Literature Review for a research study

INTRODUCTION:

Throughout this course, you will work on a research project related to the topic of grit and openness (one of the Big 5 personality traits). You will have a research question, but before you conduct research (later in the course, the research data will be provided for you to analyze), you need to develop a problem statement, identify the gap in the literature that leads to this research, and provide supporting literature on this topic through a literature review, which will be the first part of your project.

Your literature review provides an overview of existing scholarly literature on the research topic. It helps the reader understand the current state of knowledge on the topic, and the gaps, or what is not yet known or addressed in research. It provides context on why this research topic is important.

PREPARATION:

Review the following document for tips and also an overview of how the assessments in this course fit together:

• Overview of the Research Project and Report [PDF].

INSTRUCTIONS:

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. For this assessment, you may benefit from analyzing one or more of your articles using the Literature Review Matrix [DOCX].

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.

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.
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.

SOURCES:

• Research Methods in Psychology.
  • Chapter 1, “The Science of Psychology.”
    • This chapter provides an introduction to scientific research in psychology. In addition, five scholarly articles on grit and openness within the Big 5 framework offer insight into how these traits are measured and how they influence behavior. You will also learn how interventions can foster these traits—enhancing resilience and equipping individuals with the persistence and perspective needed to make meaningful life choices and positively impact others.
• The Research Continuum.
  • Complete the following media piece to review different types of research, if they are quantitative or qualitative, and their levels of objectivity and subjectivity.

• Research Project reading list has five peer-reviewed journal articles for your use on your research topic of grit and the Big 5 personality traits. Read them and take notes.
• You will want to find at least two more scholarly sources (a peer-reviewed journal article) for your assessment. Ensure that at least one article you intend to use is a study from an international source (a journal published outside the United States or authors from outside the United States) or one that includes non-Western participants. The Capella University Library will be the best place to look. Remember that the Bachelor's in Psychology Library Research Guide is a good starting point.
• AI & CRAAP Evaluation.
  • Evaluating your information sources is a vital step in the research process. The CRAAP test is one method of source evaluation that works for all types of information, whether it is print, online, or AI generated. Review this media to learn more.

Strategies for Note-Taking and Organization

You will want to take notes on each of your articles. One great approach is to use the Literature Review Matrix [DOCX]. Later you can look for patterns. You will consider questions like: What do the articles have in common? How are they different?

As you read your articles, the literature review matrix will help you keep organized notes on:

• What hypothesis did the researcher use?
• What research method did the researcher use?
• What measures did the researcher use?
• What did the researcher ask their participants to do?
• What did the researchers conclude?

Developing a Summary Matrix

After taking your notes, look for the following:

• How are the researchers' conclusions similar?
• How are the researchers' conclusions different?
• What questions do you see that have not been answered?

Organizing all of your articles and notes will help you work through your literature review more efficiently.

Complete the following media piece, which will help you organize your notes and think of ways to categorize your findings, such as definitions, variables, findings, and population. It also provides an example of a completed matrix.

• Developing a Matrix to Organize Your Literature Review.

• Research Methods in Psychology.
  • Chapter 2, “Overview of the Scientific Method.”
    • This chapter shows you how everyday questions are turned into testable hypotheses. Additionally, it will provide a step-by-step guide to the scientific research process.

Creating Hypotheses

Through the Capella Writing Center, you have access to Academic Writer, a digital form of the APA manual. This resource contains guides, tutorials, and samples related to all aspects of APA style. Throughout this course, we will access several tutorials and samples to help you set up your research successfully. Complete the tutorial on research questions and hypotheses.

• Academic Writer: Research Questions and Hypotheses.

GRADING COMPETENCIES:

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.