The first characteristic is the review's focus. It distinguishes four potential foci: research outcomes, research methods, theories, practices, or applications.

The most common type of literature review is one that focuses on research outcomes. Indeed, according to the Educational Resources Information Center, a literature review is an "information analysis and synthesis, focusing on findings rather than simply bibliographic citations, summarising the substance of the literature and drawing conclusions from it" (italics mine). According to the Educational Resources Information Center, when developing a research rationale, an outcomes-oriented review may help identify a lack of information on a specific research outcome, establishing a justifiable need for an outcome study.

Cooper's second area of interest is Methodological reviews, which deal with research methods. A methodological review investigates research methods in a specific field in order to identify key variables, measures, and analysis methods, as well as to inform outcomes-oriented research. A methodological review can also be used to identify methodological strengths and weaknesses in a body of research, as well as to investigate how research practices vary across groups, time periods, and settings. Methodological and outcome reviews combined may reveal how the methods influence the outcomes. A methodological review may yield a solid rationale that can be used to justify proposed dissertation research if previous research was methodologically flawed.

Finally, prapracticectise or application-specific literature reviews can be conducted. A review, for example, could focus on how a specific intervention was implemented or how a specific group of people tends to carry out a certain practice. In terms of research rationale, this fourth type of review can assist in identifying a practical need that is currently unmet.

While most dissertation reviews have a primary focus, it may be necessary to address all or some of the above foci. A review focused on outcomes, for example, would almost certainly address any methodological flaws that could affect an outcome. An outcomes-oriented review may also discuss theories related to the phenomenon under investigation and present practical applications of the dissertation's knowledge.