Step 5: Write your Literature Review – There is no single format for writing a literature review. In many cases, the literature review is a part of a longer paper, such as a research paper or thesis. In action research, the literature review is a stand-alone component of the process, so our literature review will also be a stand-alone work. At the end of the semester, we will incorporate it into our final proposal, but for now, it stands alone.
While literature reviews vary in format and content, our work will contain the six components listed below and you will review four sources/articles. Many students lose points and have to re-write the literature review because they don’t include all six of these elements, so be sure to ensure that all are included. For details on the contents of each, see the Literature Review Instructions and Template located in the Assignment Guidelines and Resources folder.
· Introduction and overview of the topic
· Main section of the review – each source is reviewed
· Summary comparison and contrast of each source
· Summary and conclusions from the review
· Implications for your research
· Reference list
• APA Format
Cover page
Literature Review Template
Your literature review should contain each section listed below. Please note how each section should be titled. This paper should be strict APA format, so be sure to review your APA 7th Edition Style Guide or a reputable Internet APA reference such as Purdue’s OWL. Do not include an abstract. For additional details on the specific criteria for each section, be sure to review the grading rubric, Literature Review Rubric, found in the AGR folder in Moodle. Please note that clarity and brevity are important writing characteristics. This paper should not be longer than 6 pages in length, not counting the title page and reference page.
• Use an APA Level 1 heading of “Introduction and Overview”
• Provide a clear overview of your topic
• Includes a brief statement of the importance of your topic
• Introduces your review of literature
Introduction and overview of your topic (5 points)
• No more than 1-2 paragraphs
• Four high-quality sources that are articles about a research study and are directly connected to your topic should be reviewed. See Module overview for information on source quality.
Main section of the review (25 points)
• Label each source reviewed by placing an APA Level 2 heading before each review. Don’t use the title of the article/source for the heading; rather use the subject of the source article.
• Each review must include:
o A descriiption of the topic and purpose of the article, including the title of
the article and specific research question (if provided in the article) o Ahigh-qualitysummaryofthearticlethatincludesasynthesisofthe
major theme(s) of the article
o A descriiption of the research method used in the study (quantitative,
qualitative, mixed methods – could be correlational as well). Be sure to thoroughly address this, as a comparison of methods is a future assignment.
o A descriiption of the conclusion of the researchers/study.
• Use an APA Level 1 heading of “Summary and Implications for Research”
• Briefly summarize the major findings from the articles by:
Summary comparisons and conclusions from review (10 points)
o Summarizingthefindingsfromeacharticle
o Comparingandcontrastingthefindingsfromeachofyourfourarticles
• Provide a summary of your conclusion from the articles
• Connect the articles to your research and conclude with implications for your
research
Reference list (10 points, including writing quality and APA)
• Include a separate reference page with your four sources listed and any other source you may have used in the paper. Include articles on your subject that you located but didn’t include in the review.
