literature review matrix template excel

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Common Assignments: Literature Review Matrix

Literature review matrix.

As you read and evaluate your literature there are several different ways to organize your research. Courtesy of Dr. Gary Burkholder in the School of Psychology, these sample matrices are one option to help organize your articles. These documents allow you to compile details about your sources, such as the foundational theories, methodologies, and conclusions; begin to note similarities among the authors; and retrieve citation information for easy insertion within a document.

You can review the sample matrixes to see a completed form or download the blank matrix for your own use.

• Literature Review Matrix 1 This PDF file provides a sample literature review matrix.
• Literature Review Matrix 2 This PDF file provides a sample literature review matrix.
• Literature Review Matrix Template (Word)
• Literature Review Matrix Template (Excel)

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Literature Review Catalogue

The smart way to collect and organise the sources you need to craft a comprehensive, high-quality literature review.

Matrix available in Excel and Google Sheet format 4.9 star rating, 5000 + downloads

Step-By-Step Instructions

Tried & Tested Format

Fill-In-The-Blanks Simplicity

Pro Tips, Tricks And Resources

The Smart Way To Work

Failure to keep track of all the literature you consume can result in a  lot of wasted time . This literature review catalogue/matrix helps you stay organised, so that you can build a comprehensive literature review that earns marks.

Here are some of the key variables it covers:

• Author, y ear & title  (standard citation info)
• Categories  (per variable, context, framework, etc.)
• Document type (journal, textbook, conference notes, etc.)
• Publication setting (academic and practitioner)
• Knowledge type (theoretical and empirical)
• Key arguments (causal relationships, key findings, etc.)
• Context (country, culture, etc.)
• Methodology (qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods)
• Key quotes (any quotes you might include in your literature review)
• My notes (any points you want to highlight)

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FAQs: Literature Catalogue/Matrix

Faqs: literature review template, what format is the template (doc, pdf, ppt, etc.).

The literature review catalogue template is provided as a Google Sheet (spreadsheet). You can download it in MS Excel format or make a copy to your Google Drive. You’re also welcome to convert it to whatever format works best for you.

What types of literature reviews can this template be used for?

The catalogue can be used for pretty much any type of literature review, including a standard (unsystematic) literature review, SLR, etc.

Is this template for an undergrad, Master or PhD-level thesis?

This template can be used for a literature review at any level of study. Doctoral-level projects typically require the literature review to be more extensive/comprehensive, but the structure will typically remain the same.

What information will I need to fill in?

For every piece of literature you read, you’ll need to capture the following details:

• Author – Enter the author(s) surname(s). The format you use here is up to you – just be consistent.
• Year – Straightforward. Enter the year of publication only – no month is required.
• Title – Enter the title exactly as it is shown on the book cover, journal article front page, presentation deck, etc. If you can copy and paste, do so. It’s easy to make mistakes on the long titles.
• Category 1, 2 and 3 – Here, you’ll create categories and subcategories, which you can use at a later stage to help you find relevant literature. It is up to you what categories you want to use and how much detail you want to add here. At the very least, your choice of categories should be logical, comprehensive and mutually exclusive.
• Document type – Click the drop-down arrow next to the cell and select an appropriate document type, for example, journal article, blog post, etc. If nothing matches your document type, you can use the “Other” field.
• Publication setting – the two main options here are academic and practitioner. Academic refers to the classic academic sources such as textbooks and journal articles, while practitioner refers to publications such as industry reports, company reports, industry magazines, etc. There is also a mixed option here.
• Theoretical refers to situations where an author is proposing a hypothetical theory or concept, but not testing it.
• Empirical refers to situations where an author is testing the said theory by using some form of real-world observation.
• Naturally, some literature will feature both of these (i.e. a model is hypothesized and then tested empirically).
• Key arguments – Here you need to note the key takeaways of the respective piece of literature in relation to your research question(s) and objective(s). This is the most important column , so spend some time providing rich, detailed notes here. Keep in mind that you will be able to search and filter this column at a later stage, so use keywords that make sense.
• Context – Here you should briefly note the context of the specific literature piece. For example, what industry, country, competitive context, etc. did it take place in? When it comes time to justify why your research is worth undertaking, you will likely need to draw on this column’s contents to demonstrate that research has not been undertaken within your specific context (i.e. is it unique?).
• Methodology – Use this drop-down to note the primary methodology (qualitative, quantitative or mixed) used within the specific literature piece. As with the previous item (context), you will likely draw on this when you justify the choice of methodology for your research (i.e. which methodology is commonly used in the field?).
• Key quotes – If there are any specific author quotations that you feel might be useful in your dissertation, add them here. Remember to include the page number if you’re using the Harvard referencing system.
• My notes – Lastly, if there is anything else you feel might be useful, drop it here. You can also create additional columns if you need them.

