About PhD Literature Review Matrix, Themes and Gaps
A literature synthesis matrix linking papers, extracted findings, themes, disagreement, and thinly supported topics.
What’s included
- Findings connected to papers and themes
- Theme states derived from attached findings
- Views for thin evidence, disagreement, and unread extraction work
How to use it in practice
Extract a claim in your own words and retain its exact source reference. Compare findings across a theme and inspect the underlying evidence before accepting a calculated label. Discuss apparent gaps with your supervisor or research team and check whether your search coverage could explain them.
Set it up in your workspace
- Open the original Notion Marketplace listing and add the template to your chosen workspace while signed in. Keep its example records until you understand how the pages connect.
- Extract a claim in your own words and retain its exact source reference.
- Try one complete example before adding a large backlog. Check that its views and any calculations show what you expect, then replace the sample content with your own.
Who it suits and what to consider
Researchers comparing evidence across sources during a literature review. An empty theme is not proof that the literature contains a research gap; automated labels need critical review.
