作者：蔡先生

链接：https://www.zhihu.com/question/19704879/answer/245068929

来源：知乎

著作权归作者所有。商业转载请联系作者获得授权，非商业转载请注明出处。

根据英文，我大概做了翻译，有些用词不太直观，请参考英文原文。

How to write a literature review

怎样写文献综述

What is a literature review?

文献综述是什么？

The aim of a literature review is to show your reader (your tutor) that you have read, and have a good grasp of, the main published work concerning a particular topic or question in your field. This work may be in any format, including online sources. It may be a separate assignment, or one of the introductory sections of a report, dissertation or thesis. In the latter cases in particular, the review will be guided by your research objective or by the issue or thesis you are arguing and will provide the framework for your further work.

文献综述的目的是告诉读者（或导师），你已阅读并较好理解了一些公开发表的文献，这些文献与你所在领域的某个主题或问题有关。这些文献可以是任何形式的，包括在线资源。文献综述可能是单独的任务，也可能是报告、学位论文的引言部分。对于后一种情况（论文引言），文献综述的进行由研究目标或你论证的问题或论文指导，并为进一步的工作提供框架。

It is very important to note that your review should not be simply a description of what others have published in the form of a set of summaries,but should take the form of a critical discussion, showing insight and an awareness of differing arguments, theories and approaches. It should be a synthesis and analysis of the relevant published work, linked at all times to your own purpose and rationale.

有一点很重要，你要明白你的综述不应简单的以一系列总结的形式描述他人已发表的文章，而应该采用批判讨论的形式，展现出深刻见解，意识到不同的论点、理论和方法。综述应是相关文献的综合与分析，并时刻与你自己的目的和理由相连。

According to Caulley (1992) of La Trobe University,the literature review should:

根据La Trobe 大学的Caulley (1992)文献综述应该:

compare and contrast different authors' views on an issue

比较和对比不同作者对同一个问题的看法

group authors who draw similar conclusions

将得出相似结论的作者分组

criticise aspects of methodology

在方法论层面进行评论

note areas in which authors are in disagreement

注意文章作者有不同观点的地方

highlight exemplary studies

突出具有示范性的研究

highlight gaps in research

突出研究中的缺陷或空白

show how your study relates to previous studies

说明前人的研究如何与你的研究相关联

show how your study relates to the literature in general

说明你的研究如何与所看文献的相关联（不准确）

conclude by summarising what the literature says

总结文献内容

The purposes of the review are:

文献综述的目的：

to define and limit the problem you are working on

定义并将正在研究的问题限制在一个合理的范围

to place your study in an historical perspective

将你的研究放于历史的视角

to avoid unnecessary duplication

避免没有必要的重复工作

to evaluate promising research methods

评估有前景的研究方法（找到我们能用的好的方法，或者给我们提供思路）

to relate your findings to previous knowledge and suggest further research

将你的发现与之前的知识联系起来，指导进一步的研究

A good literature review, therefore, is critical of what has been written, identifies areas of controversy, raises questions and identifies areas which need further research.

好的文献综述对所写内容至关重要，会确定争论所在的地方，提出问题并确定需进一步研究的领域。

Structure of the literature review

文献综述结构

The overall structure of your review will depend largely on your own thesis or research area. What you will need to do is to group together and compare and contrast the varying opinions of different writers on certain topics. What you must not do is just describe what one writer says, and then go on to give a general overview of another writer, and then another, and so on.Your structure should be dictated instead by topic areas, controversial issues or by questions to which there are varying approaches and theories. Within each of these sections, you would then discuss what the different literature argues, remembering to link this to your own purpose.

综述的总体结构主要取决于你的论文或研究领域。你要做的是分类并比较和对比某一领域不同作者不同的观点。你不能仅仅描述作者说了什么然后对另一个作家做一个总体概述，等等。综述的结构应该由主题所在领域，有争议的问题或具有不同方法和理论的问题决定。

Linking words are important. If you are grouping together writers with similar opinions, you would use words or phrases such as:

similarly, in addition, also, again

连接词很重要。在分类有相似观点的作者时，你可使用下面这些单词或短语：

类似地，除了…之外，也，同样

More importantly, if there is disagreement, you need to indicate clearly that you are aware of this by the use of linkers such as:

however, on the other hand, conversely, nevertheless

更重要的是，如果存在不同观点，你需要用下面这些连接词清楚的表明你意识到了这些分歧：

但是，另一方面，相反地，然而

At the end of the review you should include a summary of what the literature implies, which again links to your hypothesis or main question.

