Lesson 2: The LIS Literature Review

In this lesson, you will learn about the role the literature reviewLiterature Review The process of summarizing, synthesizing and/or critiquing literature around a specific topic/idea. This work can help a researcher understand what has happened before and also how past research intersects and or diverges from other research. A literature review can be a full-length manuscript or a subsection within a larger research article. plays in Library and Information ScienceLibrary and Information Science An interdisciplinary field that examines how physical and digital information is organized, accessed, collected, managed, disseminated and used, particularly in library settings. (LISLibrary and Information Science An interdisciplinary field that examines how physical and digital information is organized, accessed, collected, managed, disseminated and used, particularly in library settings.) research, both as a resource for learning and for communicating your own research.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

  • Explain the purpose of a literature review in LIS
  • Identify the elements of a literature review
  • Understand the purpose of a “gap” in research in order to see how your work fits into the scholarly conversation

Lesson originally created by Sojourna Cunningham.

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The Librarian Parlor (aka LibParlor or #libparlor) is a space for conversing, sharing expertise, and asking questions about the process of developing, pursuing, and publishing library research. We feature interesting research methodologies, common challenges, in progress work, setbacks and successes. In providing this space, LibParlor aspires to support the development of a welcoming community of new researchers.