Ever opened 14 research papers and completely forgotten what any of them said five minutes later? Same.
This is how I organise my literature reviews so I don’t lose my mind (and my citations).
Here’s the exact method I use and a downloadable version of the table at the end!
STEP 1: Creating The Actual Layout
This is a table. Simple as that. I tried so many different ways to organise literature review but this was the simplest and the easiest.
Author / Source: Who wrote it and when?
Focus / Argument:What is the main idea?
Type of Source: Is it empirical, conceptual, a theory?
Relevance to My Research/Study: Why did you read this? How is it related to what you’re researching?
Link: Always include one. Always.
How My Research/Study Is Different – This is where the magic happens. Compare. Contrast. Show your angle. Find the gaps. Find the main insight.
NOTE: I use Notion. I love Notion. Notion is the love of my organisation life. Does that mean you need to use Notion? No. But I love it. If Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel or even your notes app suits you better, go for it.
That’s the beauty of this system. It works on almost any platform.
STEP 2: Reading With a Purpose.
Generally, if you’re using Google Scholar or JSTOR or anything else, you’ll have to put in keywords related to what you’re researching. the bunch of papers that come up will be WIDE variety. You cannot include all of them (obviously). So the key, really, is to properly read the abstract. Most of teh papers like won’t be relevant to what you’re studying will filter out here.
If you DO find a paper useful, go ahead and skim through it. Fill out the table immediately. Here’s a sample entry:
| Author/Source | Focus/Argument | Type Of Source | Relevance To My Study | Link | How My Study Is Different |
| Kristin VandenBelt | A proposal of a Theoretical Framework that can be used to study Migration | Foundational Theory | Can be applied to the case study I am considering e.g. Indian migrants to Gulf Countries | https://www.jstor.org/stable/26980740 | Takes VandenBelt’s Framework and applies it to my case study. VandenBelt doesn’t talk about the specific case studies in consideration. |
NOTE: I have a paper breakdown of this particular paper too. Check it out here!
STEP 3: Use The Table to Shape Your Argument
This table becomes a cheat sheet for your actual writing. When I’m stuck, I scroll through the “How My Study Is Different” column to help me clarify what I am bringing to the table. Sometimes, I write down something I’ve read but forget where I got it from. So scrolling through this table helps me locate the source faster than if I had to go through each of my 52388563268 tabs on my browser.
Want a Template?
I made a blank version of the exact table I use. Download it here!
HOORAY FOR ME BECAUSE I FIGURED OUT HOW TO INCLUDE A DOWNLOADABLE TEMPLATE ON A WEBSITE MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
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