Checklist of Guidelines for Performing and Writing A Literature Review
Adapted from Preparing Literature Reviews: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, 3rd ed., by M.L. Pan, 2008, Pyrczak Publishing.

Version 1.0

Pre-Research (finding a topic/question)

  1. Consider personal interests
  2. Examine textbooks for topic ideas
  3. Scan titles and abstracts of articles in professional journals
  4. Brainstorm
  5. Put possible topics in writing (in the form of a statement/question)
  6. Consider narrowing a broad topic.
  7. Don’t fear having to modify later as research progresses.

Searching for literature

  1. Use databases such as ECONLIT and ECONPAPERS, as well as Google Scholar.
  2. Know what is in databases (published works, not working papers)
  3. Consider using traditional internet search engines to find working papers
  4. Understand how to use Boolean searches on all of the above.
  5. Use the bibliography of relevant papers to suggest other works
  6. Maintain a written record of how the literature search was conducted.
  7. Narrow down based on useful, maybe useful, not useful before reading.

Evaluating and interpreting literature

  1. Be wary of sources offering “proof” or “facts”. We do not do such things with research.
  2. Be cautious when a body of literature has a common sampling (or other methodological) flaw.
  3. Be cautious when quantitative researchers refer to causality, be dubious when qualitative researchers do.
  4. Use the guidelines in Greenlaw.
  5. Understand the results, don’t just repeat the numbers.
  6. It is good practice to write out a critical review of each paper you plan on using, and include this in an annotated biblio, as a quick reference guide to yourself.

Preparing an outline for a first draft of a literature review:

  1. Go back to middle school: use an outline, keep a standard format.
  2. Essential elements in the introduction are (1) identifying the topic, (2) establishing its importance
  3. If there are some very topic specific definitions (ex: Environmental Kuznets, Goodwill), consider defining these in the introduction.
  4. Consider commenting on the extent and nature of the literature in the introduction.
  5. Consider describing the objectives and the organization of the literature review near the end of the introduction.
  6. Group your notes to identify major topics and subtopics for the body of the review
  7. If you are doing a very long literature review (such as those found in the JEL), consider including a summary at the end of long sections of the review.
  8. Write a summary of the research as a body, with a discussion that provides conclusions, implications, and suggestions for future (or your own) research.
  9. Consider sticking to one of the typical formats in economics literature reviews.

Writing the first draft:

  1. Fill in the topic outline with brief notes
  2. Write an essay that moves logically from one point to another.
  3. Cite appropriately. Use the correct format (consider the journal you have in mind or the requirements of the instructor). If more than one source has a single point, cite them all for that point.
  4. Consult a style manual.
  5. Avoid very long (read: repetitive and saying the same thing and redundant and see how boring that is?) strings of references for a single point, or even worse, saying the same thing in many different ways each with a separate source. Rather, use “e.g.” when there are a large number of sources that repeat a particular point.
  6. Use quotations sparingly, if at all.
  7. Use language that distinguishes between the results of studies and speculation.
  8. Emphasize stronger studies over weaker ones, use language to indicate that weaker studies are weaker.
  9. Identify gaps in the literature, point out consistencies and inconsistencies.
  10. In general, avoid broad generalities (ha ha)
  11. Be specific.
  12. Don’t copy tables, describe them.
  13. Cut and paste is your enemy. It is like a broken crutch, you never know when it will fall out from underneath you. Walk instead.
  14. Proof, proof, proof. A baby kitten dies every time you print out without doing a spelling/grammar check. But that is not enough. Read to find the things the computer might miss (like there for their, or worse).