A good literature review must be critical. This means that it must present an overview of the literature on the topic, but it should also offer a particular view of the literature. A good literature review doesn’t just describe a selection of articles; it also helps the reader understand the state of research on the topic.
What does this look like on the paragraph level? As with any other essay, your literature review should follow the TEA format: Topic, Evidence, Analysis.
This means that, in your literature review, each paragraph should have:
- A clear topic sentence which introduces the paragraph and makes a claim about the literature.
- Plenty of evidence to back up this claim. The evidence should include a wide range of sources, which should typically be paraphrased (but may also be quoted, depending on your discipline).
- An analytical summary at the end that wraps up the paragraph and explains why it’s important.
Let’s look at a series of examples to see how this works in practice. Beneath each example you’ll see a few notes on what the author has done well, but also what they could improve.
(Note, the information and sources referenced in these examples are invented for the sake of this resource and do not present an accurate picture of the literature on this topic.)
Example 1
Onerin (2022) says that “personal branding was formerly defined by physical media such as business cards and posters, or by static websites and blogs, but it now almost entirely takes place on social media.” Most people think now that social media is the best place for personal branding. Moulin (2022) writes about how TikTok can be used effectively for personal branding, like by posting videos regularly with your face and also by using popular audio and finding new followers that way. I agree this would be the best way of finding customers, as most people nowadays are on social media and don’t look at posters or look for websites.
Good:
- The author has read several sources and provides quotes (Onerin) and paraphrases (Moulin) to outline the ideas from their sources.
- The author has provided their own view at the end of the paragraph.
Needs Work:
- The author has only provided two sources, which isn’t enough to cover such a big topic.
- The language in this paragraph is quite informal. For example, “like by posting videos regularly with your face” and “I agree” are too informal.
- The author makes some very broad statements without backing them up (such as “most people nowadays are on social media and don’t look at posters or look for websites.”)
- The paragraph has no topic sentence. The paragraph should begin with a statement outlining the author’s point, rather than jumping right in to a quote from a source.
Example 2
Researchers have also written about branding and social media. Onerin (2022) talks about how branding used to be focussed on physical objects (like posters or business cards) or on static websites or blogs, but now branding is all about social media. Branding on social media can take place on several websites, like TikTok (Moulin, 2022). Some people still think that physical objects are a good way to try personal branding and they recommend that all small business put up posters and try to print business cards (Acree, 2023). Most people disagree, though, and they say that the best thing is to use social media instead (Onerin, 2022).
Good:
- The author has included a topic sentence to explain the main idea of the paragraph.
- The author has referenced several more sources and has paraphrased their main ideas.
- The author has provided sources which offer an opposite view (Acree’s idea that small businesses should use posters and business cards).
Needs Work:
- The topic sentence is very vague. Ideally, a topic sentence should make a claim that someone could disagree with. This sentence simply says “Researchers have also written about branding and social media,” which is a basic fact, rather than a claim.
- The writing is very choppy and it’s not always clear how the different ideas are connected. The writing can also be slightly informal (such as, “Onerin talks about” and “most people disagree.”)
- There is no analysis or summary at the end of the paragraph.
Example 3
Since the coronavirus pandemic, the literature on personal branding has shifted to focus more on social media, rather than on physical objects or static websites. Onerin (2022) outlines this shift, while other critics have chosen to focus on the impact of a single platform, such as Facebook (Gainsborough, 2021), Instagram, (Livingstone 2022) and TikTok (Moulin, 2022). Although several branding experts still recommend using physical posters or business cards for highly localised businesses (Acree, 2023; Brown, 2021), social media is seen as far more effective for any business that primarily trades online (Davis, 2022). Similarly, while static websites and blogs were once seen as a necessity for personal branding (White, 2015), researchers have noted a sharp decline in engagement with these sites since the pandemic (Merida, 2021). Thus, for the majority of business owners, researchers are agreed that social media will be the most relevant platform for personal branding.
Good:
- The paragraph begins with a clear topic sentence that makes a claim.
- The author has included a wide range of sources and paraphrased their ideas.
- The writing flows smoothly and the connections between the sources are clearly explored.
- The summary sentence at the end clearly wraps up the paragraph.
Needs Work:
- The paragraph doesn’t always answer the “why” question (for example, why have people stopped looking at blogs since the pandemic?).
- The final summary sentence doesn’t fully connect to the topic sentence (the idea of the post-covid shift has been forgotten.)
We hope these examples have helped you understand what a good paragraph in your literature should look like!