Courtesy of Dr. Gary Burkholder in the School of Psychology, these sample matrixes show one way to summarize and present the essence of research articles. Rather than regurgitating the boring details, then, the supporting narrative can then be used to identify patterns, critically discuss strengths and weaknesses, compare, contrast, and synthesize the research, and evaluate and interpret what is known in your field.

Literature Review Matrix 1 (Word document)

Literature Review Matrix 2 (Word document)

Analyzing Research Flowchart
The Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning and the Education Commission of the States came up with a great “choose your own adventure” chart to guide you through questions you should be asking when examining research.
Analyzing Research Flowchart

Summarizing a Research Article
The University of Washington has some solid advice on what to do from the initial first read to the actual writing process.
Summarizing a Research Article

Writing a Literature Review and Summarizing Research
More properly, this handout from the University of Washington refers to psychology literature reviews. But all students in the social sciences will benefit from this small gold mine, which covers everything from reading and evaluating articles, writing the research, and presenting it in APA style.  We also recommend UW’s related handout, “Summarizing a Research Article.”

Writing a Literature Review and Summarizing Research

Building a Lit Review and Argument
For a good example of how to show you’ve done your homework through research.
Building a Lit Review and Argument

Resources for Critical Reading

Can't decide whether a source is worth reading? These links should help.

Resources for Critical Reading

Want more information about writing great literature reviews? Sign up for our Writing a Literature Review course.