Step-by-Step Guide: How to Write an RRL from Scratch

Writing a Review of Related Literature (RRL) can seem tricky, but it’s an important part of your research. In this Step-by-Step Guide: How to Write an RRL from Scratch, we’ll break it down into easy steps to help you write a clear and simple RRL.

This guide is perfect for anyone, whether you’re just starting or have some experience.

What Is an RRL in Research?

The Review of Related Literature (RRL) evaluates previous research relevant to your study. It synthesizes what’s known, debated, and missing in the field.

It helps readers understand:

• What has been studied
• How your research adds to existing work
• Why your research matters

In theses or dissertations, the RRL is usually Chapter 2, while in journal articles, it’s part of the Literature Review. This guide explains how to write an RRL from scratch.

Purpose of the Review of Related Literature

An effective RRL accomplishes several important goals:

• Establishes Context: It frames your study within the broader field.
• Demonstrates Understanding: It shows you are familiar with key authors, theories, and debates.
• Identifies Gaps: It points out what previous research has overlooked or failed to address.
• Informs Your Methodology: It may influence how you design your study.
• Supports Your Argument: It strengthens your rationale for conducting the study.

Before You Start: Key Planning Considerations

Before diving into the Step-by-Step Guide: How to Write an RRL from Scratch, it’s important to lay a solid foundation. Proper planning at this stage will save you time and effort later. Ask yourself the following key questions before you begin your search and writing process:

1. What is My Specific Research Topic or Problem?

Your research topic should be narrow enough to allow a focused review, but broad enough to engage with existing literature. This balance is key. A too-broad topic will lead to an overwhelming amount of information, while a too-narrow topic might limit your findings and make it difficult to engage with previous studies.

For example, if you’re studying online learning, narrow it down to a specific aspect, such as student engagement in online learning environments or the role of instructor feedback in virtual classrooms.

2. What Are the Relevant Keywords and Search Terms?

Identifying the right keywords and search terms is crucial for a Step-by-Step Guide: How to Write an RRL from Scratch. These terms will guide your searches across various databases and help you access the most relevant sources.

• General keywords: Start with the broadest concepts related to your topic. For instance, “online learning” or “education technology.”
• Specific keywords: Include narrower concepts to refine your search, such as “asynchronous learning” or “student motivation in online learning.”
• Synonyms and variant spellings: Think about alternate terms, e.g., “virtual classroom” vs. “e-learning.”
• Boolean combinations: Use combinations like “AND” to narrow searches and “OR” to broaden them.

3. What is My Theoretical or Conceptual Framework?

Knowing your theoretical or conceptual framework is essential when following the Step-by-Step Guide: How to Write an RRL from Scratch. Your framework will help guide which types of studies are most relevant to your research. Whether you’re looking at learning theory, social constructivism, or another lens, understanding this framework will allow you to filter the vast amount of research literature to focus on those that align with your approach.

Step-by-Step Guide to Writing an RRL from Scratch:

Once you’ve clarified your topic, framework, and search strategy, it’s time to dive into the Step-by-Step Guide: How to Write an RRL from Scratch. The following steps will help you collect, organize, analyze, and synthesize relevant literature, and write a comprehensive and cohesive review.

Step 1: Conduct Strategic Literature Search

The first step in writing an RRL from scratch is to begin by collecting as many relevant academic sources as possible. Use trusted, academic databases such as:

• Google Scholar
• PubMed (ideal for health and life sciences)
• ERIC (focused on education)
• JSTOR (for humanities and social sciences)
• Scopus and Web of Science (comprehensive, multidisciplinary databases)

Boolean Operators:

To make your search more efficient, use Boolean operators to narrow or broaden your results:

• AND: Narrows the search (e.g., “climate change AND agriculture”)
• OR: Broadens the search (e.g., “AI OR machine learning”)
• NOT: Excludes terms (e.g., “technology NOT education”)
• Quotation Marks (” “): For exact phrases (e.g., “digital learning tools”)

Track Your Searches:

As part of your Step-by-Step Guide: How to Write an RRL from Scratch, it’s essential to log every search. Record details like:

• Database name
• Search terms used
• Number of results
• Filters applied (e.g., peer-reviewed, date range, language)

Tracking this information ensures transparency in your research process and allows you to easily revisit or refine your search strategy later.

