Literature reviews, like other academic papers, must include at least three fundamental elements: an introduction or background information part; the body of the review with a discussion of sources; and, lastly, a conclusion and/or suggestions section to conclude the study. Each section plays an important role in helping readers understand the topic being reviewed. In general, the more sources you can bring to bear on a subject, the stronger your review will be. Therefore, it is helpful to search for studies that others have done on your topic. It also helps to look at surveys or questionnaires that scholars have designed to find out what topics people are interested in learning more about. Last, you should read widely outside of the field you are studying so that you can think critically about how scholars have addressed similar questions in the past. All of these steps will help you build a strong foundation for writing effective literature reviews. There is no set number of references you need to include in your review. However, most journals ask you to limit yourself to eight sources and encourage you to search beyond your first few choices. If you go beyond eight sources, be sure to explain why not every piece of relevant literature has been included. In addition to searching through databases of published articles, it is useful to look at how other scholars have approached your topic.