Write the review. Include an introduction and body Provide a context by defining general topics or issues Explain the organization of the review and why certain literature is not included in your review Discuss trends in what has been published about the topic Discuss disagreements in theory, methodology, evidence, and conclusions Discuss gaps in the research Include conclusions that provide insight into the relationship between topics of the review and the larger area of study The literature review format Write the review using APA style formatting Include a title page, abstract, body (with heading and subheadings only as needed for organization), and reference section Include at least 10 references in the reference section The length of this review should be more than 8 but less than 15 pages of text (this excludes the title page, abstract, and references). To achieve this length, streamline your paper and make sure you state your ideas simply and succinctly. Keep in mind Your literature review should Place your study in the context of other work that has already been done in the field Inform the reader about the main theories in the area or field It may establish the need for the future research by identifying gaps in knowledge Dos and donts for your literature review Do Organize your paper before you begin writing Provide strong transitions between the discussion of one idea and another (e.g., transitional statements help the reader follow your line of thought and create flow throughout the paper [see Mitchell, Jolley, & OShea, 2013, pp. 18-19]) Reference appropriately (please see Mitchell, Jolley, & OShea text) Write well and see someone in the success center or smart thinking if you need help Dont Simply paraphrase an existing literature review Use more than one or two quotes in the entire paper Rely heavily on secondary sources (use primary articles published in peer reviewed scholarly journals) Include anecdotal information Discuss each article separately as if writing an abstract on each
