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In a previous blog, we highlighted top 5 best AI tools for literature review that offer a large collection of research materials to support your research. Now, in this blog, we will go through the process and the 3 pillars of writing lit review while providing a real-life literature review example to help you grasp the concept with ease.

What’s a Literature Review?

A literature review is a summary of what other researchers have already discovered about your topic. It helps you figure out what’s already known, what questions still need answers, and how your own research fits into the bigger picture.

What Are the 3 Pillars of Literature Review?

Introduction

The introduction of a literature review should:

• Provide context for the topic
• Define the scope and purpose of the review
• Outline the organisational framework
• Present a clear thesis statement

Body

The body of the literature review is where you analyse and synthesise existing research. Consider organising your review by:

• Themes or concepts
• Chronological order
• Methodological approaches

Conclusion

A strong conclusion should:

• Summarise key findings
• Highlight contributions to the field
• Discuss implications and applications
• Suggest directions for future research

Tips on How to Write a Great Literature Review

• Read widely to get a full picture of your topic.
• Don’t just summarise – analyse and compare different studies.
• Look for patterns and gaps in the research.
• Keep your writing clear and logical.
• Use transition words to help your ideas flow smoothly.

How Zendy Can Help with Your Literature Review

In order to write a strong literature review you need to find the right sources, and of course a tools to help accelerate the process.

Zendy.io isn’t just a digital library that offers access to relevant studies across disciplines, but it also helps you write a solid literature review, Zendy AI tools include features designed to help you with literature reviews. You can:

• Summarise lengthy research articles instantly
• Highlight key phrases and findings
• Ask ZAIA, your personal AI research assistant, to explain complex papers
• Compare multiple sources to find common themes or gaps

It’s a simple way to stay focused, save time, and actually enjoy the process.

Real-Life Literature Review Example

This is my favourite example of a literature review! Assume you’re reviewing literature on climate change and agriculture:

“Researchers have been studying how climate change affects farming for decades. Early studies in the 1990s focused mainly on crop yields (Stephen, 1992; Iana, 1995). As time went on, scientists started looking at more complex issues. For example, Sleman (2005) examined how changing rainfall patterns affect soil quality, while Monica (2010) investigated the spread of new crop diseases in warmer temperatures.

Recent research has taken a broader view. Emad (2018) looked at how climate change impacts entire food systems, from farm to table. Meanwhile, Rodrigo (2020) explored how small-scale farmers in developing countries are adapting to new weather patterns.

Despite all this research, we still don’t know enough about how climate change will affect food security in specific regions. Future studies could focus on creating detailed, local predictions to help farmers prepare for what’s ahead.”

See how this example of literature review flows naturally from one idea to the next? It gives you a clear picture of how research in this area has evolved over time. 

Other Examples of Literature Review

• Chronological literature review example: Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review 
• Methodological literature review example: Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines
• Theoretical literature review example: Why Do People Migrate? A Review of the Theoretical Literature
• Thematic literature review example: The Use of Technology in English Language Learning: A Literature Review 
• Other literature review example:
  • The Economics of Global Climate Change: A Historical Literature Review
  •  University of West Florida: Literature Review: Conducting & Writing

By following these tips and studying literature review examples, you’ll be ready to start writing a solid literature review.

Remember, the key is to organise your sources, explain how they connect, and point out what still needs to be studied. Happy researching!

A top peer-reviewed journal since 1974 published by Elsevier, founded by Michael C. Jensen, Eugene Fama, and Robert C. Merton. The Journal of Financial Economics (JEF) serves as a dedicated platform for publishing high-quality studies on financial markets, corporate finance, financial intermediation, entrepreneurial finance, corporate governance, organisational economics, macro-finance, behavioural finance, and household finance. 

Focused on both theoretical and empirical research in financial economics. The Journal of Financial Economics prioritises rigorous empirical, theoretical, and experimental contributions, particularly those related to the theory of the firm and financial economics.

Journal of Financial Economics Impact Factor and Rankings

According to the latest updates from VU Journal Publishing Guide, The Journal of Financial Economics has made a big impact, with an impressive 10.4 impact factor as of 2024. That puts it among the top economics and finance journals globally. It ranks 5th out of 600 in the Economics category and takes the top spot—1st out of 233—in Business, Finance. These rankings highlight just how influential the journal is in its field.

