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LITERATURE REVIEW ASSIGNMENT

PURPOSE:

A literature review is a summary and synthesis of published research in a subject area. In our case, the subject matter is psychological research . A literature review provides an overview of the major points reported in each piece of research you review (i.e., summary). However, instead of simply listing the major pieces of each journal article you review in an outline form, your literature review should reorganize the major pieces into a thoughtful, integrated paper (i.e., synthesis).

The purpose of this assignment is to give you an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of APA writing style and your ability to write a coherent paper. An added benefit is that by completing the literature review, a major part of the introduction for your final research proposal will be done early (less stress at the end of the semester), and revisions can be made before the final proposal is turned in (improved quality of proposal).

HOW DO I KNOW IF I’VE SYNTHESIZED INFORMATION PROPERLY?

If you successfully accomplish both aspects (i.e., summary and synthesis), the reader should be left believing that there is a real need to conduct a new study. In other words, your paper should flow much like the introduction of any research study you have read for this assignment.

CONNECTION TO FINAL PROPOSAL:

The literature review serves as the beginning of your introduction for the final research proposal. However, a literature review is not exactly the same thing as the introduction of your final research proposal. It will not include any information about the specific study you have decided to do, such as operational definitions, hypotheses, expected results, etc.

CONNECTION TO THE ARTICLE REVIEW AND JOURNAL ARTICLES:

Some of the information that you are looking at is similar to the article review assignment. For example, you will need to point out limitations of studies you review. However, unlike the article review assignment, you will NOT be finding answers and sticking them into an outline. Instead, a literature review is an integrated, thoughtful paper. It should lead the reader into believing that there is a real need to conduct a new study. Your paper should flow like the introduction in your lab manual as well as the introduction of any research study you have read during the semester.

HOW DO I CHOOSE A TOPIC FOR MY LITERATURE REVIEW?

Your choice of a topic is important. You will be spending the majority of this course exploring your topic in depth. This topic should be personally interesting, but hopefully simple too. There are several places to explore topic choices. These include introductory psychology textbooks, content-specific psychology textbooks, and the American Psychological Association (APA) website ( http://www.apa.org/topics/homepage.html ). In addition, your lab manual lists several ideas for choosing a proper proposal topic. It is a good idea to share your topic with me before you begin your proposal, but not required.

When choosing the topic, you must choose a topic related to PSYCHOLOGY. To get the best quality articles, try to ensure that your research comes from APA journals (for a list of all APA journals, see http://www.apa.org/journals/by_title.html ). All of your articles should come from PsycInfo. Please review the video on using PsycInfo. Some topics are difficult to study because they are old ideas (e.g., classical conditioning) or too technical (e.g., the role of specific genes in autism). Remember, whatever you choose to study, your final research proposal involves proposing a NEW STUDY!

IMPORTANT NOTE CONCERNING TOPIC SELECTION: Before you contact Dr. V, please conduct some research of your own. Once you have a general idea of what you might want to examine, go to PsycInfo to explore this topic. Are there enough current articles to get you started? Will you be able to propose a new direction for this research? Remember that Dr. V has not read through all areas of research, especially if they are outside the area of I/O psychology. The purpose of a research paper is to research. You should begin the process of research even while you select a topic!

SECTIONS OF A LITERATURE REVIEW:

For the most part, the information that should be in the body of your literature review includes:

1. The problem being investigated

2. Relevant past research

a. Discuss findings of relevant studies

i. Are there studies that examine the same problem that you are investigating? What did they find?

ii. Do the findings go along with what you are proposing?

b. Identify limitations of studies that cast doubt on the findings

i. Are there findings that go against what you are proposing? What are some potential problems with those studies? Could those limitations be a reason for those contradictory findings?

ii. Similar to what we’ve been doing when critiquing journal articles for the article review assignment

c. Point out inconsistent findings between studies

i. Can you think of any reasons for these inconsistencies?

ii. What can be done to perhaps lessen these inconsistencies?

3. Relevant theory (if applicable)

APA FORMAT:

For citing and referencing sources in the body of your paper, you can refer back to your notes and/or your lab manual. You also have many samples of APA style (APA activity, APA quiz, the journal article from your review assignment, and the journal articles from your research) to help you write in the correct format. You can also look to these examples when writing the reference page. Remember you need a minimum of five sources. All sources cited in the text should be in the reference section.

Don’t forget APA style titles, headings, margins, fonts, and other important formatting rules. Be sure to look through your notes and lab manual for this information.

WHERE ELSE CAN I GO TO FIND OUT INFORMATION ON LITERATURE REVIEWS?

The following are helpful websites for learning more about how to write literature reviews:

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/literature_review.html

http://www.tui.edu/current/phd/first/lr.asp

For an example of a literature review with instructor comments, check out http://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20070515025950_667.pdf .

References:

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

The Owl, Purdue University. (2008). Sample APA papers: Literature reviews. Retrieved May 27, 2008 from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20070515025950_667.pdf .

The Writing Center, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. (1998). Literature reviews. Retrieved May 27, 2008 from http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/literature_review.html .

Union Institute and University. (n.d.). Literature review. Retrieved May 27, 2008 from http://www.tui.edu/current/phd/first/lr.asp .

WHAT TO TURN IN:

When you are turning in your paper, the following sections should be included. All sections should be in correct APA style.

1. title page

2. literature review (5-6 pages)

3. reference page (with at least 5 references)

GRADING CRITERIA

Criteria	Points
Title Page Title (centered on page) Name (centered on page) Institution (centered on page) Running Head Short title (in header on all pages) Page numbers (in header on all pages)	10
Literature review - Substance Content/Integration Problem being investigated Relevant findings Limitations of other studies	50
Literature Review –Style (APA Format) Title (centered on first line) In-text citations Margins, fonts, other APA formatting rules	20
References References (centered on first line) Hanging indent Alphabetical order Correct formatting for each reference	15
At least 5 sources from APA journals	5
Total Points	100