Blog · February 1, 2026 · 7 min read
How to write a literature review that synthesises rather than summarises
Target keyword: how to write a literature review · Search intent: informational
A literature review isn't a reading list. It's an argument about the field, told through the literature.
Synthesis vs summary
Summary: 'Smith said X. Jones said Y. Brown said Z.' Synthesis: 'Two schools dominate the field — X (Smith, 2018) and Y (Jones, 2020) — with recent work (Brown, 2023) suggesting a third reading.'
Related services
Frequently asked questions
How long should it be?
10–20% of the dissertation/thesis. Long reviews are usually thin reviews.
Do you edit lit reviews specifically?
Yes — and we flag where summary should become synthesis.
Synthesise. Don't summarise.
Our editors flag structural issues in literature reviews as part of every dissertation edit.
dissertation proofreading service →Continue reading
- The dissertation structure UK examiners actually expect
Chapter-by-chapter breakdown of a UK dissertation: what each section should contain, typical word counts, and where students lose marks.
- How to proofread a dissertation, step by step
A practical, supervisor-approved walkthrough of how to proofread your own dissertation — chapter by chapter, with the checks examiners actually run.
- How to improve your academic writing style — fast
Ten high-leverage habits that lift any postgraduate's writing in a single afternoon of practice.