Literature review template and synthesis matrix

# Literature review plan

Research question: [a question narrow enough to investigate]
Scope: [population, setting, dates and source types]
Search record: [databases, search terms, search date and selection criteria]

## Source matrix

| Source ID and full citation | Question and method | Finding with page or section | Limitation | Theme and relationship to other sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [S1: verified citation and link] | [what was studied and how?] | [paraphrase; locate the evidence] | [what does this source not establish?] | [agrees, challenges or extends] |
| [S2: verified citation and link] | [method] | [finding and locator] | [limit] | [relationship] |

## Outline

### Introduction
Define the question, boundaries and organizing themes. Explain why the question matters.

### Theme 1 — [claim about the conversation]
- Compare evidence from [S1] and [S2].
- Explain agreement and disagreement; consider differences in methods and settings.
- State what the evidence supports and what remains uncertain.

### Theme 2 — [another relationship]
Repeat the comparison, keeping source locators beside each claim.

### Conclusion
What is established? What remains unresolved? How does this review shape the next research question?

### References
Add every cited source in the style your assignment requires. Verify author, title, date, publication and locator against the original.

## Worked synthesis — invented practice data
These two study descriptions are fictional. They demonstrate comparison and must not be cited as real research.

Practice A: A four-week workshop reports that students revised more scenes after peer feedback; it did not measure revision quality.
Practice B: Interviews with six workshop participants describe confusion when feedback arrived without examples.

Synthesis: The practice materials distinguish the amount of revision from the usefulness of feedback. A reports more revised scenes, while B suggests that examples may help writers interpret comments. Their different methods do not establish that example-based feedback caused better writing. A real review would need verified studies before making that claim.

## Final check
- Organize by questions or themes, rather than one paragraph per author.
- Distinguish your synthesis from each source's claim.
- Keep contradictory evidence and methodological limits visible.
- Check quotations, page references and the reference list.

Reference: Purdue OWL, Writing a Literature Review — https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/conducting_research/writing_a_literature_review.html