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The Art of the Literature Review: Avoiding the "Copy-Paste" Trap
Many students think a Literature Review is just a collection of "Author A said this" and "Author B said that." If your Chapter Two looks like a list of definitions, you are doing it wrong. A professional Literature Review is a *synthesis*.
### The Thematic Approach
Instead of reviewing author by author, you should review by *theme*. If your topic is "E-commerce in Nigeria," your subheadings should be "Barriers to E-commerce," "Consumer Trust," and "Logistical Challenges." Under each theme, you bring multiple authors into a "conversation."
For example: "While Smith (2022) argues that lack of internet access is the main barrier, Usman (2023) contends that trust in payment gateways is more significant." This shows the examiner that you have actually read the material and compared the ideas.
### Identifying the Research Gap
The ultimate goal of the literature review is to find what is *missing*. This is called the Research Gap. Your study exists because previous authors missed something. Perhaps they studied the whole of Africa, but not your specific city. Perhaps they used a survey, but not an interview. Highlighting this gap is how you justify your project's existence. At uniSupport, we help you scour the latest 2024 and 2025 journals to ensure your literature is current and your research gap is undeniable.
### The Thematic Approach
Instead of reviewing author by author, you should review by *theme*. If your topic is "E-commerce in Nigeria," your subheadings should be "Barriers to E-commerce," "Consumer Trust," and "Logistical Challenges." Under each theme, you bring multiple authors into a "conversation."
For example: "While Smith (2022) argues that lack of internet access is the main barrier, Usman (2023) contends that trust in payment gateways is more significant." This shows the examiner that you have actually read the material and compared the ideas.
### Identifying the Research Gap
The ultimate goal of the literature review is to find what is *missing*. This is called the Research Gap. Your study exists because previous authors missed something. Perhaps they studied the whole of Africa, but not your specific city. Perhaps they used a survey, but not an interview. Highlighting this gap is how you justify your project's existence. At uniSupport, we help you scour the latest 2024 and 2025 journals to ensure your literature is current and your research gap is undeniable.