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What is a Literature Review? | Guide, Template, & Examples

Published on 22 February 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on 7 June 2022.

What is a literature review? A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research.

There are five key steps to writing a literature review:

• Search for relevant literature
• Evaluate sources
• Identify themes, debates and gaps
• Outline the structure
• Write your literature review

A good literature review doesn’t just summarise sources – it analyses, synthesises, and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.

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Table of contents

Why write a literature review, examples of literature reviews, step 1: search for relevant literature, step 2: evaluate and select sources, step 3: identify themes, debates and gaps, step 4: outline your literature review’s structure, step 5: write your literature review, frequently asked questions about literature reviews, introduction.

• Quick Run-through
• Step 1 & 2

When you write a dissertation or thesis, you will have to conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge. The literature review gives you a chance to:

• Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and scholarly context
• Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research
• Position yourself in relation to other researchers and theorists
• Show how your dissertation addresses a gap or contributes to a debate

You might also have to write a literature review as a stand-alone assignment. In this case, the purpose is to evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge of scholarly debates around a topic.

The content will look slightly different in each case, but the process of conducting a literature review follows the same steps. We’ve written a step-by-step guide that you can follow below.

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Writing literature reviews can be quite challenging! A good starting point could be to look at some examples, depending on what kind of literature review you’d like to write.

• Example literature review #1: “Why Do People Migrate? A Review of the Theoretical Literature” ( Theoretical literature review about the development of economic migration theory from the 1950s to today.)
• Example literature review #2: “Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines” ( Methodological literature review about interdisciplinary knowledge acquisition and production.)
• Example literature review #3: “The Use of Technology in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Thematic literature review about the effects of technology on language acquisition.)
• Example literature review #4: “Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Chronological literature review about how the concept of listening skills has changed over time.)

You can also check out our templates with literature review examples and sample outlines at the links below.

Download Word doc Download Google doc

Before you begin searching for literature, you need a clearly defined topic .

If you are writing the literature review section of a dissertation or research paper, you will search for literature related to your research objectives and questions .

If you are writing a literature review as a stand-alone assignment, you will have to choose a focus and develop a central question to direct your search. Unlike a dissertation research question, this question has to be answerable without collecting original data. You should be able to answer it based only on a review of existing publications.

Make a list of keywords

Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research topic. Include each of the key concepts or variables you’re interested in, and list any synonyms and related terms. You can add to this list if you discover new keywords in the process of your literature search.

• Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok
• Body image, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health
• Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth

Search for relevant sources

Use your keywords to begin searching for sources. Some databases to search for journals and articles include:

• Your university’s library catalogue
• Google Scholar
• Project Muse (humanities and social sciences)
• Medline (life sciences and biomedicine)
• EconLit (economics)
• Inspec (physics, engineering and computer science)

You can use boolean operators to help narrow down your search:

Read the abstract to find out whether an article is relevant to your question. When you find a useful book or article, you can check the bibliography to find other relevant sources.

To identify the most important publications on your topic, take note of recurring citations. If the same authors, books or articles keep appearing in your reading, make sure to seek them out.

You probably won’t be able to read absolutely everything that has been written on the topic – you’ll have to evaluate which sources are most relevant to your questions.

For each publication, ask yourself:

• What question or problem is the author addressing?
• What are the key concepts and how are they defined?
• What are the key theories, models and methods? Does the research use established frameworks or take an innovative approach?
• What are the results and conclusions of the study?
• How does the publication relate to other literature in the field? Does it confirm, add to, or challenge established knowledge?
• How does the publication contribute to your understanding of the topic? What are its key insights and arguments?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?

Make sure the sources you use are credible, and make sure you read any landmark studies and major theories in your field of research.

You can find out how many times an article has been cited on Google Scholar – a high citation count means the article has been influential in the field, and should certainly be included in your literature review.

The scope of your review will depend on your topic and discipline: in the sciences you usually only review recent literature, but in the humanities you might take a long historical perspective (for example, to trace how a concept has changed in meaning over time).

Remember that you can use our template to summarise and evaluate sources you’re thinking about using!

Take notes and cite your sources

As you read, you should also begin the writing process. Take notes that you can later incorporate into the text of your literature review.

It’s important to keep track of your sources with references to avoid plagiarism . It can be helpful to make an annotated bibliography, where you compile full reference information and write a paragraph of summary and analysis for each source. This helps you remember what you read and saves time later in the process.

You can use our free APA Reference Generator for quick, correct, consistent citations.

To begin organising your literature review’s argument and structure, you need to understand the connections and relationships between the sources you’ve read. Based on your reading and notes, you can look for:

• Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results): do certain approaches become more or less popular over time?
• Themes: what questions or concepts recur across the literature?
• Debates, conflicts and contradictions: where do sources disagree?
• Pivotal publications: are there any influential theories or studies that changed the direction of the field?
• Gaps: what is missing from the literature? Are there weaknesses that need to be addressed?

This step will help you work out the structure of your literature review and (if applicable) show how your own research will contribute to existing knowledge.

• Most research has focused on young women.
• There is an increasing interest in the visual aspects of social media.
• But there is still a lack of robust research on highly-visual platforms like Instagram and Snapchat – this is a gap that you could address in your own research.

There are various approaches to organising the body of a literature review. You should have a rough idea of your strategy before you start writing.

Depending on the length of your literature review, you can combine several of these strategies (for example, your overall structure might be thematic, but each theme is discussed chronologically).

Chronological

The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time. However, if you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarising sources in order.

Try to analyse patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred.

If you have found some recurring central themes, you can organise your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic.

For example, if you are reviewing literature about inequalities in migrant health outcomes, key themes might include healthcare policy, language barriers, cultural attitudes, legal status, and economic access.

Methodological

If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods , you might want to compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:

• Look at what results have emerged in qualitative versus quantitative research
• Discuss how the topic has been approached by empirical versus theoretical scholarship
• Divide the literature into sociological, historical, and cultural sources

Theoretical

A literature review is often the foundation for a theoretical framework . You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts.

You might argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach, or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.

Like any other academic text, your literature review should have an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion . What you include in each depends on the objective of your literature review.

The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose of the literature review.

If you are writing the literature review as part of your dissertation or thesis, reiterate your central problem or research question and give a brief summary of the scholarly context. You can emphasise the timeliness of the topic (“many recent studies have focused on the problem of x”) or highlight a gap in the literature (“while there has been much research on x, few researchers have taken y into consideration”).

Depending on the length of your literature review, you might want to divide the body into subsections. You can use a subheading for each theme, time period, or methodological approach.

As you write, make sure to follow these tips:

• Summarise and synthesise: give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole.
• Analyse and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other researchers – add your own interpretations, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole.
• Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources.
• Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transitions and topic sentences to draw connections, comparisons and contrasts.

In the conclusion, you should summarise the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasise their significance.

If the literature review is part of your dissertation or thesis, reiterate how your research addresses gaps and contributes new knowledge, or discuss how you have drawn on existing theories and methods to build a framework for your research. This can lead directly into your methodology section.

A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources (such as books, journal articles, and theses) related to a specific topic or research question .

It is often written as part of a dissertation , thesis, research paper , or proposal .

There are several reasons to conduct a literature review at the beginning of a research project:

• To familiarise yourself with the current state of knowledge on your topic
• To ensure that you’re not just repeating what others have already done
• To identify gaps in knowledge and unresolved problems that your research can address
• To develop your theoretical framework and methodology
• To provide an overview of the key findings and debates on the topic

Writing the literature review shows your reader how your work relates to existing research and what new insights it will contribute.

The literature review usually comes near the beginning of your  dissertation . After the introduction , it grounds your research in a scholarly field and leads directly to your theoretical framework or methodology .

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The Importance of Literature Reviews in Dissertations

1. Introduction to Literature Reviews in Dissertations

A literature review is a fundamental component of a dissertation. It enables the researcher to survey existing research related to their chosen topic and outline the principles of that particular field from which further investigation can be based. Literature reviews should include an analysis, synthesis, summarization and interpretation of current knowledge on the subject being studied.

