Frequently located in the introductory sections of academic articles and in the first or second chapters of books, literature reviews bring readers up to speed on what already has been said about a subject.  Simultaneously, they identify important gaps and omissions in the existing scholarship.  What, the lit review asks, have previous scholars found, what have they overlooked, and why do these oversights matter? 

Ultimately, the literature review justifies the need for its authors' research.  It suggests that the current scholarly conversation suffers shortcomings to which their study offers a vital corrective.  The literature review, in other words, sets up what the authors' scholarship pays off.  

Meanwhile, literature review writers' goals often dovetail with researchers' needs.  The same qualities that distinguish a well-crafted literature review--exploration of existing scholarship, organization of schools of thought, identification of classic works and influential thinkers, etc.--make it for researchers an invaluable reference source.   

For more, please visit this interactive walkthrough: Anatomy of a Literature Review