PSYC 3030: Research Methods
Literature Review and Methods
A major assignment in the class is to conduct a literature review on the topic of your CREP replication project. This is an individual assignment. Every member of the group is expected to turn in their own paper and there is not to be intentional to work together. I assume some conversation among group members will naturally occur, however, the paper is designed to reflect the work, writing, thoughts, and abilities of each individual student.
What is a Literature Review?
A literature review provides an overview of the scholarly work on a given research question. In the current case, the overview should logically lead into the purpose of your own replication experiment. Crucially, a literature review is not as much a summary of the work, but rather an analysis of the research.
To synthesize and integrate means to extract themes from the research. In particular, look across the literature to compare and contrast results around your research questions, as well as methodological approaches.
Why Am I Having You Write A Literature Review?
Completing a literature review will help us achieve the following course outcomes and student learning outcomes for the course:
| Objective | Outcomes | SLO |
| Emphasize the critical analysis and generation of sound research methods in psychology | Understand the nature of experimental, non-experimental, and other types of research, and perform scientifically sound research. | SLO 2: Assess psychological phenomena using scientific literacy, critical thinking, and quantitative skills. |
| Reinforce the ability to discuss research findings. | Communicate research procedures and results clearly, concisely, and in the appropriate format using APA style. | SLO 4: Communication. Produce effective written and oral communication and develop effective collaborative interactions. |
Moreover, I personally think it is crucial that throughout your journey through the major you have opportunities to further develop skills you developed in previous classes. You learned the steps to producing a literature review in PSYC 2010: Writing in Psychology. To continue to improve, you need more practice.
What is Required in the Literature Review?
Your review needs to include the following components:
• At least 9 peer reviewed articles related to your research question. One of these papers has to be the original paper you were assigned for the CREP Replication project.
• These papers should be as up-to-date as possible.
• An accurate, detailed, and properly formatted method section that accurately characterizes the design and procedures used in your current replication effort.
• There is no page maximum or minimum. However, I would imagine that your paper would end up being anywhere from 8 – 12 pages (including title page and references).
• The paper needs to be formatted in APA style, including the structure and layout of the paper, the writing style, and the in-text and end-of-text references.
How Will My Literature Review Be Graded?
A full, detailed scoring rubric is available on the course website. It is recommended that students examine this in detail as a way of ensuring that their papers contain all of the essential elements.
What Other Resources Are Available?
Also on the course website, I have provided other resources to help you through various stages of this project. These included helpful sources on APA style, and finding research articles.