How Many Papers Should Be In A Literature Review?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,

Enough! Maybe – as a very rough and ready rule of thumb – 8-10 significant pieces (books and/or articles) for a 8,000 word dissertation , up to 20 major pieces of work for 12-15,000 words, and so on. But use your judgement! Skim through the books and articles identified as potentially relevant.

Contents hide

How many pages should a literature review be?

In the absence of specific instructions about the length of a literature review, a general rule of thumb is that it should be proportionate to the length of your entire paper . If your paper is 15 pages long 2-3 pages might suffice for the literature review.

How many references do I need for a 2000 word literature review?

For example: In a 2000 word essay, you will have 1500 words to use. Each main point you make should typically use 1-3 paragraphs, which should average around 200-400 words in total. This will give you room for around 5 key points, each supported by 2 or 3 references .

How many research papers are required for review paper?

Around 20 is a good number. You should already have this list prior to writing the paper because prior to starting the research itself, one would have done a literature review to assess what has been done already. Not less than 20 but quality and actuality of cited articles more important than quantity.

What are the 5 rules for writing a literature review?

  • Rule 1: Define a Topic and Audience.
  • Rule 2: Search and Re-search the Literature.
  • Rule 3: Take Notes While Reading.
  • Rule 4: Choose the Type of Review You Wish to Write.
  • Rule 5: Keep the Review Focused, but Make It of Broad Interest.
  • Rule 6: Be Critical and Consistent.

How long should a literature review be for a 10-page paper?

If your literature review is a stand-alone document

Example: A stand-alone literature review that has 10 pages of content (the body of the paper) should examine at least 30 sources . These are not hard and fast rules by any means.

How many literature review should be in a research paper?

The length and depth of your literature review depends on the length of your project. If you are writing a 10-page argument paper, you may have room to include 5-6 sources to review, because you will also be establishing your argument as well, but there’s no hard equation for how many or how much.

How long should a literature review be in a 15000 word dissertation?

Basically the length of the literature review is dependent on the dissertation length. For instance, a dissertation that is 15000 words has a literature review of about 5000 words . However, sometimes you may be asked to do a short abstract/ proposal of up to 300 words.

How many sources should a 10 page paper have?

A 10-page paper will have a minimum of 10 sources if the topic of the paper is not very complex or the paper does not employ data and statistics. 10 sources for a college-level 10-page paper would be sufficient enough to provide credible information to support the arguments presented in the paper.

How many pages should a literature review be in master thesis?

Optimal literature for Thesis

A thesis written by bachelor’s degree students should be between 40-60 pages while a thesis written for master’s and doctorate studies should be between 60-100 pages. The length of the literature review for a thesis should be at least 8 pages to the minimum .

How much should a research paper be originally?

For an original article, the literature review should roughly be around 15-20 percent of the length of the article.

What is the format of a review paper?

Typically, reviews include an abstract, an introduction, a literature review section , sometimes a methods section if you have specifics to include, and a discussion and conclusion section.

What makes a good review paper?

Closely related to originality, a ‘good’ review will also challenge previous ideas and contribute to understanding of certain topics, areas or ideas . Again, this means that review articles need to go beyond mere description and ‘state-of-the-literature’ summaries and develop new ideas and ways of thinking.

Can you put figures in a literature review?

Yes u can use the diagram as well , with the diagram u can elaborate and explain the thing as well. U can make the better efforts about understandings about the studies done.

How is a literature review structure?

A literature review should be structured like any other essay: it should have an introduction, a middle or main body, and a conclusion .

What should not be included in a literature review?

Do not include purely historical or informational material , such as information from websites. Information from reputable web sites, such as government and state sites, can be useful. But such information is typically more suitable for background or introductory sections of the dissertation.

How many pages is 2000 words?

Word Count Pages (single-spaced) Pages (double-spaced) 2,000 WORDS 4 PAGES 8 PAGES 2,500 WORDS 5 PAGES 10 PAGES 3,000 WORDS 6 PAGES 12 PAGES 3,500 WORDS 7 PAGES 14 PAGES

How do you write a mini literature review?

  1. Introduction. Summarize the literature. ...
  2. Context. Provide a clear and specific context. ...
  3. Rationale. Provide a clear rationale. ...
  4. Who should read the article? ...
  5. Main body. ...
  6. Gaps. ...
  7. Conclusion. ...
  8. Pitfalls, limitations.

How long should a literature review be for a Phd?

In general, the length of a literature review should make up 10-20% of your research paper, thesis or dissertation and have its own chapter. For a thesis, this means a literature review should be approximately 6,000 to 12,000 words long , with the actual length varying based on your subject.

How long should a literature review be in a 10000 word dissertation?

To answer your question ‘how long should a literature review be in a 10,000 word dissertation’, the answer is 3,000 words . If you are wondering as to how we came to this figure, it is easy to understand that a literature review covers 30% of the total word count in a dissertation.

How do you begin a literature review?

