Q: How should I divide my literature review into sub-topics?
My topic is ‘Tourism as a tool for international cooperation [between] Kenya and Egypt.’ I am not sure how to divide my review into sub-topics, especially when it comes to theoretical literature and empirical literature.
Your topic sounds interesting! Plus, you seem to have made a bit of start on it, given that you are looking at both empirical literature and theoretical literature.
There are a few ways to present (or divide, as you say) a literature review:
- Alphabetically: Starting with the last name of the first author
- Chronologically: Beginning with the date of publication
- Thematically: Having each theme presented date-wise
In your case, chronology may be a consideration if you wish to explore the aspect of cooperation between the two countries down the ages. If on the other hand, you are exploring various tools for international cooperation between the two nations, with tourism being one of them, theme would probably be the way to go. Note that these are only pointers. As you know your research best, you would be the best person to decide. For now, you may also refer to the following resources for additional help:
- How to write the literature review of your research paper
- A young researcher's guide to writing a literature review
- What a journal editor expects to see in a literature review
All the best for your review!
This content belongs to the Conducting Research Stage