshayini ( 2019 ) introduced a task allocation method for cloud environments that utilizes a Genetic Algorithm. The purpose of this strategy is to minimize job completion time and enhance overall performance. The algorithm considers multiple objectives, such as energy consumption and quick responses, to make the best decisions regarding resource allocation. The evaluation findings exhibit superior throughput using the proposed approach, indicating its efficacy in task allocation decision-making. In 2023, Mishra and Majhi ( 2023 ) proposed a hybrid meta-heuristic technique called GAYA, which combines the Genetic Algorithm (GA) and JAYA algorithm. The purpose of this technique is to efficiently schedule dynamically independent biological data. The GAYA algorithm showcases improved abilities in exploiting and exploring, rendering it a highly viable solution for scheduling dynamic medical data in cloud-based systems. Brahmam and Vijay Anand ( 2024 ) developed a model called VMMISD, where they combined a Genetic Algorithm (GA) with Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) for resource allocation. The system also utilizes combined optimization techniques, iterative security protocols, and deep learning algorithms to enhance the efficiency of load balancing during virtual machine migrations. The model employs K K-means clustering, Fuzzy Logic, Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks, and Graph Networks to anticipate workloads, make decisions, and measure the affinity between virtual machines (VMs) and physical machines. Behera and Sobhanayak ( 2024 ) also proposed a hybrid approach that combines the Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO) and Genetic Algorithm (GA). The hybrid GWO-GA algorithm effectively reduces makespan, energy consumption, and computing costs, surpassing conventional algorithms in performance. It exhibits accelerated convergence in extensive scheduling problems, offering an edge over earlier techniques.

The combination of autoscaling and reinforcement learning (RL) has garnered significant attention in recent years due to its ability to allocate resources actively in a calm and focused environment (Joshi et al. 2024 ). Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) is a promising technique that automates the process of predicting workloads. DRL may make immediate decisions on resource allocation based on real-time monitoring of the system’s workload and performance parameters to effectively fulfil the system’s present demands. Ran et al. ( 2019 ) introduced a task-scheduling strategy based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL) in 2019. The working of the DRL-based load balancer is shown in Fig.  4 . This method assigns tasks to various virtual machines (VMs) in a dynamic manner, resulting in a decrease in average response time and ensuring load balancing. The technique is examined on a tower server with specific configurations and software tools. It showcases its efficacy in balancing load across virtual machines (VMs) while adhering to service level agreement (SLA) limits. The approach employs deep reinforcement learning (DRL) and deep deterministic policy gradients (DDPG) networks to create optimal scheduling decisions by learning directly from experience without prior knowledge. In addition, Jyoti and Shrimali ( 2020 ) employed DRL in their research and proposed a technique called Multi-agent ‘Deep Reinforcement Learning-Dynamic Resource Allocation’ (MADRL-DRA) in the Local User Agent (LUA) and Dynamic Optimal Load-Aware Service Broker (DOLASB) in the Global User Agent (GUA) to improve the quality of service (QoS) metrics by allocating resources dynamically. The method demonstrates enhanced performance in terms of execution time, waiting time, energy efficiency, throughput, resource utilization, and makespan when compared to traditional approaches. Tong et al. ( 2021 ) present a new technique for task scheduling using deep reinforcement learning (DRL) that aims to reduce the imbalance of virtual machines (VMs) load and the rate of job rejection while also considering service-level agreement limitations. The proposed DDMTS method exhibits stability and outperforms other algorithms in effectively balancing the Degree of Imbalance (DI) and minimizing job rejection rate. The precise configurations of state, action, and reward in the DDMTS algorithm are essential for its efficacy in resolving task scheduling difficulties using the DQN algorithm.

Working of load balancer in cloud computing

Double Deep Q-learning has been employed to address load-balancing concerns. Swarup et al. ( 2021 ) introduced a method utilizing Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) to address job scheduling in cloud computing. Their approach employs a Clipped Double Deep Q-learning algorithm to minimize computational costs while adhering to resource and deadline constraints. The algorithm employs target network and experience relay techniques to maximize its objective function. The algorithm balances exploration and exploitation by using the e-greedy policy. This policy establishes the approach for selecting actions by considering the trade-off between exploration and exploitation. The system chooses actions randomly for exploration or based on Q-values for exploitation, thus maintaining a balance between attempting new alternatives and utilizing existing ones. In the same way, Kruekaew et al. (Mao et al. ( 2014 ) employ Q-learning to optimize job scheduling and resource utilization. The suggested method, Multi-Objective ABCQ, integrates the Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm with Q-learning to optimize task scheduling, resource utilization, and load balancing in cloud environments. MOABCQ exhibited superior throughput and a higher Average Resource Utilization Ratio (ARUR) than alternative algorithms. Q-learning enhances the efficiency of the ABC algorithm. Figure  5 presents the hybridisation trend of various techniques observed in the literature review.

