Reference Desk 610.902.8537
The works that make up the literature review fall into three categories: general theoretical literature, literature on related topic areas, and literature specific to your research focus.
This literature establishes the importance of your topic/research. define abstract concepts, discuss the relationships between abstract concepts, and include statistics about the problem being investigated. Landmark and classic articles are also included.
Resources for this literature (see below):
Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice by 
Encyclopedia of Criminology by 
The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology by These sources identify general themes that run throughout the literature. For example, a search on the topic of student cheating will find articles on cheating and gender, cheating related to age, and cheating and academic achievement.
Resources for this literature (see below):
This literature is highly relevant. The sources isolate the issues and highlight the findings you expected when you articulated your research question or formulated your hypothesis.
Resources for this literature (see below):
Next Step: See Writing the Review
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