For this assessment, write a 3–5 page literature review, incorporating at least seven peer-reviewed journal articles as sources. At least two articles should be from the last 3–5 years, and at least one article should be a study from an international source (a journal published outside the United States or written by authors from outside the United States) or one that includes non-Western participants. You may use the articles provided in the Research Project reading list.
Write Your Literature Review
Use the Literature Review Template [DOCX] for instructions on what to include. Ensure that each main point of your paper is supported clearly with evidence from your sources. Under some points, there are guiding questions to guide your thinking, but be sure to consult the Literature Review scoring guide to make sure you cover all that will be assessed.
In the template, address the following points:
- Explain the key research question and why it’s important. A distinguished review would also define key psychological concepts and ideas.
- Explain key findings and evidence from among articles. A distinguished review would explain how the key findings and evidence are similar and different.
- Synthesize the major themes among at least five articles into a summary. In a distinguished review, this would include a summary of what is known and most meaningful about the topic.
- Describe the theory that will support your research plan, and for a distinguished review, how the selected theory is relevant to the research problem.
- State a gap in the literature that your study can fill. A distinguished review would use relevant peer-reviewed scholarly articles.
- Clearly state the hypothesis of your research. For a distinguished review, the hypothesis would be both specific and measurable.
- Include an APA style reference for all sources cited.
Once you complete your work in this required template, submit your literature review paper for grading.
Additional Requirements
Your assessment should also meet the following requirements:
- Length: 3–5 typed, double-spaced pages.
- Written communication: Must be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
- Resources and citations: A minimum of five peer-reviewed journal articles are required. Refer to Academic Writer for guidance in using proper APA style. See the Writing Center for APA resources specific to your degree level.
- Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:
- Competency 1: Differentiate between types of psychological research methods.
- Explain key findings and evidence from among articles.
- Synthesize the major themes among at least five articles.
- Competency 2: Design research that controls for variations in behavior related to individual differences.
- Explain a key research question and why it's important.
- Describe the theory that will support your research plan.
- State a gap in the literature that your study can fill.
- Clearly state the hypothesis for your research.
- Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for professionals in the field of psychology.
- Use APA style formatting for citations and reference list with only minor errors. Support references with proper in-text citations and vice versa.
- Use APA style paper formatting with only minor errors.
- Address assessment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.
Explain a key research question and why it's important.DistinguishedExplains a key research question and why it's important, defining key psychological concepts and ideas.ProficientExplains a key research question and why it's important.BasicExplains a key research question.Non PerformanceDoes not explain a key research question and why it's important.