How many sources should a PhD literature review have?

As a very rough rule of thumb – you may choose 8-10 significant pieces (books and/or articles) for an 8,000 word dissertation, up to 20 major pieces of work for 12-15,000 words, and so on.

How many references should be in a PhD literature review?

Optimally a good review should cover at least 100 primary references (which in answer to your question is a good rule of the thumb).

How many sources is good for a literature review?

The length and depth of your literature review depends on the length of your project. If you are writing a 10-page argument paper, you may have room to include 5-6 sources to review, because you will also be establishing your argument as well, but there's no hard equation for how many or how much.

How do you structure a PhD literature review?

Structuring a PhD literature review

Roughly speaking, the literature review structure should: Introduce your topic and explain its significance. Evaluate the existing literature with reference to your thesis. Give a conclusion that considers the implications of your research for future study.

How many references should a 3000 word lit review have?

For 3000 words, you should have either six books, twelve journal articles, or some combination thereof. Every quote or idea or claim should be substantiated unless it is your novel contribution or perspective. I don't usually advise on a number of citations, just that they all be properly cited.

The best PhD literature review the world has ever seen

How long should a literature review be PhD?

In a PhD thesis, the literature review typically comprises one chapter (perhaps 8-10,000 words), for a Masters dissertation it may be around 2-3,000 words, and for an undergraduate dissertation it may be no more than 2,000 words.

How many references should a PhD have?

Ph.

level dissertation contains words till 50,000 or can possibly exceed even more. For this, at least 150 references will likely be needed, till 200 or even more references can be added. That will be a good benchmark.

How many pages is a PhD literature review?

Typically, a literature review comprises 20-40% of the thesis, equating to around 20-40 pages, yet this can fluctuate based on the topic, field, and institutional guidelines. However, if the literature review is for an assignment/project report it only needs to be a few pages long.

What percentage of a PhD thesis should the literature review be?

As a general guide, the dissertation literature review should be around 25% of the complete dissertation, although this will also depend on the wider structure of your dissertation and the scope of literature available to you.

How long should a PhD thesis be?

A PhD thesis (or dissertation) is typically 60,000 to 120,000 words (100 to 300 pages in length) organised into chapters, divisions and subdivisions (with roughly 10,000 words per chapter) – from introduction (with clear aims and objectives) to conclusion.

Can you have too many sources in a literature review?

My "rule of thumb" has always been to use a maximum of three references to support a particular statement. The role of a literature review is to provide a targeted review of the literature. In my view, there are several reasons why it is wise not to use too many references: It really disturbs the flow of the paper.

Do you have to include all sources in a literature review?

The Lit Review does not have to be exhaustive; the objective is not to list as many books, articles, and reports as possible. The idea of the Lit Review is not to provide a summary of all the published work that relates to your research, but a survey of the most relevant and significant work.

How many sources should a 10000 word dissertation have?

The Ideal Number of References in a 10,000-word Dissertation

The number of references in a dissertation depends on a lot of things. However, in a 10,000-word dissertation, the ideal number of references is expected to be around 45-50.

How many references should be in a PhD dissertation?

I was told that roughly 200 is "normal" for an entire thesis, but it really does depend on what you are doing AND whether these references are journal publications, conference publications, books etc. (a good portion of mine were journal publications).

How old should literature be in a literature review?

A good rule of thumb is to use sources published in the past 10 years for research in the arts, humanities, literature, history, etc.

What should a PhD reference include?

Indicate how long have you known the applicant and in what capacity. Comment on the applicant's abilities can include: analytical reasoning; ability to grasp concepts; ability to work independently; ability to argue cogently; originality; ability to work with others; ability to organise work.

Is 30000 words enough for a PhD thesis?

Dissertation word counts vary widely across different fields, institutions, and levels of education: An undergraduate dissertation is typically 8,000–15,000 words. A master's dissertation is typically 12,000–50,000 words. A PhD thesis is typically book-length: 70,000–100,000 words.

Is 100 pages enough for a PhD thesis?

Average, good, size for a thesis is 150 pages all in. Perhaps up to 50 extra pages for a big appendix and bibliography. Beware of the trend to write long and boring doctorates (papers, &c), improve your communications skills.

How big is the average PhD thesis?

Unfortunately, there's no one size fits all answer to this question. However, from the analysis of over 100 PhD theses, the average thesis length is between 80,000 and 100,000 words. A further analysis of 1000 PhD thesis shows the average number of pages to be 204.

What does a PhD literature review look like?

It is where you must discuss and review the studies, perspectives, theories and bodies of work relevant to your research question(s) and, in the process, demonstrate the gaps or shortcomings in previous research that your work will fill. In this way, it justifies the research that your thesis goes on to discuss.

How do you conclude a literature review for a PhD?

In the conclusion, you should summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance. Tip Be sure to show how your research addresses gaps and contributes new knowledge, or discuss how you have drawn on existing theories and methods to build a framework for your research.

How many references for a 15000 word dissertation?

Below mention is the word limit of the dissertation that shows how many references should be necessary. In the 8000 words dissertation, 63 references are required. In 10000 words dissertation, 72 references are required. In 15000 words dissertation, 95 references are required.

How many citations is good for a PhD student?

What is a good h-index for a PhD student? It is very common for supervisors to expect up to three publications from PhD students. Given the lengthy process of publication and the fact that once the papers are out, they also need to be cited, having an h-index of 1 or 2 at the end of your PhD is a big achievement.

Is 100 references too much?

Using too many references does not leave much room for your personal standpoint to shine through. As a general rule, you should aim to use one to three, to support each key point you make. This of course depends on subject matter and the point you are discussing, but acts as a good general guide.

Who are the best references for PhD application?

In many cases you'll need to give the names of two academic referees. Ideally these will be lecturers or tutors from a previous course since they should be able to comment on your academic capabilities and suitability for the programme of study being applied for.