How to Write a Medical Literature Review Apa
Writing a Literature Review
When writing a research paper on a specific topic, you volition often need to include an overview of any prior research that has been conducted on that topic. For example, if your research paper is describing an experiment on fearfulness conditioning, then yous will probably need to provide an overview of prior research on fearfulness conditioning. That overview is typically known as a literature review.
Delight note that a full-length literature review commodity may be suitable for fulfilling the requirements for the Psychology B.Southward. Degree Inquiry Paper . For farther details, please check with your faculty advisor.
Unlike Types of Literature Reviews
Literature reviews come in many forms. They tin can be part of a enquiry paper, for example as part of the Introduction section. They tin be one chapter of a doctoral dissertation. Literature reviews can besides "stand alone" every bit carve up articles by themselves. For instance, some journals such every bit Annual Review of Psychology, Psychological Bulletin, and others typically publish full-length review articles. Similarly, in courses at UCSD, yous may be asked to write a inquiry paper that is itself a literature review (such as, with an instructor'due south permission, in fulfillment of the B.S. Degree Research Paper requirement). Alternatively, yous may be expected to include a literature review equally part of a larger research paper (such as part of an Honors Thesis).
Literature reviews tin can exist written using a diverseness of dissimilar styles. These may differ in the fashion prior research is reviewed as well equally the way in which the literature review is organized. Examples of stylistic variations in literature reviews include:
- Summarization of prior work vs. critical evaluation. In some cases, prior research is just described and summarized; in other cases, the writer compares, contrasts, and may fifty-fifty critique prior inquiry (for example, discusses their strengths and weaknesses).
- Chronological vs. categorical and other types of organization. In some cases, the literature review begins with the oldest research and advances until it concludes with the latest inquiry. In other cases, research is discussed by category (such as in groupings of closely related studies) without regard for chronological society. In even so other cases, research is discussed in terms of opposing views (such equally when different research studies or researchers disagree with i some other).
Overall, all literature reviews, whether they are written as a part of a larger piece of work or as separate manufactures unto themselves, have a mutual feature: they exercise not nowadays new research; rather, they provide an overview of prior research on a specific topic.
How to Write a Literature Review
When writing a literature review, information technology can be helpful to rely on the post-obit steps. Please note that these procedures are not necessarily only for writing a literature review that becomes part of a larger article; they tin also be used for writing a full-length article that is itself a literature review (although such reviews are typically more than detailed and exhaustive; for more information please refer to the Further Resources department of this folio).
Steps for Writing a Literature Review
ane. Identify and ascertain the topic that you volition be reviewing.
The topic, which is commonly a research question (or problem) of some kind, needs to exist identified and divers as conspicuously every bit possible. You need to have an idea of what you will be reviewing in order to finer search for references and to write a coherent summary of the research on it. At this
2. Carry a literature search.
Utilise a range of keywords to search databases such as PsycINFO and any others that may contain relevant articles. You should focus on peer-reviewed, scholarly articles. Published books may also be helpful, but keep in mind that peer-reviewed articles are widely considered to be the "gold standard" of scientific enquiry. Read through titles and abstracts, select and obtain manufactures (that is, download, re-create, or print them out), and save your searches as needed. For more than information about this step, please run into the Using Databases and Finding Scholarly References section of this website.
three. Read through the research that yous have found and have notes.
Blot as much data as yous can. Read through the articles and books that yous accept found, and every bit you do, accept notes. The notes should include annihilation that will exist helpful in advancing your own thinking almost the topic and in helping you lot write the literature review (such as key points, ideas, or fifty-fifty folio numbers that alphabetize fundamental information). Some references may plow out to exist more helpful than others; you may observe patterns or striking contrasts between dissimilar sources
4. Organize your notes and thoughts; create an outline.
At this stage, you lot are close to writing the review itself. Yet, it is often helpful to first reflect on all the reading that you take done. What patterns stand out? Do the unlike sources converge on a consensus? Or not? What unresolved questions still remain? Yous should look over your notes (it may also be helpful to reorganize them), and equally you do, to retrieve most how you will present this inquiry in your literature review. Are y'all going to summarize or critically evaluate? Are you going to employ a chronological or
five. Write the literature review itself and edit and revise equally needed.
The last stage involves writing. When writing, keep in heed that literature reviews are by and large characterized by a summary fashion in which prior research is described sufficiently to explain critical findings but does not include a high level of detail (if readers want to learn most all the specific details of a written report, and then they can expect upward the references that you cite and read the original articles themselves). However, the degree of emphasis that is given to individual studies may vary (more or less detail may be warranted depending on how critical or unique a given study was). After y'all take written
six. Contain the literature review into your research paper typhoon.
After the literature review is complete, you should comprise it into your research paper (if you are writing the review as one component of a larger paper). Depending on the stage at which your paper is at, this may involve merging your literature review into a partially complete Introduction section, writing the balance of the paper around the literature review, or other processes.
Further Tips for Writing a Literature Review
Total-length literature reviews
- Many full-length literature review articles apply a 3-part construction: Introduction (where the topic is identified and any trends or major problems in the literature are introduced), Body (where the studies that comprise the literature on that topic are discussed), and Word or Conclusion (where major patterns and points are discussed and the full general state of what is known almost the topic is summarized)
Literature reviews as part of a larger paper
- An "express method" of writing a literature review for a inquiry paper is as follows: outset, write a
one paragraph description of each article that you read. Second, choose how you will order all the paragraphs and combine them in one certificate. Third, add transitions between the paragraphs, also every bit an introductory and concluding paragraph.1
- A literature review that is part of a larger research newspaper typically does not have to be exhaustive. Rather, information technology should contain most or all of the significant studies virtually a inquiry topic but not tangential or loosely related ones.2 Generally, literature reviews should be sufficient for the reader to sympathise the major issues and key findings about a research topic. You may still need to confer with your instructor or editor to decide how comprehensive you need to be.
Benefits of Literature Reviews
By summarizing prior inquiry on a topic, literature reviews have multiple benefits. These include:
- Literature reviews help readers understand what is known about a topic without having to find and read through multiple sources.
- Literature reviews assist "prepare the stage" for after reading about new research on a given topic (such as if they are placed in the Introduction of a larger inquiry paper). In other words, they provide helpful groundwork and context.
- Literature reviews can also help the writer learn about a given topic while in the process of preparing the review itself. In the act of research and writing the literature review, the writer gains expertise on the topic
.
Downloadable Resources
- How to Write APA Manner Enquiry Papers (a comprehensive guide) [PDF]
- Tips for Writing APA Way Research Papers (a cursory summary) [PDF]
- Example APA Manner Research Paper (for B.Due south. Degree – literature review) [PDF]
Further Resource
How-To Videos
- Writing Research Paper Videos
UCSD
- UCSD Library Psychology Research Guide: Literature Reviews
External Resources
- Developing and Writing a Literature Review from North Carolina A&T State University
- Example of a Brusk Literature Review from York College CUNY
- How to Write a Review of Literature from UW-Madison
- Writing a Literature Review from UC Santa Cruz
Run across Likewise
- Pautasso, K. (2013). Ten Simple Rules for Writing a Literature Review. PLoS Computational Biology, 9(7), e1003149.
doi : 1371/journal.pcbi.1003149
References
1Ashton, West. Writing a brusk literature review . [PDF]
twoCarver, L. (2014). Writing the research paper [Workshop].
Prepared by S. C. Pan for UCSD Psychology
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Source: https://psychology.ucsd.edu/undergraduate-program/undergraduate-resources/academic-writing-resources/writing-research-papers/writing-lit-review.html
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