Hybridization trend of some techniques as observed in SLR

Furthermore, the swarm-based technique known as Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO) is increasingly being adopted by researchers to address challenges related to load balancing in cloud computing. Using PSO, combined with other prominent methods, leads to attaining an ideal solution through extensive investigation and exploration of the search space. Panwar et al. ( 2019 ) introduced a TOPSIS-PSO method designed for non-preemptive task scheduling in cloud systems. The approach tackles task scheduling challenges by employing the TOPSIS method to evaluate tasks according to execution time, transmission time, and cost. Subsequently, optimisation is performed using PSO. The proposed method optimises the Makespan, execution time, transmission time, and cost metrics. In 2020, Agarwal et al. ( 2020 ) introduced a Mutation-based particle swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm to tackle issues such as premature convergence, decreased convergence speed, and being trapped in local optima. The suggested method seeks to minimise performance characteristics such as Makespan time and enhance the fitness function in cloud computing. In 2021, Negi et al. ( 2021 ) introduced a hybrid load-balancing algorithm in cloud computing called CMODLB. This technique combines machine learning and soft computing techniques. The method employs artificial neural networks, fuzzy logic, and clustering techniques to distribute the workload evenly. The system utilises Bayesian optimization-based augmented K-means for virtual machine clustering and the TOP-SIS-PSO method for work scheduling. VM migration decisions are determined with an interval type 2 fuzzy logic system that relies on load conditions. Although these algorithms demonstrated strong performance, they do not consider the specific type of content used by users. Adil et al. ( 2022 ) found that knowledge about the type of content in tasks can significantly enhance scheduling efficiency and reduce the workload on virtual machines (VMs). The PSO-CALBA system categorises user tasks into several content types, such as video, audio, image, and text, using a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier. The categorisation begins by selecting file fragments, which are tasks that consist of diverse file fragments of different content types. The initial classification stage involves utilising the Radial Basis Function (RBF) kernel approach to analyse high-dimensional data, which is a big challenge. Pradhan et al. ( 2022 ) provided a solution for the issue of handling complicated and high-dimensional data in a cloud setting. To address this challenge, they utilised deep reinforcement learning (DRL) and parallel particle swarm optimisation (PSO). The proposed technique synergistically integrates Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO) and Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) to optimise rewards by minimising both makespan time and energy consumption while ensuring high accuracy and fast execution. The algorithm iteratively enhances accuracy, demonstrating superior performance in dynamic environments, and can handle various tasks in cloud environments. Jena et al. ( 2022 ) found that the QMPSO algorithm successfully distributes the workload evenly among virtual machines, resulting in improved makespan, throughput, energy utilisation, and reduced task waiting time. The performance of the hybridisation of modified Particle Swarm Optimisation (MPSO) and improved Q-learning in QMPSO is enhanced by modifying velocity based on the best action generated through Q-learning. The technique employs dynamic resource allocation to distribute tasks among virtual machines (VMs) with varying priorities. This approach aims to minimise task waiting time and maximise VM throughput. This strategy is highly efficient for independent tasks.

Load balancing poses a significant challenge in Fog computing due to limited resources. Talaat et al. ( 2022 ) introduced a method called Effective Dynamic Load Balancing (EDLB) that utilises Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimisation (MPSO) to optimise resource allocation in fog computing environments to maximise resource utilisation. The EDLB system comprises three primary modules: the Fog Resource Monitor (FRM), the CNN-based Classifier (CBC), and the Optimised Dynamic Scheduler (ODS). The FRM system monitors the utilisation of server resources, while the CBC system classifies fog servers. Additionally, the ODS system allocates incoming tasks to the most appropriate server, reducing response time and enhancing resource utilisation. This strategy effectively decreases response time. Comparably, Nabi et al. ( 2022 ) presented an Adaptive Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO)-Based Task Scheduling Approach for Cloud Computing, explicitly emphasising achieving load balance and optimisation. The solution incorporates a technique called Linearly Descending and Adaptive Inertia Weight (LDAIW) to improve the efficiency of job scheduling. The methodology employs a population-based scheduling system that draws inspiration from swarm intelligence. In this technique, particles represent solutions, and their updates are determined by factors such as inertia weight, personal best, and global best. The method can reduce task execution time, increase throughput, and better balance local and global search.

