Resources:

How to write a literature analysis essay with great compassion 

If you are writing a literature review or literary analysis your job is to prove to the teacher or professor that you are capable of comprehensive research on a given topic and that you can offer an analysis or a critique of the existing work in that field.

As an academic you will be required to review a great deal of literature. You will also be required to research thoroughly for a multitude of topics. In fact nearly every research paper that is required also requires a literary analysis or literature background at the start of the paper. That is why so many teachers assign the literary review as a means of introducing the style of writing and providing students with adequate practice.

The literature analysis is where you find a topic or use the one assigned to you and you research what literature exists in the field. You want to find literature that has been peer reviewed and published. You will need to ensure that you have your topic narrowed down and that you start by asking yourself key questions related to the topic. Having major questions in mind before you start the research process will enable you to refine your search results.

For example:

If you are researching literature on infertility treatments you will want to narrow down the search by asking yourself what the topic will be specifically…

For the sake of argument if you are researching the use of acupuncture to treat infertility you will need to ask yourself:

These are all questions that you will need to find answers to in your research. Once you find literature that covers these areas you want to analyze it and see what authors have to say about the topic. See where they conflict. See where authors seem to be missing evidence or where they make strong arguments. See if there is room for additional research. These are all key steps in writing a literature review.