SciSpace 文献综述矩阵：免费模板、示例与使用指南

A literature review matrix is a table that puts every source side by side. It is the step between reading papers and writing a review that compares them, rather than summarising them one by one.

In short: a literature review matrix (also called a synthesis matrix) has one row per source and one column per thing you want to compare: author and year, aim, method, sample, key findings, limitations, and the themes or variables your review is about. Fill it as you read, then read across the rows to see where studies agree, disagree or leave gaps, and write each paragraph around a theme rather than a paper. Start from the literature review template, or build the table automatically with SciSpace literature review and custom columns.

Literature review matrix template

Choose your theme columns from your research question. If you do not know them yet, start with findings and limitations and add theme columns after reading 5–10 papers.

Worked example

Review question: How do postgraduate students manage notes from research papers? The studies below are fictional, created to show how a matrix works.

Reading across the rows shows a pattern you would not see paper by paper: students who keep notes inside a reference manager retrieve them more easily, yet few do so, and none of the studies tested an intervention. That last point is a research gap.

From matrix to synthesis paragraph

Write by column (theme), not by row (paper):

Postgraduate students rely on scattered tools for notes, from PDF annotations (Lee, 2021) to paper notebooks (Okafor, 2022), and both studies report difficulty retrieving notes later. Keeping notes inside a reference manager appears to improve retrieval (Martin, 2023), but uptake was low, and no study has tested whether training increases it.

That paragraph makes one point, compares three studies, explains a difference and ends with a gap. Compare it with "Lee (2021) found… Okafor (2022) found… Martin (2023) found…", which is a list of summaries.

How to build a literature review matrix in 6 steps

1. Set your review question and two to four themes you expect to compare.
2. Create the table in a spreadsheet, a reference manager or a template.
3. Fill one row per source as you read, in your own words, with page numbers for anything you might quote.
4. Add columns when new themes appear, then go back and fill them for earlier papers.
5. Read down each column to see agreement, disagreement and missing evidence.
6. Draft one paragraph per theme, citing several studies in each.

Matrix vs data extraction form

A matrix is a light, flexible table for narrative literature reviews. A data extraction form is more detailed and standardised, with defined fields and verification, and is used in systematic reviews.

Building the matrix faster with AI

AI tools can fill a first version of the matrix: you choose the columns (method, sample, findings, limitations, or your own question) and the tool extracts them from each paper. Check every cell against the paper before you write from it.

Key moments: 10:31 planning the outline and argument · 18:01 organising papers, notes and references · 39:00 building a literature review table with custom columns. See also how to analyse and synthesise many papers at once and how to export a custom literature table to Excel or CSV.

Watch: how PhD students manage hundreds of papers

A matrix works best with a system for managing papers. This SciSpace webinar shows how PhD students organise hundreds of sources for a literature review.

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

注意转载授权 · 阅读原文