About This Guide
The purpose of this guide is to provide background and guidelines related to literature reviews in social work.
The following book will be a key resource to you as you write your literature review:
Literature Reviews In Social Work by Location: Available OnlineThis comprehensive resource details important approaches and techniques for writing a literature review in social work. It includes developing your research topic, planning and organizing your literature review, and strategies for a successful review. It is available online with BU credentials and at the Mugar Library on the shelves.
Want to see some examples and step-by-step instructions for putting together our review? Go to this page of our guide:
Purpose of a Literature Review
A literature review is a comprehensive summary of the ideas, issues, approaches, and research findings published on a particular subject area or topic. A literature review is not a simple description of all you have read on a topic. Instead, we are analyzing the resources as we present their findings. We are addressing the contributions and gaps illustrated by the resource. As we write a literature review, we are:
- Demonstrating your knowledge of the research related to your specific research topic
- Showing that you are aware of other authors, thinkers, and researchers who have laid the foundation of your research topic
- Illustrating your ability to evaluate relevant information
- Indicating your ability to synthesize existing information
- Arguing what gaps, inconsistencies, or problems still need to be addressed in further research on the topic
- Unifying your research materials (books, articles, resources) under a central theme
- Convincing your reader you will be making a contribution to the research topic
