Communication, Media & Theatre Research Guide

Librarian-selected resources for students of CMT

UCS Librarian

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Robin Harris
Contact:
r-harris14@neiu.edu
(773) 256-2148

What's a Literature Review?

A literature review (or lit review, for short) is an in-depth critical analysis of published scholarly research related to a specific topic. Published scholarly research (the "literature") may include journal articles, books, book chapters, or conference proceedings. 

A solid lit review must:

  • be organized around and related directly to the thesis or research question you're developing
  • synthesize results into a summary of what is and is not known
  • identify areas of controversy in the literature
  • formulate questions that need further research

How to Write a Literature Review

Finding articles in the Library

When a professor asks that you find scholarly articles on a topic for a research paper, it can be confusing to know where to start, how to find them, and how to tell what counts as a scholarly article. The tutorials on this page are all about how to find scholarly, or peer-reviewed, articles in the library "databases."

Below are videos that answer the questions: What is a journal and peer-reviewed article? What are the library databases? And, how do I search in a database?

 

What is a journal and a peer reviewed article?

In this video, you will learn how to evaluate the difference between scholarly journals and other kinds of periodicals, and how to describe the peer-review process.

Length: 1:24

What are the NEIU Libraries' databases and which one should I use?

In this video, you will learn what a database is (vs. a website or search engine), and how to evaluate which database may be best suited for your own research.

Length: 1:23

How should I search in a database?

In this video, you will learn how to create and use keywords based on your research topic to search in an academic database.

Length: 1:28

Find the Full Text of an Article

Find It at NEIU

This button provides direct links from the NEIU Libraries' databases to online full-text articles, when available. If the full text of an article is not available online, request a copy of the article through WorldShare interlibrary loan.

Or search for a specific journal by Title or ISSN.

Databases: Best Bets