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 where each paper you read gets one row and each point you compare gets one column. With it, a heap of papers becomes a few themes you can write on. Our template has twelve columns. Authors and setting come first, method and findings in the middle, and the last one is for the gap. You can download it for Excel, or as a CSV for Google Sheets. Keep filling it while you read. Then sort and filter it for patterns before writing even one line of the chapter.
In the table below you can see all the columns and what goes in each one. Each header in the Excel file carries a small note also, so you can close this page after downloading.
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
When you click the button, the Excel file is made inside your browser itself. The header row is frozen, so it stays on top when you scroll down, and every header carries a note about what that column is for. Text wraps inside the cells. One example row in grey italics gives you idea of the entries. The basic steps are written again in a second sheet, “How to use”. The CSV has the same twelve columns. It is saved as UTF-8, so an author name with accents or in an Indian script will not get spoiled. In Google Sheets, open a blank sheet and go to File, then Import, or upload the CSV to Google Drive and open it there. Nothing goes to our server.
Fill the row right after you finish reading the paper, when it is still fresh in mind. A phrase in each cell is enough because long entries only slow you down later, and put page number for anything you may want to quote later. Give the most attention to the last column. There you write what the paper has left open and how it is connected to your own objectives. Your gap statement will come from this column later.
Once a few dozen rows are filled, you start getting something back from the matrix. Sort it by setting and you may notice almost all the studies were done in cities. When you filter by method, maybe the field is depending mostly on cross-sectional surveys. Sort by year and you see which questions were asked earlier and which are asked now. If one theme keeps coming again and again, add your own column for it.
Many scholars write row by row. Better to start from these patterns. Our guide on how to write a literature review explains why the review should be arranged by themes and not author by author. It also shows how a group of rows becomes one paragraph that makes a claim and uses the studies as evidence. The matrix gives you the groups only. Writing the paragraph is still your work.
Limits
What this tool can’t do
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How many papers should the matrix have?
No fixed number is there. It depends on your field, on how much is already published on your topic and on what your supervisor is expecting. Put every paper you will probably discuss in the review. Papers you only skimmed need not go in. Many scholars keep a bigger library in their reference manager and move only the papers that shape the argument into the matrix. When new papers stop changing the patterns, you are near to enough. If each new paper is still bringing a new theme, continue reading.
Should I use Excel or Zotero?
Use both, because they do separate jobs. Zotero or Mendeley keeps your PDFs and makes the citations and bibliography for you. A reference manager is not so good at putting papers side by side for comparing, and the matrix is made for exactly that. Same paper, same number in Zotero and in the matrix, then matching a row to its PDF is easy, or else just copy the citation key in “No.” column. If you have not picked a reference manager yet, see our Zotero vs Mendeley comparison.
Should I keep the example row?
No. That row is there only to show a filled row, and its last cell is saying so. Remove it once your first real paper is in, or sorting will mix it with your data.
Can I add columns?
Yes. If your research questions need you to compare something, give it a column. It can be the variables measured, the scale used, the region, or a theme label you make yourself. Put a short note on the new header also, so later you remember what was supposed to go there. A column you never fill, just delete it.
What goes in “Journal / source”?
Write the journal or publisher name. If you had any doubt about it, add a note. Any argument resting on a paper from a predatory journal becomes weak. So when a title is unfamiliar, check it first with our journal checker and rely on it only after that.
Is anything stored?
No. Your browser makes the file and saves it to your device, so what you type is not coming to us. As with all tools on this site, the only thing we count is that somebody used the download button.
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 Structuring and Feedback
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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