When writing a literature review, how do you choose the appropriate number of articles?

Mondo Education Updated on 2024-02-01

When writing a literature review, it is very important to choose the appropriate number of literatures. If the number of articles is too small, it may lead to your research not being comprehensive and in-depth; If there is too much literature, it can make your literature review lengthy and complex, making it difficult to understand.

In general, the number of selected papers should be determined based on your research topic and research question. If your research topic is narrow, the number of studies to choose is likely to be relatively small; If you have a broad research topic, the number of studies to choose from is likely to be relatively large.

In addition, the number of papers selected should also take into account the purpose of your research and the methodology of the study. If the purpose of your research is to keep abreast of the latest research advances in the field, the number of studies selected may be relatively large; If your research method is empirical research, the number of studies selected is likely to be relatively small.

In general, the number of articles in a literature review should be between dozens and hundreds, depending on your research topic, research objectives, and research methodology. When selecting literature, we should choose those that are representative, authoritative and reliable, and also consider the time and geographical scope of the literature.

In conclusion, choosing the appropriate number of articles is one of the keys to writing a literature review, which needs to be determined according to your research topic, research objectives, and research methodology.

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