One of the most common questions students ask is “how many words should a literature review be?”—and honestly, the answer isn’t always straightforward. A literature review doesn’t have a universal length because it depends on the overall word count of your dissertation or thesis. Generally, it takes up around 20–30% of the total word count, but the focus should always be on quality, not just quantity.

For example, if you’re writing a 10,000-word dissertation, your literature review might be somewhere between 2,000–3,000 words. But if you’re tackling a bigger project like a PhD thesis, the literature review could easily stretch to 8,000 words or more. What matters most is making sure it’s comprehensive enough to cover the key research in your field while showing where your work fits in.

At the end of the day, don’t stress too much about hitting an exact number. Think of your literature review as a foundation—give it enough depth to demonstrate your understanding, but avoid turning it into a book of its own. Clarity, relevance, and critical analysis are far more important than word count.