• Analysis : A critical appraisal or examination of another scholar’s work in order to evaluate its relevance for your own study needs.
• Synthesis : Combining multiple viewpoints into one cohesive narrative while considering what may be missing from the various sources.

The purpose of analyzing the relevant literature is twofold: firstly, it allows you to create your own original argument by understanding how previous researchers have contributed to this specific area; secondly, it helps you identify any shortcomings or gaps in existing studies – areas where new knowledge could potentially be created through further research. As such, writing a thorough and accurate literature review is essential for producing good quality dissertations.

2. Examining the Significance of Literature Reviews

Exploring the Purpose of Literature Reviews A literature review is an analysis and evaluation of existing research findings on a topic. It serves several purposes in research-oriented writing, including providing context for related work, summarizing prior studies to form a basis for new research and synthesizing results from multiple sources into one unified interpretation. Writing a thorough and comprehensive literature review takes effort but ultimately aids researchers in deepening their understanding of the subject matter.

Organizing Existing Knowledge: The main purpose of conducting a literature review is to bring order out chaos within already existing knowledge or information on the chosen topic. By doing this task methodically and conscientiously, it becomes easier to spot areas that need more attention or where further investigation might be necessary while also avoiding errors by not overlooking important works all too common when performing ad hoc searches. Additionally, since most reviews focus on synthesis rather than quantitative aggregation across numerous detailed reports, they provide insight into trends over time as well as what future directions should entail such as upcoming technologies and changes in best practices.

• Researched information must be effectively organized.
• “Gaps” can easily be identified.

3. Benefits and Challenges of Conducting a Literature Review

The literature review process has multiple advantages and challenges in the research realm. This section provides a reflection on some of those benefits and issues.

• Develops an overview of current scholarly knowledge; identifies relationships among different fields and topics, potential gaps in knowledge, emerging trends or controversies.

4. Best Practices for Formulating an Effective Literary Review Structure

When formulating an effective literary review structure, it is important to have a clear plan in mind. First and foremost, summarise the key texts that you will be engaging with; this serves as a starting point for writing your review. It is helpful to adhere to certain best practices when establishing a structured approach.

• Focus on relevant works: Narrow down the list of literature by selecting those materials directly related to your study’s research questions or objectives.
• Develop distinct sections: Divide up different strands of inquiry into separate subsections so that each discussion may stand alone in its own right without losing coherence within the broader argument.
• Be critical in assessments: Evaluate strengths and weaknesses from both primary sources as well as past studies which seek out ways they can inform additional scholarship going forward.

5. Strategies for Locating Relevant Sources for Your Literary Review

Identifying Relevant Sources

The first step of conducting an effective literature review is to identify sources that are highly relevant to the research topic. This can be done through a variety of strategies, such as:

• Exploring bibliographies provided in existing articles.
• Researching potential authors and their research topics via databases or search engines.

These two methods can often lead you to further related studies and additional authors who have conducted work on the same topic. For example, exploring a study’s reference page may direct you to similar works written by different authors which provide complementary information.

Verifying Source Reliability

Once some sources have been identified for use, another important step is verifying whether these are reliable sources for your particular project. It is essential when researching academic fields that all materials used have undergone rigorous peer-review processes and meet certain academic standards; this helps maintain trustworthiness in all areas of academia. In addition, it’s also important to consider how current any source material might be – timeliness matters depending on the field being researched! Some considerations while evaluating reliability include asking questions such as:

6. Acknowledging Sources within your literary review

When writing a literature review, it is important to remember and give due credit to all sources that you have used in the compilation of your work. It is especially crucial when you are citing published material by other authors as these documents are protected under copyright law. Therefore, one must be sure to include proper acknowledgement of every source utilized.

• Inclusion of accurate referencing not only protects against infringement but also adds credibility and authority to your review.
• Be mindful that some publications may require specific formatting for citations; therefore familiarize yourself with them before beginning the project or refer back if any doubt arises

The use of Citations:

A citation provides information regarding the source so readers can easily identify it within their library collection or online database search results. To cite a particular author’s publication accurately , follow this correct format : Name ( date) , title , place where it was published . For instance : Smith (1984), “A Study on Literary Themes,” New York: Penguin Books

7. Concluding Remarks on the Importance of Completing a Thorough Literature Review

In conclusion, completing a thorough literature review is of paramount importance to any research endeavor. The primary aim of this type of review is to assess the existing studies related to the topic in order gain an understanding and identify knowledge gaps. As such, it provides new researchers with valuable insights including:

• Contextual information on how current theories are built.
• A better understanding of key terms and concepts.
• An assessment for potential methodological approaches.

Dissertation Research—Planning, Researching, Publishing

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Video: Literature Reviews: an Overview for Graduate Students

• What is a literature review?
• What purpose does it serve in research?
• What should you expect when writing one?

Watch this short video to find answers to these questions!

(Source:  NCSU Libraries)

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Literature Reviews, Critiquing, & Synthesizing Literature

What is a literature review & searching the literature, synthesizing the literature, literature review -- tutorials, literature review -- books, literature searches -- completing.

• Types of Review Articles
• Literature Review Steps Videos
• Critiquing Literature / Critical Review
• Synthesizing Literature
• Summarizing Articles

Resources to learn about literature reviews.

• 10-Step Guide to Making Your Literature Review Write Itself By Elizabeth Hicks, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
• How to undertake a literature search: A step-by-step guide Watson, M. (2020). How to undertake a literature search: A step-by-step guide. British Journal of Nursing, 29(7), 431-435. doi:10.12968/bjon.2020.29.7.431
• Learn how to write a review of literature The Writing Center @ the U. of Wisconsin, Madison presents an overview.
• The purpose, process, and methods of writing a literature review. Baker, Joy Don, PhD, RN-BC, CNOR, CNE, NEA-BC, FAAN. (2016). The purpose, process, and methods of writing a literature review. AORN Journal, 103(3), 265-269. doi:10.1016/j.aorn.2016.01.016
• Ten Simple Rules for Writing a Literature Review PLOS Computational Biology, July 2013
• Users' guide to the surgical literature: How to perform a high-quality literature search. Waltho, D., Kaur, M. N., Haynes, R. B., Farrokhyar, F., & Thoma, A. (2015). Users' guide to the surgical literature: How to perform a high-quality literature search. Canadian Journal of Surgery. Journal Canadien De Chirurgie, 58(5), 349. doi:10.1503/cjs.017314
• What are the differences between a literature search, a literature review, a systematic review and a meta-analysis? And why is a systematic review considered to be so good O’Gorman, C. S., Macken, A. P., Cullen, W., Saunders, J., Dunne, C., & Higgins, M. F. (2013). What are the differences between a literature search, a literature review, a systematic review and a meta-analysis? And why is a systematic review considered to be so good. Ir Med J, 106(2 Suppl), 8-10. (DOWNLOADS PDF)
• What is a Literature Review? The process is presented by the U. of North Carolina Libraries at Chapel Hill.
• Write a Literature Review Steps for writing a literature review. (U. of California, Santa Cruz)
• Writing a literature review (George Mason University)
• Writing an effective literature review : Part I: Mapping the gap. Lingard L. Writing an effective literature review : Part I: Mapping the gap. Perspect Med Educ. 2018;7(1):47-49. doi:10.1007/s40037-017-0401-x
• Writing an effective literature review : Part II: Citation technique. Lingard L. Writing an effective literature review : Part II: Citation technique. Perspect Med Educ. 2018;7(2):133-135. doi:10.1007/s40037-018-0407-z
• Extracting and synthesizing information from a literature review Foster, R. L. (2013). Extracting and synthesizing information from a literature review. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 18(2), 85-88. doi:10.1111/jspn.12021
• The Four-Part Literature Review Process: Breaking It Down for Students Price, R. H. (2017). The Four-Part Literature Review Process: Breaking It Down for Students. College Teaching, 65(2), 88–91. https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2016.1276042
• Literature Review : Synthesizing multiple sources Louisiana State University, Writing Center
• Synthesising the literature as a part of a literature review Wakefield, A. (2015). Synthesising the literature as part of a literature review. Nursing Standard (2014+), 29(29), 44. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.7748/ns.29.29.44.e8957
• Synthesizing Sources / Purdue Writing Center /OWL Purdue University
• The systematic review of literature: Synthesizing evidence for practice. Rew, L. (2011). The systematic review of literature: Synthesizing evidence for practice. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 16(1), 64-69. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6155.2010.00270.x
• Literature Review -- A Self-Guided Tutorial This great tutorial from Indiana University -- Purdue University Indianapolis, shares the steps of a Literature Review.
• Scribbr's How to write a literature review Review the 6 short videos on how to write a literature review. 5 steps are listed for writing a review.

