Research Paper Literature Review

See a sample literature review here:

http://faculty.mwsu.edu/psychology/Laura.Spiller/Experimental/sample_apa_style_litreview.pdf

This sample above is MUCH LONGER than your requirement, I only want you to have the reference listand write about some key concepts that you saw when skimming those references.

Step 1: Review APA guidelines

Read through the APA guidelines so that you become familiar with the common core elements of how to write in APA style: in particular, pay attention to general document guidelines (e.g. font, margins, spacing), title page, abstract, body, text citations, quotations.

Step 2: Decide on a topic

It will help you considerably if your topic for your literature review is the one on which you intend to do your final paper, or is in some way related to the topic of your final paper. 

Step 3: Identify the literature that you will review:

1. Familiarize yourself with online databases
2. Using relevant databases, search for literature sources 
   1. Start with a general descriptor from the database thesaurus or one that you know is already a well defined descriptor based on past work that you have done in this field. You will need to experiment with different searches, such as limiting your search to descriptors that appear only in the document titles, or in both the document title and in the abstract.
   2. Redefine your topic if needed: as you search you will quickly find out if the topic that you are reviewing is too broad. Try to narrow it to a specific area of interest within the broad area that you have chosen It is a good idea, as part of your literature search, to look for existing literature reviews that have already been written on this topic.
   3. As part of your search, be sure to identify landmark or classic studies and theorists as these provide you with a framework/context for your study.
3. OPTIONAL: Import your references into your RefWorks account. You can also enter references manually into RefWorks.

Step 4: Analyze the literature

Once you have identified and located the articles for your review, you need to analyze them and organize them before you begin writing:

1. Overview the articles: Skim the articles to get an idea of the general purpose and content of the article (focus your reading here on the abstract, introduction and first few paragraphs, the conclusion of each article. 1. You can take notes onto note cards or into a word processing document instead or as well as using RefWorks, but having your notes in RefWorks makes it easy to organize your notes later.
2. Group the articles into categories (e.g. into topics and subtopics and chronologically within each subtopic). 
3. Take notes:
   1. Be consistent in how you record notes.
   2. Define key terms: look for differences in the way keys terms are defined (note these differences).
   3. Note key statistics that you may want to use in the introduction to your review.
   4. Select useful quotes that you may want to include in your review. Important: If you copy the exact words from an article, be sure to cite the page number as you will need this should you decide to use the quote when you write your review (as direct quotes must always be accompanied by page references). 

Step 5: Summarize the literature in table or concept map format

1. Consider your purpose and voice before beginning to write. Your initial purpose is to provide an overview of the topic that is of interest to you, demonstrating your understanding of key works and concepts within your chosen area of focus. 
2. Assignment should include a References List

[Note: For these guidelines, in some sections I have quoted directly some of the the steps from:
 http://www.duluth.umn.edu/~hrallis/guides/researching/litreview.html Helen Mongan-Rallis. Last updated: November 21, 2014
Galvan, J. (2006). Writing literature reviews: a guide for students of the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Publishing.]