noun (uncountable) · academic
literature
UK/ˈlɪt.rə.tʃər/US/ˈlɪt.rə.tʃɚ/LIT·er·a·ture
the body of written works on a subject; published research or writings used as references
Examples
“A literature review summarises previous studies on the topic.”
“There is little literature on that specific intervention in rural areas.”
“She searched the English-language literature for relevant articles.”
Band 8 sentence
“When you write an essay, briefly review the existing literature to show how your argument fits the debate.”
Collocations
- existing literature
- review the literature
- search the literature
Word family
Common mistakes
many literatures→much literature / many studies
The literature says me that...→The literature shows that... / The literature suggests that...
Say it for a higher band
5books→6articles→7+literature
Synonyms
research
Easily confused
research
“Recent research suggests a link between sleep and memory.”
Related words
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In Science & Research
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