综述的最后应该包括对文献暗示的总结，该总结同样与你的假设和主要问题相关。

Writing the review

文献综述写作

You first need to decide what you need to read.In many cases you will be given a booklist or directed towards areas of useful published work. Make sure you use this help. With dissertations, and particularly theses, it will be more down to you to decide. It is important, therefore, to try and decide on the parameters of your research. What exactly are your objectives and what do you need to find out? In your review, are you looking at issues of theory, methodology, policy, quantitive research, or what? Before you start reading it may be useful to compile a list of the main areas and questions involved, and then read with the purpose of finding out about or answering these. Unless something comes up which is particularly important, stick to this list, as it is very easy to get sidetracked, particularly on the internet.

首先需确定你要阅读什么东西。你将会有一个书单或者指向有用的已发表的文献的范围，请务必使用这些辅助资源。在此基础上，对于具体的论文或者其他特定的一些材料，更多的需要自己选择决定。因此，尝试和确定你的研究的范围很重要。（回答两个问题）你的目的到底是什么，你需要寻找的是什么？在你的综述中，你是否正在研究理论、方法论、政策、定量研究或者其他什么问题？在开始阅读文献之前，可先编写一个清单，清单上记下主要范围和涉及的问题，然后带着这个目的去读，去找寻相关资料和回答那些问题。除非遇到某件特别重要的事情，则坚持使用这个清单，因为在互联网时代很容易分散注意力。

A good literature review needs a clear line of argument. You therefore need to use the critical notes and comments you made whilst doing your reading to express an academic opinion. Make sure that:

一篇好的文献综述要有清晰的论点。因此需要用你在阅读文献时的重要笔记和评论来表达学术观点，请确保以下几点：

you include a clear, short introduction which gives an outline of the review, including the main topics covered and the order of the arguments, with a brief rationale for this.

用清晰、简短的引言，说明综述的大纲，包括所综述的主题、论点的安排顺序，并作出简要说明。

there is always a clear link between your own arguments and the evidence uncovered in your reading. Include a short summary at the end of each section.

在你的论点和阅读时没有覆盖到的论据之间要有清晰的联系，在每一部分结尾要有一个简短的总结。

you always acknowledge opinions which do not agree with your thesis. If you ignore opposing viewpoints, your argument will in fact be weaker.

在阅读文献是你总会遇到和你的论文有分歧的观点，如果你忽视不同观点，你的论据将是不充分的。

Your review must be written in a formal, academic style. Keep your writing clear and concise, avoiding colloquialisms and personal language. You should always aim to be objective and respectful of others' opinions; this is not the place for emotive language or strong personal opinions. If you thought something was rubbish, use words such as "inconsistent", "lacking in certain areas" or "based on false assumptions"! (See Guide 1.21)

你的综述应该用正式和学术的风格写作。使用清晰简洁的语言，避免口语或口头禅。你应该始终以客观和尊重他人观点为目标，这不是使用情绪化语言和激烈地表达个人观点的地方。如果你认为某些东西是有问题的，用一些言辞比如“不一致的”，“某些地方缺乏”或“基于错误的假设”！（见指南1.21）

When introducing someone's opinion, don't use "says", but instead an appropriate verb which more accurately reflects this viewpoint, such as "argues", "claims" or "states". Use the present tense for general opinions and theories, or the past when referring to specific research or experiments:

当介绍某人观点时，不要用“说”，而是用合适的动词，该动词能准确的反应这些观点，比如“认为”，“声称”，“宣称”。关于时态，说明主要观点和理论时用现在时，说明特定的研究和实验用过去时：

Although Trescovick (2001) argues that attack is the best form of defence, Boycott (1969) claims that ...

虽然Trescovick (2001)认为进攻是最好的防守，但Boycott (1969)宣称…

In a field study carried out amongst the homeless of Sydney, Warne (1999) found that ...

对悉尼无家可归者的实地调查中，Warne (1999)发现…

And remember at all times to avoid plagiarising your sources.Always separate your source opinions from your own hypothesis. making sure you consistently reference the literature you are referring to. When you are doing your reading and making notes, it might be an idea to use different colours to distinguish between your ideas and those of others. (See Guide 1.13).

并且你要时刻记住，避免剽窃他人成果。要总是对文献中的观点和你自己假设做区分，并确保始终参考的是你所指的文献。当阅读和做笔记时，可以用不同的颜色来区分你的观点和他人的观点。

Final checklist

最终清单

Here is a final checklist, courtesy of the University of Melbourne: (Home : Library)

这是墨尔本大学提供的最终清单：(Home : Library)

Selection of Sources

资源选择

Have you indicated the purpose of the review?