Abbreviation	J. FINANC. ECON
ISSN	0304-405X (1879-2774)
eISSN:	N/A
Category	Accounting (Q1); Economics and Econometrics (Q1); Finance (Q1); Strategy and Management (Q1)
WoS Core Citation Indexes	SSCI – Social Sciences Citation Index
Journal Impact Factor (JIF)	10.4
5-year Impact Factor	11.4
Best ranking:	ECONOMICS (Q1) Percentage rank: 99.2%
Country	SWITZERLAND
Publisher	Elsevier

Source: WoS

Journal of Financial Economics Scopus Metrics

According to Scopus data for 2023, the journal’s metrics are equally impressive:

• SCImago Journal Rank (SJR): 13.655
• Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP): 5.048
• CiteScore: 15.8
  

These metrics reinforce the journal’s reputation as a leader in its field, with high rankings in many categories including Accounting, Finance, Economics and Econometrics, and Strategy and Management.

Journal of Financial Economics H-index and Citations

The Journal of Financial Economics has an exceptional h-index of 311, indicating that at least 311 articles published in the journal have been cited at least 311 times each. This high h-index reflects the journal’s strong impact and the enduring relevance of its published research.

What is The Scope of The Journal of Financial Economics?

The journal covers a wide range of topics within finance and economics, including:

• Accounting
• Economics and Econometrics
• Finance
• Strategy and Management

It’s particularly known for its applied papers and case studies section, which provides a platform for scholarly studies of actual cases, events, or practices in the financial world.

Conclusion

The Journal of Financial Economics stands out as a top-tier publication in its field, consistently ranking highly across various metrics. Its high impact factor, impressive SJR, and strong h-index all point to its significant influence in the world of financial economics. For researchers and professionals in finance and economics, publishing or referencing articles from this journal can lend considerable weight to their work.

If you’re doing research, you’ll want to use reliable sources. Peer-reviewed articles are among the best because experts review them before they’re published, ensuring quality and credibility. The benefits of expert peer review in research are significant—it helps maintain high standards, validates findings, and improves the overall reliability of academic work. But how do you find these peer-reviewed journal articles, and how can you tell if a journal is peer-reviewed? Let’s break it down.

What Are Peer-Reviewed Articles?

A peer-reviewed article is one that has been checked by other experts in the field before publication. This process helps make sure the research is solid and trustworthy.

Where Can You Find Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles?

You can find peer-reviewed articles in a few different places:

• University Libraries – If you’re a student or faculty member, your university library probably gives you access to research databases.
• Academic Databases – Websites like PubMed, JSTOR, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science have collections of scholarly peer-reviewed articles.
• Zendy – Affordable and accessible peer-reviewed scholarly content, in partnerships with leading publishers e.g., IntechOpen, IEEE, IT Governance Publishing, and IGI Global, powered by AI. 
• Google Scholar – Some journal articles here are peer-reviewed, but not all. You’ll need to check the source.

See The Growth of Digital Libraries: Benefits, Challenges & Trajectory

How to Recognise Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

There are 4 ways to check if a journal is peer-reviewed or not:

• Visit the Journal’s Website – Look for a section about their review process.
• Use Library Databases – Many academic databases label peer-reviewed journals.
• Check the Editorial Board – A peer-reviewed journal usually lists experts who review submissions.
• Look It Up on Ulrichsweb – This directory can tell you if a journal is peer-reviewed.

Are Google Scholar Articles Peer-Reviewed?

Not necessarily. Google Scholar collects all sorts of academic work, including conference papers and preprints, which may not have gone through peer review. To check, see if the article was published in a reputable journal.

What Is a Peer Review Example?

Let’s say a scientist submits a research paper to a journal. The editor sends it to other experts, who review it for accuracy and clarity. And then they might suggest changes or reject the paper if it doesn’t meet the journal’s standards. So if the paper gets approved, it’s published as a peer-reviewed article.

What’s the Difference Between Peer Review and an Original Article?

• Peer Review – A process where experts evaluate a research paper before it’s published.
• Original Article – A research paper that presents new findings. Some original articles are peer-reviewed, while others aren’t.

How To Select Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles?

When looking for peer-reviewed articles:

• Check the Journal – Make sure it’s known for publishing peer-reviewed articles.
• Look at the Author’s Background – Are they an expert in the field?
• Review the References – Good research builds on other credible studies.
• Use Trusted Databases – Databases like Zendy, PubMed, and Scopus focus on peer-reviewed work.

How Do You Know If a Peer-Reviewed Article Is Credible?

Even among scholarly peer-reviewed journals, some are more reliable than others. Here’s what to look for:

• Reputation of the Journal – Some journals have stricter standards than others.
• Possible Bias – If a study is funded by a company with an interest in the results, for example, a pharmaceutical company funding a study on its own medication might have an interest in positive findings, be cautious. 
• Strong Research Methods – A reliable, peer-reviewed article clearly explains how the research was conducted and how conclusions were reached.
• Retraction History – Some papers are later retracted due to mistakes or misconduct. Check if the article has been retracted.