Table 4 gives an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of the state-of-the-art techniques. A comparative analysis of state-of-the-art methods on publicly benchmarked datasets is presented in Table  5 .

4.1 Some essential load balancing metrics:

It is evident that meticulous monitoring and analysis of metrics enhance resource utilization, minimize downtime, and ensure a seamless user experience, ultimately boosting overall system reliability and scalability. Several metrics employed for assessing the balance of loads in the cloud are illustrated in Fig.  6 .

Throughput:  In cloud load balancing, throughput refers to the rate at which a cloud infrastructure can process and serve data or requests. Specifically, it represents the amount of work accomplished within a given time frame, reflecting the efficiency of the system’s ability to handle concurrent user demands. High throughput ensures that data or requests can be processed quickly and reliably, minimising latency and optimising resource utilisation. Throughput (t p ) can be calculated by using the mathematical formula given in Eq. ( 1 ) below:

where n is the number of tasks, and ExT is the execution time of the j th task.

Makespan: Makespan denotes the overall duration needed to finish a specific set of tasks or jobs within a cloud computing environment. Minimum makespan represents the efficiency and performance of the system in handling and processing tasks. It can be calculated with the help of the following formula:

In equation ( 2 ), ExT j is the execution time of the j th virtual machine. A robust and efficient load balancing algorithm has minimum Makespan time.

Response time: Response time is when a user makes a request and when the cloud infrastructure delivers a response. Minimizing response time is crucial to providing a seamless user experience and ensuring optimal performance.

Reliability:  It indicates the system’s ability to effectively handle failures, prevent downtime, and maintain continuous service availability. To detect and mitigate failures promptly, ensure seamless failover mechanisms, and provide continuous and reliable service to users even in the event of disruptions or high load conditions.

Migration time:  Migration time refers to the duration required to transfer workloads or applications from one server or data center to another within the cloud infrastructure. It encompasses the process of migrating virtual machines, containers, or services to optimize resource allocation and handle changes in demand.

Bandwidth:  It represents the capacity or available channel for data communication. It also refers to the maximum data capacity that may be transferred across a network connection within a specific period. Adequate bandwidth is essential for efficient load balancing, as it ensures the smooth and timely flow of data between servers and clients.

Resource utilization:  It refers to the efficient allocation and management of computing resources within a cloud infrastructure to meet the demands of varying workloads. It involves optimizing the utilization of servers, storage, network bandwidth, and other resources to maximize performance and minimize waste. It can be measured with the help of a mathematical formula, as given in Eq. ( 3 ):

Classification of load balancing algorithms

In equation ( 3 ), R es U is the resource utilization of the k th virtual machine (VM); CTjk is the completion time of the j th  job on the k th  VM.

Energy consumption:  It can be defined as the ability of a cloud infrastructure to optimize its power consumption while maintaining optimal performance. It reduces energy consumption by dynamically allocating computing resources and powering down underutilized servers during low-demand periods. By minimizing power usage, cloud load balancing systems contribute to reducing carbon footprints, operational costs, and environmental impact while ensuring sustainable and eco-friendly operations in cloud computing environments.

Fault tolerance: A system can continue functioning uninterrupted in the presence of failures or errors. It involves designing load-balancing algorithms and mechanisms that can withstand and recover from various faults, such as server failures, network outages, or traffic spikes (Tawfeeg et al. 2022 ).

4.2 Taxonomy of load balancing algorithms and challenges associated with them

Mishra and Majhi ( 2020 ) have categorized the load balancing algorithms into four broad classes: Traditional, Heuristic, Meta-heuristic, and Hybrid. The authors have also explained the subcategories of meta-heuristic and hybrid algorithms based on their nature. Tawfeeg et al. ( 2022 ) have discussed three main categories of load-balancing algorithms, namely static, dynamic, and hybrid. Tripathy et al. ( 2023 ) mentioned in their review that the load-balancing algorithm based on their environment is generally classified into three main classes: static, dynamic, and nature-inspired. In this systematic review paper, we have tried to include the maximum range of algorithms by covering all the categories and sub-categories. Figure  6 represents all categories of load-balancing algorithms (Table  6 ).

