Literature Review Outline and Justification
To ensure that students are on track, submit a 1‐3 page double‐spaced APA formatted justification for your topic of interest. This justification should be written in formal academic language and be structured like the introduction to a literature review paper. It must include the following components:
A clear thesis statement describing the topic as well as what specific aspects of the topic will be discussed in the final literature review paper.
A statement or discussion about the theoretical importance* of the topic. That is, how does research on the topic relate to theoretical or methodological questions (see the document “comparing literature reviews to introduction sectionsPreview the document” for more information about the three types of literature reviews discussed below). This should include a discussion of one of the following
1) What empirical research is missing from the literature (Gap in Knowledge review)
2) New methods or techniques used in this area of research (State of the Art or State of the Science review)
3) A controversy in this area research (Establishing a Controversy)
Include an outline of specific topics to be discussed in an appendix following the reference page
Please make this justification concise and brief. Do not turn in your entire literature review, but provide a short summary of the above. Include a reference page for cited sources (with correct APA style formatting).
*It is more important that you defend the theoretical importance of your topic than defend the practical importance of your topic in most cases. Exceptions include a literature review on an applied research topic. For example, if your topic is on an applied topic such as training commercial air pilots, then the practical importance should be fleshed out (e.g., training could decrease landing and take off errors by 15%). However, if your topic is based on basic research (e.g., the effects of ostracism or rejection) then do not discuss the practical importance too much since your paper will be about theory.