Final Thoughts

It’s not hard to find peer-reviewed journal articles; it just takes a trusted source and a clear understanding of what you’re looking for. Digital libraries like Zendy give you access to everything you need in one place, including both free and paywalled peer-reviewed articles, with over 40 million articles across disciplines like engineering, medicine, economics, and more.

The impact factor of journals is a crucial academic publishing metric, serving as a measure of a journal’s influence and importance within its field. For you, as a researcher, and institutions alike, understanding this journal classification is essential for making informed decisions about where to publish and which journals to follow.

What is Impact Factor?

The Impact Factor was created by Eugene Garfield, the founder of the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI). Garfield first mentioned the idea of an impact factor in Science magazine in 1955.

In the early 1960s, Eugene Garfield with the help of Irving H. Sher created the Journal Impact Factor (JIF) to help select journals for the Science Citation Index (SCI). They developed this metric by re-sorting the researcher citation index into a journal citation index.

Initially, the Impact Factor was used internally by ISI to compile the Science Citation Index. In 1975, ISI began publishing the Journal Citation Reports (JCR), which included the Impact Factor calculations for journals.

How is the Impact Factor of Journals Calculated?

By calculating the average number of citations received by articles published in those journals over a set period of time, typically two years.

For example, the 2022 impact factor of journals is calculated as follows:

Journal Impact Factor (JIF) = A / B

Where:

• A = Total number of citations in a given year (e.g., 2023) to articles published in the previous two years (e.g., 2021 and 2022).
• B = Total number of citable items (articles, reviews, etc.) published in those same two years (2021 and 2022).

What Does the Impact Factor of Journals Tell a Researcher?

The impact factor of journals provides you with valuable insights into a journal’s influence and importance within its field. Here’s what the impact factor tells you:

1. Journal Quality: A higher impact factor generally indicates a more prestigious and influential journal in its discipline. This can help you identify high-quality publications for your work.

2. Citation Frequency: The impact factor reflects the average number of citations received by articles published in the journal over a specific period. This indicates how frequently the journal’s content is cited by other researchers.

3. Visibility and Reach: Journals with higher impact factors tend to have broader readership and greater visibility in the academic community. Publishing in these journals can increase the exposure of your research.

4. Research Influence: The impact factor of journals can serve as a proxy for the potential influence of research published in a particular journal. It suggests how impactful the average article in that journal might be.

5. Career Advancement: Publishing in high impact factor journals can be crucial for academic and professional advancement, often considered in tenure decisions, grant applications, and professional evaluations.

6. Comparative Tool: Researchers can use the impact factor to compare journals within the same field, helping them make informed decisions about where to submit their work.

However, it’s important to note that the impact factor has limitations. It doesn’t measure the quality of individual articles, and it can be influenced by factors such as the number of review articles a journal publishes. You should consider the impact factor alongside other metrics (e.g., SJR scores), and qualitative assessments when evaluating journals for your research.

What is a good impact factor?

The impact factor (IF) is a metric used to evaluate the influence and quality of academic journals by measuring the frequency with which their articles are cited. Generally, a higher impact factor indicates a more influential journal within its field. However, “good” impact factors vary significantly across different disciplines. For instance, in biochemistry, impact factors are often categorized as follows:

• Good: 2–4
• Great: 5–8
• Awesome: 9–14
• Excellent: Above 14

It’s important to note that these ranges are approximate and can vary based on specific research areas. Additionally, while impact factors provide insight into a journal’s citation frequency, they do not necessarily reflect the methodological quality or societal impact of individual articles. Therefore, when assessing research quality, it’s advisable to consider multiple metrics alongside the impact factor.

What are the Highest Impact Factor Journals

Some of the top impact factor journals include:

• Medical and Life Sciences
  – CA-A Cancer Journal for Clinicians (254.7)
  – The New England Journal of Medicine (91.245)
  – The Lancet (79.321)
  – Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology (94.444)

• Multidisciplinary Sciences
  – Nature (50.5)
  – Science (47.728)

• Physical Sciences
  – Chemical Reviews (60.622)
  – Nature Materials (43.841)
  – Nature Nanotechnology (39.213)

• Environmental Sciences
  – Energy & Environmental Science (38.532)
  – Nature Geoscience (16.908)
• Computer Science and Engineering
  – IEEE Transactions: Systems, Man, and Cybernetics (13.451)

These top-tier journals represent the pinnacle of academic publishing, often featuring groundbreaking research and influential studies.

