As you prepare to create your literature review, you may wish to refer to Capella’s “Principles and Procedures for Writing a
Literature Review,” as well as the media piece by the same title, linked in the Resources.
For your literature review:
Present and evaluate what is already known about your research problem to show how your research builds on prior
knowledge. Assume that the readers possess a wide range of knowledge about the field but not the specific information in the
articles, books, and papers you cite. Discuss your findings of works that are pertinent to your specific issue.
Instead of presenting a list of seemingly unrelated annotations and abstracts, analyze the relationships among the related
studies. The introduction to your literature review should help the reader understand why the problem you propose should be
researched and why your research study represents a contribution to existing knowledge.
Address and include the following:
Topics in the literature that shed light on the history of the topic or area of practice of your project.
Topics in the literature that provide a theoretical background for the topic or area of practice regarding your project.
Best practices in your area of practice or specialization.
Topics regarding the proposed research that adds something significant and relevant to the knowledge base of psychology.
Topics that identify the standards of your profession (values, attitudes, beliefs, professional attributes) and the sources from
which these are derived.