Traditional Algorithms: Traditional algorithms are mainly classified into preemptive and non-preemptive. Preemptive means to forcefully stop an ongoing execution to serve a higher-priority task. After the completion of the execution of a higher-priority job, the preempted job is resumed. The priority of the task can be internal or external. Traditional algorithms commonly employed for load balancing include Round Robin (RR), Weighted Round Robin, Least Connection, and Weighted Least Connection. Round Robin assigns requests cyclically to each server, ensuring an equal distribution. Weighted Round Robin provides scalability by considering server weights and allocating a proportionate number of requests to each server based on its capabilities and performance (Praditha, et al. 2023 ). The Least connection (LC) algorithm assigns requests to the server with the fewest active connections, promoting load distribution efficiency. The Weighted Least Connection (WLC) enhances the previous algorithm by considering server weights. It assigns requests to servers with the least active connections, scaling the distribution based on server capabilities. Preemptive scheduling algorithms include round-robin and priority-based. Non-preemptive algorithms include Shortest Job First (SJF) and First Come First Serve (FCFS).

Heuristic-based Algorithms: Heuristic algorithms are problem-solving techniques that rely on practical rules, intuition, and experience rather than precise mathematical models. These are used to find approximate solutions in a reasonable amount of time. The heuristic algorithms aim to distribute workload efficiently among cloud and fog nodes. Compared to hybrid and meta-heuristic algorithms, heuristic algorithms are relatively straightforward and have reduced computational complexity. They often provide reasonable solutions but lack guarantees of optimality. There are two types of heuristic techniques: static and dynamic. When a task’s estimated completion time is known, the static heuristic is used. When tasks arrive dynamically, a dynamic heuristic can be applied. Algorithms like Min-min, Max-min (Mao et al. 2014 ), RASA, Modified Heterogeneous Earliest Finish Time (HEFT) (Dubey et al. 2018 ), Improved Max-min (Hung et al. 2019 ) and DHSJF (Seth and Singh 2019 ) are the prominent examples of the heuristic category.

Meta-heuristic based algorithms: Meta-heuristic algorithms are good at finding a global solution without falling into local optima. A meta-heuristic algorithm is a problem-solving technique that guides the search process by iteratively refining potential solutions. It is used to find approximate solutions for complex optimization problems, especially in cloud computing, where traditional algorithms often struggle due to the inherent complexity and dynamic nature of the environment. A particular meta-heuristic algorithm that has proven effective in cloud computing is the Genetic Algorithm (GA) (Rekha and Dakshayini 2019 ). GA mimics the process of natural selection, evolving a population of solutions to find strong candidates. By employing genetic operators like selection, crossover, and mutation, GA explores the solution space intelligently, adapting to changing conditions and providing near-optimal solutions for resource allocation, task scheduling, and load balancing in cloud computing environments. Other examples from the reviewed literature are GWO (Reddy et al. 2022 ), ACO (Dhaya and Kanthavel 2022 ), TBSLB PSO (Ramezani et al. 2014 ), TOPSIS-PSO (Konjaang et al. 2018 ), and Modified BAT (Latchoumi and Parthiban 2022 ). When two meta-heuristic methods are combined the new method is a hybrid meta-heuristic. An example of a hybrid metaheuristic is Ant Colony Optimization with Particle Swarm (ACOPS) (Cho et al. 2015 ).

Hybrid based algorithms: The hybrid algorithms integrate the advantages of centralized and distributed load-balancing algorithms to achieve better performance and scalability. It leverages the centralized approach to monitor and collect real-time information about the system’s state, workload, and resource availability (Geetha et al. 2024 ). Simultaneously, it incorporates distributed load-balancing techniques to efficiently divide the workload among fog nodes. This hybrid approach enhances the overall load-balancing efficiency, reduces network congestion, and improves the system’s response time. By dynamically adapting to changing workload patterns and resource availability, the hybrid algorithm ensures optimal resource utilization and enhances user satisfaction. A hybrid method that combines the Genetic Algorithm (GA) and the Grey Wolf Optimization Algorithm (GWO) is proposed by Behera and Sobhanayak ( 2024 ). The hybrid GWO-GA algorithm minimizes cost, energy usage, and Makespan. Similarly, other examples from the literature review are GAYA (Mishra and Majhi 2023 ), VMMSID (Brahmam and Vijay Anand 2024 ), DTSO-TS (Ledmi et al. 2024 ), etc.

