A literature review is an evaluation of the available literature on a given subject. In literature reviews, you are synthesizing and analyzing research to tell a story about the work done about a topic and how it relates to present and future research. Use the resources below for guidance as your write your literature review. 

Materials designed by Katharine Brown, Autumn Frederick, Layli Miron, and Muhammad Umer 

This worksheet helps you begin identifying scholarly conversations by analyzing an example literature review 

• Writing Literature Reviews Word Document 

• Writing Literature Reviews PDF 

This worksheet helps you analyze an example literature review to identify the storytelling elements being used  

• Find the Story! Worksheet Word Document 

• Find the Story! Worksheet PDF 

This worksheet parallels the moves a writer makes when creating a literature review with Freytag’s pyramid. It guides writers in outlining their own literature reviews by answering a series of brainstorming questions

• Start to Outline Your Literature Review Worksheet Word Document 

• Start to Outline Your Literature Review Worksheet PDF 

This handout helps students plan literature reviews by using selected examples of AI tools

• Facilitating Literature Reviews Using Advanced Tools Word Document

• Facilitating Literature Reviews Using Advanced Tools PDF

Many styles of academic writing require synthesis, or the process of representing relationships among multiple sources, including patterns of similarity and contrast. These materials introduce synthesis, provide select examples, and offer strategies for identifying opportunities for synthesis in your current research project. 

Materials designed by Christopher Basgier and Heather Stuart 

This handout offers tools and examples for identifying synthesis strategies that writers use in different academic disciplines. 

• Synthesizing Sources Handout Word Document 

• Synthesizing Sources Handout PDF 

This worksheet is a synthesis matrix, designed to help you create and see connections across sources 

• Synthesis Matrix Worksheet Word Document 

• Synthesis Matrix Worksheet PDF 

The Writing SySTEM, a project funded by the National Science Foundation Innovations in Graduate Education program (award number 2224967), equips graduate student writers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields with the skills and resources needed to succeed in their writing projects. The materials in this section address some of the unique features and challenges of writing in STEM. 

Materials designed in collaboration by Sushil Adhikari, Christopher Basgier, Katharine Brown, Jordan Harshman, Jeff LaMondia, and Russell Mailen 

This handout will guide new and experienced researchers in how to effectively find relevant, peer-reviewed research publications using intentional search strategies and online databases. 

• The Writing SySTEM: Finding Relevant Papers Word Document 

• The Writing SySTEM: Finding Relevant Papers PDF 

As writers, we often draw on existing research and writing to support our arguments and frame our research. Citation styles help students, faculty, and scholars attribute and discuss existing research in a specific discipline. The resources below will introduce you to ethical source use and citation styles, including APA and MLA (two of the more common citation styles).   

Materials designed by G. Travis Adams, Christopher Basgier, Amy Cicchino, Carly Cummings, Megan Haskins, Lexi Jacobs, Heather Stuart, and James Truman

This brief handout gives strategies and resources for two common citation styles, MLA and APA 

• Strategies and Resources for Common Citation Styles Word Document 

• Strategies and Resources for Common Citation Styles PDF 

This resource provides detailed information on how to cite and write in APA style. Writers will learn how to organize their work and develop in-text and formal reference lists according to APA.

• All About APA Handout Word Document

• All About APA Handout PDF

This worksheet introduces you to the Chicago Style standard of writing and helps you practice paraphrasing and summarizing in Chicago

• Paraphrasing and Using Sources in Chicago Worksheet Word Document

• Paraphrasing and Using Sources in Chicago Worksheet PDF

This handout offers a brief guide to American Political Science Association (APSA) style, which focuses on citing government documents. It is used by writers in political science and law.

• APSA Citation: A Brief Guide Word Document

• APSA Citation: A Brief Guide PDF

This handout explains how graduate student writing uses sources 

• Writing with Sources Graduate Students Handout Word Document 

• Writing with Sources Graduate Students Handout PDF 

This handout introduces you to research, summary, paraphrase, quotation, attribution, citation, and citation systems 

• Overview of Citation Styles Handout Word Document 

• Overview of Citation Styles Handout PDF 

This worksheet gets writers considering how to paraphrase and summarize a source 

• Using Sources Ethically Worksheet Word Document 

• Using Sources Ethically Worksheet PDF 

This worksheet will help you write an annotation for a source for an annotated bibliography 

• Practice Writing an Annotation Worksheet Word Document 

• Practice Writing an Annotation Worksheet PDF 

This handout introduces the idea of plagiarism and its various types. Further, it recommends strategies to faculty on how plagiarism can be avoided by using techniques such as timely peer review, feedback, and effective paraphrasing 

• Deterring Plagiarism Handout Word Document 

• Deterring Plagiarism Handout PDF 

This activity asks you to consider whether or not something is plagiarized 

• What Counts as Plagiarism? Word Document 

• What Counts as Plagiarism? PDF