Learning how to search the literature.

• A systematic approach to searching: an efficient and complete method to develop literature searches Bramer WM, de Jonge GB, Rethlefsen ML, Mast F, Kleijnen J. A systematic approach to searching: an efficient and complete method to develop literature searches. J Med Libr Assoc. 2018 Oct;106(4):531-541. doi: 10.5195/jmla.2018.283. Epub 2018 Oct 1. PMID: 30271302; PMCID: PMC6148622.
• Conducting a successful literature search Elsevier. (2018). Basic steps.
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• Last Updated: Apr 14, 2024 6:59 PM
• URL: https://libguides.ahu.edu/LitReviewSum

Resources listed on these guides are compiled by librarians at the R.A. Williams Library. We accept content recommendations, and after review, may include suggested resources on a guide. Our time is limited, so we generally do not reply to unsolicited recommendations from individuals not affiliated with AdventHealth University or notify them regarding whether or not we have linked to suggested content.

Dissertations/Theses: Literature Review

• Writing Your Dissertation or Thesis
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What is a Literature Review?

A  Literature Review  is a summary and assessment of the key research on a specific topic. It is not a research study itself, although research studies will often include a literature review. Literature reviews are considered secondary sources because they provide an overview of published research on a topic. They also reflect the relationship between research studies, how one study builds on the findings of an earlier study, as well as what each study contributes to scholarship on the topic.

Here are a few links with further information:

http://library.ucsc.edu/ref/howto/literaturereview.html

http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/literature-reviews/

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/conducting_research/writing_a_literature_review.html

Writing Literature Reviews

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A Guide To Writing The Dissertation Literature Review

Tom Baldwin - Jan 22, 2024

Do you want to know a guide to writing the dissertation literature review? You are at the right place. This latest post will explore how to write a literature review, Purposes for writing a literature review, How to conduct a literature review and, most importantly, how to write a methodology for a literature review dissertation

And many more that can be helpful for you. So, without any delay, let’s get started.

Key Take Away

• Focused Scope: Clearly define your research question and key concepts to maintain focus and avoid information overload.
• Comprehensive Search: Use diverse sources and search techniques for a thorough literature review. Apply strict criteria for inclusion/exclusion to ensure relevance.
• Structured Presentation: Organize selected literature into themes and develop a concise thesis statement for a clear and guided narrative.
• Methodological Precision: Outline a rigorous methodology, detailing search strategy, inclusion/exclusion criteria, data extraction, and synthesis. Reflect on choices, acknowledging strengths and limitations.

Table of Contents

Qualified Tutors

How To Write A Literature Review

Writing a literature review involves summarizing, evaluating, and synthesizing existing research on a particular topic. Here’s a guide to help you:

1. Define Your Scope

Begin by explicitly defining the scope and parameters of your literature review. Clearly articulate the specific research question or topic you aim to explore. 

Consider the key concepts, keywords, and terms relevant to your inquiry. This step is crucial for setting boundaries, ensuring focus, and avoiding information overload.

2. Search For Relevant Literature

Conduct a comprehensive literature search using a variety of sources such as academic databases , library catalogs, and search engines. Experiment with different combinations of keywords and synonyms related to your topic. 

Use advanced search features and filters provided by databases to refine and narrow down your results. Be mindful of the inclusion and exclusion criteria to ensure relevance.

3. Select And Evaluate Sources

As you gather sources, critically evaluate each one. Examine the author’s credentials, institutional affiliations, and any potential biases. Consider the publication venue and its reputation within the field. 

Pay attention to the publication date to ensure that you are incorporating recent and relevant research. Evaluate the research methodology employed in each study to assess the validity of the findings.

4. Organize The Literature

Organize the selected literature into themes or categories based on commonalities and differences. This can be achieved through the creation of an annotated bibliography or a matrix that categorizes studies based on key characteristics. 

This organizational step will serve as the backbone of your literature review, providing a structured framework for presenting information.

5. Develop A Thesis Statement

Craft a clear and concise thesis statement that encapsulates the main theme, findings, or trends within the literature. This thesis statement should provide a roadmap for readers, guiding them through the overarching narrative of your literature review. 

Ensure that the thesis aligns with the specific research question or objective you outlined in the initial stages.

6. Write An Introduction

In the introduction, contextualize the topic by providing background information, historical context, or relevant theoretical frameworks. Clearly state the purpose of your literature review and articulate the significance of the research question. 

Transition smoothly from the general context to your specific focus, and conclude the introduction with your thesis statement.

7. Body Of The Review

Organize the body of your literature review logically. If following a thematic approach, discuss studies within each theme, summarizing their main findings, methodologies, and contributions to the field. 

If following a chronological approach, trace the evolution of research over time. Ensure a coherent flow between paragraphs and sections, making connections between studies and highlighting key relationships.

8. Critical Analysis

Engage in a critical analysis of each source. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the studies, considering factors such as sample size, research design, and potential biases. Identify any conflicting findings or gaps in the literature. 

Discuss how methodological choices in each study may have influenced the results and interpretations.

9. Synthesize Information

Synthesize information by identifying common themes, trends, or patterns across studies. Explore the relationships between different sources and offer insights into the cumulative knowledge generated by the literature. 

Discuss how the collective findings contribute to the overall understanding of the topic and address your research question.

10. Write A Conclusion

Summarize the main findings and themes discussed in the body of the literature review. Reiterate your thesis statement and emphasize its significance. 

Discuss the broader implications of the reviewed literature and its relevance to the field. Consider proposing areas for future research and potential avenues for exploration.

11. Cite Sources

Ensure proper citation of all sources using the designated citation style (e.g., APA, MLA). Adhere to formatting guidelines consistently throughout your literature review. Maintain accuracy in citing authors, publication years, and other relevant details.

12. Revise And Edit

Carefully review your literature review for clarity, coherence, and logical flow. Check for consistency in tone and style. Edit for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Consider seeking feedback from peers, mentors, or writing support services to refine your work further.

Additional Tips

• Consider the cultural and geographical context of the studies you include.
• Be aware of any evolving debates or shifts in perspectives within the literature.
• Engage with your sources by offering critiques, connections, and reflections on the methodologies employed.
• Keep track of the publication status of the studies, as ongoing research might have been published after your literature search.

By following this detailed guide, you can create a comprehensive and nuanced literature review that not only summarizes existing research but also contributes valuable insights to the academic discourse in your field of study.

11 Purposes For Writing A Literature Review  

Writing a literature review serves several important purposes within the academic and research context. Here are key reasons why researchers and scholars engage in the process of writing a literature review:

1. Establishing Context

Purpose: Provide background and context for a research study.

Explanation: A literature review helps situate a research project within the existing body of knowledge. By reviewing relevant studies, researchers establish a foundation for their work and demonstrate an understanding of the historical and theoretical context of their research.

2. Identifying Gaps In Knowledge

Purpose: Identify areas where further research is needed.

Explanation: By examining existing literature, researchers can pinpoint gaps, unanswered questions, or areas with conflicting findings. This identification of gaps helps justify the need for new research and contributes to the advancement of knowledge.

