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Literature Review: Conducting & Writing

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Sample Lit Reviews from Communication Arts

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  • Organizing Your Literature Review
  • Sample Papers & Other APA Resources

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Commonly referred to as a “Lit Review”, a literature review is a critical, analytical summary and synthesis of the current knowledge of a topic.

  • Have a particular focus or theme to organize the review.
  • Discuss the significant academic literature important for that focus.
  • Compare, relate, and contrast different theories and findings.
  • Reflect trends over time.
  • Be written in a legible academic style, leading logically from idea to idea.
  • Remember to use parenthetical references in the text, for example: ...describe recent trends in supervision (Diaz, 2006; Stacey & Holmes, 2004).

Keep in mind that if your literature review stands alone—distinct from a thesis, study or dissertation—it should include a brief introduction and conclusion.

  • Scholarly journals (a.k.a. "peer-reviewed" & "academic")
  • Professional journals
  • Academic books & e-books
  • Research reports
  • Conference proceedings
  • Doctoral dissertations

A 10-minute overview of what a literature review is and its purpose.

You can search for literature reviews in our databases by searching your topic and adding "literature reviews" as a search term.

apa sample literature review paper

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How to Write a Literature Review: Writing a Literature Review in APA Format

  • Writing a Literature Review in APA Format
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Writing a Literature Review in APA

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Literature Review Examples

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Literature Review

  • Steps for Conducting a Lit Review
  • Finding "The Literature"
  • Organizing/Writing
  • Sample Literature Reviews
  • FAMU Writing Center

Sample Lit Reviews from Communication Arts

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  • Last Updated: Oct 20, 2022 11:24 AM
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Types of APA Papers

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Note:  This page reflects APA 6, which is now out of date. It will remain online until 2021, but will not be updated. There is currently no equivalent 7th edition page, but we're working on one. Thank you for your patience. Here is a link to our APA 7 "General Format" page .

There are two common types of papers written in fields using APA Style: the literature review and the experimental report (also known as a "research report"). Each has unique requirements concerning the sections that must be included in the paper.

Literature review

A literature review is a critical summary of what the scientific literature says about your specific topic or question. Often student research in APA fields falls into this category. Your professor might ask you to write this kind of paper to demonstrate your familiarity with work in the field pertinent to the research you hope to conduct. 

While the APA Publication Manual does not require a specific order for a literature review, a good literature review typically contains the following components:

  • Introduction
  • Thesis statement
  • Summary and synthesis of sources
  • List of references

Some instructors may also want you to write an abstract for a literature review, so be sure to check with them when given an assignment. Also, the length of a literature review and the required number of sources will vary based on course and instructor preferences.

NOTE:  A literature review and an annotated bibliography are  not  synonymous. While both types of writing involve examining sources, the literature review seeks to synthesize the information and draw connections between sources. If you are asked to write an annotated bibliography, you should consult the  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association  for the APA Format for Annotated Bibliographies.

Experimental/Research report

In many of the social sciences, you will be asked to design and conduct your own experimental research. If so, you will need to write up your paper using a structure that is more complex than that used for just a literature review. We have a complete resource devoted to writing an experimental report in the field of psychology  here .

This structure follows the scientific method, but it also makes your paper easier to follow by providing those familiar cues that help your reader efficiently scan your information for:

  • Why the topic is important (covered in your introduction)
  • What the problem is (also covered in your introduction)
  • What you did to try to solve the problem (covered in your methods section)
  • What you found (covered in your results section)
  • What you think your findings mean (covered in your discussion section)

Thus an experimental report typically includes the following sections.

  • Multiple experiments (if you conduct more than one)
  • Appendices (if necessary)
  • Tables and/or figures (if necessary)

Make sure to check the guidelines for your assignment or any guidelines that have been given to you by an editor of a journal before you submit a manuscript containing the sections listed above.

As with the literature review, the length of this report may vary by course or by journal, but most often it will be determined by the scope of the research conducted.

Other papers

If you are writing a paper that fits neither of these categories, follow the guidelines about  General Format , consult your instructor, or look up advice in the  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association .

