Help to Write an APA Style Literature Review

An effective and efficient research process and academic writing entail understanding what to include in an American Psychology Association (APA) style literature review. The review may be written as a stand-alone paper or a section of a larger research paper. It involves reviewing scholarly sources on a particular topic to get an overview of the existing knowledge and identify relevant theories, gaps, and methods used by previous researchers. An APA style literature review is written after searching for relevant information, evaluating multiple sources, identifying major debates, concepts, and gaps, and creating an outline to achieve the purpose of the review.

An excellent review of literature in research should analyze, synthesize, summarize, and provide a critical evaluation of the sources for a clear overview of the current state of knowledge regarding a particular subject. One has to decide on the topic and search through academic/scholarly databases to retrieve information that can be organized into a review.

A stand-alone literature review must be organized and formatted strictly according to the specific guidelines of the APA style manual. This article contains a detailed discussion of the various factors to consider when writing an APA literature review.

What to include in an APA literature review

The contents of an APA literature review depend on the purpose it is expected to accomplish and the nature of the research question being addressed. One must determine if they need a literature review section for a dissertation, thesis, research paper, or stand-alone paper. Either way, the review should help students/scholars/researchers to:

• Create methodology and theoretical framework for individual research studies.
• Showcase their familiarity and understanding of the topic and its academic context.
• Demonstrate the significance of a proposed study in addressing a specific gap or contributing to the pool of knowledge/debate in the subject area.
• Position one's study in the existing research on the topic.

After understanding the purpose of the literature review, one should create an outline of all the sections to include during the writing process. The contents of the review must be focused on achieving the specified goals and objectives. When writing a literature review, one can survey multiple sources that are relevant to the research topic. Some of the contents featured in an APA literature review include:

1. Introduction

The introduction section should demonstrate the purpose and specific focus of the APA literature review. If the required review is a section of a thesis/dissertation, it should contain a reiteration of the problem statement and the research question in the scholarly context.

2. The body of the literature review

The main text of the literature review can be divided into subsections based on its length. The subheadings depend on whether the researcher/scholar adopted a methodological, thematic, or chronological approach when reviewing the literature. The sections and sub-sections contain the summary and synthesis of the main points drawn from each of the select sources. Additionally, one ought to analyze and interpret the findings without duplicating the works of other researchers and combine them into a coherent whole analyze.

To write a literature review that is effective in accomplishing the intended purpose, it is essential to critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the sources used to address a specific topic to enhance the credibility and reliability of the findings. In APA literature reviews, the body is organized using the main points with centered and bold headings.

3. The conclusion

The concluding section contains a summary of the key findings from the literature review. Additionally, one should emphasize the significance of such findings to practice and education in the subject area, and how the research contributes to additional knowledge and addresses gaps in the works of previous researchers on the specific topic.

4. References and citations

In-text citations must be written according to the specific guidelines provided in the APA style guide. The author-date format is followed with relevant symbols and punctuation inserted according to the number of authors for the publications. When citing multiple sources, the studies ought to be listed alphabetically by the last name of the first listed author.

A list of references in the APA literature review ought to begin on a new paper. The heading should be bold and centered on the page. The references are single-spaced with the last name, comma, and the first initial of each author; a format that also applies in scholarly journals. The date of publication for each source is enclosed in parentheses. It is fundamental to ensure that each reference is written in a manner that is strictly compliant with the APA guidelines based on the nature of the source.

5. The general format of the literature review document

The entire document should be formatted strictly according to the APA guidelines. All the page margins, fonts, line spacing, page numbers, and running head among other elements should align with the specific requirements of the latest APA publication manual.

6. The structural outline of the literature review

The structure of an APA literature review may be organized thematically, chronologically, or methodologically. However, one may combine more than one strategies to write a literature review depending on its length.

• Chronological approach

Arranging a literature review chronologically entails tracing how certain developments occurred in a specific topic/subject over time. One should list and summarize sources chronologically while analyzing patterns, main points, controversies, and debates that provide direction for research in the field.

• A thematic approach to literature review

In the thematic approach to APA literature review, the document is organized according to the most recurring central themes that are relevant to the topic. The subsections should contain the major themes addressing the various aspects of the subject matter. The sections and subsections should be focused on achieving the initial objectives for reviewing literature about the topic.

• Methodological approach to literature review

If the sources used in the literature review are from different disciplines or fields where varying research methods may have been used in a study, methodological approaches may be used to draw connections and compare results/conclusions from each source. One may be required to demonstrate how other researchers addressed the topic using qualitative versus quantitative approaches or empirical versus theoretical scholarship. The review may also be organized according to historical, sociological, or cultural sources.

• Theoretical approach

APA literature reviews often provide the theoretical framework foundation for research studies. A specific theoretical approach can be used to discuss the definitions of main concepts, models, or theories relevant to the subject area. In well-structured paragraphs, one may focus on arguing the significance of a particular theoretical approach or combining multiple concepts to form a framework for their own research.

7. Technical accuracy of the literature review

After summarizing sources, reviewing various theories, and providing own interpretations, one should edit and proofread the document before submitting it to the target audience. Being the last stages of the writing process, editing and proofreading provide an opportunity to detect and correct all errors in grammar and usage and inconsistencies/mistakes in the mechanics of style. The final version of the APA literature review must be flawless and of high quality.

Considering these factors helps in writing the best APA literature reviews that contain the correct components. What to include in the literature review section must align with the specific research question/objective/problem. Students and researchers can seek professional help to write a literature review that best serves their purpose in case of any difficulties.