Academic Journal Impact: Beyond the Numbers

While the impact factor of journals is a valuable journal ranking, it’s important to consider other factors when evaluating academic influence:

• Field-specific considerations: Impact factors can vary significantly between different academic disciplines
• Citation patterns: Some fields have faster citation cycles than others, affecting impact factor calculations.
• Journal scope: Specialised journals may have lower impact factors but still be highly influential in their niche.

Conclusion

Understanding the impact factor of journals is crucial for researchers navigating the academic publishing landscape. While it’s a valuable metric, it should be considered alongside other factors when evaluating journal quality and influence. By staying informed about impact factors and their implications, researchers can make more strategic decisions about where to publish their work and maximise the visibility and impact of their research.

Conducting and writing a literature review has always been the most time-consuming task of any academic research. Weeks of reading countless scientific papers (if not months), summarising key points, and identifying gaps in existing research. Fortunately, AI is making this process a lot easier, faster and more efficient. In this blog, we’ll go through the best AI tool for literature review in 2025.

Why Use AI for Literature Reviews?

Before we dig into the list of the best AI tool for literature review, let’s ask ourselves, why use AI in the first place? The answer is very simple:

• Saving Time: AI literature review tools can quickly scan thousands of research papers and extract relevant information in seconds.
• Improving Accuracy: AI tools in research can help you identify key themes, citations, and trends, reducing the chances of missing important studies.
• Enhancing Organisation: Many AI tools for literature review offer smart categorisation, tagging, and citation management, ensuring a well-structured literature review.

Best 5 AI Tools for Literature Review in 2025

Here are the top AI tools that can help you conduct a literature review:

1. ZAIA by Zendy

ZAIA is not just the best AI tool for literature review, it’s also one of the best personal AI research Q&A assistants that will help you effectively explore a large amount of academic research. Keyphrase highlighting, summarisation, PDF analysis, and AI insights make it a great AI tool for the literature review process. 

2. Elicit

Elicit uses AI to automate the research process, allowing you to generate structured summaries, find relevant papers, and extract key insights without manual searching.

3. Research Rabbit

This tool is known for its unique visualisation of research connections. It helps users discover related papers and track the evolution of ideas across different studies.

4. Scite

Scite provides citation analysis with AI-powered insights, allowing researchers to evaluate how a study has been cited in different contexts—supportive, contrasting, or neutral.

5. Semantic Scholar

Powered by AI, Semantic Scholar enhances literature discovery by providing smart recommendations, citation tracking, and insights into academic papers.

How to Write a Literature Review Using AI

It can be quite difficult to write a literature review, but AI can help in several ways:

1. Summarise Key Points: Summarisation by AI condenses long written materials to easily readable insights.
2. Rewrite and Paraphrase: AI is also useful in manuscript improvements to guarantee clarity and consistency while maintaining professionalism in academia.
3. Ensure Proper Citations: AI citation tools help with reference management and formatting.
4. Refine and Edit: Make your literature review more polished and professional by using writing tools to improve readability and flow.

What Is the Difference Between an Annotated Bibliography and a Literature Review?

	Annotated Bibliography	Literature Review
Purpose	Summarises and evaluates each source individually	Synthesises and analyses sources collectively
Structure	Organised as a list of citations with annotations	Organised thematically or methodologically
Depth of Analysis	Focuses on each source’s contribution	Identifies patterns, gaps, and trends in research
Use in Research	Often used as a preparatory step for literature reviews	Used as a foundation for research projects or theses
Writing Style	Concise, source-focused	Integrative, argument-driven

Is It Ethical to Use AI for Literature Reviews?

When using AI-powered literature review tools, keep these principles in mind in order to not compromise your research integrity:

• Use AI responsibly and ethically to avoid plagiarism or creation of misleading content
• Remember that AI is a tool, not a replacement for human expertise
• Critically evaluate the information provided by AI tools
• Exercise judgment when incorporating AI-generated insights into your research

By following these guidelines and leveraging AI tools effectively, you can conduct a more efficient and insightful literature review while maintaining the integrity of your research process.

Disclaimer: AI-generated content should always be reviewed and verified by researchers to ensure accuracy and ethical compliance in academic work.

Conclusion

AI tools for literature review are making literature reviews easier, faster, and more organised. Whether you’re a student or a researcher, the right tool can help you sort through academic papers, find key insights, and manage citations without getting overwhelmed.

Each tool on this list has something useful to offer. ZAIA is a great choice if you’re looking for the Best AI tool for literature review that highlights key points, summarises research, and helps you navigate academic papers more efficiently. Elicit and Research Rabbit are helpful for finding related studies, while Scite and Semantic Scholar can guide you through citations and academic trends.

AI won’t do all the work for you, but it can take some of the pressure off. If you haven’t tried using AI for your literature review yet, now might be a good time to start.