Dissertation Literature Review Mistakes Students Make

Introduction

The literature review is one of the first places where many students get stuck in a dissertation. It looks easy at the start because it seems like you only need to read a few articles and explain what they say. But once you actually start writing, it becomes clear that the literature review is not just a summary of different sources.

You have to find the right research, understand it, compare different views, point out gaps, and connect everything back to your own dissertation topic. That is where the pressure starts.

A good literature review should show that you know what has already been written about your topic. It should also show where your own dissertation fits in. The University of Edinburgh explains that a literature review should include critical evaluation, not just a description of existing research. You can read their official guide here: University of Edinburgh literature review guide.

Why the Literature Review Feels Difficult

A literature review is not hard because students have nothing to write. It is hard because the chapter has to do more than collect sources.

You have to decide which studies are useful, what each one proves, where the authors agree, where they disagree, and how all of that connects to your own research question. This is where many drafts start to look weak. The writing becomes a list of articles instead of a clear discussion.

Adding more references does not always fix the chapter. A stronger literature review usually needs fewer weak sources, better grouping, and a clearer link between the research and the dissertation topic.

Weak vs Strong Literature Review Writing

Weak: Smith (2020) says flexible working improves employee satisfaction. Jones (2021) also says flexible working is useful for employees.

Stronger: Smith (2020) links flexible working with employee satisfaction, but the study focuses on large organisations. Jones (2021) reaches a similar conclusion, although the sample is mainly office-based workers. This matters because the present dissertation focuses on small UK businesses, where staffing levels, cost and management control may affect how flexible working is used.

What a Research Gap Actually Looks Like

A weak gap says: “Not much research has been done on this topic.”

A stronger gap says: “Most existing studies on employee motivation focus on large organisations or general workplace settings. Less attention has been given to small UK retail businesses, where limited budgets, informal management and staff turnover may affect motivation differently.”

This is the kind of gap that helps the marker understand why your dissertation is needed.

Students Often Collect Too Many Sources

One common problem is collecting too much material. A student may download twenty or thirty journal articles and still not know what to write. This usually happens when there is no clear plan before reading.

The mistake is thinking that more sources automatically make the literature review stronger. They do not. A literature review needs the right sources, not every source you can find.

For example, if your dissertation is about employee motivation in small UK businesses, a general article about motivation from twenty years ago may not be enough. You need sources that connect properly with your topic, industry, location, research question, and chosen method.

Critical Writing Is Where Many Students Lose Marks

Many students hear the word “critical” and think it means they have to disagree with every author. That is not what critical writing means. Critical writing means you look at the research carefully. You ask questions like:

  • Was the study based on enough people?
  • Was it done in the same country or industry?
  • Is the research still recent?
  • Do other writers agree with it?
  • Did the author miss anything important?
  • Does this source really support my dissertation topic?

This is what makes the literature review stronger. 

For example, writing “Smith found that flexible working improves employee satisfaction” is too simple on its own. A better version would explain whether Smith’s findings are supported by other researchers, whether the study was limited, and whether it applies to your own dissertation topic.

That is the difference between description and analysis.

Finding the Research Gap Is Not Easy 

The research gap is another part students often misunderstand. A gap does not always mean nobody has ever written about your topic before. That is rare.

A gap may mean:

  • the research was done in another country
  • the study focused on a different industry
  • the sample size was small
  • the research is outdated
  • the topic has not been studied in your chosen context
  • previous studies used a different method 

For example, there may be a lot of research on staff motivation in large companies, but not much on staff motivation in small UK retail businesses. That smaller area can become your gap if it matches your dissertation topic.

The literature review should lead the reader towards this gap. By the end of the chapter, the marker should understand why your dissertation is worth doing.

Old Sources Can Weaken the Chapter

Some students use old sources because they are easier to find or easier to understand. Old sources are not always wrong. In some cases, older theories are important because they are the original models. But if most of your literature review is built on old research, the chapter can look weak.

This is especially true in subjects like:

  • business
  • marketing
  • nursing
  • education
  • HR
  • technology
  • finance
  • management

These areas change over time, so the literature review should include recent journal articles as well. Older sources can support the background, but they should not be the whole chapter.

The Literature Review Must Match the Research Question

A literature review should not feel separate from the rest of the dissertation. Every section should connect back to the research question. This is where many students go off track. They find an interesting theory or article and add it because it sounds academic. But if it does not help answer the research question, it may not belong in the chapter.

Before adding a source, ask yourself:

  • Does this source help explain my topic?
  • Does it support one of my themes?
  • Does it show a debate or disagreement?
  • Does it help show the research gap?
  • Will I use it again in the discussion chapter?

If the answer is no, the source may not be useful.

Poor Structure Makes the Writing Hard to Follow 

Even when the research is good, the chapter can still lose marks if the structure is messy. A literature review usually needs:

  • a short opening section
  • clear themes or subtopics
  • proper links between paragraphs
  • comparison between sources
  • a clear research gap
  • a short closing section leading to the methodology

Without this structure, the chapter can feel like random notes put together. The reader should be able to see why each section is there.

Referencing Adds More Pressure 

Referencing is another reason students struggle. It is not just about adding a list at the end. The in-text citations also need to be correct. If the university asks for Harvard, APA, OSCOLA or another style, it needs to be followed properly. Small mistakes in referencing can make the work look careless. Bigger mistakes can create plagiarism concerns, especially if the student has paraphrased too closely from a journal article. 

A literature review uses many sources, so referencing can quickly become confusing if it is not managed from the start.

The Literature Review Affects the Whole Dissertation

Some students treat the literature review as just one chapter to get out of the way. That is a mistake. The literature review affects the methodology, findings and discussion chapters too. If the literature review is weak, the discussion chapter becomes harder to write later because there is not enough research to compare your findings with.

If you are still unsure how the literature review should connect with the rest of the work, read our guide on how to write a dissertation. It explains what each chapter is meant to do, so Chapter 2 does not feel separate from the introduction, methodology or discussion.

For example, if your findings show that employees prefer flexible working, your discussion chapter should compare that result with the studies already covered in your literature review. If those studies were not included earlier, the discussion becomes thin. This is why the literature review needs to be planned properly from the start.

What Students Can Do If They Are Stuck

If you are struggling with the literature review, the best place to start is your research question. Do not begin by reading everything you can find. Begin by asking what your dissertation is actually trying to find out. Then sort your sources into themes. Do not write one paragraph per author. Look for patterns, arguments, disagreements and gaps.

A simple way to plan it is: 

  • What is the main topic?
  • What are the key themes?
  • What do researchers agree on?
  • Where do they disagree?
  • What is missing from the research?
  • How does this lead to my own study?

This makes the chapter easier to control.

If Chapter 2 is the part holding your dissertation back, our literature review writing service can write it around your topic, research question and required sources.

When the Problem Is Bigger Than One Chapter

Sometimes the literature review is not the only issue. The topic may be too broad. The aims and objectives may not be clear. The methodology may not match the research question. In that case, fixing only the literature review may not be enough.

If the whole dissertation feels difficult to organise, our dissertation writing service can help with the full work, including the proposal, literature review, methodology, findings, discussion, referencing and final formatting.

Conclusion 

A literature review is not just a long chapter full of references. It has a job to do. It should show what is already known, what is still unclear, and why your dissertation topic matters. Most students struggle because they try to write it as a summary of articles. A stronger literature review is built around themes, comparison, critical thinking and a clear link to the research question.

Once you understand that, the chapter becomes easier to plan, but it still takes time, careful reading and proper structure.