Step 2: Select the Most Relevant and Reliable Sources

When you’ve conducted your search, be selective. Prioritize quality over quantity in the sources you choose to include in your review. Focus on:

• Peer-reviewed journal articles
• Government and institutional research reports
• Academic books and chapters
• Master’s theses and doctoral dissertations (if relevant and credible)
• Conference proceedings

Avoid including:

• Blog posts, opinion pieces, or news articles
• Wikipedia and crowd-sourced platforms
• Self-published content without peer review

Evaluate Sources Using the CRAAP Test:

Ensure each source meets these criteria:

• Currency – Is it recent enough to reflect current trends in the field?
• Relevance – Does it directly address your research topic?
• Authority – Is the author credible and respected in the field?
• Accuracy – Is the information backed by evidence and proper citations?
• Purpose – Is it objective, or does it have a clear bias?

Step 3: Read, Annotate, and Organize Your Findings

Once you’ve gathered your sources, it’s time to dive into critical reading. Don’t read passively. As you go through each source:

• Highlight key arguments and findings
• Write marginal notes summarizing each section
• Note theoretical frameworks and methods used
• Identify gaps or limitations in the study

You can also use reference management tools like Zotero, EndNote, or Notion to organize your insights and sources. A literature matrix can also help categorize and organize your readings effectively.

Step 4: Group Studies by Themes, Not Authors

Rather than organizing the RRL by authors, organize it by themes. This ensures that your review is not just a summary of each individual study but rather a synthesized discussion of the field. Group studies based on shared themes such as:

• Theoretical perspectives
• Research methodologies
• Populations studied
• Findings and conclusions
• Identified gaps in the literature

For example:

• Theme 1: Student engagement in virtual learning
• Theme 2: Teacher feedback in online classrooms
• Theme 3: Technology access and equity

Within each theme, integrate multiple studies to create a cohesive narrative rather than listing them one by one.

Step 5: Analyze and Synthesize the Literature

This is the heart of your RRL. You’re not just summarizing studies but analyzing and synthesizing them. Point out:

• Connections and contrasts between studies
• Consensus or disagreement on key issues
• Methodological limitations or biases
• Emerging trends over time
• Underexplored areas and gaps in the research

Example:

While many studies (e.g., Cruz, 2020; Lee, 2021; Ahmed, 2022) support the link between feedback and student motivation in online learning, few examine how real-time feedback functions in mobile-first environments. Most focus on desktop or hybrid platforms, leaving a gap in the scholarship.

Step 6: Structure and Write Your RRL Section

Structure your RRL logically and clearly to ensure smooth reading. Break it into:

1. Introduction Paragraph:
   • Introduce the topic
   • Define the scope (what’s included/excluded)
   • State the structure of the review
2. Thematic Body Paragraphs:
   • Each paragraph begins with a topic sentence introducing the theme
   • Summarize and synthesize multiple studies
   • Compare findings and methodologies
   • Conclude with an analysis or identification of gaps
3. Conclusion / Synthesis Section:
   • Summarize key findings
   • Emphasize patterns and trends
   • Identify contradictions or areas of debate
   • Clearly state the research gap and justify your study

Step 7: Identify and Highlight the Research Gap

In your final RRL section, you must identify the research gap—what’s missing in the existing literature that your study will address. This research gap is the foundation for the relevance of your research.

Example:

Despite abundant research on online learning, few studies focus on engagement strategies in asynchronous mobile-first platforms, particularly for students in low-connectivity regions. This study addresses that underexplored area by examining feedback design within mobile learning ecosystems.

Step 8: Apply Proper Academic Referencing and Citations

Finally, apply the correct citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.) throughout your RRL. Use reference management tools like Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote to manage citations and ensure accuracy.

