Formatting Instructions: The literature review should be 9-10 complete pages, not including the title
page, abstract, references, tables, or figures. Fewer than 9 complete pages will result in point
deductions, and any text exceeding the 10-page limit will not be read or graded. Please use Times New
Roman 12-point font with 1 inch margins, and use Microsoft Word. Not all reports will have tables or
figures. The literature review must include at least 10 peer-reviewed primary sources, and should be
written in APA format. The literature review should be written in APA style (7th edition) for an intended
audience of graduate students and professionals in psychology. Therefore, the report is to be written
using an academic tone and the level of analysis should be reflective of graduate-level work. MFT
students are encouraged to select a topic that is related to their clinical practice interests. The
Literature Review rubric at the end of this syllabus provides details on the operationalization of
“graduate-level work.”
Literature Review: The purpose of a literature review is to inform the reader about what the current
literature says about a particular topic and to point out limitations, shortcomings, and gaps in our
knowledge. In other words, you want to give the big picture, and also point out blank spaces on the
canvas, where the color isn’t quite right, or where there are distortions. This is not easy to do because
most research is chaotic; you have to put some order to it! It is important to have an organized and
coherent approach to writing the literature review. You can classify studies into meaningful groups, such
as type of DV, IV, subject population, etc. When you describe previous research, do not go into excessive
details on particular experiments; give just enough information so that the reader can make sense of
the description. Remember, the reader has not read the study. When you summarize a study, make sure
that you represent the results correctly. A common mistake made in writing literature reviews is to
simply present a list of summaries of studies (similar to the annotated bibliography you prepared), like a
laundry list or book report. This approach fails to demonstrate critical analysis skills, fails to synthesize
information, and is not acceptable for this assignment. Instead, in the literature review, you should
synthesize the content from your sources and integrate the findings in a coherent and organized
manner. You should articulate your voice by interpreting the results of studies, comparing and
contrasting them, and developing an argument or thesis. Please consult with your instructor if you have
additional questions.
Submission: Submit this assignment as a Microsoft Word file.
Revised Winter 2024 – 2.7.24
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