Graduate Research

Literature Reviews provide a synthesis of the scholarly literature related to a research question(s) or topic. They discuss research reported in empirical journal articles and other sources, along with your own analysis and evaluation of the sources. Preparing a literature review is a two-step process that includes conducting searches to locate relevant research, and then writing your own analysis of the sources to synthesis what is known about a topic.

Keep in mind that there are various types of literature reviews. Some common types are found in empirical research articles, thesis or dissertation chapters, or standalone literature review articles.

Literature reviews for academic papers that are based on course assignments are often narrower in scope, and students are often required to locate a specific number of empirical journal articles (research articles). They may also include secondary sources (articles, books, book chapters, government reports, etc.) that discuss empirical research or provide background information.

Empirical articles are typically published in peer-reviewed journals (sometimes called refereed journals), which means that articles are reviewed by experts in the specific field of research to ensure that high-quality, reliable information is published. Empirical journal articles for all disciplines are accessible by searching academic databases provided by the Libraries. 

Google Scholar can also be helpful when used in combination with academic database searches since it provides citations and links to empirical journal articles. However, Google Scholar does not provide full text access to all research articles. However, you can use Google Scholar links to access full text from the UCF Libraries website. Additionally, Google Scholar does not include options to limit searches and view only peer-reviewed articles -- or robust options to refine searches.