what is a literature review meaning

A literature review is a comprehensive summary of previous research on a topic. The literature review surveys scholarly articles, books, and other sources relevant to a particular area of research. The review should enumerate, describe, summarize, objectively evaluate and clarify this previous research. It should give a theoretical base for the research and help you (the author) determine the nature of your research. The literature review acknowledges the work of previous researchers, and in so doing, assures the reader that your work has been well conceived. It is assumed that by mentioning a previous work in the field of study, that the author has read, evaluated, and assimiliated that work into the work at hand.
A literature review creates a “landscape” for the reader, giving her or him a full understanding of the developments in the field. This landscape informs the reader that the author has indeed assimilated all (or the vast majority of) previous, significant works in the field into her or his research.

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A literature review is a study of existing published information on a specific topic. Literature reviews:
Engineering & Science (Biochemistry & Microbiology) Librarian

Let’s take a look at an example:
3. Managing the info you find

References:

http://libguides.wpi.edu/literaturereview
http://libguides.uvic.ca/engineering_literature_reviews
http://libguides.tulane.edu/litreview
http://library.soton.ac.uk/sash/dissertation-planner/writing-literature-review