One of the most common questions I get from students is how long should a literature review be — and the frustrating truth is there's no single answer because it genuinely depends on your total word count, your subject area, and what your university guidelines say. That said, the general rule most academics work with is 20–30% of your overall word count. So for a 10,000 word dissertation that's roughly 2,000–3,000 words, for a 15,000 word one you're looking at 3,000–4,500. The percentage matters more than chasing a specific number.

What I always tell students is stop counting words and start asking whether every paragraph is actually earning its place. A tight, focused literature review that maps the existing research and clearly identifies the gap your work fills will always score higher than a bloated one that's just padding. Check your guidelines first, aim for depth over length, and you'll be in a much better place than most