Create Literature Reviews - CONF 490 - RS: Integration - InfoGuides at George Mason University

Literature Review Resources

A literature review is an analysis of the ongoing conversation on a topic, question, or issue. A strong literature review organizes existing contributions to a conversation into categories or "threads." For each category or thread, a literature review might highlight particularly interesting books or articles, then briefly cite or mention other instances

Oxford Bibliographies Online This link opens in a new window
Oxford Bibliographies offers authoritative research guides on topics. They can be used to locate articles, books, and scholars. Use simple searches in this database, (ex. "human trafficking") to locate information, and then click on the hyperlinked entry relevant to your needs.
Oxford Handbooks Online This link opens in a new window
Review essays that evaluate current thinking on a field or topic in political science, criminology, and economics, and makes original arguments about the future direction of the debate.
Routledge Handbooks Online This link opens in a new window
Provides overviews of classic and current research and future trends in the social sciences, as well as guides to theory and method, the key sub-disciplines, and the primary debates of today. Full-text subject access includes political science, criminal justice and security studies.
Annual Reviews This link opens in a new window
Annual Reviews publishes complete literature reviews considering timely research questions. When searching annual reviews, look broadly at the underlying elements of your research question.

What is a Literature Review?

A literature review answers questions like:

What is the current state of the literature/research on your topic?
What are the major contributions to the study of your topic? What do they say?
What are the "threads," themes, or categories in the conversations about your topic? Do you find any of these particularly valuable? Why?
What are the major disagreements or debates on this topic? Are there any areas of consensus?
Do you see anything missing or otherwise problematic in the literature?

Recommended reading: Jeffrey W. Knopf (2006). Doing a Literature Review. PS: Political Science & Politics, 39 (01):127-132. doi: 10.1017/S1049096506060264