The document provides guidance on writing a literature review for a grant proposal. It explains that a literature review 1) identifies and situates relevant prior research, 2) critically assesses the literature and identifies gaps, and 3) evaluates the quality of sources. For a grant proposal, the literature review should be about one page and establish the need for the proposed research by discussing how it will further knowledge and make an original contribution to the field.

1. Literature reviews for
Grant Proposals

2. What is a Literature Review?
A literature review is designed to identify
related research, to set the current
research project within a conceptual and
theoretical context.
Literature reviews should be selective and
critical, not exhaustive.

3. Does this apply to Grant Proposals?
In a Grant Proposal, the Literature review
discusses literature that is directly relevant to
your research topic. It will…
–
–
–
–
–
Carry on from where others have reached
Increase your breadth of knowledge of your subject area
Provide the intellectual context for your own work
Establish your own credibility as a researcher in this field
Put your work into perspective, and demonstrate the need
for your research
– Identify methods that could be relevant to your project

4. So, what does the
Literature Review look like?
For the RIF Grants, we would expect around
ONE page of a scholarly, relevant, critically
evaluated review of your specific topic.
Your main goal is to know your field, and to
convince reviewers that your research will now
make a valuable contribution.
… so what will it include?

5. Your Literature Review will …
1. have identified a range of relevant
literature in your field
“It is widely recognized that the cultural background of
students has a major impact on their attitude to education
(Crossley, Vulliamy, & Beauchamp, 1996; Farquharson,
1989; Gunawardena, 1998; Hofstede, 2001; Kaylani, 1996;
Kayser, 2002; Magrath, 1981; Mynard, 2003; Reushle &
McDonald, 2000; Richardson, 2004). As Lim states,
“research on cultural learning studies have documented …
“

6. Your Literature Review will …
2. make a critical assessment of the
literature, and identify a gap
“Most existing academic research focuses on the ease of
use and relevance of Web tutorials, or the comparative
value of online versus face-to-face instruction (Bury & Oud,
2005; Churkovich & Oughtred, 2002; Lindsay, 2006). Less
attention is focused on the extent to which students
actually engage with these online resources… “

7. Your Literature Review will …
2. make a critical assessment of the
literature, and identify a gap
or another example …
“… it is unknown whether this type of patient behavior
carries over when these immigrants arrive in the USA.
A comprehensive study of this subject is needed to
adequately ascertain which preventative services this
unstudied group obtains.”

8. Your Literature Review will …
3. evaluate the quality of the
information you have found
(1) for a brief grant proposal, you will be concentrating on the
seminal works on the topic.. Internet resources in particular
should have been evaluated for authorship, currency, bias and
credibility
(2) For major research papers, you would evaluate the research
quality and conclusions of the literature you are including (e.g.
was their methodology sound, were their sampling and
conclusions reasonable)

9. Your Literature Review will …
4. be written with purpose – address
your research questions
Organizing your literature review in (1) date or (2) author
order is less useful than an analysis of the literature in the
same order that you listed your research questions and
hypotheses.

10. What a Literature Review
is NOT …
• “According to a Gulf News investigation… “
• Only quoting your own work
• One short paragraph stating what research
the author has found, without critical
evaluation or contextualizing
• A 3-page small-print ramble on the general
subject

11. “If I have seen farther than others, it
is because I stood on the shoulders
of giants”
Isaac Newton

12. Further Resources
Fink, A. (2005) Conducting research literature reviews: From the internet to
paper. Sage: Thousand Oaks. (available at ZU libraries Q180.55.M4 F56)
Deakin University Library (2009) The literature review. Retrieved 10 March,
2009 from http://www.deakin.edu.au/library/findout/research/litrev.php
How to: Write a literature review (2005) Retrieved 10 March, 2009 from
http://library.ucsc.edu/ref/howto/literaturereview.html
Tools for preparing literature reviews: Preparing scholarly reviews of the
literature a Webtorial (2006) Retrieved 10 March, 2009 from
http://www.gwu.edu/~litrev/
Writing up research: Using the literature (ND) Retrieved 10 March, 2009 from
http://www.languages.ait.ac.th/EL21LIT.htm