Best examples of narrative literature review format examples for students and researchers

Examples of narrative literature review format examples in different disciplines

Before definitions and theory, it helps to see how narrative reviews actually look. Below are realistic, discipline-specific examples of narrative literature review format examples that mirror what you’d see in graduate papers or journal submissions.

Example of a narrative literature review in education

Topic: The impact of formative assessment on middle school math achievement (2014–2024)

A typical education-focused narrative review might be organized like this:

Title
Formative Assessment and Middle School Mathematics Achievement: A Narrative Review of Research from 2014–2024

Introduction
The introduction opens with the problem (persistent math underachievement in U.S. middle schools), then narrows to formative assessment as a widely recommended but unevenly implemented strategy. It states a clear purpose: to synthesize narrative findings on how formative assessment influences math achievement, motivation, and classroom practice.

Sample structure of headings

• Background: Policy Context and Assessment Reform in U.S. Middle Schools
• Theoretical Perspectives on Formative Assessment (e.g., Black & Wiliam’s work, sociocultural views)
• Classroom-Based Formative Assessment Strategies (exit tickets, peer feedback, low-stakes quizzes)
• Reported Effects on Student Achievement and Motivation
• Implementation Challenges in Diverse School Settings
• Gaps in the Literature and Directions for Future Research

In this example of a narrative literature review format, the body paragraphs summarize studies in flowing prose, comparing designs and findings:

For instance, a quasi-experimental study in three urban districts reported moderate achievement gains when teachers integrated weekly formative quizzes, while a multi-site qualitative study found that teacher feedback quality mattered more than quiz frequency.

Notice what’s missing: no rigid methods section like in a systematic review, no exhaustive search protocol, and no meta-analytic statistics. Instead, the review emphasizes interpretation, trends, and classroom implications.

If you want to see real examples of narrative literature review format examples in education, skim open-access articles in journals like Review of Educational Research or check graduate writing guides from universities such as Harvard’s Graduate School of Education (for conceptual framing and synthesis expectations).

Health and nursing: narrative literature review format examples

Health sciences use narrative reviews heavily, especially for fast-moving topics or broad clinical questions. Here’s a realistic nursing-focused example.

Topic: Nurse burnout during and after the COVID-19 pandemic (2019–2024)

Title
Nurse Burnout in the COVID-19 Era: A Narrative Review of Contributing Factors and Mitigation Strategies

Typical section layout

• Introduction: Defining Burnout and Its Relevance to Nursing
• Conceptual Models of Burnout (e.g., Maslach, job demands–resources model)
• Pre‑Pandemic Trends in Nurse Burnout
• Pandemic-Related Stressors (workload, PPE shortages, moral injury)
• Organizational Responses and Well‑Being Programs
• Reported Outcomes for Patient Safety and Care Quality
• Implications for Policy and Practice

In this example of a narrative literature review format, the author might weave in findings from sources such as the National Institutes of Health and peer‑reviewed nursing journals, summarizing patterns rather than cataloging every study:

Across observational studies from 2020–2023, higher burnout scores were consistently associated with increased intention to leave the profession and self‑reported declines in patient safety culture. However, interventions such as structured debriefings and staffing reforms showed mixed results.

If you want real examples, search for narrative reviews in journals indexed by PubMed. Many narrative reviews in nursing and medicine explicitly label themselves as “narrative review” or “narrative overview,” which makes them easy models for structure and tone.

Psychology and mental health: more narrative literature review examples

Psychology often uses narrative reviews to organize broad theoretical conversations. Here’s another concrete example of a narrative literature review format.

Topic: Social media use and adolescent mental health (2015–2024)

Possible structure

• Introduction: Rising Concerns About Adolescent Mental Health
• Trends in Social Media Use Among Adolescents
• Theoretical Perspectives (social comparison, displacement, online social support)
• Associations Between Screen Time and Mental Health Outcomes
• Content-Specific Effects (cyberbullying, body image, community-building)
• Moderators: Gender, Socioeconomic Status, and Pre‑Existing Conditions
• Summary and Directions for Policy and School Practice

Here, the narrative style lets the author walk readers through conflicting findings:

While large cross‑sectional surveys show small but consistent correlations between heavy social media use and depressive symptoms, longitudinal studies report more nuanced patterns, with negative effects concentrated among youth with pre‑existing vulnerabilities.

