Are you ready to unleash your passion and make a difference in the world? Your master's dissertation literature review is the ideal platform to do just that. Imagine uncovering hidden gems, revealing new insights, and setting the stage for your ground-breaking research. And the best part? We're here to provide a helping hand, a friendly voice, and a guiding light as you write a literature review that will leave your audience in awe. So, are you ready to shine brighter than the stars with your master's dissertation literature review with.

What is Literature Review?

A literature review in a master's dissertation is an in-depth examination of existing research and scholarly works on a specific topic or issue. It critically analyses the current state of knowledge in a field and provides a comprehensive overview of the studies and authors who have contributed to the topic.

The literature review is important because it helps to place your research in the context of previous work and provides a foundation for your study. The literature review allows you to identify gaps in existing research and suggest new directions for future investigation—an essential part of the master's dissertation.

Master Dissertation Literature Review Writing Tips

1. Searching for relevant literature 

It's an important step in writing a master's dissertation literature review. It involves using various research tools, such as library databases, online academic journals, and Google Scholar, to identify and gather information on previous studies related to the research topic. The search aims to find all the relevant sources used in the literature review.

Searching should be comprehensive and systematic, including research articles, dissertations, and theses as primary sources and book reviews or conference proceedings as secondary sources. The sources should be relevant to the research topic and published within the past 10-15 years to ensure that the literature review is up-to-date.

2. Evaluating and selecting sources

The goal is to identify the most relevant, credible, and high-quality sources used in the literature review. The sources should be carefully evaluated to ensure they are reliable, relevant, and up-to-date.

To evaluate and select sources, consider the following criteria:

1. Relevance: The sources should be relevant to the research topic and provide information necessary for the literature review.
2. Credibility: The sources should be credible and should have been published in reputable journals or books. The author's credentials and reputation should also be considered.
3. Quality: The sources should be high-quality and should have been peer-reviewed to ensure that they meet the standards of the academic community.
4. Timeliness: The sources should be up-to-date and published within the past 10-15 years to ensure the current literature review.
5. Availability: The sources should be readily available, either online or in the library, to ensure that they can be easily accessed and used in the literature review.
6. Identifying themes, debates, and gaps

The goal is to learn about the existing knowledge and research on a topic—and identify areas where there are gaps in that knowledge—so you can shape your dissertation research.

Themes refer to the recurring patterns or ideas that emerge from the literature. They can be related to the research question, the methodology, or the findings of the studies.

Debates refer to conflicting views or opinions on a particular issue. By identifying the debates, the literature review can critically evaluate the research and highlight areas where further research is needed.

Gaps refer to areas in the research with a lack of information or conflicting findings. By identifying the gaps, the literature review can provide a foundation for the master's dissertation and guide the research questions and methodology.

The sources should be read carefully and critically to identify themes, debates, and gaps.

4. Outlining and writing the literature review

A well-organized, concise literature review helps the reader understand how information fits together. The following steps can be used to outline the structure of a literature review:

1. Introduction: The introduction should provide an overview of the topic and set the stage for the literature review. It should include a clear research question or a thesis statement.
2. Background: The background section should provide a brief overview of the existing research on the topic and set the context for the literature review.
3. Themes: The themes section should organize the sources by the recurring patterns or ideas that emerge from the literature. This section should provide an overview of the existing knowledge on the topic.
4. Debates: The debates section should discuss conflicting views or opinions on a particular issue. This section should provide a critical evaluation of the research and highlight areas where further research is needed.
5. Gaps: The gaps section should discuss areas in the research where there is a lack of information or conflicting findings. This section should provide a foundation for the master's dissertation and should guide the research questions and methodology.
6. Conclusion: The conclusion should summarize the findings of the literature review and should provide recommendations for future research.