是否明确了这篇文献综述的目的？

Are the parameters of the review reasonable?

综述的范围是否合理？

Why did you include some of the literature and exclude others?

为什么用这部分文献而不用其他的？

Which years did you exclude?

排除了哪些年份的文献？

Have you emphasised recent developments?

强调了最新进展吗？

Have you focussed on primary sources with only selective use of secondary sources?

是否专注于一手资源，选择性使用二手资源？

Is the literature you have selected relevant?

所选文献是否相关；

Is your bibliographic data complete?

数目数据是否完整？

Critical Evaluation of the Literature

文献评价

Have you organised your material according to issues?

是否根据问题组织材料？

Is there a logic to the way you organised the material?

组织材料的方式的逻辑是否合理？

Does the amount of detail included on an issue relate to its importance?

问题涉及的细节数量是否与问题的重要性相关？

Have you been sufficiently critical of design and methodological issues?

对设计和问题方法是否已充分论证？

Have you indicated when results were conflicting or inconclusive and discussed possible reasons?

在结果冲突或不确定时是否明确指出并讨论可能的原因？

Have you indicated the relevance of each reference to your research?

是否表明每条引用与你研究的相关性？

Interpretation

说明

Has your summary of the current literature contributed to the reader's understanding of the problems?

对现有文献的总结是否有助于读者理解问题？

Does the design of your research reflect the methodological implications of the literature review?

你的研究的设计是否反映了文献综述的方法学意义？

Note

特别指出

The literature review will be judged in the context of your completed research.

文献综述将根据你完成的研究进行评判。

The review needs to further the reader's understanding of the problem and whether it provides a rationale for your research.

文献综述需帮助读者进一步了解问题，以及是否为你的研究提供合理性根据。

What is a literature review? 

A literature review is not an annotated bibliography in which you summarize briefly each article that you have reviewed. While a summary of the what you have read is contained within the literature review, it goes well beyond merely summarizing professional literature. It focuses on a specific topic of interest to you and includes a critical analysis of the relationship among different works, and relating this research to your work. It may be written as a stand-alone paper or to provide a theoretical framework and rationale for a research study (such as a thesis or dissertation). 

Step-by-step guide 

These guidelines are adapted primarily from Galvan (2006). Galvan outlines a very clear, step-by-step approach that is very useful to use as you write your review. I have integrated some other tips within this guide, particularly in suggesting different technology tools that you might want to consider in helping you organize your review. In the sections from Step 6-9 what I have included is the outline of those steps exactly as described by Galvan. I also provide links at the end of this guide to resources that you should use in order to search the literature and as you write your review. 

In addition to using the step-by-step guide that I have provided below, I also recommend that you (a) locate examples of literature reviews in your field of study and skim over these to get a feel for what a literature review is and how these are written (I have also provided links to a couple of examples at the end of these guidelines (b) read over other guides to writing literature reviews so that you see different perspectives and approaches: Some examples are: 

1 Review of Literature: University of Wisconsin - Madison The Writing Center. 

2 How to ..Write a Literature Review: University of California, Santa Cruz University Library). 

3 Information Fluency - Literature Review: Washington & Lee University 

4 How to Do A Literature Review? North Carolina A&T State University F.D. Bluford Library. 

5 Writing up research: using the literature. Language Center, Asian Institute of Technology (Thailand). 

6 Selected Links to Resources on Writing a Literature Review 

Step 1: Review APA guidelines 

Read through the links provided below on APA guidelines so that you become familiar with the common core elements of how to write in APA style: in particular, pay attention to general document guidelines (e.g. font, margins, spacing), title page, abstract, body, text citations, quotations. 

Step 2: Decide on a topic 

It will help you considerably if your topic for your literature review is the one on which you intend to do your final M.Ed. project, or is in some way related to the topic of your final project. However, you may pick any scholarly topic. 

Step 3: Identify the literature that you will review: 

7 Familiarize yourself with online databases (see UMD library resource links below for help with this), identifying relevant databases in your field of study. 

8 Using relevant databases, search for literature sources using Google Scholar and also searching using Furl (search all sources, including the Furl accounts of other Furl members). Some tips for identifying suitable literature and narrowing your search : 

8 Start with a general descriptor from the database thesaurus or one that you know is already a well defined descriptor based on past work that you have done in this field. You will need to experiment with different searches, such as limiting your search to descriptors that appear only in the document titles, or in both the document title and in the abstract. 

8 Redefine your topic if needed: as you search you will quickly find out if the topic that you are reviewing is too broad. Try to narrow it to a specific area of interest within the broad area that you have chosen (remember: this is merely an introductory literature review for Educ 7001). It is a good idea, as part of your literature search, to look for existing literature reviews that have already been written on this topic. 