For updated guidance on evaluating mental health research, check organizations like the National Institute of Mental Health, which provide terminology and frameworks you can echo in your own narrative literature review format examples.

How to structure your own narrative literature review (with real examples)

Looking across these examples of narrative literature review format examples, a pattern emerges. Most narrative reviews—regardless of discipline—follow a similar backbone, even if the headings change.

A typical narrative literature review includes:

1. A focused but flexible title
Good titles signal that the piece is a narrative review and define scope. For example:

• “Teacher Well‑Being and Student Outcomes: A Narrative Review of U.S. K–12 Research”
• “Telehealth in Primary Care: A Narrative Overview of Adoption and Equity Concerns (2018–2025)”

2. An introduction that sets the stage
The introduction usually:

• Frames the problem or debate
• Explains why the topic matters now (new policy, new technology, new health threat)
• Defines key terms
• States the purpose: to synthesize existing research, highlight patterns, and suggest future directions

In many of the best examples of narrative literature review format, the introduction also hints at how the literature will be organized: by theme, method, time period, or population.

3. Thematic or conceptual body sections
Instead of listing studies chronologically, strong narrative reviews group research into themes. For instance, in a review on remote learning outcomes after COVID‑19, themes might include:

• Student engagement and attendance patterns
• Achievement gaps by income and race
• Teacher workload and technology adoption
• Long‑term policy responses

Each section then narrates how different studies relate to that theme, noting agreements, disagreements, and blind spots. This is where your writing style matters: you’re telling a story about the research, not just reporting it.

4. A synthesizing conclusion
The conclusion in high‑quality examples of narrative literature review format examples usually:

• Summarizes the main patterns across themes
• Highlights practical implications for policy, practice, or future research
• Acknowledges limitations of both the literature and the review (e.g., language restrictions, database coverage)

Current trends (2024–2025) shaping narrative literature review formats

Narrative literature reviews are evolving. If you’re writing now, you’re expected to align with several trends.

Greater transparency, even without full systematic methods

Even though narrative reviews are more flexible than systematic reviews, journals and graduate programs increasingly expect some transparency. In many recent examples of narrative literature review format examples, authors briefly describe:

• Which databases they mainly consulted (e.g., ERIC for education, PsycINFO for psychology, PubMed for health)
• General time frames (for instance, “studies published between 2014 and 2024”)
• Basic inclusion boundaries (peer‑reviewed articles, English‑language studies, etc.)

You don’t need a full PRISMA flow diagram, but a short paragraph explaining how you found and selected sources makes your narrative review more credible.

Attention to bias and diversity of evidence

Recent guidelines from medical and public health organizations, including materials linked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, push authors to think about:

• Geographic diversity of studies (not just U.S. or Western samples)
• Representation of different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups
• Publication bias (over‑reliance on positive findings)

Strong narrative literature review format examples now explicitly mention where the evidence base is skewed—something supervisors and reviewers increasingly look for.

Integration of gray literature and policy reports

In fields like education and public health, some of the best examples of narrative literature review format now incorporate:

• Government reports (e.g., U.S. Department of Education, state health departments)
• Policy briefs from reputable nonprofits
• Large‑scale survey data from agencies like the CDC

These sources can fill gaps when peer‑reviewed studies lag behind fast‑moving issues, such as AI in classrooms or emerging infectious diseases.

Side‑by‑side mini examples: short vs. long narrative reviews

To make the format even more concrete, here are two condensed narrative literature review format examples you might recognize from real coursework or journal submissions.