3. Demonstrating Scholarly Understanding

Purpose: Showcase a deep understanding of the subject matter.

Explanation: A well-crafted literature review demonstrates the researcher’s familiarity with key concepts, theories, and empirical studies related to the research topic. It showcases the researcher’s expertise and positions them within the scholarly conversation.

4. Synthesizing Existing Knowledge

Purpose: Synthesize information from various sources to form a cohesive narrative.

Explanation: The literature review is an opportunity to synthesize information from diverse studies, presenting a comprehensive overview of existing knowledge. This synthesis helps researchers and readers understand the broader patterns, trends, and relationships in the literature.

5. Evaluating Methodologies

Purpose: Assess the strengths and weaknesses of research methodologies.

Explanation: Researchers critically evaluate the methodologies used in previous studies to understand the reliability and validity of their findings. This assessment informs the methodological choices in the current research and contributes to the overall research design.

6. Supporting Theoretical Frameworks

Purpose: Provide a theoretical foundation for the research.

Explanation: Literature reviews often explore and discuss theoretical frameworks relevant to the research topic. By doing so, researchers ground their work in established theories and frameworks, contributing to the theoretical development of their field.

7. Demonstrating Scope And Breadth

Purpose: Showcase a wide-ranging exploration of literature.

Explanation: Writing a literature review requires the exploration of a broad range of sources, providing readers with a comprehensive understanding of the field. This demonstration of breadth adds credibility to the research and indicates a thorough examination of relevant scholarship.

8. Guiding Research Questions Or Hypotheses

Purpose: Inform the formulation of research questions or hypotheses.

Explanation: Through the review process, researchers gain insights into the existing gaps and patterns, helping them formulate specific and targeted research questions or hypotheses. This ensures that the research is purposeful and directly addresses gaps in the current knowledge.

9. Building A Conceptual Framework

Purpose: Construct a conceptual framework for the study.

Explanation: The literature review aids in the development of a conceptual framework by identifying key concepts, variables, and relationships explored in previous research. This framework serves as a theoretical foundation for the current study.

10. Informing Methodological Choices

Purpose: Guide decisions on research methods.

Explanation: Researchers can draw on the literature review to inform decisions about the most appropriate research methods. By understanding how previous studies were conducted, researchers can make informed choices regarding data collection, analysis, and interpretation.

11. Contributing To Academic Discourse

Purpose: Contribute to ongoing academic discussions.

Explanation: Writing a literature review is a scholarly contribution in itself. By summarizing, analyzing, and synthesizing existing research, researchers actively engage in the academic discourse of their field, adding their perspectives to the broader conversation.

A literature review serves as a critical component of the research process, enabling researchers to situate their work within the larger academic landscape, identify gaps, synthesize knowledge, and contribute to the ongoing scholarly conversation.

How To Write A Methodology For A Literature Review Dissertation

Writing the methodology for a literature review in a dissertation involves outlining the methods you will use to gather, organize, and analyze the literature. While a traditional research methodology might involve data collection and analysis. 

The methodology for a literature review focuses on your approach to reviewing and synthesizing existing research. Here’s a guide on how to write the methodology section for a literature review dissertation.

1. Search Strategy

Describe your approach to searching for relevant literature. Include details such as the databases you used, keywords, and any specific criteria for inclusion or exclusion. This helps readers understand the comprehensiveness of your literature search.

2. Inclusion And Exclusion Criteria

Clearly outline the criteria you used to select or exclude studies. This might include factors such as publication date, study design, geographical location, or the type of participants. Justify your choices to demonstrate the rigour of your selection process.

3. Data Extraction

Explain how you extracted relevant information from the selected studies. Discuss the variables or themes you focused on and any tools or frameworks you used for data extraction.

4. Quality Assessment

If applicable, describe any criteria or tools you used to assess the quality of the studies included in your literature review. This is important for establishing the reliability and validity of your review.

5. Data Synthesis

Detail how you synthesized the information gathered from the literature. Discuss the methods you used to organize, categorize, and analyze the findings. This could involve thematic analysis, content analysis, or other qualitative synthesis methods.

6. Frameworks Or Models

If you used any theoretical frameworks or models to guide your literature review, explain them in this section. Discuss how these frameworks influenced your approach to analyzing and synthesizing the literature.

7. Categorization And Synthesis

Outline the process you followed to categorize the literature and synthesize key themes or concepts. This is the heart of your literature review methodology, so be specific about the steps you took to identify patterns and relationships in the literature.

8. Reflection On Methodological Choices

Reflect on the strengths and limitations of your methodology. Discuss any challenges you encountered and how you addressed them. This shows your awareness of potential biases and enhances the transparency of your work.

Conclude the methodology section by summarizing the key methods employed and how they contributed to the structure and content of your literature review. Remember to follow the specific guidelines provided by your institution and dissertation committee. 

Adapt the above steps based on the requirements and expectations of your academic program.

1. What Is The Primary Purpose Of A Literature Review In A Dissertation?

A literature review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of existing research, establish context, identify gaps, and contribute to the scholarly discourse within a specific field.

2. How Do I Define The Scope Of My Literature Review?

Begin by clearly articulating your research question and identifying key concepts. This helps set boundaries, maintain focus, and avoid information overload.

3. What Criteria Should I Consider When Selecting And Evaluating Sources?

Evaluate author credentials, institutional affiliations, publication venue reputation, and research methodologies. Consider biases and the relevance of the publication date.

4. Why Is It Important To Organize The Literature Into Themes Or Categories?

Organizing literature helps create a structured framework for presenting information and highlights commonalities and differences between studies.

5. What Role Does A Thesis Statement Play In A Literature Review?

A thesis statement encapsulates the main theme, findings, or trends within the literature, providing a roadmap for readers and aligning with the research question.

In crafting a literature review for your dissertation, mastering the art of synthesizing existing research is key. By defining scope, organizing systematically, and critically analyzing sources

You contribute not only to your research but also to the broader academic conversation. Follow the methodology guide, employ purposeful writing, and create a compelling narrative to enrich your academic exploration.

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How To Structure Your Literature Review

3 options to help structure your chapter.

By: Amy Rommelspacher (PhD) | Reviewer: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | November 2020 (Updated May 2023)

Writing the literature review chapter can seem pretty daunting when you’re piecing together your dissertation or thesis. As  we’ve discussed before , a good literature review needs to achieve a few very important objectives – it should:

• Demonstrate your knowledge of the research topic
• Identify the gaps in the literature and show how your research links to these
• Provide the foundation for your conceptual framework (if you have one)
• Inform your own  methodology and research design

To achieve this, your literature review needs a well-thought-out structure . Get the structure of your literature review chapter wrong and you’ll struggle to achieve these objectives. Don’t worry though – in this post, we’ll look at how to structure your literature review for maximum impact (and marks!).

But wait – is this the right time?

Deciding on the structure of your literature review should come towards the end of the literature review process – after you have collected and digested the literature, but before you start writing the chapter. 

In other words, you need to first develop a rich understanding of the literature before you even attempt to map out a structure. There’s no use trying to develop a structure before you’ve fully wrapped your head around the existing research.

Equally importantly, you need to have a structure in place before you start writing , or your literature review will most likely end up a rambling, disjointed mess. 

Importantly, don’t feel that once you’ve defined a structure you can’t iterate on it. It’s perfectly natural to adjust as you engage in the writing process. As we’ve discussed before , writing is a way of developing your thinking, so it’s quite common for your thinking to change – and therefore, for your chapter structure to change – as you write. 

Need a helping hand?

Like any other chapter in your thesis or dissertation, your literature review needs to have a clear, logical structure. At a minimum, it should have three essential components – an  introduction , a  body   and a  conclusion . 

Let’s take a closer look at each of these.

1: The Introduction Section

Just like any good introduction, the introduction section of your literature review should introduce the purpose and layout (organisation) of the chapter. In other words, your introduction needs to give the reader a taste of what’s to come, and how you’re going to lay that out. Essentially, you should provide the reader with a high-level roadmap of your chapter to give them a taste of the journey that lies ahead.

