1. Getting Started: UTSC Assignment Calculator
Select Literature Review and relevant dates. Useful links within include “The Literature Review: A Few Tips on Conducting It”, "Writing a Literature Review" tips for analyzing research results, developing outlines, writing and citation (including avoiding plagiarism).
Additional literature review tips from (2017) VIC150 : School and Society Research Guide: Retrieved from http://guides.library.utoronto.ca/VIC150/litrev1
Galvan, Jose L.(2006). Writing Literature Reviews: A Guide for Students of the Social and Behavioral Sciences (3rd Ed.). Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Publishing.
- Keep in mind what kind of literature review you are doing: research paper, publishable article, dissertation
- Refine your topic
- Start with most current research first and work backwards
- Look for review articles
- Include theoretical articles
- Look for explicit definitions of key terms
- Look for key statistics
- Identify landmark studies and theorists in the field
- Group articles by categories
- Check your review for adequate coverage and currency
- Identify trends, relationships, and gaps in the literature [within which you can situate your own arguments]
Additional Tips
- Determine the parameters of your literature review:
- what type(s) of authors will you cover: academics, journalists, community members, etc.
- define your subject parameters: thesis, historical background, conceptual framework, etc.
- Check to see if any published literature reviews or bibliographies already exist (use library catalogue & databases; use keywords like literature review, review article, etc.)
- Check a seminal journal title for literature review articles, eg. The American Economic Review (note a recurring title in your research)
- Check for other works by seminal authors (use library catalogue & databases)
- Check the works cited of major papers and authors in the field
- Check to see who has cited the major works/authors in the field (do a cited reference search)
Writing Centres - includes Writing Advice section, links to campus writing centres, workshop information.
2. Economics Literature Research Guide
Essential Database: EconLit
Try different keywords related to your topic. As you read through your results, you may find additional keywords or synonyms that are more useful for your search.
BOOLEAN Operators: AND, OR, NOT.
Try * for a wild card search (e.g. econ* would show results with economics, economist, economical, etc).
Using quotation marks "" can help you search for a term, i.e. "economic theory" or "literature review".
Not sure if a journal is peer-reviewed? Check Ulrich's.
3. Citation Analysis and Impact Factor
Web of Science
See also Research Impact & Researcher Identity
4. Citation and Writing Guides for Economics
APA (American Psychological Association) style is used by the social sciences. The BIC's Cite It Right! guide includes links to help cite market research and industry reports in APA style.
Citation Management Comparison Chart - find the citation management tool that is right for you.
You may notice a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) in your journal article's citation information. To learn more about DOIs, visit this site.