ML-Centric algorithms: These algorithms combine machine learning facilities with existing algorithms to automate the function. This is one of the latest approaches in the research area and has proven to be the best way to deal with real-time-based scenarios. To address the challenges of load balancing, researchers have been increasingly focusing on machine-learning-centric algorithms. ML-based algorithms offer promising results in load balancing by dynamically allocating tasks based on workload characteristics and resource availability. These algorithms leverage ML techniques such as reinforcement learning, deep learning, and clustering to intelligently predict and allocate the workload across cloud fog computing environments. ML-centric algorithms deliver improved performance, reduced response time, and enhanced resource utilization by continuously learning from historical data and adapting to changing conditions. Furthermore, these algorithms also consider energy consumption and network traffic factors, ensuring a holistic load-balancing approach (Muchori and Peter 2022 ). Examples of ML-centric algorithms from reviewed literature are DRL (Ran et al. 2019 ), MADRL-DRA (Jyoti and Shrimali 2020 ), TS-DT (Mahmoud et al. 2022 ), FF-NWRDLB (Prabhakara et al. 2023 ) etc.

Table 7 provides a comprehensive overview of recent load balancing and task scheduling algorithms, presenting information on the technology proposed, comparing technologies, research limitations, results, tools used, and potential future directions. Additionally, Table  8 outlines the evaluation metrics, advantages/disadvantages of the technologies reviewed, and objectives of the study.

5 Applications areas of load balancing in cloud and fog computing

There are various areas of applications where load balancing is very crucial. The healthcare sector is one area where efficient resource utilization and load balancing are highly desirable. According to Mahmoud et al. ( 2018 ), Fog computing integrated with IoT-based healthcare architecture improves latency, energy consumption, mobility, and Quality of Service, enabling efficient healthcare services regardless of location. Fog-enabled Cloud-of-Things (CoT) system models with energy-aware allocation strategies result in more energy-efficient operations, which are crucial for healthcare applications sensitive to delays and energy consumption. Yong et al. ( 2016 ) propose a dynamic load balancing approach using SDN technology in a cloud data center, enabling real-time monitoring of service node flow and load state, as well as global resource assignment for uneven system load distribution. Dogo et al. ( 2019 ) introduced a mist computing system for better connectivity and resource utilization of smart cities and industries. According to the authors, Mist computing enables smart cities to intelligently adapt to dynamic events and changes, enhancing urban operations. Mist computing is more suitable for realizing smart city solutions where streets adapt to different conditions, promoting energy conservation and efficient operations. Similarly, Sharif et al. ( 2023 ) presented a paper that discusses the rapid growth of IoT devices and applications, emphasizing the need for efficient task scheduling and resource allocation in edge computing for health surveillance systems. The proposed Priority-based Task Scheduling and Resource Allocation (PTS-RA) mechanism aims to manage emergency conditions efficiently, meeting latency-sensitive tasks’ requirements with reduced bandwidth cost. On the same track, Aqeel, et al. ( 2023 ) proposed a CHROA model that can be utilized for energy-efficient and intelligent load balancing in cloud-enabled IoT environments, particularly in healthcare, where real-time applications generate large volumes of data. Sah Tyagi et al. ( 2021 ) presented a neural network-based resource allocation model for an energy-efficient WSN-based smart Agri-IoT framework. The model improves dynamic clustering and optimizes cluster size. The approach combines the use of BPNN (Backpropagation Neural Network), APSO (Adaptive Particle Swarm Optimization), and BNN (Binary Neural Network) to accomplish the effective allocation of agricultural resources. This integration showcases notable progress in cooperative networking and overall optimization of resources . In the same manner, Dhaya and Kanthavel ( 2022 ) emphasize the importance of energy efficiency in agriculture, and the challenges in resource allocation, and introduce a novel algorithm ‘Naive Multi-Phase Resource Allocation Algorithm’ to enhance energy efficiency and optimize agricultural resources effectively in a dynamic environment. In this way, there are several application areas where load balancing and resource scheduling is crucial. In future, transportation, industry 4.0 and 5.0, IoT network systems, Smart cities, smart agriculture, and healthcare systems will be hotspots for research on load balancing. The following are the areas where resource allocation and utilization are critical, and where cloud service utilization is highest:

Telemedicine (Verma et al. 2024 )

Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0 (Teoh et al. 2023 )

Healthcare system (Talaat et al. 2022 )

Agriculture (Agri-IoT) (Dhaya and Kanthavel 2022 ; Sah Tyagi et al. 2021 )

Real-time monitoring services (Yong et al. 2016 )

Smart cities (Alam 2021 )

Digital twining (Zhou et al. 2022 ; Adibi et al. 2024 )

Smart business and analytics (Nag et al. 2022 )

E-commerce (Sugan and Isaac Sajan 2024 )

6 Research queries and inferences

After a detailed literature review, the answers to the research questions have been inferred successfully without any bias or by adding views from researchers. Below, the inferences drawn are given in the form of answers:

We elucidate the answers to the research questions below to provide a thorough understanding based on the examination of existing material.