Of course, you’re welcome to add/delete columns as you see fit.

How should I use the catalogue once it's populated?

Over time, you will build up a substantial list of literature. When you need to find something, whether it’s a specific piece of literature, a collection of literature within a category, or a summary of a specific author’s publication, you can use the following Excel features:

• Find (Ctrl + F) – good for searching for specific keywords
• Filter – good for filtering groups (for example, categories 1- 3, methodology or publication setting)
• Sort – good for arranging numerical data (for example, publication year)

Once you’ve completed your reading, remember to have a look at the second tab (“Literature Summary”) for an overview of key statistics. As mentioned previously, some of these statistics can help you justify your choice of topic or methodology. Additionally, a review here may reveal that your literature is aged , or that you need to improve your balance of academic and practitioner literature.

Can I modify the template to suit my study?

Absolutely. While the template provides a general structure, you should adapt it to fit the specific requirements and focus of your literature review.

How long should the literature review chapter be?

This depends on your university’s specific requirements, so it’s best to check with them. As a general ballpark, literature reviews for Masters-level projects are usually 2,000 – 3,000 words in length, while Doctoral-level projects can reach multiples of this.

Can I include literature that contradicts my hypothesis?

Yes, it’s important to acknowledge and discuss literature that presents different viewpoints or contradicts your hypothesis. So, don’t shy away from existing research that takes an opposing view to yours.

Can I share this template with my friends/colleagues?

Yes, you’re welcome to share this template in its original format (no editing allowed). If you want to post about it on your blog or social media, all we ask is that you reference this page as your source.

Do you have templates for the other dissertation/thesis chapters?

Yes, we do. You can find our full collection of templates here .

Can Grad Coach help me with my literature review?

Yes, you’re welcome to get in touch with us to discuss our private coaching services , where we can help you work through the literature review chapter (and any other chapters).

Additional Resources

If you’re working on a literature review, you’ll also want to check these out…

Literature Review Bootcamp

1-On-1 Private Coaching

The Grad Coach YouTube Channel

The Grad Coach Podcast

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How to Conduct a Literature Review (Health Sciences and Beyond)

• What is a Literature Review?
• Developing a Research Question
• Selection Criteria
• Database Search
• Documenting Your Search

Review Matrix

• Reference Management

Using a spreadsheet or table to organize the key elements (e.g. subjects, methodologies, results) of articles/books you plan to use in your literature review can be helpful. This is called a review matrix.

When you create a review matrix, the first few columns should include (1) the authors, title, journal, (2) publication year, and (3) purpose of the paper. The remaining columns should identify important aspects of each study such as methodology and findings.

Click on the image below to view a sample review matrix.

You can also download this template as a Microsoft Excel file .

The information on this page is from the book below. The 5th edition is available online through VCU Libraries.

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Literature Review: A Self-Guided Tutorial for NUR 288

• Literature Reviews: A Recap
• Peer-Review
• Reading the Literature
• Developing Research Questions
• 2. Review discipline styles
• Super Searching
• Finding the Full Text
• Finding Guidelines in Databases
• Citation Searching
• Evaluating online information
• When to stop searching
• How to cite your sources following APA
• In-Text Citations
• Keeping track of your references
• Annotating Articles Tip
• 5. Critically analyze and evaluate
• How to review the literature

Using a synthesis matrix

• 7. Write literature review

Synthesize : combine separate elements to form a whole.

