In academic writing, the author’s goal is to convince the reader that the argument they are reading is in some way novel or unique. A great literature review gives the reader a thorough backstory on the topic, explaining how it has been discussed by other authors. After all, you can’t convince a reader your argument is unique unless you demonstrate how it compares to similar arguments. Otherwise, you’re just asking the reader to take your word for it. 

The first step in developing your backstory is figuring out your sources. The chart below shows you how: