The first step is to determine the theme and scope. It’s like choosing a weapon; you have to know what enemy you’re going to fight before you can pick the most appropriate weapon. So, before you get down to writing a literature review, you have to figure out what the problem is that you want to study and then decide which literature to review.
The second step is to collect the literature. It’s like when you go to a martial arts convention to find masters to spar with; you have to find literature that is actually informative. You can go to the library and look through books, you can search for information on the Internet, and you can review academic journals, papers, and so on. In short, you have to collect as much relevant information as possible.
The third step is to sift through the literature. This is like picking your opponents in a martial arts competition, you have to pick those literatures that are equal to or better than you to read. You can judge whether the literature meets the requirements according to its title, author, year, abstract and other information.
The fourth step is to analyse the literature. This is like watching someone fight in a martial arts competition, you have to carefully observe their moves, internal skills, tactics, etc. and then learn from them. You can summarise and analyse the ideas, methods, results, etc. in the literature to find out the strengths and weaknesses.
The fifth step is to write a review. This is like giving a speech at a martial arts convention, you have to tell what you have seen and learnt for the benefit of everyone. You can summarise and analyse the ideas, methods and results in the literature, and then combine them with your own understanding and thinking to put forward your own views and suggestions.
Step 6, proofreading and revision. This is like presenting your work at a martial arts competition; you have to make it look flawless. You can check for errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation, and you can also revise and improve the structure and content of the synthesis.
