Literature Review
How to write a literature review that examiners praise — search strategy, managing sources, critical synthesis versus summary, theoretical framing, and structuring the chapter around themes and the gap.
All Literature Review guides
4 articles
A Step-by-Step PRISMA Systematic Review Workflow
Turn a messy literature search into a transparent, reproducible systematic review with PRISMA — from protocol to flow diagram, step by step.
How to Write a Literature Review That Examiners Respect
A literature review is an argument, not a catalogue. Here's how to move from listing papers to synthesising them into a case for your own study.
How to Manage References and Citations Without Losing Your Mind
Hundreds of sources, one citation style, zero tolerance for errors. Here's a system for managing references so your bibliography is accurate and effortless.
How to Identify a Genuine Research Gap (With Examples)
A research gap is what makes your study worth doing. Here's how to find one that is real, relevant and within your reach — with concrete examples.
Put it into practice
Free tools, templates and mentoring connected to literature review.
Frequently asked
What is the difference between a literature review and an annotated bibliography?+
An annotated bibliography summarises sources one by one. A literature review synthesises them — organising the field by themes and debates, comparing findings, and building an argument that leads to your research gap.
How many sources should a PhD literature review cover?+
There's no fixed number — coverage of the relevant, recent and seminal work is the standard. Most PhD reviews engage deeply with 100–300 sources; what examiners check is whether anything important is missing and whether you synthesised critically.
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