Free academic tool
Free Literature Review Tool
Turn your research question or topic into a structured literature review plan with suggested sections, word allocation and critical synthesis prompts.
Designed to help you plan and critically synthesise evidence, not generate a finished assignment.
How to structure a literature review
01
Define the review focus
Start with a clear research question or focused topic that defines the scope of the evidence you need.
02
Organise evidence into themes
Group studies by findings, approaches, populations, interventions, concepts or areas of disagreement.
03
Synthesise critically
Compare studies, evaluate methodological strengths and limitations, and explain what the evidence means as a whole.
What a strong literature review should do
Compare evidence
Bring studies together rather than describing each paper in isolation. Show where findings agree, differ or remain uncertain.
Evaluate quality
Consider study design, sampling, setting, measurement, bias, generalisability and other factors that affect confidence in the evidence.
Identify evidence gaps
Explain what is still unknown, which populations are under-represented and where further research may be needed.
Literature review FAQs
What is a literature review?
A literature review critically examines research on a focused question or topic and synthesises the evidence into a coherent academic discussion.
Should I organise a literature review by individual studies?
Usually not. Strong reviews commonly organise discussion around themes, concepts, findings, methodologies or areas of debate so evidence can be compared across studies.
Does this tool write my literature review?
No. It helps you design the structure and prompts you to critically synthesise your sources. Your final review should remain grounded in the evidence you have read and appraised.
Build your literature review from real evidence
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