Doing a systematic literature review in legal scholarship

A literature review is the comprehensive study and interpretation of literature that relates to a particular topic. While legal scholars have increasingly started to emphasize the importance of conducting a systematic literature review prior to embarking on a larger academic research venture, discipline-specific guidelines have been absent until now.

This book fills this gap by offering a step-by-step guide to doing a systematic literature review in legal scholarship. It first discusses what a systematic literature review is and why it is so important. It then moves consecutively through the process of delineating your topic and determining what information to search for, designing and carrying out a systematic search for relevant literature, critically appraising the literature, and synthesizing, discussing and presenting your findings.

The book is essential reading for all those undertaking their undergraduate thesis, PhD dissertation, or any other research module that involves conducting academic legal research.