The literature review is a list of authors who were referenced throughout a paper usually written for a higher level of education. It is written as an annotated bibliography – a small summary that allows the reader to know the importance that the work had in the research paper – and is usually placed at the end of the paper, though it can also be found in the introduction or thesis of the research paper. The purpose of including a literature review in a research paper is to allow the reader to know what ideas were established on the subject and were their negative and positive points were.

A literature review should consist of the following components: a summary of the subject and the objectives of the literature review, the different categories in which to place the reviews (for example, those that support the position, those that are against, et cetera), a brief explanation of how each different work is similar and different from the others, and conclusions as to which works were the greatest assets to the outcome of the research.

It takes four stages to actually develop the literature review, as these include formulating the problem, which explains the subject and its issues; the literature search, which involves finding the materials that are relevant to the subject; evaluating the found data; and analyzing and interpreting the data.

When dealing with the works to be used in a research paper, it is important to look at the credentials of the author, making sure that their work is relevant enough for the subject. Their works should not be biased or prejudicial, as it can have an effect on the person conducting the research and the readers. The works also need to be persuasive and convincing to allow significant ways to understand the subject.