Q1. What load balancing and task scheduling techniques are commonly used in cloud computing environments?

This SLR divides the current techniques into five categories: traditional, heuristic, meta-heuristic, ML-centric, and hybrid. We employed the content analysis method to determine the category of each technique used in the literature study, as shown in Table  7 . From the literature review, it has been inferred that hybrid, meta-heuristic and ML-centric algorithms/techniques are researchers’ favourite choices for solving load-balancing issues in a cloud computing system. The percentage-wise utilization of various techniques is depicted in Fig.  7 . In the future, ML/DL-based load-balancing algorithms will be the hotspot for researchers as there is an emerging trend of hybridising ML-centric approaches with existing ones.

Percentage-wise utilisation of various categories of load balancing algorithm from 2014 to 2024 based on SLR

7 What are the key factors influencing the performance of load-balancing mechanisms in cloud computing?

The performance of load balancing in the cloud is influenced by several aspects, including the availability of resources such as CPU, memory, storage, and network bandwidth, the nature of the workload, network latency, the load balancer algorithm, and the health of the server as well as fault detection and tolerance. The selection of the load balancing algorithm can significantly influence performance, as different algorithms vary in complexity and efficiency, affecting how resources are distributed. In cases of server overload or issues, the load balancer must be able to identify these problems and redirect traffic to other servers to maintain optimal performance.

Q3. Which evaluation matrices are predominantly utilized for assessing the efficacy of load-balancing techniques in cloud computing environments?

The utilization trend of various metrics over the period 2014–2024 is shown graphically in Fig.  8 . We have employed the frequency analysis method to determine the year-wise utilization of each performance metric. Table 8 provides an in-depth analysis of the performance metrics attained in every study. The year-wise categorization of each metric is shown in Table  9 . The metrics most frequently used to gauge load balancing in cloud computing environments are Makespan, resource utilization (RU), Degree of Imbalance (DI), cost efficiency, throughput, and execution time. Evaluation metrics like fault tolerance, QoS, reliability and migration rate require additional attention without compromising other factors. The row named ‘other’ in Table  9 includes parameters like convergence speed, network longevity, fitness function, packet loss ratio, success rate, task scheduling efficiency, scalability, clustering phase duration, standard deviation of load, accuracy, precision and time complexity.

The analysis of performance metrics used in load balancing based on SLR

Q4. Which categories of algorithms have been used more in recent research trends in the cloud computing environment for solving load-balancing issues?

According to Fig.  9 , it is inferred that the researchers prefer using hybrid algorithms for addressing load balancing and task scheduling problems in cloud computing. This preference arises because hybrid algorithms combine the functionalities of various algorithms, resulting in a precise and multi-objective solution to task scheduling and load-balancing challenges. During the period 2014, a heuristic approach was commonly used, but meta-heuristic approaches later replaced it. By 2022, the hybrid approach had become the dominant method. Interestingly, many of these hybrid techniques incorporate machine learning techniques to combine with other optimization methods.

Year-wise utilisation trend of various techniques used in load balancing

Q5. Which simulation software tools have garnered prominence in recent scholarly analyses within the domain of cloud computing research?

Figure  10 shows that 51% of the researchers use the CloudSim tool for simulation purposes, followed by Python with 11%. We have employed the frequency analysis method to quantify and compare the utilization of different simulation tools within each study. According to the literature review, the CloudSim simulation tool is the first choice of researchers, with 51% utilization and has been used more in the last few years. It allows users to model and simulate cloud computing infrastructure, resource provisioning policies, and application scheduling algorithms. The CloudSim simulation tool is an external framework that is available for download and can be imported into various programming software options like Eclipse, NetBeans IDE, Maven, etc. To simulate the cloud computing environment, the CloudSim toolkit has been explicitly integrated with NetBeans IDE 8.2 and Windows 10 as operating systems (Vergara et al. 2023 ).

Analysis of simulation tools based on SLR

Q6. What insights do the future perspectives within the reviewed literature offer in terms of potential avenues for exploration and advancement within the field?

According to this article, the future directions of this field focus on developing more advanced algorithms that harness the potential of machine learning and deep learning, enabling enhanced energy efficiency and overall system performance in cloud computing environments. Real-time monitoring and automation of systems using the AI approach are also hot topics to explore in future research. The future scopes recorded during the literature review are shown in Table  7 .

All the responses in this study are deduced and documented based on the above literature review. It is important to note that these responses are impartial and not generated by the researchers.