When submitting a manuscript to a journal, make sure you follow the guidelines described in the submission policies of that publication, and include as many sections as you think are applicable to presenting your material. Remember to keep your audience in mind as you are making this decision. If certain information is particularly pertinent for conveying your research, then ensure that there is a section of your paper that adequately addresses that information.

IMAGES

  1. How to Write a Research Paper in APA Format

    apa sample literature review paper

  2. APA Literature Review Example by Purdue Online Writing Lab

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  3. Literature Review Apa Style Sample

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  4. √ Free APA Literature Review Format Template

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  5. 50 Smart Literature Review Templates (APA) ᐅ TemplateLab

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  6. What is literature?

COMMENTS

  1. Sample papers

    These sample papers demonstrate APA Style formatting standards for different student paper types. Students may write the same types of papers as professional authors (e.g., quantitative studies, literature reviews) or other types of papers for course assignments (e.g., reaction or response papers, discussion posts), dissertations, and theses ...

  2. Sample Literature Reviews

    Steps for Conducting a Lit Review; Finding "The Literature" Organizing/Writing; APA Style This link opens in a new window; Chicago: Notes Bibliography This link opens in a new window; MLA Style This link opens in a new window; Sample Literature Reviews. Sample Lit Reviews from Communication Arts; Have an exemplary literature review? Get Help!

  3. Writing a Literature Review

    Writing a Literature Review. A literature review is a document or section of a document that collects key sources on a topic and discusses those sources in conversation with each other (also called synthesis ). The lit review is an important genre in many disciplines, not just literature (i.e., the study of works of literature such as novels ...

  4. How to Write a Literature Review

    Examples of literature reviews. Step 1 - Search for relevant literature. Step 2 - Evaluate and select sources. Step 3 - Identify themes, debates, and gaps. Step 4 - Outline your literature review's structure. Step 5 - Write your literature review.

  5. APA Sample Paper

    Media Files: APA Sample Student Paper , APA Sample Professional Paper This resource is enhanced by Acrobat PDF files. Download the free Acrobat Reader. Note: The APA Publication Manual, 7 th Edition specifies different formatting conventions for student and professional papers (i.e., papers written for credit in a course and papers intended for scholarly publication).

  6. Literature Review

    Sample Paper ; Title Page ; APA 7th Style Chart ; Abbreviations ; Bias Free Language ; Capitalization ; ... Also known as 'narrative literature review'. " Key takeaways from the Psi Chi webinar So You Need to Write a Literature Review via APA Style.org. Examples of Literature Reviews. Financial socialization: A decade in review (2021) ...

  7. PDF APA 7 Student Sample Paper

    You can look at the APA professional sample paper for guidelines on these. Commented [AF2]: The paper's title should be centered, ... Commented [AF16]: Common paper sections (literature review, methods, results, discussion) typically use Level 1 headings, like this one does. Level 1 headings are centered, bolded, and use title case. Text begins ...

  8. PDF Conducting Your Literature Review

    Conducting Your Literature Review. 3. A. literature reviewis an overview of the available research for a specific scientific topic. Literature reviews summarize existing research to answer a review question, provide the context for new research, or identify important gaps in the existing body of literature. We now have access to lots of ...

  9. Literature Review

    The goal in your literature review is to synthesize and draw connections between the key points in the conversation. To find these key points, you will primarily refer to the following types of publications: Scholarly journals (a.k.a. "peer-reviewed" & "academic") Professional journals. Academic books & e-books. Research reports.

  10. PDF ELEMENTS & FORMAT Sample Papers

    Sample Papers • 51 Sample Professional Paper (continued) Level 2 heading in the introduction, 2.27, Table 2.3, Figure 2.4 narrative citation, 8.11; paraphrasing, 8.23 parenthetical citation of a work with one author, 8.17 parenthetical citation for works with the same author and same date, 8.19 parenthetical citation of multiple works, 8.12

  11. Writing a Literature Review in APA Format

    Guide to Writing a Research Paper Toggle Dropdown. Primary and Secondary Sources ; Basic Research Strategies ; Evaluating Sources ; Finding ... Writing a Literature Review in APA. Sample apa literature review by the Online Writing Lab from InfoLit Librarian. Writing a Literature Review in APA. APA Literature Review Example by Purdue Online ...

