Phrases to describe topic trends in your field of study
- 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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Related sources
Structuring your Literature Review
Literature review examples with explanations
FAQs about writing a Literature review