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Writing a Literature Review: Analyzing Results

Synthesizing Results

In order to present your information in a succinct way, you will need to sort the literature into categories or themes. Possible themes are:

  • Theories
  • Methodologies or Techniques
  • Geographies
  • Conflicting Opinions
  • Time Frames

You will want to describe how the research has evolved over time and develop conclusions while summarizing what's been done in the past. This video does a good job of showing how Synthesizing Literature works:

Analyzing Results

Analyzing the results is the part of the literature review where you justify why your research is needed by showing how others have not addressed it and/or by showing how your research advances your field of study. Your analysis should lead to insight and not simply restate the research that has been done. Analysis requires you to have an approach to evaluate the research you found. This can be done by asking a few questions:

  • Are there gaps in the literature?
  • Where has significant research taken place and by whom?
  • Is there consensus or debate on your topic?
  • Which methodologies work best?

Additional Resources in Analysis