Short course assignment example (1,500–2,000 words)

Topic: Teletherapy for college students during and after COVID‑19

Structure in practice

• Introduction: Explains the rapid shift to teletherapy on U.S. campuses, referencing early pandemic data from sources like the CDC.
• Section 1 – Access and Utilization: Summarizes 6–8 studies on how many students used teletherapy, with attention to rural vs. urban campuses.
• Section 2 – Reported Effectiveness: Compares findings from outcome studies and student satisfaction surveys.
• Section 3 – Equity Concerns: Discusses digital divide issues and cultural barriers.
• Conclusion: Highlights promising models (hybrid care, stepped care) and calls for more longitudinal research.

The tone is explanatory and interpretive. The student cites maybe 20–25 sources, focusing on clarity of narrative rather than exhaustive coverage.

Longer journal‑style example (5,000+ words)

Topic: Artificial intelligence in K–12 education: Impacts on teaching and learning

Structure in practice

• Introduction: Frames AI as a rapidly expanding area, notes limited long‑term outcome data, and states the purpose: to synthesize early evidence and conceptual debates.
• Conceptual Background: Explains types of AI tools (adaptive learning platforms, automated grading, generative AI) and key theories (e.g., constructivism, self‑regulated learning).
• Section 1 – AI for Assessment and Feedback
• Section 2 – AI Tutors and Personalized Learning
• Section 3 – Teacher Workload, Professional Identity, and Ethics
• Section 4 – Equity, Privacy, and Algorithmic Bias
• Conclusion: Integrates themes and suggests research priorities for the next decade.

This longer narrative review might draw on 80–120 sources, including policy documents from government agencies and position papers from universities like Harvard discussing AI and education.

Common mistakes to avoid (with better examples)

Looking at real examples of narrative literature review format, a few recurring problems stand out—and they’re fixable.

Mistake 1: Turning the review into a study‑by‑study summary
Weak example: “Smith (2018) found X. Jones (2019) found Y. Taylor (2020) found Z.”
Better example: “Across recent studies, early gains from AI‑based tutoring appear strongest in math for younger students, while evidence in reading remains mixed.”

Mistake 2: No organizing logic
Weak example: Randomly ordered paragraphs that jump between populations, methods, and outcomes.
Better example: Choose a clear organizing principle—by theme, by population, or by time period—and stick with it.

Mistake 3: No critical voice
Weak example: The review simply restates results.
Better example: “Although several small trials report positive effects, most rely on self‑selected samples from high‑resource schools, limiting generalizability.”

If you browse high‑impact journals or graduate theses from major universities, you’ll see that the best examples of narrative literature review format examples always include that kind of critical commentary.

FAQ: Narrative literature review format examples

How is a narrative literature review different from a systematic review?
A narrative review is more flexible and interpretive. It usually does not report a detailed search protocol or use formal tools to rate study quality. Instead, it organizes the literature around themes or arguments. Systematic reviews, especially in medicine and public health, follow strict protocols and often include meta‑analysis.

Can you give a short example of a narrative literature review sentence?
Here’s a simple example of narrative style: “Recent studies of telehealth in rural primary care settings suggest that while access has improved, long‑term effects on chronic disease management remain uncertain.” Notice how it summarizes a pattern instead of focusing on a single study.

How many sources should I include in a narrative literature review?
There’s no fixed number. Undergraduate assignments might use 10–20 sources, master’s‑level projects 30–60, and journal‑style reviews 80 or more. The key is whether your coverage feels balanced and your narrative shows you understand the field.

Are there examples of narrative literature review format examples I can legally follow as templates?
Yes. Many journals publish open‑access narrative reviews you can use as structural models, and universities post sample theses and capstone projects. Look for narrative reviews in your field via databases like PubMed, ERIC, or PsycINFO, and pay attention to how authors structure their introductions, headings, and conclusions.

Do narrative literature reviews need a methods section?
Not always, but in 2024–2025 it’s increasingly common to include a short paragraph describing where you searched and what kinds of studies you prioritized. It doesn’t have to read like a systematic review, but a bit of transparency strengthens your work.

If you treat these examples of narrative literature review format examples as flexible blueprints—not rigid templates—you’ll be able to shape a review that fits your topic, your discipline, and your word count, while still meeting current expectations for clarity and academic rigor.