{"id":2133,"date":"2020-11-17T16:51:04","date_gmt":"2020-11-17T16:51:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=2133"},"modified":"2025-07-20T17:53:31","modified_gmt":"2025-07-20T17:53:31","slug":"psychological-sciences-literature-reviews","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=2133","title":{"rendered":"Psychological Sciences &#8211; Literature Reviews"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-columns ab-layout-service-2 ab-layout-columns-1 one-column has-white-background-color ab-columns-center alignfull\" style=\"padding-right:5%;padding-left:5%\"><div class=\"ab-layout-column-wrap ab-block-layout-column-gap-2 ab-is-responsive-column\" style=\"max-width:1200px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-column ab-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"ab-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<div style=\"margin-bottom:5%\" class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-container ab-block-container\"><div class=\"ab-container-inside\"><div class=\"ab-container-content\" style=\"max-width:700px\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-columns ab-layout-columns-4 ab-4-col-equal\" style=\"margin-bottom:3%\"><div class=\"ab-layout-column-wrap ab-block-layout-column-gap-2 ab-is-responsive-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-column ab-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"ab-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=2127(opens in a new tab)\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=2127(opens in a new tab)\">Overview<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=2139\">ARTICLE REVIEWS<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=3129\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"3129\">Reading articles<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-column ab-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"ab-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=2129(opens in a new tab)\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=2129(opens in a new tab)\">Finding Sources<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=2141\">CONTENT APPLICATION<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-column ab-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"ab-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">LITERATURE REVIEWS<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=2143\">APA STYLE<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-column ab-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"ab-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=2135\">RESEARCH REPORTS<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=2145\">PROFESSOR TIPS<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"color:#ddd\" class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-spacer ab-block-spacer ab-divider-solid ab-divider-size-1\"><hr style=\"height:30px\" \/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What are Literature Reviews?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A literature review is a comprehensive but concise summary of the research that has been done on a particular topic. The emphasis is on integration and interpretation of primary research articles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Literature reviews are perhaps the most common assignment given in psychological science classes. The purpose of a literature review is to paint a picture of the field&#8217;s collective knowledge and research on a specific topic while highlighting where further research may need to be conducted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Students often struggle with the format of literature reviews; it can be difficult to truly interrogate and synthesize information across articles. Literature reviews&nbsp;<strong>should not<\/strong>&nbsp;be a summary of the articles; professors are looking for a critical analysis of recent research on your topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tips for Writing Literature Reviews<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Start by reading a variety of evidence-based research articles that represent the current state of knowledge on a narrowly defined topic. Make sure there is sufficient research evidence on the subject in terms of both quantity of research and diversity of sources.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Analysis should be organized by key themes, trends, issues, or comparisons that are directly related to your thesis or research question. DO NOT simply provide individual summaries of each article.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Emphasize where the present research fits with previous theories and studies, as well as gaps in the field that will be addressed by the current research.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Include your own thoughts, evaluations, and questions of the literature.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make sure to provide adequate and accurate citations to avoid plagiarism. Although a literature review draws from research articles, all information should be paraphrased and properly cited using the American Psychological Association Manual.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Additional Resources for Literature Reviews<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/files\/2020\/11\/Bond_LitReview.pdf\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"http:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/files\/2020\/11\/Bond_LitReview.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">General Organization of a Literature Review (PDF, new tab)<\/a> \u2013 a handout by Lynne Bond, UVM Emerita Professor<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/files\/2020\/11\/PSYCHSample_LitReview.pdf\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"http:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/files\/2020\/11\/PSYCHSample_LitReview.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Sample Literature Review (PDF, new tab)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What are Literature Reviews? A literature review is a comprehensive but concise summary of the research that has been done on a particular topic. The emphasis is on integration and interpretation of primary research articles. Literature reviews are perhaps the most common assignment given in psychological science classes. The purpose of a literature review is &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=2133\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Psychological Sciences &#8211; Literature Reviews<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6113,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/full-width-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2133","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","no-featured-image"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6113"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2133"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3156,"href":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2133\/revisions\/3156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}