How to write a literature review
How to move from a list of summaries to a synthesised, argued literature review that sets up your research question.
10 min read · Reviewed 2026 · Written and reviewed by Chris McGarrigle
The single most common feedback on literature review drafts is that they describe rather than synthesise. The chapter reads as a queue of authors, each politely summarised, with no argument running through them.
A literature review is an argument. Its job is to convince the reader that your research question is the reasonable next thing to ask.
The paragraph shape that produces synthesis
Open with a claim in your own voice. Support it with two or more sources. Introduce the source that disagrees or qualifies it. Close by stating what this means for your question. If a paragraph cites only one source, it is a summary, not synthesis.
Be critical without being dismissive
Criticism at this level means evaluating design, sample, context and inference — not declaring a published study 'bad'. Ask whether the sample supports the claim, whether the measure captures the construct, and whether the findings transfer to your context.
Finish by earning your question
The final section should narrow to the gap and state your question as its logical consequence. A reader should reach your research question and find it unsurprising.
Common mistakes
- Chronological author-by-author summaries.
- Reviewing literature you never refer to again.
- Citing textbooks where empirical studies are expected.
- No explicit link between the review and the research question.
Try this: The one-sentence-per-source test
- Reduce each source to one sentence: its claim and its main limitation.
- Sort the sentences into piles of agreement and disagreement.
- Name each pile — those names are your subheadings.
- Write one paragraph per pile using the claim-evidence-tension-implication shape.
Do it in SuperDiss
Capture claims, methods and limitations so themes emerge from the evidence.
Open the Literature LabStudents also ask
- How do I structure a literature review?
- Structure it thematically, not source-by-source. Group studies by the argument they support, synthesise what the group collectively shows, then state where they disagree or fall silent — that silence becomes your gap.
- How many sources does a literature review need?
- As a rough guide, 30–50 for an undergraduate review, 60–100 for a master's, and considerably more for a doctorate — but depth of synthesis matters far more than count.
- What is the difference between describing and reviewing literature?
- Describing summarises each study in turn. Reviewing compares them: whose findings hold, under what conditions, with what methodological weaknesses, and what that means for your question.
Related research: review the literature
Map the debate, build a matrix and evidence the gap your study fills.
How to build a literature matrix
A literature matrix turns scattered reading into a synthesis engine. Here is what to put in each column and how to read patterns out of it.
Primary vs secondary research: what's the difference?
The difference between primary and secondary research, when to use each, and how to combine them credibly in a dissertation.
Continue your dissertation journey
- What is a research gap?
- How to build a literature matrix
- How to write a research question
- Primary vs secondary research: what's the difference?
Browse every guide in literature review.
Read next
How to build a literature matrix
A literature matrix turns scattered reading into a synthesis engine. Here is what to put in each column and how to read patterns out of it.
What is a research gap?
Research gaps explained in plain English: the main types of gap, how to find one in your reading, and how to write a gap statement you can defend.
This guide is general educational content. Your institution's regulations, handbook and supervisor's instructions always take precedence. Where a named framework is mentioned, consult the original source text rather than relying on this summary.