Not to be confused with a book review, a literature review surveys scholarly articles, books and other sources (e.g. dissertations, conference proceedings) relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory, providing a description, summary, and critical evaluation of each work. The purpose is to offer an overview of significant literature published on a topic.
The literature review itself, however, does not present new primary scholarship.
An example of a literature review is:
Allen, R.C. (1996). Socioeconomic Conditions and Property Crime: A Comprehensive Review and Test of the Professional Literature. The American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 55 (3), 293.
Tips for finding literature reviews in your field:
Adapted from "How to Write a Literature Review", courtesy of the UC-Santa Cruz Library, retrieved 30th October 2008 from the Web.