Steve Tippins Ph.D. explains why dissertation committees reject literature reviews: you're listing sources instead of synthesizing them. Committees want you to show how studies agree, contradict, and connect, not just report what each one found.
Stop making this common literature review error. It's why your work keeps getting sent back. It looks like this: Joan 2017 found X, Smith 2018 found Y. It's just a list. Committees aren't looking for a summary. They're looking for an argument. Synthesis is about finding agreements, identifying contradictions, highlighting nuance, and showing that you understand how to fit ideas together. It's not that your sources are wrong. It's that you're listing them instead of using them. Comment "help" and we will send you the link to our free dissertation help community. You've got this.
