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
Literature Review Guides for Dissertation Students
A literature review is an argument, not a reading list. It groups what is already known into themes, shows where the evidence disagrees or runs out, and uses that to justify your research question.
The difference between a pass and a distinction literature review is usually synthesis: whether you organised the chapter around themes and debates rather than around one paper per paragraph.
These guides cover searching, recording, synthesising and writing.
Guides in literature review
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.
7 min read
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.
8 min read
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.
7 min read
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Map the debate, build a matrix and evidence the gap your study fills.
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.
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.
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