How to write chapter two (the literature review) of your project

Chapter two is often the longest chapter of a final year project and the one students find hardest to start. It becomes much easier once you know what it's for: showing what is already known about your topic, and where your study fits in.

What chapter two usually contains

Departments differ, so always check your project guidelines, but most Nigerian university projects organise chapter two like this:

• Conceptual review: the key concepts in your topic, defined and explained from the literature.
• Theoretical framework: one or two theories that explain your topic, and why they fit your study.
• Empirical review: what previous studies found, with their methods and results.
• Summary and gap: what the literature shows, and what it hasn't covered, which your study addresses.

Step 1: Find good sources

Use journal articles, books and theses rather than random websites. Google Scholar, your library's databases and recent theses in your department are good places to start. Prefer recent studies, but include important older ones in your field.

Step 2: Take organised notes

For each source, note the author, year, aim, method, sample, main findings and anything you disagree with. A simple table in Word or Excel makes the empirical review much quicker to write later. Record the full reference straight away, so you don't have to search for it again.

Step 3: Organise by themes, not by author

A common mistake is writing one paragraph per study: "Okafor (2019) found… Bello (2020) found…". Instead, group studies by theme and compare them: which agree, which disagree, and why their results might differ (different samples, places or methods). This shows understanding, not just reading.

Step 4: Write in your own words

Summarise and paraphrase, and cite every idea that isn't yours. Use quotations sparingly. Good paraphrasing and correct citations protect you from plagiarism.

Step 5: End with the gap

Finish with a short summary of what the literature shows and what is missing: a place, a group of people, a time period or a method that hasn't been studied. That gap is the reason your study exists, and it should connect directly to the objectives in chapter one.

Checklist before you submit

• Every key concept is defined with sources.
• Your theory is explained and linked to your study.
• Studies are grouped by themes and compared.
• Every citation is in the reference list, in the right style.
• The chapter ends by showing the gap your study fills.

If you're stuck, a research tutor can review your draft, show you how to organise it and explain your supervisor's comments, while the writing stays your own.

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