Is a literature review secondary without any sources?

Technically, a literature review without any citations isn't a literature review at all; it’s an original theoretical argument or a primary conceptual paper. By definition, a literature review is a secondary source because its primary purpose is to synthesize, analyze, and evaluate existing research produced by others. If you haven't cited anyone, you haven't reviewed any literature, so you’ve actually created a primary source that presents your own unique perspective or framework. Your professor likely classified the assignment as secondary because they expected you to build upon established theories, but since your work is entirely self-generated, you are the original author of the ideas, making it primary research. Think of it like this: if you were a student writing a strategy paper on a new, untested business model you invented in your garage, you wouldn't be citing anyone else because the model didn't exist before you wrote it down. In that scenario, your paper is the primary source for that specific theory. To handle this for your exam, you should first clarify with your professor whether they consider a theoretical framework a type of literature review in this specific context, as terminology can sometimes be flexible in graduate courses. You might also want to double-check if your framework truly relies on zero external concepts, as even original models often borrow foundational principles from existing management theories. If you find that you have indeed synthesized existing ideas, you should add citations to properly ground your work, which would then shift your paper back into the secondary source category. If you are confident that your work is entirely original, label it as primary and briefly explain that it functions as a conceptual proposal rather than a review of existing academic literature. Taking these steps will help you justify your classification clearly and demonstrate that you understand the distinction between synthesizing others' work and creating your own.