Free tool · Writing & publishing
Literature review matrix template
A twelve-column Excel matrix for organising papers by theme, with every column explained.
A literature review matrix is a spreadsheet with one row for each paper you read and one column for each thing you want to compare, and it turns a pile of papers into themes you can write about. This template has twelve columns, from authors and setting to method, findings and the gap each paper leaves. Download it for Excel or as a CSV for Google Sheets, fill it in as you read, then sort and filter it to see patterns before you write a word of the chapter.
The table below shows every column and what to put in it. The Excel file carries the same notes on each header, so you don’t need to keep this page open.
The twelve columns
| Column | What to write |
|---|---|
| No. | A running number, so you can refer to a paper in your notes. |
| Authors (year) | As you will cite them, e.g. Surname & Surname (2024). |
| Title | Full title, so you can find the paper again. |
| Journal / source | Where it was published. Check the journal’s indexing. |
| Country / setting | Where the study was done. It matters when you compare findings. |
| Aim / research question | What the authors set out to find, in your words. |
| Theory or framework | The theory the study uses, if any. |
| Design and method | Survey, experiment, interviews, secondary data; the analysis used. |
| Sample | How many, who, and how they were chosen. |
| Key findings | The results that matter to your study, with numbers where given. |
| Limitations | What the authors admit, and what you notice. |
| Gap / relevance to my study | What this paper leaves open, and how it connects to your objectives. |
Method
How this tool works
The Excel download is built in your browser when you click the button. It has a frozen header row that stays in view as you scroll, a note on each header explaining the column, text that wraps inside the cells, and one grey example row in italics showing the kind of entry each column expects. A second sheet, “How to use”, repeats the basic steps. The CSV has the same twelve columns. It is saved as UTF-8, so names with accents or Indian scripts come through correctly. To use it in Google Sheets, open a blank sheet and choose File, then Import, or upload the CSV to Google Drive and open it from there. Nothing is sent to our server either way.
Fill in a row as soon as you finish a paper, while it is fresh. Keep the entries short: a phrase in each cell is enough, with page numbers for anything you might quote. The last column matters most. Write what the paper leaves open and how it touches your own objectives, because that is the raw material for your gap statement.
Once you have a few dozen rows, the matrix starts to work for you. Sort by setting, and you may find that nearly every study was done in cities. Filter by method, and you may see that the field leans on cross-sectional surveys. Sort by year, and you can see how the questions changed over time. Add your own theme column if one keeps coming up.
Then write from the patterns, not the rows. Our guide on how to write a literature review explains why a review should be organised by themes, not by authors, and shows how to turn a group of rows into a paragraph that makes a claim and uses the studies as evidence for it. The matrix gives you the groups; the paragraph is still yours to write.
Limits
What this tool can’t do
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How many papers should the matrix have?
There is no fixed number. It depends on your field, how much has been published on your topic and what your supervisor expects. Include every paper you are likely to discuss in the review, not everything you skimmed. Many scholars keep a larger library in a reference manager and put only the papers that shape their argument into the matrix. If new papers stop changing the patterns, you are close to enough; if every new paper adds a new theme, keep reading.
Should I use Excel or Zotero?
Both, for different jobs. Zotero or Mendeley stores the PDFs and produces your citations and bibliography. The matrix is where you compare papers side by side, which a reference manager doesn’t do well. Give each paper the same number in both, or copy the citation key into the “No.” column. Our Zotero vs Mendeley comparison helps you choose a reference manager.
Should I keep the example row?
No. It is there to show what a filled-in row looks like, and the last cell says so. Delete it once you have added your first real paper, so it doesn’t get sorted in among your data.
Can I add columns?
Yes. Add a column for anything your research questions need to compare: the variables measured, the scale used, the region, or a theme label you assign yourself. Write a short note on each new header too, so you remember later what belongs there. Remove any column you never fill in.
What goes in “Journal / source”?
The journal or publisher, plus a note if you had doubts about it. A paper from a predatory journal weakens any argument built on it, so check unfamiliar titles with our journal checker before you rely on them.
Is anything stored?
The file is created in your browser and saved straight to your device, so what you write stays with you. Like every tool on this site, we count only that the download button was used.
Keep reading
Related guides and services
How to write a literature review
How to move from summarising papers to building an argument that ends at your research gap.
Literature Review Writing
A review that synthesises and argues toward your gap, rather than summarising paper after paper.
Zotero vs Mendeley for your thesis
How the two compare for a long thesis, and the habits that prevent broken citations.
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