Module 7: Using APA to Write a Lit Review and How to Write the Introduction

You know what to write, now you need to explore how to write it. This module will provide some guidance on how to write a literature review. It will discuss the content and the writing techniques that you should use to create a successful review.

Writing Using APA Format
You may be tired of reading about writing in APA format.  You have a whole book filled with that information, don't you?  Here are 3 great videos that you should spend less than half an hour watching. The first two are PowerPoint-based tours through the APA rules. Not exciting but informative. The third video adds to the discussion with graphic examples.  Enjoy.

• Citing in APA Format describes how to cite sources effectively in your writing and how to vary your writing when citing sources (5 minutes).
• Writing References According to the APA Manual explains how to format your reference list (9 minutes).
• APA Format: A Quick Guide is a cheat sheet for using APA.  It details paper format, citations, quotes, and references. 
• Dos and Don'ts of Writing a Literature Review Wiki  Read through this wiki once now, and then once before you begin writing your paper. It's interesting how many of the tips will stick with you and shout out when you are writing.

Writing an Introduction
The Introduction is the most important part of your review.  This is where you create the framework for your review by describing the area of study you will be reviewing, why it is important, and what can be done with the results. It is where you build a foundation by defining necessary terms and introducing the trend(s) that you will be discussing in your review.

These areas need to be addressed.  They don't need to be in this order, but they all need to be presented in a manner that is logical and persuasive: 

• State the purpose of the paper (literature review)
• Identify the importance of the problem
• Define the scope of the review
• Explain why this analysis is appropriate
• Suggest how the review could be applied
• List and define terms that the reader should understand to make sense of your review
• List the research themes you found (typically 2 – 4)

Resources

• How to Create an Introduction video - Dr. Z explains how you can best write your introduction. He steps you through the parts of an introduction and provides examples to follow. (8 minutes)
• One-Theme Literature Review Template - This is a template for your 10-page literature review. You can download it from here or from the Course Content folder in our eLearning site.  Clicking this link will ask you to make a copy of the Google Doc. 

Creating a Research Table to Summarize the Literature

• Read Chapter 7 in the Galvan book.
• Creating a research table is not part of your assignment but you will remember how well it organized and summarized the research when you read the research reviews at the end of the Galvan book. If you include it in your 10-page paper, it will not have to count as part of the page count.  Some of you are concerned that you will not be able to cover your content in 10 pages so don't worry about this uber-organizer as causing you problems.