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Research Guide

Writing a Literature Review

What a literature review is, why it matters, how it builds our argument — and examples of weak vs. strong writing.

What Is a Literature Review?

A literature review is a critical, organized summary and synthesis of existing research on a specific topic. It is not simply a list of summaries — it is an argument. A well-written literature review demonstrates that you understand the scholarly conversation already happening around your research question, identifies what is known and what is still unknown, and positions your own study within that conversation.

Think of it this way: before you can contribute something new to a field, you need to show that you understand what has already been said. The literature review is your evidence that you have done that work.

In our project, the literature review answers:

  • What do researchers already know about disability in the workplace?
  • What frameworks exist for inclusive workplace design?
  • How have social media narratives been used in disability research?
  • What gaps remain — and how does our study address them?

Purpose: How It Furthers Our Argument

In a research paper, the literature review does not exist in isolation — it builds the foundation for your argument. Every source you include should serve a specific purpose in supporting the logic of your study.

1. Establish credibility

By engaging with existing research, you show that your question is legitimate and grounded in a real scholarly conversation. It tells readers: "This matters, and here's why."

2. Define key concepts

The literature review is where you define your terms — what does "inclusive design" mean in this field? What does "disability disclosure" mean? You use other scholars' work to anchor your definitions.

3. Identify the gap

This is the most critical function. A literature review should lead the reader to a gap — something that has not yet been studied. That gap is your justification for your study. Example: "While scholars have examined disability disclosure in workplaces, few have analyzed how disabled workers represent these experiences through social media narratives."

4. Support your methodology

You can point to how other researchers have used similar methods (e.g., qualitative content analysis of social media) to legitimize your approach.

5. Frame your findings

When you write the findings and discussion sections, you will return to the literature review — comparing what you found to what others have found. That comparison is what creates a scholarly contribution.

Summarizing vs. Synthesizing

The most common mistake in a literature review is summarizing instead of synthesizing. Here is the difference:

Summarizing (avoid this)

Treating each source as a separate entry — going one by one through what each author said.

"Smith (2020) found that disabled workers face barriers. Jones (2019) studied workplace accommodation. Brown (2021) discussed universal design principles. Davis (2022) analyzed social media and disability."

❌ This reads like an annotated bibliography, not an argument.

Synthesizing (aim for this)

Weaving multiple sources together around a theme or argument — showing what they agree on, where they differ, and what gaps remain.

"Research consistently shows that disabled workers encounter systemic workplace barriers (Smith, 2020; Jones, 2019), yet existing frameworks for universal design have focused primarily on physical environments rather than organizational culture (Brown, 2021). This gap is compounded by limited attention to how workers themselves narrate these experiences in digital spaces (Davis, 2022)."

✓ This builds an argument across sources.

How to Structure Our Literature Review

Our literature review is organized thematically — grouped by topic, not by author or date. Each section develops one piece of the argument that leads to our research question.

  1. 1

    Section 1: Disability and the Workplace

    Establish the broader context — what do we know about disability in employment? Cover key concepts: ADA, reasonable accommodations, employment barriers, and disability disclosure. Build toward the argument that systemic barriers persist despite legal frameworks.

    ADA National Network fact sheetReasonable Accommodations PDFEEOC literature
  2. 2

    Section 2: Inclusive Workplace Design

    Introduce universal design frameworks and how they apply to workplaces. What does inclusive design look like in practice? Where does research show it succeeds or falls short?

    Narenthiran et al. (2022)Howe & Martel (UD in workplace PDF)AHEAD: Universal Design at Work article
  3. 3

    Section 3: Social Media, Disability, and Narrative

    Explain how social media has become a space for disability community-building and advocacy. How have researchers used social media data to study disability experiences? What ethical frameworks exist?

    AOIR ethics guidelinesSocial media & disability studies literature
  4. 4

    Section 4: The Gap & Our Study

    Bring together the three threads and identify the gap. Limited research has examined social media narratives specifically about workplace experiences through an inclusive design lens. That is what we are doing.

    Synthesis of all above — your original argument

Examples: Weak vs. Strong Writing

Here are three examples of transforming a weak literature review sentence into a strong, synthetic one.

Example 1 — Defining a concept

❌ Weak

The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990. It prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment.

✓ Strong

While the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) established foundational protections against employment discrimination, scholars have noted that legal frameworks alone are insufficient to produce genuinely inclusive workplaces, as attitudinal barriers and organizational culture often persist independently of legal mandates (Smith, 2020; Jones, 2019).

Why it works: The strong version connects the law to the argument — it is not just describing the ADA, it is using the ADA to set up the problem.

Example 2 — Introducing a gap

❌ Weak

Social media is used by many people. Disabled people also use social media to talk about their experiences.

✓ Strong

Although social media platforms have increasingly served as sites of disability advocacy and community formation (Davis, 2022), relatively few studies have examined how disabled workers specifically narrate workplace accommodation experiences in these digital spaces — a gap that our study addresses.

Why it works: The strong version identifies a specific gap and connects it to the study's purpose.

Example 3 — Synthesizing two sources

❌ Weak

Brown (2021) wrote about universal design in the workplace. Howe and Martel also discussed universal design.

✓ Strong

Brown (2021) and Howe and Martel both argue that universal design principles, when applied to organizational settings, can reduce disability-related barriers — yet both authors note that implementation is often uneven, with physical accessibility prioritized over procedural and communicative accommodations.