8 Statistical analysis

The SLR attempts a bibliographic analysis to understand the development and present condition of research in various domains and investigates the dissemination of scholarly materials, which can unveil both dominant patterns and possible deficiencies within the academic body of work. We used the Scopus academic database to collect important information based on the keywords “load balancing and task scheduling in cloud computing using machine learning”. A total of 129 items were found. This analysis centres on this dataset of 129 items, illustrating the distribution of documents published in many critical subject areas. It offers valuable insights into the current priorities and interests of the academic community.

These publications are distributed across various subjects, providing insights into the interdisciplinary nature of this field, as shown in Fig.  11 .

Subject-wise analysis of publications from 2014 to 2024 related to used keywords

9 Discussion

Our extensive literature study has discovered valuable insights and emerging trends crucial for advancing cloud computing technology. This discussion summarizes the research findings, answering the initial research questions and making conclusions based on a thorough examination of chosen studies conducted between 2014 and 2024.

9.1 Research gaps

Most research efforts are concentrated on a specific aspect of load balancing. Many systems are limited to either data center or network load balancing. There is an urgent necessity to address multiple aspects.

Load balancing is a single point-of-failure issue. Furthermore, most of the research concentrates solely on a limited number of performance parameters, such as Makespan, throughput, completion time, etc. The degree of Imbalance (DI) is a crucial parameter to work on.

There is a significant need to enhance quality measures such as QoS (Quality of Service), fault tolerance, network delay, VM (Virtual Machine) migration and risk assessment.

The integration of fog and edge computing to mitigate the requirement for massive amounts of data transfer. This will improve the flexibility and usefulness of cloud computing in multiple sectors.

Finally, the power conservation mechanism has not been given much thought by the researchers. There is a shortage of innovative thinking in power conservation when it comes to load balancing.

Geographical barriers impose network delay and data transmission delay issues. We need to focus on the development of cutting-edge technologies to overcome distance-related and delay-related issues (Muchori and Peter 2022 ).

Virtual Machine Migrations (VMM) is also a challenge that highly impacts the efficacy of cloud services. There is a dire need for design technologies that allow fewer VM migrations.

Despite the advancements, applying machine learning algorithms in cloud computing is complicated. The intricacy of these algorithms, combined with the requirement for extensive training data, presents substantial obstacles. The dynamic nature of cloud environments requires constant learning and adjustment of these models, which raises questions about their ability to handle large-scale operations and maintain long-term viability.

9.2 Integration of machine learning for enhanced load balancing and task scheduling

One key insight from this analysis is a growing reliance on machine learning methods to enhance load balancing and task scheduling processes. Although somewhat successful, conventional algorithms generally struggle in dynamic cloud systems where data and workload patterns continuously change. Due to their capacity to acquire knowledge and adjust accordingly, machine learning algorithms have demonstrated potential in forecasting workload patterns, enabling the implementation of more effective resource allocation strategies. This enhances efficiency and substantially decreases execution time and energy consumption, aligning with the objectives of achieving optimal resource utilisation and high system throughput (Janakiraman and Priya 2023 ; Edward Gerald et al. 2023 ).

9.3 Future directions

The future of cloud computing rests on advancing auto-adaptive systems capable of independently handling load balancing and task scheduling without human involvement. Fusing artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing can create systems that provide unparalleled efficiency and reliability. Creating efficient cloud services could be significantly improved by developing lightweight machine learning models that require minimum training data and can quickly adapt to changing conditions. Moreover, investigating unsupervised learning algorithms can potentially eliminate the requirement for large, labelled data, enhancing the application’s practicality. These are some of the most frequently observed future scopes based on this SLR:

Deployment of deep learning (DL) and machine learning (ML) techniques to predict load patterns: The predictive analysis of workload patterns can prevent resource underutilization or overloading. We can also use ML to reduce energy consumption and predict faults in cloud computing (Reddy et al. 2022 ; Mishra and Majhi 2023 ; Agarwal et al. 2020 ; Negi et al. 2021 ; Latchoumi and Parthiban 2022 ; Shuaib, et al. 2023 ).

Development of fault tolerance techniques integrated with load balancing: Only a small number of research studies examine security concerns on cloud computing services, like load balancing and fault tolerance, without elaborating on the connection between the two (Behera and Sobhanayak 2024 ; Tawfeeg et al. 2022 ; Brahmam and Vijay Anand 2024 ).

To extend the existing techniques for data security and privacy by incorporating blockchain technology with cloud computing (Edward Gerald et al. 2023 ; Saba et al. 2023 ; Li et al. 2020 ).