Here’s an example of the layout visualised in a literature review introduction:

Your introduction should also outline your topic (including any tricky terminology or jargon) and provide an explanation of the scope of your literature review – in other words, what you  will   and  won’t   be covering (the delimitations ). This helps ringfence your review and achieve a clear focus . The clearer and narrower your focus, the deeper you can dive into the topic (which is typically where the magic lies). 

Depending on the nature of your project, you could also present your stance or point of view at this stage. In other words, after grappling with the literature you’ll have an opinion about what the trends and concerns are in the field as well as what’s lacking. The introduction section can then present these ideas so that it is clear to examiners that you’re aware of how your research connects with existing knowledge .

2: The Body Section

The body of your literature review is the centre of your work. This is where you’ll present, analyse, evaluate and synthesise the existing research. In other words, this is where you’re going to earn (or lose) the most marks. Therefore, it’s important to carefully think about how you will organise your discussion to present it in a clear way. 

The body of your literature review should do just as the description of this chapter suggests. It should “review” the literature – in other words, identify, analyse, and synthesise it. So, when thinking about structuring your literature review, you need to think about which structural approach will provide the best “review” for your specific type of research and objectives (we’ll get to this shortly).

There are (broadly speaking)  three options  for organising your literature review.

Option 1: Chronological (according to date)

Organising the literature chronologically is one of the simplest ways to structure your literature review. You start with what was published first and work your way through the literature until you reach the work published most recently. Pretty straightforward.

The benefit of this option is that it makes it easy to discuss the developments and debates in the field as they emerged over time. Organising your literature chronologically also allows you to highlight how specific articles or pieces of work might have changed the course of the field – in other words, which research has had the most impact . Therefore, this approach is very useful when your research is aimed at understanding how the topic has unfolded over time and is often used by scholars in the field of history. That said, this approach can be utilised by anyone that wants to explore change over time .

For example , if a student of politics is investigating how the understanding of democracy has evolved over time, they could use the chronological approach to provide a narrative that demonstrates how this understanding has changed through the ages.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help you structure your literature review chronologically.

• What is the earliest literature published relating to this topic?
• How has the field changed over time? Why?
• What are the most recent discoveries/theories?

In some ways, chronology plays a part whichever way you decide to structure your literature review, because you will always, to a certain extent, be analysing how the literature has developed. However, with the chronological approach, the emphasis is very firmly on how the discussion has evolved over time , as opposed to how all the literature links together (which we’ll discuss next ).

Option 2: Thematic (grouped by theme)

The thematic approach to structuring a literature review means organising your literature by theme or category – for example, by independent variables (i.e. factors that have an impact on a specific outcome).

As you’ve been collecting and synthesising literature , you’ll likely have started seeing some themes or patterns emerging. You can then use these themes or patterns as a structure for your body discussion. The thematic approach is the most common approach and is useful for structuring literature reviews in most fields.

For example, if you were researching which factors contributed towards people trusting an organisation, you might find themes such as consumers’ perceptions of an organisation’s competence, benevolence and integrity. Structuring your literature review thematically would mean structuring your literature review’s body section to discuss each of these themes, one section at a time.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when structuring your literature review by themes:

• Are there any patterns that have come to light in the literature?
• What are the central themes and categories used by the researchers?
• Do I have enough evidence of these themes?

PS – you can see an example of a thematically structured literature review in our literature review sample walkthrough video here.

Option 3: Methodological

The methodological option is a way of structuring your literature review by the research methodologies used . In other words, organising your discussion based on the angle from which each piece of research was approached – for example, qualitative , quantitative or mixed  methodologies.

Structuring your literature review by methodology can be useful if you are drawing research from a variety of disciplines and are critiquing different methodologies. The point of this approach is to question  how  existing research has been conducted, as opposed to  what  the conclusions and/or findings the research were.

For example, a sociologist might centre their research around critiquing specific fieldwork practices. Their literature review will then be a summary of the fieldwork methodologies used by different studies.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself when structuring your literature review according to methodology:

• Which methodologies have been utilised in this field?
• Which methodology is the most popular (and why)?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the various methodologies?
• How can the existing methodologies inform my own methodology?

3: The Conclusion Section

Once you’ve completed the body section of your literature review using one of the structural approaches we discussed above, you’ll need to “wrap up” your literature review and pull all the pieces together to set the direction for the rest of your dissertation or thesis.

The conclusion is where you’ll present the key findings of your literature review. In this section, you should emphasise the research that is especially important to your research questions and highlight the gaps that exist in the literature. Based on this, you need to make it clear what you will add to the literature – in other words, justify your own research by showing how it will help fill one or more of the gaps you just identified.

Last but not least, if it’s your intention to develop a conceptual framework for your dissertation or thesis, the conclusion section is a good place to present this.

Example: Thematically Structured Review

In the video below, we unpack a literature review chapter so that you can see an example of a thematically structure review in practice.

Let’s Recap

In this article, we’ve  discussed how to structure your literature review for maximum impact. Here’s a quick recap of what  you need to keep in mind when deciding on your literature review structure:

• Just like other chapters, your literature review needs a clear introduction , body and conclusion .
• The introduction section should provide an overview of what you will discuss in your literature review.
• The body section of your literature review can be organised by chronology , theme or methodology . The right structural approach depends on what you’re trying to achieve with your research.
• The conclusion section should draw together the key findings of your literature review and link them to your research questions.

If you’re ready to get started, be sure to download our free literature review template to fast-track your chapter outline.

Psst… there’s more!

This post is an extract from our bestselling short course, Literature Review Bootcamp . If you want to work smart, you don't want to miss this .

You Might Also Like:

27 Comments

Great work. This is exactly what I was looking for and helps a lot together with your previous post on literature review. One last thing is missing: a link to a great literature chapter of an journal article (maybe with comments of the different sections in this review chapter). Do you know any great literature review chapters?

I agree with you Marin… A great piece

I agree with Marin. This would be quite helpful if you annotate a nicely structured literature from previously published research articles.

Awesome article for my research.

I thank you immensely for this wonderful guide

It is indeed thought and supportive work for the futurist researcher and students

Very educative and good time to get guide. Thank you

Great work, very insightful. Thank you.

Thanks for this wonderful presentation. My question is that do I put all the variables into a single conceptual framework or each hypothesis will have it own conceptual framework?

Thank you very much, very helpful

This is very educative and precise . Thank you very much for dropping this kind of write up .

Pheeww, so damn helpful, thank you for this informative piece.

I’m doing a research project topic ; stool analysis for parasitic worm (enteric) worm, how do I structure it, thanks.

comprehensive explanation. Help us by pasting the URL of some good “literature review” for better understanding.

great piece. thanks for the awesome explanation. it is really worth sharing. I have a little question, if anyone can help me out, which of the options in the body of literature can be best fit if you are writing an architectural thesis that deals with design?

I am doing a research on nanofluids how can l structure it?

Beautifully clear.nThank you!

Lucid! Thankyou!

Brilliant work, well understood, many thanks

I like how this was so clear with simple language 😊😊 thank you so much 😊 for these information 😊

Insightful. I was struggling to come up with a sensible literature review but this has been really helpful. Thank you!

You have given thought-provoking information about the review of the literature.

Thank you. It has made my own research better and to impart your work to students I teach

I learnt a lot from this teaching. It’s a great piece.

I am doing research on EFL teacher motivation for his/her job. How Can I structure it? Is there any detailed template, additional to this?

You are so cool! I do not think I’ve read through something like this before. So nice to find somebody with some genuine thoughts on this issue. Seriously.. thank you for starting this up. This site is one thing that is required on the internet, someone with a little originality!

