literature-review

Choose from four structures: thematic (organized by concept, most common), chronological (tracing evolution of ideas), methodological (grouped by research design), or conceptual (organized around a theoretical model). Pick based on where your research gap lives.

Build a synthesis matrix mapping each source against themes, methods, key findings, and gaps. Then write paragraphs that cite multiple sources together around a shared theme, naming agreements and tensions rather than describing each study separately.

An annotated bibliography describes what each source said individually. A literature review synthesizes sources around themes and tensions to build the conceptual foundation for a study, citing multiple authors per claim and ending with an explicit gap statement.

The quality criteria in this Skill recommend at least three sources per major claim. Every paragraph should make an argument rather than describe findings, and disagreements in the literature should be named explicitly.

Use chronological organization when tracing the historical evolution of a concept or theory. Use thematic when the literature is rich and cross-cutting, methodological when the gap concerns research design, and conceptual when applying a specific framework to a new context.