Research guide
How to write a literature review with AI
Build a literature review around a research question, compare what sources establish, and make every claim traceable. Use this workflow, outline and evidence matrix to plan your review, then use AI to organize and question your notes.
Download the literature review working templateMarkdown · opens in any text editor
What a literature review needs to do
A literature review explains how existing scholarship addresses a question: where findings connect, where they differ, and what remains uncertain. Its organizing logic should come from those relationships. A sequence of paper summaries does not establish that argument.
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This guide supports a narrative literature review or a thesis chapter. A systematic or scoping review requires a method appropriate to that review type; an AI-generated draft or a selected set of sources does not demonstrate a complete search.
A five-step workflow
1. Define the question and boundaries
Write one question, then specify the population or setting, concepts, time period, languages and publication types. Record inclusion and exclusion reasons. Plan where and how to search, and save the actual queries and search dates. Adjust the scope transparently when the evidence requires it.
2. Read and record evidence
Give each source a stable ID. Record what you actually read: abstract, selected pages or full text. Separate the author's findings from your interpretation, and preserve the page or section behind each note. Mark missing information as unknown. Use the evidence matrix below as a working record.
3. Compare sources by theme
Group evidence around shared questions, concepts or methods. Compare design, context, measurement and limitations before treating findings as agreement or disagreement. Include evidence that challenges your emerging interpretation. Turn each theme into a provisional claim supported by identified sources.
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4. Draft claims with limits
Build paragraphs from a claim, evidence from relevant sources, a comparison, and the limitation that bounds your conclusion. Explain why a methodological difference matters. An unexamined topic in your notes is a search task; establish the relevant coverage before calling it a research gap.
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5. Check citations against the originals
Open each cited source and verify that it supports the adjoining claim. Check quotations and locators, authors, dates, titles and identifiers. Reconcile in-text citations with the reference list. Revisit stronger wording introduced during editing, including causal claims unsupported by the study design.
Literature review evidence matrix
Keep one row per source; add separate rows when a paper supports different themes.
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Source ID and reference | Stable ID, verified citation, DOI or URL. |
| Reading coverage and locator | Abstract or full text; relevant pages or sections. |
| Design and context | Method, population, setting and measurement. |
| Relevant finding | A faithful paraphrase linked to its locator. |
| Limitations | Study limitations and limits on applicability. |
| Theme and comparison | Related sources; agreement, contrast or uncertainty. |
| Planned use | The specific claim this source can support. |
| Check status | Verified, needs full text, or unresolved. |
Keep direct quotations in quotation marks and separate from paraphrases.
Copyable literature review outline
Adapt the headings to your discipline and assignment. Repeat theme sections as needed.
# [Review title]
## 1. Introduction
[Question, key definitions, relevance, scope and organizing argument.]
## 2. Search and scope note
[Sources searched, dates, queries, selection decisions and coverage limitations.]
## 3. Theme A: [Evidence-supported claim]
[Supporting sources → contrasting sources → methodological explanation → limitation.]
## 4. Theme B: [Evidence-supported claim]
[Compare sources using the same sequence.]
## 5. Synthesis across themes
[Convergence, unresolved disagreement and how context affects interpretation.]
## 6. Remaining questions and next steps
[Specific unresolved question, supporting evidence and a justified research direction.]
## 7. Conclusion
[Answer the review question within the evidence's limits.]
## References
[Verified entries matching every in-text citation.]Includes a search log, evidence matrix, thematic plan and revision checklist.
Download the literature review working templateMarkdown · opens in any text editor
Literature review example: a comparison paragraph skeleton
Hypothetical writing structure only. These placeholders are not real research findings or citations.
Within [defined context], [Source A: verified citation] reports [finding], while [Source B: verified citation] reports [contrasting finding]. Their [design, sample or measurement] differs in [specific way], which may explain the contrast if [supporting evidence]. Together, they support [bounded claim], while [limitation] prevents concluding [stronger claim]. The unresolved question is [precise question].
AI prompts for organizing and checking
Supply your verified notes and available source text. Keep requests within that material.
Compare evidence
Using only these notes, group sources by theme. For each proposed claim, list supporting and conflicting source IDs, relevant locators and missing evidence. Preserve uncertainty; do not add references.
Review a draft
Map each factual claim in this paragraph to the supplied evidence. Flag unsupported wording, missing limitations and abstract-only inferences. Suggest revisions without inventing citations, results or quotations.
Before you submit
- Confirm every source exists and matches its metadata.
- Check what material the model actually received.
- Verify comparisons against the original methods and findings.
- Retain contradictory evidence and meaningful limitations.
- Remove placeholders and check quotation accuracy.
- Check your institution's rules for acknowledging AI assistance.
Continue in Word
Use this workflow in Textmolt
In Microsoft Word for Windows, connect Zotero through Viamolt to read selected literature and write with citations from your library. You can also insert a selected Zotero reference directly into the document. Check whether the material supplied to AI is an abstract, excerpt or full text. Choose your own API key or Textmolt-provided models from the options available to your account. Supplied material is sent to the model service; review proposed wording and citations before insertion.
Explore the Textmolt research workspaceUniversity writing guidance
Guidance informing this workflow