I’m asked to do conceptual, theoretical and empirical literature, and i just don’t know how to structure it

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Library Skills

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• Open Access Content
• Search Strategy
• Subject Heading Searching
• Cited reference searching
• Setting up search alerts
• Database video & help guides
• What is good or bad quality information?
• Beware of pitfalls!
• Tools to help with critical evaluation
• Literature Reviews for Dissertations & Projects
• Systematic Reviews This link opens in a new window
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• Help And Support
• Book onto a Digital Skills Session

This section covers:

• What a literature review is
• How to structure a literature review
• Where you can go to within the university for further help

What is a Literature Review?

A literature review is an overview of the scholarly literature on a given topic, sometimes to answer defined questions. Within a piece of academic writing, it situates your research or work within the field of research available on the topic.

Literature Review Tutorial

The tutorial below will walk you through:

• Steps to creating one
• Where you can go to within the university for further help.

Please note: We recommend clicking to view full screen using the arrows and box icon in the top right.  The tutorial can be made more accessible by selecting the three dots option in the top right and selecting accessibility view. You can change vertical or horizontal layout using the settings/cog button. There is also a page of contents in the bottom right.  Open the tutorial in a new page by clicking here .

You can also access a PDF version of the tutorial with the file below.  

• Literature Reviews for Dissertations and Research Projects
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Literature Reviews

• What is a Literature Review?
• Before You Start
• Develop a Research Question
• Define Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria
• Develop Search Strategies
• Review & Synthesize Results
• Write the Review
• Additional Resources
• Systematic Reviews This link opens in a new window

Librarian Support

Need help with your literature review? Contact your subject librarian.

• Find Your Subject Librarian
• Request a Consultation
• Get Started with Research Guides

Do you need a just few good articles, or do you need to be comprehensive? Developing a search strategy is a balance between needing a very precise search that yields fewer highly relevant results or a comprehensive search (high retrieval) with lower precision. The focus of a narrative literature review for a dissertation or thesis is thoroughness, so you should aim for high retrieval.

Search Process

Create a list of search terms..

• Identify the concepts in your research question.
• Create a list of words which researchers would use to describe each concept.
• Add synonyms, acronyms, and alternative terms that are related to the concept.
• Think of alternative spellings and word endings.
• Scan the database's thesaurus (if one is available) for subject headings related to your topic.

Choose databases.

Library databases are an important tool for searching the literature because they

• Focus on the literature of a specific discipline
• More reliably contain high-quality resources
• Have advanced search features and filtering options
• May lead to content that is not on the Web.

How do you choose from the hundreds of databases we have?

• Consult research guides to find the key databases for a research area.
• Browse the Libraries' full list of databases by subject .
• Contact your subject librarian for suggestions.

Google Scholar is a popular tool for searching and should be included for a comprehensive search because it

• May find journal articles and other works not indexed in the databases.
• Can give you an idea of where the research is being published.
• Usually searches the entire document rather than just the abstract and keywords.
• Can provide ideas for alternate keywords.

Create the search strategy.

Keys for effective searching.

• Learn about general search tips and strategies for databases and Google Scholar.
• Understand that you will need to adapt your search strategy when switching databases. Consult database help files to determine their search rules.
• Look for database tutorials and guides, or ask your subject librarian for a demonstration.
• Ask your subject librarian for advice on your search strategy.

Creating a Search Strategy

The 5-minute video below demonstrates how to build a search strategy.

Phrase Searching and Truncation

The following 2-minute video shows how to incorporate phrase searching and truncation into your search strategy.

Perform the search.

• Examine the search results, and adjust your strategy as needed.
• Export relevant citations to a citation manager.
• Save the search strategy, and create alerts as needed.
• Ask for help if you're not getting the results you expect.

Too many results?

• Use more specific terms, or add another concept.
• Apply search filters or limits.
• Check your logic. Are you using OR correctly?
• Use proximity operators.
• Search within specific fields (e.g., abstract, title, subject).

Too few results?

• Use fewer search terms.
• Broaden your search (e.g., undergraduates instead of sophomores ).
• Remove a filter/limit that you've applied.
• Examine your search strategy for possible spelling or logic errors. Are you using search operators correctly?

Additional Search Strategies

Also use these strategies to ensure that you have conducted a thorough literature search.

Citation Searching

Citation searching is a useful way to discover relevant research by looking at what authors have cited and who has cited that their work. This 4-minute video from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater demonstrates how citation searching can contribute to a literature review.

Searching Key Journals

Try directly searching key journals through the publisher's web site, especially if the journals are not indexed by the databases. You may discover newly published articles that have not appeared in the databases yet.

While it can be fruitful to search large publishers' web sites (such as ACS, ACM, IEEE, and Taylor & Francis), remember you are searching only a single publisher's content. For a comprehensive search, you should include the key databases in your area.

Finding Related Articles

Some databases provide a link to related records leading you to articles that share cited references with the article you're examining. Don't worry about the large number of results that come up. The list is sorted by the number of shared reference in common, and the more relevant articles are near the top. The video below shows how to find related records in Web of Science.

Finding Seminal Works

Make sure you have found the seminal works or influential researchers for your area. Often, these landmark publications were published quite some time ago, so you may easily miss them if you have set date limits on your search.

• Examine the bibliographies of your selected articles for references that are cited repeatedly.
• Scan books, especially your textbooks, related to your topic for overviews, history, or background information. Look at the list of references.
• Search for your topic in Web of Science and Scopus (with no date limits), and sort the results by Times Cited or Cited by to see the most cited articles in the area. Use caution, however. Some articles are highly cited because the research is controversial.
• Read the literature review sections of other dissertations on the same or related topic.
• Search Oxford Bibliographies to find authoritative guides to current scholarship on a topic.

Gray Literature

What is grey literature.

Grey literature encompasses materials that are produced outside the traditional publishing channels and includes conference proceedings, dissertations, preprints, research reports, white papers, etc. While some databases include grey literature, you will need to search the web sites of government agencies, non-governmental organizations, think tanks, etc. for comprehensiveness.

This 3-minute video from Western University (Ontario, Canada) describes what grey literature is and how it can useful for your research.

Tips for Searching the Grey Literature

While some library databases include grey literature, you will need to search the web sites of government agencies, non-governmental organizations, think tanks, etc. for comprehensiveness.

• Think about who is likely to research the topic.
• Using Google is a better option than searching with Google Scholar.
• site:cdc.gov
• site:pewresearch.org
• Ask your subject librarian for help.

Staying Current

A research project can take several months, so it's important to keep up with the most current research on your topic. Consider setting up RSS feeds or email alerts for

• Tables of content of key journals
• New books acquired by UT Libraries
• Google Scholar searches

Creating Database Search Alerts

Many databases allow you to create email alerts for updated search results, the table of contents from the latest journal issue, or if an article has been recently cited. The links below lead to instructions for some of the more commonly used database interfaces. Contact your subject librarian if you need assistance.

• EBSCO (includes Academic Search Complete, Business Source Complete, CINAHL, ERIC, and more )
• Engineering Village (Compendex, GeoRef)
• ProQuest (LISA, Philosopher's Index, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts)
• SciFinder-n
• Web of Science

Browzine is a tool that enables you to browse, read, and monitor the content of journals subscribed by UT Libraries. The 2.5-minute video below demonstrates how to set up, organize, and monitor your bookshelf.

When to Stop Searching

If you have searched the article databases and start to see the same articles over and over again, then you have done your due diligence and can consider your literature review complete. That isn't to say an article might not slip through, but if you have done the steps below, then the chances of a really important article slipping past you are slim.

• Searched all relevant databases, using a variety of keywords and subject headings.
• Mined article bibliographies for their cited references.
• Looked in  Google Scholar , Scopus , and Web of Science to see who has cited those articles.

The 4-minute video below provides guidance on when to stop reading and start writing.

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Skills for Learning : Dissertations & Literature Reviews

Dissertations  are extended projects in which you choose, research and write about a specific topic. They provide an opportunity to explore an aspect of your subject in detail. You are responsible for managing your dissertation, though you will be assigned a supervisor. Dissertations are typically empirical (based on your own research) or theoretical (based on others’ research/arguments).

