Demystifying the Literature Review: Getting Started

• Select your topic based on your interest and available scholarly literature
• Consult with your mentor – seminal papers on the topic?
• Define what you WILL include in your research
• Constrain your topic by defining what you WILL NOT include in your research
• Remember Goldilocks – you want your topic scope to be just right, not too big, not too small

• Map out the claims in the literature – there may be multiple
• What is the data and its relevance?
• Is there enough strength for what is being claimed?
• Where are the gaps in the literature?
• Where are the connections?

You can build a protocol for your literature review and search process before starting. A checklist developed by the Cornell Library Evidence Synthesis Service to walk you through this process is available as a pdf.