To achieve more QoS metrics such as scalability, elasticity, and applicability to cover extensive domains, is also scoped to extend research work (Adil et al. 2022 ; Talaat et al. 2022 ; Sultana et al. 2024 ).

Most of the researchers have focused on the energy consumption aspect. Future research should aim to achieve energy efficiency as energy is going to be one of the scantiest resources in future (Rekha and Dakshayini 2019 ; Farrag et al. 2020 ; Panwar et al. 2019 ; Mahmoud et al. 2022 ; Asghari and Sohrabi 2021 ).

To achieve cost-effectiveness and real-time load balancing are prominent research areas. Most of the researchers have plans to extend their work to real-time analytics and dynamic cloud networks (Kumar and Sharma 2018 ; Ni et al. 2021 ).

Response delays in real-time applications are crucial. Real-time analytics in a complex and dynamic environment is a hotspot for researchers. Healthcare systems, telemedicine domains and real-time monitoring or surveillance services are examples of delay-sensitive applications (Verma et al. 2024 ; Pradhan et al. 2022 ; Nabi et al. 2022 ; Shahakar et al. 2023 ).

Dynamic reallocation of dependent tasks is another scope for future research. Task priority-based scheduling optimize the cloud performance (Ran et al. 2019 ; Jena et al. 2022 ; Prabhakara et al. 2023 ).

Fog and edge computing Architectures have limited resources, and optimal resource scheduling is essential. Many authors have also discussed resource scheduling in fog and edge computing as a potential future area of study (Swarup et al. 2021 ; Kruekaew and Kimpan 2022 ).

This SLR records the future research scopes mentioned above, and Table  7 provides detailed information.

10 Conclusion

The study of the computational cloud is vast and comes with numerous challenges. It allows end users to access computational processes, leading to many individuals’ widespread use of cloud services. This widespread adoption has made cloud computing an essential part of various businesses, notably online shopping sites. This increased usage has put more strain on cloud resources like hardware, software, and network devices. Consequently, we need load-balancing solutions for efficient utilization of these resources. This SLR categorizes technologies into five classes: conventional/traditional, heuristic, meta-heuristic, ML-Centric, and Hybrid. Traditional approaches are time-consuming, slow, and often stuck in local optima. Traditional algorithms struggle to scale with problem size and complexity, leading to slow processing and time-consuming behavior. Heuristic algorithms, which demonstrate remarkable scalability, are suitable for large-scale optimization challenges in industries like manufacturing, banking, and logistics. Heuristic algorithms often produce approximate answers rather than perfect ones; consequently, meta-heuristic algorithms emerged to address these drawbacks. In recent years, hybrid strategies, which combine heuristic, conventional, and machine-learning approaches, have become increasingly popular. These approaches aim to utilize the advantages of several algorithms to overcome limitations and improve performance. This systematic literature review conducted on efficient load balancing and task scheduling in a cloud computing environment has provided valuable insights into different algorithms, research limitations, evaluation metrics, challenges, simulation tools, and potential future directions. The analysis has demonstrated that the current trend in the cloud computing environment involves the utilization of ML-centric and hybrid algorithms to address load balancing and job/task scheduling issues effectively. Furthermore, the findings indicate a growing interest among researchers in ML-centric techniques, showcasing a shift towards incorporating ML/DL approaches. Our study explained the fundamental structure of cloud computing and its operational principles. A comprehensive examination of evaluation metrics and simulation tools is conducted impartially. Lastly, we addressed the research questions that formed the basis of this literature review, providing well-supported answers derived from the information gathered. This systematic review is a foundational resource for future scopes in this domain. It offers valuable information to researchers and practitioners involved in the domain of load balancing in cloud computing architecture. Additionally, this SLR does not delve into specific aspects concerning security and privacy considerations or issues related to load balancing. This will be retained as a topic for future investigation on our part. Table 10 provides abbreviations for several terms.

Data availability

No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

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We would like to express our gratitude and appreciation to Rabdan Academy Abu Dhabi UAE for their generous support and funding that made this research possible. Their contribution has been invaluable in enabling us to carry out this work to a high standard.

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SD & UKL: Design and methods, KS & SSD: Conclusion and review of the first draft, SS & NN: Introduction and background, SSD & KS: Results and analysis, NM& NN: Discussion and review of the final draft, NN & SD: Conceptualization and corresponding authors.. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

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Devi, N., Dalal, S., Solanki, K. et al. A systematic literature review for load balancing and task scheduling techniques in cloud computing. Artif Intell Rev 57 , 276 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10462-024-10925-w

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