Guide
A literature review that earns its place in your proposal.
Stop reading randomly. This guide gives you a search-screen-synthesise workflow you can finish in a few weeks, with templates that keep your sources organised.
The workflow
- Scope. Translate your problem statement into 3–5 search themes.
- Search. Use Boolean strings; save them.
- Screen. Apply inclusion criteria at title, then abstract, then full text.
- Extract. Fill a literature matrix as you read.
- Synthesise. Group findings by theme, not by author.
Frequently asked
Questions researchers ask
- How recent should my sources be?
- Aim for the last 5–10 years, plus seminal older work. Public-health and policy questions often need very recent evidence.
- What databases should I search?
- PubMed, Google Scholar, AJOL, and topic-specific databases. Use Boolean operators and keep a search log.
- How do I avoid copying?
- Read the source, close the tab, then write the point in your own words. Always cite. Quote only when the exact wording matters.
- What is a literature matrix?
- A simple table summarising each source by author, year, setting, design, findings and relevance to your study.
- How many sources do I need?
- Quality and relevance matter more than count. Postgraduate proposals usually cite 30–80 sources; dissertations more.
Related tools and guides
Ethical use: Cite every source you draw on. If you use an AI tool to summarise an article, verify the summary against the original and cite the original, not the AI.