The  Dissertation IT Kit  contains information about formatting your dissertation document in Word.

Look at the  Library Subject Guides  for your area. These have information on finding high quality resources for your dissertation. 

We run interactive workshops to help you prepare for your dissertation. Find out more on the  Skills for Learning Workshops  page.

We have online academic skills modules within MyBeckett for all levels of university study. These modules will help your academic development and support your success at LBU. You can work through the modules at your own pace, revisiting them as required. Find out more from our FAQ  What academic skills modules are available?  

Dissertation proposals

What are dissertation proposals.

A dissertation proposal is an outline of your proposed research project. It is what you imagine your dissertation might look like before you start. Consider it a temporary document which might change during the negotiation process between you and your dissertation supervisor.  The proposal can help you clarify exactly what you want to cover in your dissertation. It can also outline how you are going to approach it. Your dissertation plan and structure might change throughout this process as you develop your ideas. Your proposal is the first step towards your goal: a completed dissertation.

Structuring your dissertation proposal

The structure, content, and length of your dissertation proposal will depend on your course requirements. Some courses may require that your aims and objectives are separate from the main body of the proposal. You might be expected to write a literature review, and/or provide a detailed methodology. You might also be asked to include an extensive context for your proposed study. Consult your module handbook or assignment brief for the specific requirements of your course. 

Give each section of your proposal a heading You can also experiment with giving your proposed dissertation a title. Both of these approaches may help you focus and stay on topic. Most dissertation proposals will have a fairly standard structure, under the following headings:

Sections of a dissertation proposal

• Aims and objectives
• Rationale for your study
• Methodology
• Brief literature review
• Benefits of your research

Describe what you plan to investigate. You could write a statement of your topic, a research question(s), or a hypothesis.

• Explain why you want to do this research.
• Write a justification as to why the project is worth undertaking.
• Reasons might include: a gap in existing research; questioning or extending the findings of earlier research; replicating a piece of research to test its reliability.
• Describe and justify how you plan to do the research.
• You might be reviewing the work of others, which mainly involves secondary, or desk-based, research. Or you might plan to collect data yourself, which is primary research. It is common for undergraduate dissertations to involve a mixture of these.
• If you are doing secondary research, describe how you will select your sources. For primary research, describe how you will collect your data. This might include using questionnaires, interviews, archival research, or other methods. 
• Others will have researched this topic before, or something similar.
• The literature review allows you to outline what they have found and where your project fits in. For example, you could highlight disagreements or discrepancies in the existing research.

Outline who might potentially gain from your research and what you might find out or expand upon. For example, there could be implications for practice in a particular profession.

Dissertation style and language

A dissertation is a logical, structured, argument-based exploration of a topic. The style of your writing may vary slightly in each chapter. For example, your results chapter should display factual information, whereas your analysis chapter might be more argument-based. Make sure your language, tone and abbreviations are consistent within each section. Your language should be formal and contain terminology relevant to your subject area. Dissertations have a large word count. It is important to structure your work with headings and a contents page. Use signposting language to help your reader understand the flow of your writing. Charts, tables or images may help you communicate specific information. 

Top tip!  To signpost in your dissertation, use the ‘Signalling Transition’ section of the  Manchester Academic Phrasebank .

Download the Dissertation Project Checklist Worksheet to help with planning your dissertation work. 

• Dissertation Project Checklist Worksheet

The  Dissertation IT Kit  also contains information about formatting your dissertation document in Microsoft Word.

Past dissertations

Exploring past dissertations within your academic field can give you an idea as to how to structure your dissertation and find similar research methodologies. You can access dissertations and theses completed by students at Leeds Beckett and other universities. To find external dissertations, look at our FAQ answer ' Are there other dissertations I can look at?' . To find dissertations completed by Leeds Beckett students, use the FAQ answer ' Can I find copies of past dissertations in the Library? '

Sections of a dissertation

Not all dissertations will follow the same structure.  Your style can change depending on your school. Check your module handbook, assignment brief or speak with your course tutor for further guidance.

To decide what to include:

• Think about your project from an outsider’s perspective. What do they need to know and in what order? What is the most clear and logical way for you to present your research?  
• Discuss your project with your supervisor. Be open about ideas or concerns you have around the structure and content. 

Each section of a dissertation has a different purpose. Think about whether you're doing an empirical or theoretical dissertation and use the headings below to find out what you should be including.

You can also use the Leeds Beckett Dissertation Template to help you understand what your dissertation should look like. 

• Leeds Beckett Dissertation Template

Empirical (research-based)

• 1. Abstract
• 2. Contents Page
• 3. Introduction
• 4. Literature Review
• 5. Methodology
• 6. Findings / Results
• 7. Discussion
• 8. Conclusion
• 9. Reference List / Bibliography
• 10. Appendices

Abstract : provides a brief summary of your whole dissertation.

The abstract outlines the purpose of your research and your methodology (where necessary). You should summarise your main findings and conclusion.

Top tips! Give the reader a sense of why your project is interesting and valuable. Write in the past tense. Aim for about half a page.

Contents page : lists all the sections of your dissertation with the page numbers. Do this last by using the automatic function in Word.

Introduction: introduces the reader to your research project.

Provide context to the topic and define key terms. Ensure that the scope of your investigation is clear. Outline your aims and objectives, and provide a brief description of your research methods. Finally, give an indication of your conclusion/findings.

Top tips! Start broad (background information) and get more specific (your research aims and findings). Try writing the introduction after the literature review and methodology chapters. This way, you will have a better idea of your research aims.

Literature Review : positions your research in relation to what has come before it.

The literature review will summarise prior research on the topic, such as journal articles, books, government reports and data. You should introduce key themes, concepts, theories or methods that provide context for your own research. Analyse and evaluate the literature by drawing comparisons and highlighting strengths and weaknesses. Download the Critical Analysis Questions and Evidence Matrix Worksheets to help you with this process and for more information on literature searching see Finding Information .

• Critical Analysis Questions Worksheet
• Evidence Matrix Worksheet

The literature review should justify the need for your research and highlight areas for further investigation. Avoid introducing your own ideas at this point; instead, compare and comment on existing ideas.

Top tips! Your literature review is not a descriptive summary of various sources. You need to synthesise (bring together) and critically analyse prior research. Sophisticated use of reporting verbs is important for this process. Download our Reporting Verbs Worksheet to help you with this.

• Reporting Verbs Worksheet

Find out more about literature reviews elsewhere on this topic page.

Find out more about critical thinking.

Methodology : provides a succinct and accurate record of the methodology used and justifies your choice of methods.

In this section, you describe the qualitative and/or quantitative methods* used to carry out your research/experiment. You must justify your chosen research methodology and explain how it helps you answer your research question. Where appropriate, explain the rationale behind choices such as procedures, equipment, participants and sample size. You may need to reference specific guidelines that you have used, especially in subjects such as healthcare. If your research involves people, you may also need to demonstrate how it fulfils ethical guidelines.

Top tips! Your account should be sufficiently detailed so that someone else could replicate your research. Write in the passive voice. Remember, at this point you are not reporting any findings.

*Qualitative research is based on opinions and ideas, while quantitative research is based on numerical data.

Find out more about the research process.

Findings/Results : presents the data collected from your research in a suitable format.

Provide a summary of the results of your research/experiment. Consider the most effective methods for presenting your data, such as charts, graphs or tables. Present all your findings honestly. Do not change any data, even if it is not what you expected to find.

Top tips! Whilst you might acknowledge trends or themes in the data, at this stage, you won’t be analysing it closely. If you are conducting qualitative research, this section may be combined with the discussion section. Important additional documents, such as transcriptions or questionnaires, can be added to your appendices.

Discussion : addresses your research aims by analysing your findings.

In this chapter, you interpret and discuss your results and draw conclusions. Identify trends, themes or issues that arise from the findings and discuss their significance in detail. These themes can also provide the basis for the structure of this section. You can draw upon information and concepts from your literature review to help interpret your findings. For example, you can show how your findings build upon or contradict earlier research.