8 As part of your search, be sure to identify landmark or classic studies and theorists as these provide you with a framework/context for your study. 

9 Import your references into your RefWorks account (see: Refworks Import Directions for guide on how to do this from different databases). You can also enter references manually into RefWorks if you need to. 

Step 4: Analyze the literature 

Once you have identified and located the articles for your review, you need to analyze them and organize them before you begin writing: 

10 Overview the articles: Skim the articles to get an idea of the general purpose and content of the article (focus your reading here on the abstract, introduction and first few paragraphs, the conclusion of each article. Tip: as you skim the articles, you may want to record the notes that you take on each directly into RefWorks in the box for User 1. You can take notes onto note cards or into a word processing document instead or as well as using RefWorks, but having your notes in RefWorks makes it easy to organize your notes later. 

11 Group the articles into categories (e.g. into topics and subtopics and chronologically within each subtopic). Once again, it's useful to enter this information into your RefWorks record. You can record the topics in the same box as before (User 1) or use User 2 box for the topic(s) under which you have chosen to place this article. 

12 Take notes: 

12 Decide on the format in which you will take notes as you read the articles (as mentioned above, you can do this in RefWorks. You can also do this using a Word Processor, or a concept mapping program like Inspiration (free 30 trial download), a data base program (e.g. Access or File Maker Pro), in an Excel spreadsheet, or the "old-fashioned" way of using note cards. Be consistent in how you record notes. 

12 Define key terms: look for differences in the way keys terms are defined (note these differences). 

12 Note key statistics that you may want to use in the introduction to your review. 

12 Select useful quotes that you may want to include in your review. Important: If you copy the exact words from an article, be sure to cite the page number as you will need this should you decide to use the quote when you write your review (as direct quotes must always be accompanied by page references). To ensure that you have quoted accurately (and to save time in note taking), if you are accessing the article in a format that allows this, you can copy and paste using your computer "edit --> copy --> paste" functions. Note: although you may collect a large number of quotes during the note taking phase of your review, when you write the review, use quotes very sparingly. The rule I follow is to quote only when when some key meaning would be lost in translation if I were to paraphrase the original author's words, or if using the original words adds special emphasis to a point that I am making. 

12 Note emphases, strengths & weaknesses: Since different research studies focus on different aspects of the issue being studied, each article that you read will have different emphases, strengths. and weaknesses. Your role as a reviewer is to evaluate what you read, so that your review is not a mere description of different articles, but rather a critical analysis that makes sense of the collection of articles that you are reviewing. Critique the research methodologies used in the studies, and distinguish between assertions (the author's opinion) and actual research findings (derived from empirical evidence). 

12 Identify major trends or patterns: As you read a range of articles on your topic, you should make note of trends and patterns over time as reported in the literature. This step requires you to synthesize and make sense of what you read, since these patterns and trends may not be spelled out in the literature, but rather become apparent to you as you review the big picture that has emerged over time. Your analysis can make generalizations across a majority of studies, but should also note inconsistencies across studies and over time. 

12 Identify gaps in the literature, and reflect on why these might exist (based on the understandings that you have gained by reading literature in this field of study). These gaps will be important for you to address as you plan and write your review. 

12 Identify relationships among studies: note relationships among studies, such as which studies were landmark ones that led to subsequent studies in the same area. You may also note that studies fall into different categories (categories that you see emerging or ones that are already discussed in the literature). When you write your review, you should address these relationships and different categories and discuss relevant studies using this as a framework. 

12 Keep your review focused on your topic: make sure that the articles you find are relevant and directly related to your topic. As you take notes, record which specific aspects of the article you are reading are relevant to your topic (as you read you will come up with key descriptors that you can record in your notes that will help you organize your findings when you come to write up your review). If you are using an electronic form of note taking, you might note these descriptors in a separate field (e.g. in RefWorks, put these under User 2 or User 3; in Excel have a separate column for each descriptor; if you use Inspiration, you might attach a separate note for key descriptors. 

12 Evaluate your references for currency and coverage: Although you can always find more articles on your topic, you have to decide at what point you are finished with collecting new resources so that you can focus on writing up your findings. However, before you begin writing, you must evaluate your reference list to ensure that it is up to date and has reported the most current work. Typically a review will cover the last five years, but should also refer to any landmark studies prior to this time if they have significance in shaping the direction of the field. If you include studies prior to the past five years that are not landmark studies, you should defend why you have chosen these rather than more current ones. 