Ensure your citations are consistent and follow the prescribed formatting for in-text citations and reference lists. Double-check for:

• Consistent punctuation, italics, and indentation
• Correct author names and years
• Accurate titles and journal names

Sample RRL Paragraph (APA Style):

Theme: Instructor Presence in Online Learning

Research highlights the significant role of instructor presence in boosting student motivation and performance in online environments. Smith (2020) emphasized that synchronous video sessions foster engagement through real-time interaction, while Tan and Reyes (2021) found that personalized feedback enhances learner satisfaction. However, these studies primarily focus on adult learners in professional development, leaving a gap in understanding how K–12 students perceive instructor presence, especially in asynchronous learning environments. To address this gap, the present study explores instructor-student interaction among high school learners, aiming to better understand how instructor presence affects motivation and academic success.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing an RRL:

When constructing your Review of Related Literature (RRL), it’s important to avoid several common pitfalls that can compromise the clarity and relevance of your work:

1. Writing an Annotated Bibliography Instead of a Synthesis

One of the most frequent mistakes in RRL writing is creating an annotated bibliography rather than synthesizing the literature. An annotated bibliography simply summarizes each source without analyzing how it fits into the broader research conversation. Instead, strive for synthesis—where you group studies by theme and critically engage with their findings in relation to your research question.

2. Including Irrelevant or Outdated Sources

Be careful to avoid sources that are either irrelevant to your research question or outdated. This can dilute the relevance and timeliness of your RRL. Always prioritize sources that are recent and directly contribute to the ongoing discourse in your field. For instance, avoid using studies published more than 10 years ago unless they are seminal works.

3. Using Too Many Direct Quotations

Using direct quotations too frequently is another mistake to watch out for. While quoting can be useful for highlighting specific arguments, an overreliance on direct quotes makes your RRL sound like a summary of other people’s work rather than a synthesis of ideas. Always strive to paraphrase, summarize, and analyze sources in your own words to maintain the flow and cohesion of your review.

4. Failing to Connect the Literature to Your Research Objectives

Your RRL should always be tied to your research objectives. Failing to do this results in a collection of isolated studies that do not contribute to your study’s purpose. Every piece of literature should be linked back to how it relates to your research gap or your overarching research question. If a study doesn’t help you build the case for your research, it likely doesn’t belong in your review.

5. Overlooking the Identification of the Research Gap

The research gap is the cornerstone of your RRL. If you don’t explicitly identify what’s missing in the current literature, your RRL won’t justify the need for your research. Make sure to point out the gaps or underexplored areas that your study seeks to address, emphasizing why your research will contribute to filling these gaps.

6. Poor Citation Practices or Plagiarism

Always use correct citation practices and avoid plagiarism. Failure to accurately cite sources or present ideas that aren’t your own will not only damage the credibility of your work but could also lead to serious academic consequences. Utilize tools like Zotero or EndNote to manage your references and ensure your citations follow the correct academic style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).

Final Checklist for a High-Quality RRL:

Before submitting your RRL, use this final checklist to ensure your review is comprehensive, coherent, and correctly formatted:

1. Are All Sources Scholarly and Credible?

• Ensure all your sources come from reliable academic databases and are from credible authors or institutions. Avoid unverified online content.

2. Is the Review Organized Around Themes or Ideas, Not Authors?

• Your RRL should not simply be a collection of summaries from various authors. Organize it around themes or research questions that align with your study. Grouping studies by common themes provides better coherence and helps build an integrated narrative.

3. Have You Synthesized (Not Just Summarized) the Literature?

• Your RRL should synthesize the literature, identifying connections, disagreements, and trends. Avoid simply summarizing each article; instead, critically analyze how each work fits into the broader academic conversation.

4. Is the Research Gap Clearly Defined?

• The research gap should be clearly identified by the end of your review. Your RRL must demonstrate what is lacking in the existing research and how your study will contribute to filling that void.

5. Are Citations and References Complete and Correct?

• Double-check your citations and references to ensure that every source is properly cited in-text and listed in your reference section. Follow your prescribed citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago) to avoid formatting errors.

Final Thoughts:

Writing an RRL from scratch is not just about collecting sources it’s about developing a solid, critical, and contextualized understanding of your field. When done right, the RRL serves as a strategic foundation for your study, showcasing your command of the subject and your ability to contribute new insights.

By following this Step-by-Step Guide: How to Write an RRL from Scratch, you can write a Review of Related Literature that stands out for its depth, clarity, and scholarly value.