Why use a synthesis matrix? 

• A synthesis matrix helps you record the main points of each source and document how sources relate to each other.
• After summarizing and evaluating your sources, arrange them in a matrix or use a citation manager to help you see how they relate to each other and apply to each of your themes or variables.  
• By arranging your sources by theme or variable, you can see how your sources relate to each other, and can start thinking about how you weave them together to create a narrative.

A synthesis matrix visually represents your research by organizing your sources by themes:

Add each article citation to the Source column and begin to identify the theme(s) from the article. 

Use the Excel template below to help you evaluate your sources, create article summaries for an annotated bibliography, and a synthesis matrix for your lit review outline. From John Hopkins Sheridan Libraries.  

NOTE : There are several tabs at the bottom of the Excel spreadsheet to help guide you with this method.

• Literature Review Prep - with Synthesis Matrix
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• Last Updated: Oct 25, 2024 12:14 PM
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Literature Reviews

• Research & Writing Handbooks from the Library
• The Research Process & Your Unique Workflow
• Systematic Reviews
• Annotated Bibliographies
• You Need One of These: Citation Management Tools This link opens in a new window
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• When You're Deciding What to Include: Literature Types
• Gray Literature
• What NOT to Include: Retractions & Bad Research
• Citation Indexes: Scopus & Web of Science This link opens in a new window
• Analyzing as You Go: Article Tracking Methods
• One Way To Track What You Read
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• Research Methods & Design Handbooks from the Library
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• Analyze, Evaluate & Synthesize: Write the Review
• Bibliography & Further Reading

Analyzing As You Go: Tracking Methods

The who/what/why/how literature searching spreadsheet template.

Here is a review matrix Vicky developed to track articles for a research article literature review. Your needs may vary, but attached below is a template of this spreadsheet for you to use yourself, if it works for you.

How to Use It

Author to Source

• These columns allow you to sort by any of the components, and can also be used to create your bibliography. Move the columns around if necessary to ensure the formatting is correct for the citation style you're using.

Context, Issues

• Why was this study done? What is it trying to address?

Demographic (if applicable)

• Who was being studied? Can be changed to something more applicable to your area of study, or deleted.

Methodology

• What research method or methods were used in this study?
• What problems with the study did the author(s) observe?

Conclusions

• What did this study show? What remains to be learned in this subject?
• Anything else that came up. If you find yourself adding the same type of information to the Other field, consider creating a new column for it.

RQ (Research Question)

• Potential areas of future study, if you think of any. Do you notice a gap in the research that you might fill?...

See it in action (click image to enlarge):

License: CC0 (public domain)

• Lit Review Excel Template An Excel spreadsheet you can use to keep track of the work you read so you can start tracking patterns to discuss in your review.

A Matrix for Engineering Research

The Summary-Comparison Matrix: A Tool for Writing the Literature Review

A literature searching matrix with an engineering focus.

By M. K. S. Sastry and C. Mohammed (2013)

• The Summary-Comparison Matrix: A Tool for Writing the Literature Review (Sastry and Mohammed, Professional Communication Conference (IPCC), 2013 IEEE International) Written for undergraduate engineering students but useful for anyone. Includes the "summary-comparison matrix," a means of organizing research for use in writing a literature review. more... less... Sastry, M. K. S., and C. Mohammed, C. (2013). The summary-comparison matrix: A tool for writing the literature review. IEEE International Professonal Communication 2013 Conference, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 1-5. doi: 10.1109/IPCC.2013.6623891

The Position Matrix

As you collect articles and book chapters and blog posts and other sources, it's important to understand not just what they're saying but where they're coming from.

This matrix helps you organize the works you find as well as identify why they were written.