  12. Literature Reviews

    Literature Reviews. The literature of a literature review is not made up of novels and short stories and poetry—but is the collection of writing and research that has been produced on a particular topic. The purpose of the literature review is to give you an overview of a particular topic. Your job is to discover the research that has been ...

  13. PDF Literature Review APA 7th Edition

    Commented [A7]: A literature review includes a References page in APA format that includes a reference for every source cited in the literature review. preventing readmissions. Journal of Healthcare Financial Management, 65(12), 1-6.

  14. PDF Sample Student Paper

    Sample Student Paper (continued) 66 • PAPER ELEMENTS AND FORMAT journal article reference, 10.1 YouTube video reference, 10.12 short URL, 9.36 book reference, 10.2 report reference, 10.4 blog post reference, 10.1 conference presentation reference, 10.5 edited book chapter reference, 10.3 shortDOI, 9.36 ELEMENTS & FORMAT

  15. PDF APA Literature Review

    A literature review may be required for students who intend to conduct their own scientific study on the same topic, or it may just be used as an introduction to conducting library research within a particular field. ... x Body of Paper, including summary, analysis and synthesis ... Format the essay using APA style. x Use subheadings, ...

  16. Understanding APA Literature Reviews

    Organizing Your Literature Review. An APA style paper is organized in the author-date style. This means you cite the author's name and year of publication within the text with an in-text citation. You also include the page number, if appropriate. You then include the full information of that source in a reference list at the end of your paper.

  17. APA Styling

    A literature review paper critically summarizes previous empirical literature on a specific topic/question. Writing a literature review paper demonstrates strong familiarity with work in the field surrounding research interest. A literature review paper normally contains the following: Title page Introduction Main body List of references Some important tips to consider when writing a ...

  18. PDF B.S. Research Paper Example (Literature Review)

    For information and tips about writing research papers in APA style, please visit: ... Article title B.S. Research Paper Example (Literature Review) This is an example of a research paper that was written in fulfillment of the B.S. research paper requirement. It uses APA style for all aspects except the cover ... Having a small sample size and ...

  19. Literature Review Example / APA Examples & Tools

    Literature Review Example / APA Examples & Tools; Literature Review Examples. Literature Review Example Paper. STRATEGIES FOR WRITING THE LITERATURE REVIEW. Writing a Literature Review. APA 6th Template. Academic Writer. APA Manual of Style, writing templates, plagiarism tutorials, and research tools.

  20. Sample Literature Reviews

    Finding "The Literature" Organizing/Writing; APA Style; Chicago (Author-Date) Toggle Dropdown. Turabian ; MLA Style; Sample Literature Reviews ... Literature Review Sample 1. Literature Review Sample 2. Literature Review Sample 3 << Previous: MLA Style; Next: FAMU Writing Center >> Last Updated: Oct 20, 2022 11:24 AM; URL: https://library.famu ...

  21. APA Citation Style: APA Sample Papers

    APA Literature Review Paper. APA Sample Literature Review Paper -- 6th ed. Source: Hacker Handbooks (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2011, 2007).This paper follows the style guidelines in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th ed. (2010).

  22. Types of APA Papers

    There are two common types of papers written in fields using APA Style: the literature review and the experimental report. Each has unique requirements concerning the sections that must be included in the paper. Literature review. A literature review is a critical summary of what the scientific literature says about your specific topic or question.

  23. Welcome to the Purdue Online Writing Lab

    Mission. The Purdue On-Campus Writing Lab and Purdue Online Writing Lab assist clients in their development as writers—no matter what their skill level—with on-campus consultations, online participation, and community engagement. The Purdue Writing Lab serves the Purdue, West Lafayette, campus and coordinates with local literacy initiatives.

  24. Types of APA Papers

    APA (American Psychological Association) style is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences. This resource, revised according to the 6th edition, second printing of the APA manual, offers examples for the general format of APA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the reference page. For more information, please consult the Publication Manual of the ...