Check the citations of a great paper to find older foundational works (backward) and use "Cited by" features to find newer research (forward).

Writing a literature review can feel like trying to map a dense forest, but it’s really just about finding the "conversation" already happening among experts and joining in.

Don't just summarize author by author. Instead, organize your review . Common structures include: Chronological: How the topic evolved over time.

Establishes the focus and explains why the topic matters.

You can't read everything. Use filters to narrow down the most relevant work.