Last updated: April 2026 · 8 min read · Audience: Authors, students, early-career researchers · Reading level: Introductory
Introduction
The literature review serves two readers: those who need to know that the author understands the field, and those who need to know how the present work fits in. A review that satisfies neither is the most common weakness in journal manuscripts.
This page covers literature reviews within research articles. Standalone review articles share the same principles but operate at a larger scale and often follow a more systematic methodology.
Two literature review formats
| Format | Length | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Embedded literature review (research article) | 1–3 pages | Position the contribution; identify the gap |
| Standalone review article | Variable; often substantial | Survey and synthesise the field; identify directions |
| Systematic review | Specific protocol-driven | Aggregate evidence to a research question |
| Scoping review | Mapping the breadth of a field | Identify gaps and clusters |
Practical guidance
- Define the scope of the review explicitly. A research article reviews work directly relevant to the question, not the entire field.
- Cite at least 50% recent work (last 5 years) where applicable. Older work is fine when foundational; reviewers notice when recent literature is absent.
- Engage critically. State what prior work shows, what limitations remain, and how the present study addresses them.
- Group sources thematically rather than chronologically. Theme-based organisation makes the gap visible.
- Cite work the reviewer is likely to know. Failing to engage with obvious sources signals shallow research.
Common literature review mistakes
Other recurring issues: relying on outdated references, missing key recent work, citing without engaging (a reference appears once and is never discussed), and conflating tangentially related work with directly relevant work.
Decision guidance
If unsure whether to include a source, ask whether removing it changes the argument. Sources that pass this test belong; sources that do not are usually clutter. Reviewers reward focused literature reviews over exhaustive ones; the goal is engagement, not coverage.
Example scenarios
Scenario: a master's student writing a thesis-derived literature review
Thesis literature reviews are typically too long for journal format and need substantial reduction. The cut is usually 60–80%; the remaining 20–40% is the work most directly relevant to the journal article's contribution. Removing the rest sharpens the argument considerably.
Scenario: a PhD researcher writing a standalone review article
Standalone reviews require a defined methodology. Decide whether the review is narrative, systematic, or scoping; document the search strategy where appropriate; and structure the review to support an argument, not merely a catalogue. Standalone reviews that do not have a thesis are often weaker than research articles.
Scenario: an early-career author publishing across fields
Authors publishing in a new field need to learn the literature. Reading the most-cited 10–15 recent papers in the target journal's recent issues is a fast way to identify the conversational landscape. The literature review should engage with this conversation, not invent a separate one.
What to do next
Once the literature review is drafted, read it asking whether the gap and contribution are visible from the review alone. If they are not, the review has not done its job; revise to make the gap explicit. Authors targeting EP Journals Group venues can use the central submission form.
Frequently asked questions
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Related reading and next steps
- Submission portal — Submit a manuscript through the central form
- Journals list — Six peer-reviewed journals across disciplines
- Writing a research paper step by step
- How to choose a research topic
- Structured vs unstructured
- Publishing in social sciences
Editorial enquiries
Questions about this guide or about preparing a manuscript for submission may be directed to the editorial office. Where a query relates to a specific journal in the portfolio, please indicate the journal abbreviation in your message.
Email: editor@ep-journals.org