Adapted by the WCC (and subsequently the Library) from Health Sciences Literature Review Made Easy: The Matrix Method by Judith Garrard 

• Position Matrix spreadsheet The above table as an Excel spreadsheet. Mess with it as you like!
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Free Printable Literature Review Templates [PDF, Word, Excel] Systematic, Prisma

While writing your thesis or dissertation, your literature review chapter is one of the most crucial sections you will put together. This is an opportunity for you to lay out all of the prior written work on your subject and then explain how it relates to your research, ideas, and opinions. There are some fairly standard rules in place that all good literary reviews follow.

Table of Contents

What Is a Literature Review?

A literature review summarizes the research that has been done on a particular topic. It’s not just a list of sources; it also provides an overview of what others have found and evaluates their work.

Literature reviews can be used in many different ways. They may be used as background reading before you begin your own research, or they may be compiled after you’ve completed your own work to show how your findings fit into the broader picture.

Literature Review Templates

Conducting a thorough literature review is essential for any research project or academic paper. Our Literature Review Templates provide a structured and organized framework to help you effectively review and analyze scholarly articles, books, and other relevant sources. These templates guide you through the process of identifying key research questions, summarizing and synthesizing existing literature, and identifying gaps and areas for further investigation.

With customizable sections and prompts, you can tailor the template to your specific research topic and methodology. Our printable and editable templates save you time and effort, ensuring a comprehensive and well-structured literature review . Whether you’re a student, researcher, or academic, our Literature Review Templates are valuable tools for advancing your knowledge and contributing to the scholarly conversation in your field.

What is the purpose of a literature review?

A literature review aims to provide an overview of relevant research studies on a particular topic. It gives researchers an understanding of what has been done in the field and how research has been conducted on that topic. By reading literature reviews, researchers can identify areas where there are gaps in knowledge and decide what kind of research should be conducted next.

A systematic review (sometimes called a meta-analysis) is a form of critical appraisal that combines several primary studies into one quantitative summary of the overall results across all studies. It can be used to assess the quality and effectiveness of health care interventions such as drugs or surgery or to evaluate environmental factors such as exposure to chemicals or pollutants.

What are the essential elements of a literature review?

The essential elements of a literature review are the following:

The introduction must clearly state what you intend to accomplish in your paper. It should also include an overview of the subject and its importance about your research. In addition, it should provide a brief history of the topic’s development.

The body contains the main arguments or claims that support your thesis. This section should contain specific examples from sources and include a detailed explanation of how these examples support your argument.

The conclusion should summarize your main points and show how they relate to each other; it should also include any final thoughts or comments on how this information relates to other fields or disciplines within your field of study.

In addition to these basic parts, other elements may be appropriate for different types of papers :

For example, if you are writing an annotated bibliography, include an abstract so that readers can quickly find out what they will learn from reading each source in full.

How to Write a Literature Review

In this section, you will learn how to write a literature review .

The literature review is a crucial part of any research project. In fact, the literature review should be the first thing that you do when planning a research project. It will help inform and focus your thinking about what research questions you want to ask and how they relate to existing research.

The first step in writing a literature review is deciding what literature to include in your review. For example, if your project focuses on social policy, you may need to include books written by sociologists and economists and those by political scientists and anthropologists. If your project focuses on psychology, you should include books written by psychologists, neurologists, biologists, and chemists.

Once you have decided what type of material needs to be included in your review , it is time to start reading! The next step is choosing the most relevant sources for your study and then reading them carefully (and perhaps making notes). You can do this in two ways: reading through an entire book or article or just reading sections of articles or chapters that seem relevant. While reading through an entire book or article can take longer than reading just sections of it.

Next, you’re probably already familiar with the APA style. Many academic journals use it to format papers and provide guidelines for presenting references in your work. Once you decide on the type of paper you want to write, consult with your instructor or supervisor about what style they prefer for their courses and publications. You can also learn more about APA style by reading “Using APA Style: A Pocket Guide” (6th edition).

Once you have organized your notes and completed your research , it is time to write the review. The introduction should include a brief overview of the topic, followed by a literature review summary.

What should not be included in a literature review?

