Background

Writing a literature review can be a challenging task. Research textbooks often discuss finding literature, but seldom provide much help with organising the material and writing the review. This tutorial provides social work students and practitioners with assistance that can be accessed flexibly according to the individual's needs.

Using this tutorial

It is important to interact with this tutorial in ways that suit you. Some of these ways are:

• Use the menus and work through the tutorial systematically
• Use the menu at the top of each page to go to particular topics
• Go to 'Where are you?' to start from where ever you are in your porject (including 'stuck')
• VIew Jeremy talking about writing his literature review
• Read sample literature reviews

Sample literature reviews

Jeremy’s literature review is a major part of this tutorial.  Jeremy Hearne is a graduate of VU's Social Work course, and he wrote this literature review as part of his Honours thesis. It is an example of a well organised and clearly argued literature review. You can visit it directly from the link below.  You will also find links to aspects of it throughout this tutorial.

We have provided you with a selection of additional literature reviews for wider reference. 

• Jeremy’s literature review
  • Annotated model literature review
    
• Without comments
  
• Student literature review
• Published literature review
• You can listen to Jeremy talking about his experience writing his literature review before you delve into this tutorial further. (The movie lasts six minutes).

Published literature review

1. Current state of knowledge on child-to-mother violence: a literature review
2. The history of social work in Australia: a critical literature review.