A literature review matrix is a table that holds the key information from each source you read, so you can compare studies side by side instead of keeping them in your head. Many programs ask for one as an assignment, and even when they do not, it is the quickest route from a pile of PDFs to a literature review that synthesizes rather than summarizes.
Download the free literature review matrix template (.xlsx). It opens in Excel, Google Sheets (File → Import) and Numbers, and has three tabs: a source matrix, a synthesis matrix, and short instructions.
Source matrix vs. synthesis matrix
The two are often confused, and you need both.
A source matrix (sometimes called a literature matrix) has one row per source. Its columns record what each study did and found. You fill it while you read.
A synthesis matrix has one row per theme or point, and one column per source. Each cell records what that source says about that theme. It shows at a glance where sources agree, where they disagree, and which themes rest on too few studies. You build it once you have read enough to see the themes.
The source matrix answers "what did this study find?". The synthesis matrix answers "what does the literature say about this point?", and that is the question your chapter has to answer.
Columns to include in a literature review matrix
The template's source matrix uses these columns. Delete the ones your assignment does not need, but keep the quote-and-page column; it saves hours later.
| Column | What to write |
|---|---|
| Citation (APA 7) | Full reference, so you can paste it into your reference list |
| Review question it answers | Which of your review questions this source speaks to |
| Purpose / research question | What the study set out to find |
| Theory or framework | The theory the authors used, if any |
| Design & method | Survey, experiment, case study, interviews, meta-analysis… |
| Sample & setting | Who, how many, where |
| Key findings | The main results in your own words, with the numbers that matter |
| Quote + page | The exact passage you may cite, with its page number |
| Limitations | Those the authors admit, and those you notice |
| Theme(s) | Tags that link the source to your themes |
| How I will use it | Supports, contrasts with, or extends which point |
| Read status | To read, skimmed, read, cited |
How to fill it in
Fill it as you read, not afterwards. Going back through forty papers to complete a matrix is slower than writing two lines per column while the paper is open.
Write findings in your own words. If you paste the abstract, you will paste it again into your draft. Paraphrasing at this stage is the first step of writing.
Keep exact quotes separate from paraphrase. Put anything you might quote in the Quote + page column, with quotation marks and the page number. This is what lets you check every citation before you submit.
Tag themes early and loosely. Your first tags will be rough; refine them after ten or fifteen sources. Filtering the Theme(s) column then shows exactly which studies each theme rests on.
From matrix to chapter outline
Once the source matrix is reasonably full, move to the synthesis matrix:
- List your candidate themes as rows.
- For each theme, fill in what each relevant source says, with page numbers.
- Complete the three right-hand columns: where the sources agree, where they are in tension, and what none of them answers.
- Read across each row. If a theme has only one or two sources, either read more or merge it into another theme.
Each row of the synthesis matrix now maps to a section of your review. The Agreement, Tension and Gap cells become the main points of that section's paragraphs. That is your outline; the literature review outline guide shows how to write it up with APA 7 headings.
Example row
Here is how one row of a source matrix might read. The study is fictional, so you can see the level of detail without borrowing anyone's findings.
| Column | Example |
|---|---|
| Citation | Author, A. A. (2022). Title of the study. Journal Name, 12(3), 45–67. |
| Design & method | Cross-sectional survey |
| Sample & setting | 312 first-year undergraduates, one public university |
| Key findings | Higher test anxiety linked to lower exam scores; the link was weaker for students who reported regular study planning |
| Quote + page | "…" (p. 52) |
| Limitations | Single site; self-report only |
| Theme(s) | Anxiety and performance; Study strategies |
| How I will use it | Supports Theme 1; contrasts with Source F, which found no moderating effect |
Excel, Google Sheets, or a reference manager?
A spreadsheet is enough for most dissertations and has one big advantage: you can sort and filter by theme, method or year. Keep the citation details in your reference manager (Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote) as well, so the reference list is generated rather than typed. Google Sheets is handy if your chair or a writing partner will comment on the matrix.
Building the matrix from your PDFs
Filling a matrix by hand for thirty or forty sources takes days, and the slowest part is finding the passages that answer each review question and recording the page numbers.
Lit Review Outline can do that first pass for a dissertation literature review chapter. Upload the PDFs you have read and answer one to three review questions; it extracts verbatim evidence with page numbers, groups it into themes, and exports an Excel literature review matrix along with a Word outline with APA 7 references. You still read, check and decide. The matrix is a starting point you verify against your sources, not a substitute for reading them. You can see the exported matrix from a real run in the demo case.
For how the matrix feeds into the full chapter, see how to structure Chapter 2 of a dissertation.
