How to conduct a review of related literature (RRL)
Conducting a review of related literature (RRL) involves
- deciding how to organize the review (chronological vs thematic)
- searching the literature for relevant studies
- screening chosen studies by reading the title and abstract, then moving on to the full text
- creating detailed notes on each study, including methodology, population, key outcomes, etc.
- organizing your notes into a draft (to form the literature review section of your paper or as a standalone literature review paper)
Jump to Contents
- What is an RRL?
- Why should researchers conduct a detailed literature review?
- What to do before conducting a review of related literature
- How do I find relevant literature?
- How to structure a review of related literature?
- How do I synthesize the literature?
- How to structure a literature review which is part of an original research paper?
What is an RRL?
Put simply, RRL is a thorough and in-depth analysis of existing literature related to the topic of your thesis or dissertation. In an RRL, you can include the concepts, methods, and results of the existing literature relevant to your topic; this will give you an overview of what has been done in your field of research, the methods adopted that lead to the conclusions mentioned in the existing literature, and if there is a gap or conflict in the existing literature. The gap or conflict is what you can address through your research question.
Why should researchers conduct a detailed literature review?
Yes! A detailed literature review has a three-fold purpose:
- Enables you to showcase your understanding of the subject and the work done in your field till the time of your research.
- Helps you define the problem statement and the purpose of your own research by identifying and highlighting a gap or conflict in the existing literature.
- Helps you set context for your research by summarizing everything that your readers—journal editors, referees, and other researchers—must know about your field of research to comprehend your work better.
What to do before conducting a review of related literature
1. Decide how you wish to organize your review
There are several approaches you may take to present your literature review. Through this table, you may understand the difference between two of the most used approaches and choose the best approach for your manuscript:
| Chronological | Thematic |
| Related work is listed as per their dates of publication, beginning from the earliest one. | Related work is listed as per their themes or theoretical concepts. |
| Highlights the development in a field of study over a period. | Highlights the existing knowledge about a topic with reference to important issues/themes/perspectives. |
| Example: An RRL focussing on skin cancer will entail examining the earliest methods of diagnosis and treatment, and gradually progressing to the latest models and treatment. | Example: An RRL focussing on skin cancer will list studies about melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer, tanning as a cause of skin cancer, teenager awareness and attitudes to skin cancer, and treatment models.
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2. Understand the difference between a study background and a literature review
It is common to get confused between a study background and a literature review. But they are not the same. You can learn in detail about how the two differ from each other here.
3. Shortlist a good reference management software
It is also recommended that you shortlist a good reference management software like Zotero to manage your bibliographic data and related research materials.
How do I find relevant literature?
The best way to find relevant literature is to conduct your literature search systematically, as follows:
- Define the variables/outcomes you are interested in. “Effects of exercise on diabetes management” is too vague and will yield far more papers than you can go through. Narrow your focus down to something like “impact of yoga on glycemic control in obese patients with Type 2 diabetes”.
- Define your inclusion and exclusion criteria. You may choose to focus on a specific population (e.g., postmenopausal women), specific type of study (e.g., include only clinical trials or only longitudinal studies), or only studies that measure a specific variable (e.g., include only studies that measure HbA1c).
- Search multiple databases. Don’t just stick to PubMed. Include CINAHL, EMBASE, etc. Use broad, interdisciplinary databases like Google Scholar or Scopus too.
- Judiciously use AI. Tools like R Discovery can supplement your literature search as they also cover grey literature like patents, conference proceedings, etc. Use them to find research that you might otherwise miss.
- Shortlist papers by reading their titles and abstracts, before reading their full versions. I also use Paperpal’s ChatPDF feature to figure out if a particular paper has included the variable or outcome I’m interested in, if it’s not clear from the title and abstract.
- For papers you’ve shortlisted, check the Reference list to find any other relevant papers you might have missed out.
How to structure a review of related literature?
Similar to other components of a manuscript like the Introduction and Method sections, literature review is an important part of your manuscript. A literature review, especially if it is a stand-alone paper would usually have these components:
What does the Introduction section of a literature review contain?
You may begin your RRL by setting some context for your readers by providing information about the field of study, the relevance of the chosen topic within the field, and the focus of the literature review.
How to write the Methods section of a literature review?
In this section, you describe
- Which search terms you used along with Boolean operators like AND/OR
- Which databases you searched
- When did you conduct your search
- What were your inclusion and exclusion criteria
- Who conducted the literature search
How to write the body of a literature review paper?