Step 5: Summarize the literature in table or concept map format 

Galvan (2006) recommends building tables as a key way to help you overview, organize, and summarize your findings, and suggests that including one or more of the tables that you create may be helpful in your literature review. If you do include tables as part of your review each must be accompanied by an analysis that summarizes, interprets and synthesizes the literature that you have charted in the table. You can plan your table or do the entire summary chart of your literature using a concept map (such as using Inspiration) 

12 You can create the table using the table feature within Microsoft Word, or can create it initially in Excel and then copy and paste/import the the Excel sheet into Word once you have completed the table in Excel. The advantage of using Excel is that it enables you to sort your findings according to a variety of factors (e.g. sort by date, and then by author; sort by methodology and then date) 

12 Examples of tables that may be relevant to your review: 

12 Definitions of key terms and concepts. 

12 Research methods 

12 Summary of research results 

Step 6: Synthesize the literature prior to writing your review 

Using the notes that you have taken and summary tables, develop an outline of your final review. The following are the key steps as outlined by Galvan (2006: 71-79) 

13 Consider your purpose and voice before beginning to write. In the case of this Educ 7001 introductory literature review, your initial purpose is to provide an overview of the topic that is of interest to you, demonstrating your understanding of key works and concepts within your chosen area of focus. You are also developing skills in reviewing and writing, to provide a foundation on which you will build in subsequent courses within your M.Ed. and ultimately in your final project. In your final project your literature review should demonstrate your command of your field of study and/or establishing context for a study that you have done. 

14 Consider how you reassemble your notes: plan how you will organize your findings into a unique analysis of the picture that you have captured in your notes. Important: A literature review is not series of annotations (like an annotated bibliography). Galvan (2006:72) captures the difference between an annotated bibliography and a literature review very well: "...in essence, like describing trees when you really should be describing a forest. In the case of a literature review, you are really creating a new forest, which you will build by using the trees you found in the literature you read." 

15 Create a topic outline that traces your argument: first explain to the reader your line or argument (or thesis); then your narrative that follows should explain and justify your line of argument. You may find the program Inspiration useful in mapping out your argument (and once you have created this in a concept map form, Inspiration enables you to convert this to a text outline merely by clicking on the "outline" button). This can then be exported into a Microsoft Word document. 

16 Reorganize your notes according to the path of your argument 

17 Within each topic heading, note differences among studies. 

18 Within each topic heading, look for obvious gaps or areas needing more research. 

19 Plan to describe relevant theories. 

20 Plan to discuss how individual studies relate to and advance theory 

21 Plan to summarize periodically and, again near the end of the review 

22 Plan to present conclusions and implications 

23 Plan to suggest specific directions for future research near the end of the review 

24 Flesh out your outline with details from your analysis 

Step 7: Writing the review (Galvan, 2006: 81-90) 

25 Identify the broad problem area, but avoid global statements 

26 Early in the review, indicate why the topic being reviewed is important 

27 Distinguish between research finding and other sources of information 

28 Indicate why certain studies are important 

29 If you are commenting on the timeliness of a topic, be specific in describing the time frame 

30 If citing a classic or landmark study, identify it as such 

31 If a landmark study was replicated, mention that and indicate the results of the replication 

32 Discuss other literature reviews on your topic 

33 Refer the reader to other reviews on issues that you will not be discussing in details 

34 Justify comments such as, "no studies were found." 

35 Avoid long lists of nonspecific references 

36 If the results of previous studies are inconsistent or widely varying, cite them separately 

37 Cite all relevant references in the review section of thesis, dissertation, or journal article 

Step 8: Developing a coherent essay (Galvan, 2006: 91-96) 

38 If your review is long, provide an overview near the beginning of the review 

39 Near the beginning of a review, state explicitly what will and will not be covered 

40 Specify your point of view early in the review: this serves as the thesis statement of the review. 

41 Aim for a clear and cohesive essay that integrates the key details of the literature and communicates your point of view (a literature is not a series of annotated articles). 

42 Use subheadings, especially in long reviews 

43 Use transitions to help trace your argument 

44 If your topic teaches across disciplines, consider reviewing studies from each discipline separately 

45 Write a conclusion for the end of the review: Provide closure so that the path of the argument ends with a conclusion of some kind. How you end the review, however, will depend on your reason for writing it. If the review was written to stand alone, as is the case of a term paper or a review article for publication, the conclusion needs to make clear how the material in the body of the review has supported the assertion or proposition presented in the introduction. On the other hand, a review in a thesis, dissertation, or journal article presenting original research usually leads to the research questions that will be addressed. 

46 Check the flow of your argument for coherence.