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Useful phrases for your Literature review

Most research on [X] has focused on …[X] has attracted considerable attention from …
In the 2000s, [X] was considered to be/viewed as/seen as …
Early works in this area focused primarily on …
[X] has become a central/an important/a critical issue in …

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Phrases to refer to a knowledge gap in your field of study

Few studies have explored …Few researchers have addressed the problem/issue/question of …
Despite the interest in [X], few studies have considered …
The area of [X] has not been explored in depth.
To date, research on [X] has mostly focused on/been limited to …

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Phrases to review a paper with a positive stance

In their groundbreaking/seminal paper, [Authors] …
Taking into account these limitations, [Author] manages to provide …
[Author's] work has made a significant contribution to the field by …
[Author] provides a detailed/thorough analysis of …
[Author] presents a rigorous technique applicable to …

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Phrases to review a paper with a neutral stance

[Author] suggested/demonstrated/proposed/reported that …
[Author] considered/examined/analyzed/discussed …
Results reported by [Author] suggest that …
A recent analysis by [Author] reveals/highlights that …
The study by [Author] offers an analysis/a review of …

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Phrases to review a paper with a negative stance

A serious limitation of [Author's] study is …
[Author] overlooks/ignores/fails to explain …
[Author] fails to provide an answer to the question …
[Author] does not consider/take into account …
Limitations/Disadvantages of the methodology used by [Author] are …

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Phrases to introduce direct quotes from other authors

As [Author] argues/explains/notes/observes: "…".
[Author] summarizes these results as follows: "…".
In interpreting the data, [Author] observes that "…".
In their most recent paper, [Authors] argue that "…".
The author defines [X] as follows: "…".

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Structuring your Literature Review

Literature review examples with explanations

FAQs about writing a Literature review