How-to · Step-by-step
Dissertation literature review
The literature review surveys and critically evaluates existing scholarship to show what is already known and to justify the gap your dissertation fills.
The step most authors miss
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Step by step
How to do it
1.Define scope and search systematically
Set boundaries — key concepts, time span, types of source — then search databases methodically with well-chosen terms. Keep a record of what you searched and found so the process is transparent and repeatable.
2.Read and evaluate critically
Assess each source for its relevance, methods, findings and limitations rather than accepting it at face value. Note how studies agree, disagree and build on one another, and which are most authoritative.
3.Organise by theme, not by source
Group the literature around themes, debates or concepts rather than reviewing one paper after another. Thematic organisation lets you compare and contrast studies and reveals the shape of the field.
4.Synthesise the findings
Draw the sources together into a coherent account of what is known, where consensus and conflict lie, and how the field has developed. Synthesis — connecting sources into an argument — is the core of a strong review.
5.Identify the gap
Use the synthesis to pinpoint what remains unanswered, contested or under-studied. This gap is the justification for your dissertation, so make the link to your research questions explicit.
6.Structure and write the chapter
Open by setting out the scope and how the review is organised, develop each theme with evidence and critical commentary, and close by stating the gap and how your study addresses it, leading into your method.
A review, not a summary
The most common mistake is treating the literature review as a list of summaries — "Smith found X; Jones found Y" — strung together without analysis. A genuine review is argumentative: it compares studies, weighs their evidence, traces debates and builds a case that culminates in the gap your work fills. Everything points toward your research questions. CASRAI’s dedicated literature-review guidance covers the wider techniques of searching, appraising and synthesising sources, which apply whether the review stands alone or forms a dissertation chapter.
Common questions
FAQ
How is a dissertation literature review different from a standalone one?+
The techniques are the same — systematic searching, critical appraisal and synthesis — but the purpose differs. A dissertation literature review must lead specifically to your research questions and the gap your study fills, grounding the chapters that follow. A standalone review may survey a field for its own sake. In a dissertation, the review is always in service of the study it introduces.
How many sources should a literature review include?+
There is no fixed number; it depends on the topic, level and how much has been published. Coverage matters more than count: you should engage with the key, authoritative and recent work in your area, enough to demonstrate command of the field and to justify your gap convincingly. Quality and relevance trump sheer quantity.
Where does the literature review go in a dissertation?+
Usually as the second chapter, after the introduction and before the methodology, so it grounds the study theoretically and justifies the research questions. Some dissertations — especially thematic or humanities ones — distribute the literature throughout rather than confining it to one chapter. Follow your discipline’s convention.
Going deeper
