The Literature Review section of your research proposal is where you present an analysis of the published literature on your research topic. The Literature Review does not need to cover every published paper or book but should survey scholarly literature that is the most important research within your field and on your particular topic. The goal of the literature review is to analyze the available body of literature and to present how it is related, either through theory, method, or concepts. You want to show the reader that your research fits any gaps present within the field, therefore making your research new and valuable to the field.
Tips for writing a Literature Review
Organize your results.
Utilize literature review trackers
Save all your journal articles to one place
Keep track of databases searched and terms used.
Group Findings.
You want to find similarities and differences in the literature.
Try grouping by methods, concepts, theories, or findings.
Look for controversy.
Is there a debate within your field of study?
Are some researchers using one theory over another?
Find the gaps.
You want to find the gaps in the literature to help show that your research is new and important to the field.
Do not summarize.
You want to ensure that you are analyzing the literature in your review, don't just summarize each study.