Hi,

A review paper is supposed to cover a whole topic, so, it depends on the topic. There are topics that are "young" that is, the subject area is relatively new and not much was written about it, then the papers you are covering could be 30 or more. There are, though, more developed topics that demand a larger review coverage.

While covering a scientific subject area one should keep in mind that his review paper serves as reference source for future studies.

Thanks Avishag for your valuable suggestion.

There are many criteria regarding the number of references in a review paper. One of them is:

Minimum number of sources =  3 times the number of pages in the body of your review paper (exclusive of title page, abstract, appendices and references)

Example: A review paper that has 10 pages of content (the body of the paper) should examine at least 30 sources.

Another one is:

Minimum number of sources in a review paper depends on the level of study.

Undergraduate level: 10+

Master level: 30+

PhD level: 50+

I actually belief it should be in the region of 30-50 references to make it a thorough review of existing article . Expecially when you are writing as a postgraduate writer.

I hope you are correct Olusola, thanks.

Hello Aliwi can you cite the document from where you got those criteria, it might help.

https://drsaraheaton.wordpress.com/2014/02/19/how-many-sources-do-you-need-in-a-literature-review/

The source has been written by Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton, a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

Thanks Aliwi.