Top tips! Ensure that the points you make are backed up with evidence from your findings. Refer back to relevant information from your literature review to discuss and interpret your findings.

Conclusion : summarises your main points.

Provide an overview of your main findings and demonstrate how you have met your research objectives. Set your research into a wider context by showing how it contributes to current academic debates. Discuss the implications of your research and put forward any recommendations.

Top tips! Do not introduce any new information in this section. Your conclusion should mirror the content of your introduction but offer more conclusive answers.

Reference List / Bibliography : a complete list of all sources used.

List all the sources that you have consulted in the process of your research. Your Reference List or Bibliography must follow specific guidelines for your discipline (e.g. Harvard or OSCOLA). Look through your module handbook or speak to your supervisor for more information.

Find out more about referencing and academic integrity .

Appendix (single) or Appendices (plural):  presents raw data and/or transcripts that aren’t in the main body of your dissertation.

You may have to be selective in the data you present in your findings section. If this is the case, you may choose to present the raw data/extended version in an appendix. If you conduct qualitative research, such as interviews, you will include the transcripts in your appendix. Appendices are not usually included in the word count.

Top tips! Discuss with your supervisor whether you will need an appendix and what to include.

Theoretical (argument based)

• Contents page
• Introduction
• Literature Review
• Main body (divided into chapters)
• Reference list / Bibliography

Provides a brief summary of your whole dissertation.

The abstract outlines the purpose of your research and your methodology (where necessary). You should summarise your main findings and conclusion.

Top tip!  Give the reader a sense of why your project is interesting and valuable. Write in the past tense. Aim for about half a page.

Contents page : lists all the sections of your dissertation with the page numbers. Using the automatic table of contents feature in Microsoft Word can help you format this.

The  Dissertation IT kit provides guidance on how to use these tools. 

Introduces the reader to your research project.

Provide context to the topic and define key terms. Ensure that the scope of your investigation is clear. Outline your aims and objectives, and provide a brief description of your research methods. Introduce your argument and explain why your research topic is important. Finally, give an indication of your conclusion/findings.

Top tip!  Start broad (background information) and get more specific (your research aims and findings). Try writing the introduction after the literature review and methodology chapters. This way, you will have a better idea of your research aims.

Summarises prior research on the topic, such as journal articles, books, and other information sources. You should introduce key themes, concepts, theories or methods that provide context for your own research. You should also analyse and evaluate the literature by drawing comparisons and highlighting strengths and weaknesses. 

Many (although not all) theoretical dissertations will include a separate literature review. You may decide to include this as a separate chapter. Otherwise, you can integrate it into your introduction or first themed chapter.

Find out more about literature reviews on the  Literature Reviews  page.

Divide the main body of your research into chapters organised by chronology or themes. Each chapter should be like a mini-essay that helps you answer your research questions. Like an essay, each chapter should have an introduction, main body and conclusion. Develop your argument and demonstrate critical thinking by drawing on relevant sources. Compare and contrast ideas, and make suggestions or recommendations where relevant. Explain how each chapter helps answer your main research question.

Top tip! Divide each chapter into chunks and use subheadings where necessary to structure your work.

Find out more on the  Critical Thinking  pages. 

Top tip!  Do not introduce any new information in this section. Your conclusion should mirror the content of your introduction but offer more conclusive answers.

List all the sources that you have consulted in the process of your research. Your Reference List or Bibliography must follow specific guidelines for your discipline (Harvard, APA or OSCOLA). Look through your module handbook or speak to your supervisor for more information.

Find out more about  referencing and academic integrity .

Appendix (single) or Appendices (plural):  presents any data, such as images or tables, that aren’t in the main body of your dissertation.

You may have to be selective about the information you include in the main body of your dissertation. If this is the case, you may place data such as images or tables in the appendix. Appendices are not usually included in the word count.

Top tip!  Discuss with your supervisor whether you will need any appendices and what to include.

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If their use is permitted on your course, you must  acknowledge any use of generative artificial intelligence tools  such as ChatGPT or paraphrasing tools (e.g., Grammarly, Quillbot, etc.), even if you have only used them to generate ideas for your assignment or for proofreading.

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Literature Review: Conducting & Writing

• Sample Literature Reviews
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• Finding "The Literature"
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Sample Lit Reviews from Communication Arts

Have an exemplary literature review.

• Literature Review Sample 1
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• Literature Review Sample 3

Have you written a stellar literature review you care to share for teaching purposes?

Are you an instructor who has received an exemplary literature review and have permission from the student to post?

Please contact Britt McGowan at [email protected] for inclusion in this guide. All disciplines welcome and encouraged.

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• Last Updated: Mar 22, 2024 9:37 AM
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Literature Reviews

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ProQuest Dissertations and Theses

Uga dissertations and theses.

• Organizing Your References
• Database Search Tips This link opens in a new window
• ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Full Text (formerly Dissertation Abstracts) This link opens in a new window ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Full Text provides full text access to about 1.9 million dissertations and theses granted by many academic institutions worldwide. (UGA does not currently participate in this database.) Citation-only information for a smaller number of dissertations and theses that are not available in full text is also included in this database. more... less... ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Full Text provides full text access to about 1.9 million dissertations and theses granted by academic institutions worldwide. All subject areas are covered. Basic information for a smaller number of dissertations and theses that are not available in full text is also included in this database.

A collection of the theses and dissertations submitted electronically to the Graduate School at the University of Georgia from the summer of 1999 onwards.

Some dissertations may not be viewable from off campus. The record for an individual document is always viewable, and will indicate the availability of the document. The author of a dissertation or thesis, in conjunction with his or her major professor, makes the determination if the work will be publicly available.

The database can be searched by keywords, author, description, and subject. Results can then be narrowed down by other criteria, such as date, language, and research unit (college or department).

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• Last Updated: Jan 23, 2024 9:17 AM
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Senator Somchai Swangkarn considers legal action after dissertation critiqued

Senator Somchai Swangkarn is considering legal action after iLaw accused him of "copying and pasting" information from various sources for his doctoral dissertation.

Somchai admitted missing references in the dissertation’s literature review but claimed the error has been fixed.

He said allegations made by iLaw, an activist organisation in the field of civil liberties, claiming that he plagiarised information for his dissertation, are "untrue”.

He asserts that he conducted the research for his dissertation himself, focusing on the topic of the process of appointing senators, which he has been studying since 2008 during his public-law studies and continued into his doctoral studies. He has always been interested in this matter, he said.

His dissertation includes interviews with various people, including those involved in drafting the constitutions of 1997, 2007 and 2017, as well as former MPs and senators with both concurring and dissenting views.

Additionally, it incorporates focus-group interviews with scholars and members of the public, along with the design of questionnaires for hundreds of respondents, to analyse the 2017 Constitution alongside its predecessors and foreign articles.

However, Somchai agreed that minor errors had occurred but insisted they have been rectified. These occurred in footnotes and bibliographies, namely citations in the literature review related to the work of a particular researcher from a certain institution.

Somchai said the problematic sections were not related to the research itse lf but were part of the literature review, which is a standard component of general research.

However, he admitted that there were indeed publication errors.

"We have requested permission for correction and have already made the necessary amendments. The corrections have been approved and can be verified on the website of the Thammasat University library. Permission for correction was requested and has been granted," he said.

Somchai emphasised that a literature review is not research. Any academic or researcher who reads this dissertation will understand that it is not a case of plagiarism or copying and pasting research, as alleged by iLaw.

Document errors have been approved for correction, so it is considered complete. Therefore, iLaw's presentation may be considered misleading information that may cause damage. In the meantime, evidence is being gathered to determine whether legal action will be pursued.

"The parts where iLaw's writings are referenced are akin to quoting from newspapers or libraries. Credit is given to them because it is deemed beneficial to incorporate their work. That's all. This is not copying and pasting theses for sure,” Somchai said.

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