Improving the writing of literature reviews through a literature integration exercise

Abstract

STUDENTS ARE OFTEN required to write literature reviews in advanced business communication courses, especially as part of a research project. Likewise, in the workplace, business communicators may need to review the literature in analyzing a problem or proposing a solution. However, instructors often find that even students who otherwise write well are not able to write good literature reviews. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate a method for teaching students some of the key techniques for writing literature reviews—particularly the challenge of synthesizing multiple sources of information into a coherent analysis of the literature.