This section is where you list all the related literature and talk about their relevance with respect to your research. The structure of the list depends entirely upon the approach you wish to take—chronological or thematic o any other. A chronological model would probably have different paragraphs for different time periods, while a thematic model would have sub-topics based on the different themes.
What should be included in the Discussion and Conclusion sections of a literature review?
Structure your discussion and conclusion sections as follows:
- A summary of the key findings/state of research on the topic
- What are the existing gaps or contradictions in current research?
- What are the methodological limitations of existing studies on the topic?
- What should future studies on this topic try to do (use different methods, explore new aspects, etc.)
Reference list: The reference list is a very important part of a literature review as your article is based entirely on primary sources. The reference list should be comprehensive and page numbers and section details should be provided wherever necessary.
How do I synthesize the literature?
Synthesizing the literature involves extracting key insights or information from multiple studies and combining them to give a comprehensive, higher-level perspective of the literature. You should not be simply summarizing every study included in your literature review. Instead, do the following:
- Identify themes or patterns across different studies
- Identify which studies support, extend, or contradict each other
- Identify what existing studies haven’t investigated or where they substantially contradict each other. These are gaps in the literature.
- Create a simple table in Excel to give yourself a “big picture.” Your table can look like this (note that the studies are entirely fictional):
Sample matrix for literature synthesis
| Study | Design and Sample | Key Risk Factors Examined | Main Findings |
| Pantsonfire et al. (2021) | Cross-sectional study; 214 patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 3–5 | Poor oral hygiene, diabetes mellitus, xerostomia | Patients with diabetes and reduced salivary flow showed significantly higher rates of bulbophagitis symptoms. |
| Jhoot and Khot (2020) | Retrospective cohort; 168 dialysis patients | Long-term hemodialysis, malnutrition, smoking history | Hemodialysis duration greater than 5 years and smoking were strongly associated with recurrent bulbophagitis episodes. |
| Liar et al. (2022) | Case-control study; 92 CKD patients with bulbophagitis and 92 controls | Immunosuppressive therapy, anemia, low serum albumin | Immunosuppressive medication use and hypoalbuminemia increased the likelihood of bulbophagitis development. |
| Ananias & Spphira (2019) | Prospective observational study; 140 CKD outpatients | Antibiotic overuse, fungal colonization, poor nutritional status | Repeated antibiotic exposure altered oral flora and increased fungal-related bulbophagitis risk. |
| Menteur & Lügner (2023) | Multicenter survey; 305 CKD patients receiving renal replacement therapy | Advanced age, uncontrolled hypertension, reduced immunity | Older patients with poorly controlled hypertension and weakened immune function demonstrated higher bulbophagitis prevalence. |
How to structure a literature review which is part of an original research paper?
If the literature review is part of the manuscript, then the way it is structured will depend on journal requirements. It can be written as a single paragraph or as multiple paragraphs, and is usually a part of the Introduction. It may or may not have a separate heading or subheadings.
Conclusion
While a literature review can be published as an independent piece of writing or as part of a larger article, the basis for any kind of review of literature remains the same. It allows new researchers and busy scientists in the field to keep up to date with the latest happenings in the field and helps them to identify potential areas of research.
If you have any further doubts related to this topic, feel free to use the comments section to ask questions. Alternately, you can also post your question on our Q&A forum and our expert will be sure to provide the necessary guidance.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How many databases should I cover in my review of related literature?
You should cover all major databases in your field and all popular multidisciplinary ones. The goal is to collect as much relevant literature as possible. For example, if you’re a nursing researcher, you should cover not just PubMed/MEDLINE but also CINAHL, Embase, and Cochrane Library.
2. What is MeSH and why should I use it in a literature search?
MeSH stands for Medical Subject Headings, and this term refers to a controlled vocabulary list that the US National Library of Medicine (NLM) uses to index and catalogue all medical and health-related literature. Using MeSH terms makes your searches on PubMed/MEDLINE much more accurate and faster. For detailed tutorials on how to use MeSH, visit the NLM website.
3. Is it more difficult to get a literature review published than an original research article?
Your paper won’t have a lower chance of publication just because it’s a literature review: you just have to be careful in selecting the right journal. Many journals specialize in publishing literature reviews, such as Systematic Reviews or Annual Review of Biochemistry. Some journals like those in the Nature Reviews series prefer to publish commissioned literature reviews rather than unsolicited ones, which means that you need to first submit a proposal to their editorial board and only after they approve it, proceed with your literature review.
This article was first published on January 6, 2023, and has been updated on April 29, 2026.
