A literature review is not a book report. It is a critical survey of existing scholarship that demonstrates your understanding of the academic landscape and justifies your research question.
1. Define Your Scope
Before you begin reading, define the boundaries of your review. What time period, jurisdiction, and sub-topics will you cover? A dissertation on "The effectiveness of the Modern Slavery Act 2015" might review literature on trafficking legislation, corporate supply chain liability, and victim protection — but not immigration law generally.
2. Organise Thematically, Not Chronologically
The most common mistake is listing sources one by one: "Smith (2010) said X. Jones (2012) said Y. Brown (2015) said Z." Instead, organise by theme or argument:
- "Scholars are divided on whether the transparency provisions in s.54 are effective. Proponents such as LeBaron (2020) argue that disclosure requirements create market incentives for compliance, while critics including Stevenson and Cole (2018) contend that reporting obligations without enforcement mechanisms are merely performative."
3. Be Critical, Not Descriptive
For each source, ask: What is the author's methodology? What are the limitations? Does the evidence support the conclusions? How does this source relate to other scholarship in the field?
4. Identify the Gap
Your literature review should culminate in identifying a gap that your dissertation will fill. This might be:
- An under-researched jurisdiction or time period
- A theoretical perspective that has not been applied to this area
- Conflicting findings that need resolution
- A recent legal development that existing scholarship has not addressed
5. Use a Reference Manager
With potentially 50–100 sources, use Zotero or Mendeley to organise your references. Tag sources by theme so you can retrieve them easily when writing.