How to write a literature review conclusion?

There are important aspects that conclusions need to have to be useful and close a literature review successfully. Use clear and concise language to convey key messages. Avoid ambiguity and vagueness in your conclusion. Focus on the significance and impact of the research, and highlight the key findings and implications of the literature review. Here are some important steps you can take when writing a literature review conclusion:

1. Summarize key findings. Briefly summarize the most important findings from your literature review. Highlight the major themes, patterns, and trends that emerged from the literature. This summary should encapsulate the core ideas without introducing new information.
2. Highlight research gaps. Identifying gaps in the existing literature is a crucial aspect of the conclusion. Point out areas that have not been thoroughly explored and clearly explain why it is important to address these unanswered questions. This helps establish the relevance and necessity of further investigation in your field of study.
3. Review your research question and objectives. Restate your research question and objectives in a concise and clear way, using different words than in the introduction. Briefly summarize the main themes or categories that you have discussed in the body of your literature review, and how they relate to your research question and objectives.

4. Discuss the implications. Discuss the broader implications of the findings. Explain how the insights gained from the literature review can impact your specific field or topic. This discussion should connect the reviewed literature to the larger academic or practical context, demonstrating the significance of your work. Synthesize your main findings to identify patterns and gaps. Integrate and compare the results and arguments of the different sources that you have reviewed, and show how they support or contradict each other. Highlight the most important or relevant points that you have made in the body of your literature review, and explain how they inform your research question or meet your objectives.
5. Reflect on the research process. Reflect on the methodology and approach used in your literature review, especially when you are writing a review as a full research paper. Consider any limitations encountered during the review process and how they might have influenced your findings. This reflection adds a layer of transparency and critical evaluation to your work.
6. Provide a final thought. End the conclusion with a final thought that encapsulates the overall importance of your literature review. This could be a call to action, a statement on the importance of ongoing research, or a prediction about future developments in your area of study. Focus on the significance and impact of the research. Explain how your literature review contributes to the advancement of knowledge in the field, and how it informs or guides your own research project. Identify any gaps or limitations that still exist in the literature, and propose some possible directions or questions for further investigation.