Literature Review Checklist and Template

Use this page as a working companion to the literature review chapter. Chapter 4 explains the reasoning in full. This page is for planning, checking, and drafting.

Part 1. From Topic to Paper Question

Fill this in before you start collecting many sources.

Broad topic:

Focal relationship, process, or outcome:

Context, case, or boundary:

Outcome or issue I want to explain:

Paper question in one sentence:

Why this question is feasible for the assignment:

Quick check:

• Is the question narrow enough for the word limit?
• Does it focus on a relationship, process, or outcome?
• Does it set a boundary of case, context, population, or time?
• If I start only with a broad topic, can I fill the middle lines clearly?

Part 2. Translate the Question Into the Literature Review Job

Paper question:

Main relationship, process, or outcome:

Concepts that need clarification:

Likely explanations or mechanisms:

Important context or boundary:

Therefore, my literature review job is to:

Sentence frame:

• "Because my paper asks about ___, my literature review needs to explain how the literature defines ___, what it shows about ___, where findings differ, and why ___ matters for my study."

Filled Example: Finance

Paper question:
How does ESG disclosure influence firm valuation in emerging markets?

Main relationship, process, or outcome:
ESG disclosure and firm valuation

Concepts that need clarification:
what counts as disclosure quality and how firm valuation is measured

Likely explanations or mechanisms:
disclosure materiality, credibility, assurance, and investor interpretation

Important context or boundary:
emerging markets, especially family-controlled firms

Therefore, my literature review job is to:
explain how the literature defines ESG disclosure and firm valuation, compare when disclosure creates a valuation premium, explain why findings differ across contexts, and narrow toward family-controlled firms in emerging markets

Filled Example: Business Management

Paper question:
How do management control systems influence circular economy implementation in manufacturing SMEs?

Main relationship, process, or outcome:
management control systems and circular economy implementation

Concepts that need clarification:
what counts as management control and what counts as implementation

Likely explanations or mechanisms:
interactive controls, learning, coordination, compliance, buyer pressure

Important context or boundary:
manufacturing SMEs, especially family-owned supplier firms

Therefore, my literature review job is to:
explain which kinds of control systems matter, compare when controls support learning rather than simple compliance, explain why implementation differs across firms, and narrow toward family-owned supplier SMEs

Part 3. Scope Snapshot

Working title:

Assignment type:

Time period covered:

Population, case, or context:

Types of sources included:

What is outside the review:

Quick check:

• Is the scope narrow enough for the assignment length?
• Is it clear what is excluded?
• Does the scope match the paper question rather than the broad topic?

Part 4. Choose the Review Method

Use the question type, not just the topic word.

• Use a narrative review if the goal is to synthesize literature for an essay, proposal, thesis chapter, or research paper.
• Use a systematic review if the assignment explicitly requires transparent search and screening procedures.
• Use a scoping review if the field is broad, scattered, or emerging and the task is mapping.
• Use a theoretical review if the main task is comparing concepts, frameworks, or schools of thought.
• Use a methodological review if conflicting findings seem to come from design, data, or measurement.

My question mainly asks:

The assignment requires:

Therefore, I will use a:

Reason in one sentence:

Part 5. Literature Matrix Template

Do not rely on memory. Build a matrix while reading.

Source	Research question	Theory or concept	Method	Context or sample	Main finding	Limitation	Possible theme
Author, year
Author, year
Author, year
Author, year

Part 6. Build Candidate Themes

Start with repeated patterns, not final section titles.

Ask:

• What ideas, mechanisms, or issues recur across several sources?
• Which findings converge?
• Which findings diverge?
• What seems to explain the divergence: theory, method, context, sample, or time?

Weak labels:

• ESG
• assurance
• ownership

Stronger theme claims:

• High-quality ESG disclosure matters more consistently than disclosure volume for firm valuation.
• Investors respond more positively when ESG reporting is credible and externally assured.
• Ownership structure shapes how markets price ESG disclosure.

Theme Worksheet

Copy this block once for each major theme.

Theme title:

Theme claim:

Studies grouped here:

What these studies agree on:

What these studies disagree on:

Most likely reason for the disagreement:

Why this theme matters for my research question:

How this theme leads to the next section or to the gap:

Part 7. Turn Themes Into a Logic Line

Do not stop after writing three good themes. Decide why the order makes sense.

Use this sentence frame:

• "To answer my paper question, the reader first needs to understand ___, then ___, then ___, before the review can show ___."

Quick reminder:

• A strong logic line is usually a question chain, not a topic list.
• Theme 2 should come after Theme 1 because Theme 1 leaves a problem that Theme 2 helps answer.
• If the order can be rearranged without changing the argument, the logic is still weak.

Logic Chain Worksheet

Paper question:

Theme 1 answers this question:

Theme 2 answers this next question:

Why Theme 2 comes after Theme 1:

Theme 3 answers this next question:

Why Theme 3 comes after Theme 2:

What unresolved issue remains after these themes:

This becomes my gap:

Filled Example: Finance

Paper question:
How does ESG disclosure influence firm valuation in emerging markets?