The following are some of the things that should not be included in a literature review:

• Personal opinions and views.
• Defamatory statements or derogatory remarks about any person or organization.
• Personal anecdotes and stories.
• Unrelated information to the topic under discussion, such as personal opinions and views on other subjects, jokes, etc.
• Information that is already published elsewhere and, therefore, not original research by the author(s). This includes published articles, books, websites, etc.

How long should a literature review be?

When you’re writing an academic paper , it’s important to include a literature review. Your professor may want you to write your own or use one of the provided templates. Whatever the case, you’ll need to know how long it should be to get it right.

The answer depends on your instructor’s preferences and your own writing style, but most experts suggest a length of about 500-1,000 words. If your professor has given you a specific word count limit, make sure that you adhere to it exactly. Failure to do so can result in serious consequences, including getting a poor grade or even failing for not following instructions.

Final Thoughts

A literature review is a commentary, not an original work. It is a systematic account of the relevant facts, concepts, principles, and methods found in the topics you are reviewing. Keep your eyes open for the positives and the negatives. However, don’t be overly critical or judgmental. All you really want to do it to draw attention to what findings make the topic relevant to your work.

Along with summarizing some of the most important points of your research question and what your sources say about it, remember to identify any factors that might have contributed to bias in the outcomes of a study if this is relevant to your investigation. Remember there’s no way you can be comprehensive – so don’t even try!

What is a literature review?

A literature review is a comprehensive summary of previous research on a topic. It reviews and synthesizes the current state of knowledge on the subject, identifying key themes, areas of debate, and gaps in the research.

Why is a literature review important?

It provides a foundation for new research, allowing researchers to build on existing knowledge. It also helps to justify the significance of the new study, showing how it contributes to filling the identified gaps or resolving ongoing debates.

What is the structure of a literature review?

A literature review typically has an introduction, a main body, and a conclusion. The introduction presents the scope and objectives, the main body discusses the literature thematically or methodologically, and the conclusion summarizes the key findings and suggests directions for future research.

The length can vary depending on the scope of the topic and the requirements of the project. It could range from a few pages to several dozen pages. It’s important to cover the topic comprehensively while remaining concise and focused.

What types of sources should be included in a literature review?

Sources should be scholarly and relevant to the topic. They may include peer-reviewed journal articles, books, conference papers, theses, and government reports. The inclusion of seminal works and recent publications is crucial.

How do I cite sources in a literature review?

Citations should follow the style guide recommended by your institution or the publication you are submitting to, such as APA, MLA, or Chicago. Ensure consistency in citation style throughout the review.

How can I ensure the quality of my literature review?

Ensuring quality involves a thorough and critical evaluation of the selected literature, coherent organization and synthesis of findings, and clear, concise, and precise writing. Peer feedback and professional editing can also enhance the quality.

What is the difference between a literature review and an annotated bibliography?

An annotated bibliography lists and briefly summarizes sources, whereas a literature review synthesizes and analyzes the literature, discussing themes, methodologies, and findings, and contributing to the scholarly conversation on the topic.

Can a literature review include my opinion?

A literature review should maintain an objective tone and focus on presenting the existing literature. However, critical analysis and interpretation are encouraged, and you may propose new hypotheses or suggestions for future research based on the reviewed literature.

How is a literature review conducted?

Conducting a literature review involves several steps:

• Identifying and refining a research question or topic.
• Searching for relevant literature using academic databases and other sources.
• Selecting and evaluating the quality and relevance of the sources.
• Organizing and synthesizing the findings.
• Writing the review, often with an introduction, main body, and conclusion.

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Matrix Method for Literature Review

• The Review Matrix
• Organize Your Sources
• Choose Your Remaining Column Topics
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Sample Matrix and Templates

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• Review Matrix Example-Ebola Vaccine Clinical Studies This document includes a review matrix of two Ebola vaccine clinical reviews done on humans published by the National Institute of Health.
• Review Matrix Word Template A review matrix template in Microsoft Word.
• Review Matrix Excel Template A review matrix template for Microsoft Excel
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