This assignment is intended to be an introduction for you on writing literature reviews, something you may be requested to do for future competencies and/or professional projects.
The item required for this assessment is a literature review of at least five pages (1250 – 1500 words, excluding the title page and reference list), following APA guidelines. Please Note: An abstract is not required for this assignment.
Create an outline for your literature review. The format and content of a literature review can vary depending on its purpose and the discipline for which you are writing.
I. Introduction
In the introduction you should:
a) Define or identify the general topic, issue or area of concern
b) Point out overall trends in what has already been published
c) Establish your point of view for reviewing the literature (Include your research question!)
d) Indicate the organization of the review
II. Body
In the body you should:
a) Group research studies and other relevant literature according to a common theme (for
example, you may find prevailing theories and/or practices involved with your research; you
can use these as thematic sections for the body of your literature review)
b) Summarize each item of the literature appropriately according to its significance
c) Compare and evaluate each item of the literature
d) Provide topic sentences at the beginning of paragraphs and summary sentences at the end
of sections to help the reader understand the main issues.
III. Conclusion
In the conclusion you should:
a) Summarize the literature maintaining the focus presented in the introduction
b) Evaluate the current “state of the art” [or state of the topic that represents your research
question] [by] pointing out gaps in the literature, inconsistencies and issues that are
important for future study
c) Conclude by giving some insight into the relationship between your topic and a larger area of
study or area of professional practice (“What is the structure of a literature review,” p. 3)
IV. Reference Page
With respect to references you should:
a) Start the reference list on a separate page following the literature review
b) Include the word References centered at the top of the page
c) Properly format your citations in your reference list using APA guidelines and verify that
these sources are correctly incorporated as in–text or parenthetical citations throughout the body of your literature review
I. Introduction
In the introduction you should:
a) Define or identify the general topic, issue or area of concern
b) Point out overall trends in what has already been published
c) Establish your point of view for reviewing the literature (Include your research question!)
d) Indicate the organization of the review
II. Body
In the body you should:
a) Group research studies and other relevant literature according to a common theme (for
example, you may find prevailing theories and/or practices involved with your research; you
can use these as thematic sections for the body of your literature review)
b) Summarize each item of the literature appropriately according to its significance
c) Compare and evaluate each item of the literature
d) Provide topic sentences at the beginning of paragraphs and summary sentences at the end
of sections to help the reader understand the main issues.
III. Conclusion
In the conclusion you should:
a) Summarize the literature maintaining the focus presented in the introduction
b) Evaluate the current “state of the art” [or state of the topic that represents your research
question] [by] pointing out gaps in the literature, inconsistencies and issues that are
important for future study
c) Conclude by giving some insight into the relationship between your topic and a larger area of
study or area of professional practice (“What is the structure of a literature review,” p. 3)
IV. Reference Page
With respect to references you should:
a) Start the reference list on a separate page following the literature review
b) Include the word References centered at the top of the page
c) Properly format your citations in your reference list using APA guidelines and verify that
these sources are correctly incorporated as in–text or parenthetical citations throughout the body of your literature review