

Writing literature reviews is a particularly important skill if you want to apply for graduate school or pursue a career in research.

Evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge of the scholarly debates around your topic.Show how your research addresses a gap or contributes to a debate.Position your work in relation to other researchers and theorists.

Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research.Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and its scholarly context.The literature review gives you a chance to: When you write a thesis, dissertation, or research paper, you will likely have to conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge. What is the purpose of a literature review?