Theme 1 answers this question:
Which aspect of ESG disclosure matters most for firm valuation?

Theme 2 answers this next question:
If disclosure quality matters, under what conditions do investors treat ESG reporting as credible?

Why Theme 2 comes after Theme 1:
Because identifying the relevant type of disclosure is not enough; the review must also explain why similar disclosures do not produce the same valuation effect in all settings.

Theme 3 answers this next question:
How do ownership structure and industry context change the valuation effect?

Why Theme 3 comes after Theme 2:
Because once the review explains credibility conditions, it can more clearly compare how different firms are priced by the market.

What unresolved issue remains after these themes:
Most studies focus on large firms or developed markets.

This becomes my gap:
The literature does not yet explain clearly how investors price ESG disclosure in family-controlled firms across emerging markets.

Part 8. Convert the Logic Line Into Section Order

Weak order:

1. ESG
2. assurance
3. ownership

Logical order:

1. What aspect of ESG disclosure matters most for firm value?
2. Under what conditions is ESG reporting credible to investors?
3. How do ownership and industry context change the valuation effect?
4. What remains underexplained?

Section Planning Template

Section 1: Field overview and scope
- Define the topic
- Narrow the focus
- Explain the organizing logic

Section 2: Theme 1
- Question this section answers
- Main claim
- Key supporting studies
- Internal comparison
- Next question created

Section 3: Theme 2
- Question this section answers
- Main claim
- Key supporting studies
- Internal comparison
- Next question created

Section 4: Theme 3 or debate
- Question this section answers
- Main claim
- Main disagreement
- Explanation of disagreement
- Next question created

Section 5: Gap or limitation
- What is missing, weak, inconsistent, or under-studied
- Why that matters

Section 6: Transition to my study
- What my paper examines
- How it responds to the gap

Mini Example: Business Management

Section 1: Field overview and scope
- Management control systems and circular economy implementation in manufacturing SMEs

Section 2: Theme 1
- Which kind of control system matters most?
- Interactive controls and circular-performance metrics versus compliance checklists

Section 3: Theme 2
- Under what conditions do controls support learning rather than compliance?
- experimentation, coordination, and managerial interpretation

Section 4: Theme 3 or debate
- How do ownership structure and supply-chain dependence change implementation?

Section 5: Gap or limitation
- family-owned supplier SMEs are underexplored

Section 6: Transition to my study
- how family-owned manufacturing suppliers use management controls to implement circular economy practices

Part 9. Paragraph Templates

LR Opening

Research on [topic] has expanded in recent years, especially in relation to [specific issue]. Existing studies can be grouped into [number] broad strands: [A], [B], and [C]. While this literature has clarified [main contribution of the field], findings remain mixed regarding [main tension or unresolved issue]. This review examines these strands in order to show where the literature converges, where it diverges, and why the present study focuses on [your topic/question].

Theme Paragraph

A first major strand of the literature focuses on [theme]. Several studies suggest that [shared finding]. However, other researchers argue that [contrasting finding or qualification]. This divergence may reflect differences in [method/theory/context/sample/time period]. Taken together, the literature suggests that [your synthesis]. This points to the importance of [implication], which leads to the next issue: [transition].

Gap Paragraph

Although existing studies have made clear progress in explaining [topic], the literature remains limited in several respects. Most research focuses on [over-studied context/method/population], while less attention has been paid to [under-studied area]. In addition, findings remain inconsistent regarding [specific issue]. These limitations matter because [why the gap matters]. To address this gap, the present study focuses on [your contribution].

Part 10. Self-Check Checklist

• Is my paper question precise enough to guide source selection?
• Can I state the literature review job in one or two clear sentences?
• Have I defined the review's scope and exclusions?
• Are my themes analytical claims rather than topic words?
• Does each section answer a clear question?
• Does each section lead naturally to the next one?
• Have I shown both agreement and disagreement?
• Have I explained why findings differ?
• Is the gap specific, credible, and important?
• Does the review lead clearly into my own study or argument?

Part 11. Warning Signs

• Most paragraphs begin with an author name.
• I summarize each source separately.
• My headings are only topic words.
• My section order could be rearranged without changing the argument.
• I mention a gap but cannot explain why it matters.
• I cannot say in one sentence why the review is organized this way.

Part 12. One-Page LR Planning Sheet

Working title:

Paper question:

Literature review job:

Review method:

Scope:

Theme 1:
- main claim:
- key sources:

Theme 2:
- main claim:
- key sources:

Theme 3:
- main claim:
- key sources:

Logic line:

Main gap:

My study or argument:

Final Reminder

A strong literature review does not just show that you have read sources. It shows that you can move from a topic to a defensible question, from a question to a clear review job, and from that job to a coherent structure that justifies your own work.