Why it works: The strong version connects both sources to a shared argument and highlights a nuanced, shared finding.

Practical Tips for Writing Your Section

Start with a topic sentence that makes a claim

Your paragraph should open with an argument, not a description. "Research shows that..." or "Scholars have identified..." is stronger than "Smith (2020) wrote a paper about..."

Use signal phrases

Introduce sources with phrases that convey their stance: "argues," "demonstrates," "challenges," "extends," "contradicts." Avoid generic "states" or "says."

Cite as you write

Do not save citations for a final pass. Add in-text APA citations as you draft each sentence. It is much harder to add them later.

Link paragraphs with transitions

Each paragraph should connect to the next. Use transitions like "Building on this," "In contrast," "This finding is complicated by," or "Despite this progress."

End with the gap

Your literature review should build toward the gap — the reason your study exists. The final paragraph should make it feel inevitable that your research question needed to be asked.

Aim for synthesis over length

A focused, well-synthesized 500-word section is far more valuable than a long list of summaries. Quality over quantity.

Transition Sentences, Words & Phrases

Transitions are the connective tissue of your literature review. They signal to the reader how ideas relate to one another — whether you are building on a point, introducing a contrast, adding evidence, or moving toward a conclusion. Without transitions, paragraphs feel choppy and disconnected; with them, your argument flows naturally.

Adding / Building On

Use when adding evidence, another perspective, or reinforcing a point.

Words & Phrases

Furthermore,Moreover,In addition,Building on this,Similarly,Likewise,Along the same lines,Consistent with this view,Supporting this argument,

Example Sentences

Furthermore, research on workplace neurodiversity suggests that sensory design directly affects productivity for neurodivergent employees (Brown, 2021).
Building on this, social media platforms have amplified disability voices in ways that traditional advocacy channels could not (Davis, 2022).
Similarly, Howe and Martel (2019) demonstrate that procedural accommodations are as critical as physical ones.
Contrasting / Complicating

Use when introducing tension, disagreement, or a complicating factor.

Words & Phrases

However,In contrast,On the other hand,Despite this,Yet,Nevertheless,While … , …Although … , …Conversely,This finding is complicated by

Example Sentences

However, despite legal mandates under the ADA, research consistently shows that attitudinal barriers persist in many workplaces (Smith, 2020).
In contrast to physical accessibility gains, organizational culture has been slower to reflect inclusive values (Jones, 2019).
Although universal design frameworks are well established in theory, their implementation in everyday workplaces remains uneven (Brown, 2021).
Showing Cause / Result

Use when explaining why something happens or what results from it.

Words & Phrases

As a result,Consequently,Therefore,This suggests thatThis indicates thatThus,For this reason,This has led toBecause of this,

Example Sentences

As a result, many disabled workers choose not to disclose their disabilities for fear of discrimination (Smith, 2020; Jones, 2019).
Consequently, the burden of advocating for accommodation often falls on the individual rather than the organization.
This suggests that inclusive design must be embedded in policy, not left to individual managers' discretion.
Introducing Evidence / Examples

Use when introducing a specific source, finding, or example to support a point.

Words & Phrases

For example,For instance,Specifically,To illustrate,In particular,As evidence of this,This is demonstrated byA notable example is

Example Sentences

For example, Narenthiran et al. (2022) found that open-plan office designs disproportionately disadvantage employees with sensory sensitivities.
Specifically, TikTok creators using #DisabledAndEmployed frequently describe the emotional labor required to navigate non-inclusive workplaces.
To illustrate, one Reddit user in r/disability described spending hours each week managing accommodation paperwork that neurotypical colleagues never encounter.
Summarizing / Concluding a Section

Use at the end of a section to wrap up the argument and set up the next section.

Words & Phrases

In summary,Taken together,Overall,Collectively, these studies suggestThis body of research demonstratesWhat emerges from this literature isIn light of this evidence,

Example Sentences

Taken together, these studies demonstrate that disability-related workplace barriers are systemic rather than individual in nature.
In summary, while legal frameworks have expanded disability rights, a gap remains between policy and lived workplace experience.
What emerges from this literature is a clear need to examine how disabled workers themselves describe and resist these barriers — a gap our study addresses.
Signaling a Gap / Your Study's Contribution

Use to pivot from what is known to what is missing — leading directly to your research question.

Words & Phrases

However, few studies have…What remains unexplored is…A gap in the literature is…Missing from this scholarship is…Despite extensive research on … , little attention has been paid to…This study addresses that gap by…

Example Sentences

However, few studies have examined how disabled workers narrate workplace inclusion and exclusion through social media platforms.
Missing from this scholarship is sustained attention to the digital spaces where disabled people collectively make sense of their employment experiences.
Despite extensive research on workplace accommodation policy, little attention has been paid to the social media narratives through which disabled workers share, validate, and challenge those policies in real time.

Pro tip: Read your draft out loud. If a paragraph feels abrupt or disconnected from the one before it, you are probably missing a transition. Ask yourself: "How does this paragraph relate to the last one?" — then choose the transition category that matches that relationship.

Further Reading

Purdue OWL — Writing a Literature Review

Step-by-step guidance from Purdue's Online Writing Lab

University of Southern California — Organizing Your Literature Review

USC Libraries guide with thematic organization tips

Organizational Communication Textbook

Chapters 1–4 — foundational qualitative research concepts

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