What to do when there is little or no literature on your qualitative research topic (thematic literature review guide)
Finding little or no literature on your research topic can feel like a problem.
For many qualitative PhD researchers, it creates a sense of uncertainty - if there isn’t much out there, how are you supposed to build a literature review that feels coherent and well grounded?
But in practice, this situation is much more common than it first appears.
In this post, I’ll show you how to work with limited or scattered literature, and how this feeds into building a thematic literature review that holds together as your project develops.
Sparse literature can actually be a good thing
When you feel like there is “no literature”, it is often because your research topic is specific.
And that specificity is not a weakness - it is part of what makes your research original.
For example, if your research explores the experiences of female criminal law solicitors aged 35–50 in England and Wales who leave the profession and move into second careers, that is a tightly defined focus. You would not expect to find large volumes of literature addressing that exact topic.
However, you still need to build a literature review.
The task, then, is not to find work that exactly matches your topic, but to identify bodies of literature that can speak to it in different ways - and begin to organise those into a thematic structure.
(1) Broaden your literature search
The first step is to move beyond searching for your exact topic.
Instead, begin identifying related areas of literature that connect to different aspects of your research.
Using the example above, this might include:
Research on career transitions across professions
Studies focusing on female professionals in the legal field
Qualitative research on career change in different contexts
None of these areas will map perfectly onto your topic. But each of them offers insights that can inform your understanding and help you build a more comprehensive review.
A thematic literature review often draws together multiple related bodies of work in this way. The aim is not exact alignment, but meaningful connection.
(2) Get more precise with your search terms
If your initial searches are returning very little, it is worth expanding how you are searching.
Different terminology can open up entirely different areas of literature.
For example, instead of searching only for “career transition”, you might also explore:
career change
occupational shift
professional reinvention
second careers
You can also combine terms in different ways using Boolean operators:
“female lawyers AND career change AND qualitative”
“career transition OR occupational mobility”
Looking at “related searches” and “people also ask” sections can also help you identify alternative language.
This process is less about finding the perfect article, and more about gradually building a body of relevant material.
At this point, you will often have more material than you expected - but it may feel fragmented.
You might have studies from different disciplines, slightly different populations, or research that only partially connects to your topic.
This is where many literature reviews start to become difficult.
Finding relevant material is one part of the process. Knowing how to group it, prioritise it, and turn it into a set of themes that make sense together is something else.
(3) Explore related disciplines
The literature you need is not always located within your immediate field.
In many cases, the most useful insights come from adjacent disciplines.
For example:
Psychology may offer insight into identity, transition, and adaptation
Sociology may help you understand structural influences and social patterns
Business and management research may provide perspectives on career development and organisational context
Drawing on interdisciplinary work allows you to build a richer understanding of your topic and can help you identify connections that are not immediately obvious.
(4) Draw on academic networks
It is also worth remembering that literature searches are not only conducted through databases.
Conversations can be equally valuable.
Speaking to supervisors, other PhD researchers, or academics in related fields can often surface bodies of work you may not have encountered through searching alone.
Attending broader research events or engaging with interdisciplinary groups can also expand your awareness of relevant literature.
Taking this further
If you are working with limited or dispersed literature, the challenge is not simply finding material.
It is knowing:
what to include
what to leave out
how to group different sources
and how to move from summary to argument
A thematic literature review allows you to bring these elements together - but it requires careful thinking to ensure that your structure is coherent and your reasoning is clear.
This is where many qualitative PhD researchers begin to feel uncertain.
If you’ve reached the point where you have material, but your literature review still feels unclear or difficult to structure, that’s entirely normal.
The challenge is not just gathering sources, but building a position.
My Literature Review PhD Survival Guide is designed to help you do exactly that. It supports you in developing themes, structuring your review, and making your reasoning visible.
It’s not about adding more content. It’s about working with what you have in a more deliberate way. It’s there if and when you need it.
If you’d prefer to keep developing your approach gradually, you can join my email community. My weekly emails won’t replace structured support, but they will help you stay oriented as your literature review develops.
If your literature review feels sprawling, fragmented, or harder than it should be at this stage, this guide helps you bring it into shape.
You’ve likely already done a substantial amount of reading, note-taking, and drafting - but it’s not yet translating into a clear, structured, critical chapter.
This guide gives you a way to work with what you already have, so your literature review starts to come together as a coherent argument.
Inside, you’ll find 12 carefully sequenced sections with practical worksheets to help you:
Work more purposefully with the literature you’ve already gathered
Identify patterns and develop meaningful themes
Move from summary into clear, critical interpretation
Restructure your chapter so it holds together
Make confident decisions about what stays, what goes, and why
If you’ve ever thought:
“I’ve read so much, but I don’t know how to turn it into a chapter.”
“Everything feels relevant - I can’t see what actually matters.”
“I keep rewriting this, but it’s still not quite working.”
You’re at the stage where your thinking needs to be shaped into something more coherent.
This guide helps you do that.
Designed for qualitative PhD researchers working with thematic or narrative literature reviews, it supports you in moving from a collection of sources and notes to a literature review you can clearly explain, structure, and stand behind.
This is a digital download. You’ll get immediate access to the full guide and worksheets as soon as you purchase, so you can start making progress straight away.
Swipe through the images to see exactly what’s inside.
For a more streamlined and coherent approach, you can access all four PhD Survival Guides in the full series here.
Got questions? Contact me using this form, I’ll be happy to help.
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