  1. Narrow your topic and select papers accordingly.
  2. Search for literature.
  3. Read the selected articles thoroughly and evaluate them.
  4. Organize the selected papers by looking for patterns and by developing subtopics.
  5. Develop a thesis or purpose statement.
  6. Write the paper.
  7. Review your work.

What should an introduction include in a literature review?

  1. Introduce the topic.
  2. Establish the significance of the study.
  3. Provide an overview of the relevant literature.
  4. Establish a context for the study using the literature.
  5. Identify knowledge gaps.
  6. Illustrate how the study will advance knowledge on the topic.

Can I write my dissertation in 2 weeks?

Yes, it is possible to write a dissertation in 2 weeks . Generally speaking, students take about a month or so, to complete the entire researching and writing process. However, if you concentrate well, you can accomplish the task within 2 weeks.

How many pages is 15000 words?

A 15,000 word count will create about 30 pages single-spaced or 60 pages double-spaced when using normal margins (1′′) and 12 pt. Arial or Times New Roman font.

How many words is a PhD dissertation?

A PhD thesis must not exceed 80,000 words, and will normally be over 60,000 words . This word limit includes footnotes and endnotes, but excludes appendices and reference list / bibliography. Figures, tables, images etc should be counted as the equivalent of 150 words for each page, or part of a page, that they occupy.

How many citations is too many for a research paper?

Using too many references does not leave much room for your personal standpoint to shine through. As a general rule, you should aim to use one to three , to support each key point you make. This of course depends on subject matter and the point you are discussing, but acts as a good general guide.

How long should it take to write a literature review?

A literature review can take anywhere from 2-6 months depending on how many hours a day you work on it.

How many pages is a research paper?

Ideally, the most optimal length of a research paper is around 5 pages for short papers and 10 pages for a long one . However, the exact length of your term paper is best determined by your instructor and the instructions that he provides.

How many pages is a PHD dissertation?

Length. Most dissertations are 100 to 300 pages in length . All dissertations should be divided into appropriate sections, and long dissertations may need chapters, main divisions, and subdivisions.

How many sources should a 12 page paper have?

Usually 3-4 reliable sources should be sufficient. This should be enough external information to complement your original thoughts/ideas. With too many sources, the essay becomes a compilation of opinions from other writers instead of your own.

How many references do you need for a 12 page paper?

For a review of 10-12 pages length in single space, that means up to 150 references in my field.

What makes a bad literature review?

A Poor Literature Review omits landmark or classic studies or mixes them with trivial studies without making distinctions about quality or relevance . ... A Poor Literature Review simply summarizes research findings without critical evaluation.

What makes a literature review fail?

Poor writing in a literature review is often the result of failing to integrate arguments into the review . Many people make the mistake of simply summarising their readings. Avoid using words like ‘are reported’. These types of words often lead to descriptive writing.

How many citations should a research paper have?

Generally, the minimum number of citations for a research manuscript should be around 25 and maximum should be around 40 to 50.

How many citations is good for a researcher?

For all researchers, 5-10 citations of their papers will be great! Publishing in good journals help the citations of our articles.

Can you copy and paste in a literature review?

Anytime you copy and paste verbatim from a source and do not give the source credit it is plagiarism. If you do copy and paste a passage word for word, you must put the information in quotations (i.e. ” “) marks and give credit to the author.

What is the fastest way to write a review paper?

  1. Rule 1: Define a Topic and Audience.
  2. Rule 2: Search and Re-search the Literature.
  3. Rule 3: Take Notes While Reading.
  4. Rule 4: Choose the Type of Review You Wish to Write.
  5. Rule 5: Keep the Review Focused, but Make It of Broad Interest.
  6. Rule 6: Be Critical and Consistent.
  7. Rule 7: Find a Logical Structure.

How do you write a PHD review paper?

  1. Abstract. Write this last. ...
  2. Introduction. Introduce your topic. ...
  3. Body. Can take different forms depending on your topic. ...
  4. Discussion/Conclusion. Restate your thesis. ...
  5. References. Make sure your references are formatted correctly and all present.

Can anyone write a review paper?

These can be written by anyone , but are often written by junior people who are willing to stick their necks out a little. There are also systematic reviews in which the literature is search systematically and the quality of each piece of literature is assessed against a predetermined set of criteria.

How can I improve my literature review?

  1. Keywords. Play with keywords for your search. ...
  2. The Idea. Have a concise idea in your mind about what you are searching for. ...
  3. Get Access. Access to higher-level journals can be a plight of researchers. ...
  4. Following Up with Authors. ...
  5. Base Paper. ...
  6. A Quick Read. ...
  7. Redundancy.

Can you say I in a literature review?

Here are seven simple rules that cover the most common literature review mistakes, in no particular order. Refer to these rules before submitting any written work: Do not write in the first person (no I or we). Single space after all punctuation .

Emily Lee
Author
Emily Lee
Emily Lee is a freelance writer and artist based in New York City. She’s an accomplished writer with a deep passion for the arts, and brings a unique perspective to the world of entertainment. Emily has written about art, entertainment, and pop culture.