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Literature Review: Conducting & Writing

• Sample Literature Reviews
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Writing a Literature Review

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A literature review is a document or section of a document that collects key sources on a topic and discusses those sources in conversation with each other (also called synthesis ). The lit review is an important genre in many disciplines, not just literature (i.e., the study of works of literature such as novels and plays). When we say “literature review” or refer to “the literature,” we are talking about the research ( scholarship ) in a given field. You will often see the terms “the research,” “the scholarship,” and “the literature” used mostly interchangeably.

Where, when, and why would I write a lit review?

There are a number of different situations where you might write a literature review, each with slightly different expectations; different disciplines, too, have field-specific expectations for what a literature review is and does. For instance, in the humanities, authors might include more overt argumentation and interpretation of source material in their literature reviews, whereas in the sciences, authors are more likely to report study designs and results in their literature reviews; these differences reflect these disciplines’ purposes and conventions in scholarship. You should always look at examples from your own discipline and talk to professors or mentors in your field to be sure you understand your discipline’s conventions, for literature reviews as well as for any other genre.

A literature review can be a part of a research paper or scholarly article, usually falling after the introduction and before the research methods sections. In these cases, the lit review just needs to cover scholarship that is important to the issue you are writing about; sometimes it will also cover key sources that informed your research methodology.

Lit reviews can also be standalone pieces, either as assignments in a class or as publications. In a class, a lit review may be assigned to help students familiarize themselves with a topic and with scholarship in their field, get an idea of the other researchers working on the topic they’re interested in, find gaps in existing research in order to propose new projects, and/or develop a theoretical framework and methodology for later research. As a publication, a lit review usually is meant to help make other scholars’ lives easier by collecting and summarizing, synthesizing, and analyzing existing research on a topic. This can be especially helpful for students or scholars getting into a new research area, or for directing an entire community of scholars toward questions that have not yet been answered.

What are the parts of a lit review?

Most lit reviews use a basic introduction-body-conclusion structure; if your lit review is part of a larger paper, the introduction and conclusion pieces may be just a few sentences while you focus most of your attention on the body. If your lit review is a standalone piece, the introduction and conclusion take up more space and give you a place to discuss your goals, research methods, and conclusions separately from where you discuss the literature itself.

Introduction:

• An introductory paragraph that explains what your working topic and thesis is
• A forecast of key topics or texts that will appear in the review
• Potentially, a description of how you found sources and how you analyzed them for inclusion and discussion in the review (more often found in published, standalone literature reviews than in lit review sections in an article or research paper)
• Summarize and synthesize: Give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole
• Analyze and interpret: Don’t just paraphrase other researchers – add your own interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole
• Critically Evaluate: Mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources
• Write in well-structured paragraphs: Use transition words and topic sentence to draw connections, comparisons, and contrasts.

Conclusion:

• Summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance
• Connect it back to your primary research question

How should I organize my lit review?

Lit reviews can take many different organizational patterns depending on what you are trying to accomplish with the review. Here are some examples:

• Chronological : The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time, which helps familiarize the audience with the topic (for instance if you are introducing something that is not commonly known in your field). If you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order. Try to analyze the patterns, turning points, and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred (as mentioned previously, this may not be appropriate in your discipline — check with a teacher or mentor if you’re unsure).
• Thematic : If you have found some recurring central themes that you will continue working with throughout your piece, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic. For example, if you are reviewing literature about women and religion, key themes can include the role of women in churches and the religious attitude towards women.
• Qualitative versus quantitative research
• Empirical versus theoretical scholarship
• Divide the research by sociological, historical, or cultural sources
• Theoretical : In many humanities articles, the literature review is the foundation for the theoretical framework. You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts. You can argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach or combine various theorical concepts to create a framework for your research.

What are some strategies or tips I can use while writing my lit review?

Any lit review is only as good as the research it discusses; make sure your sources are well-chosen and your research is thorough. Don’t be afraid to do more research if you discover a new thread as you’re writing. More info on the research process is available in our "Conducting Research" resources .

As you’re doing your research, create an annotated bibliography ( see our page on the this type of document ). Much of the information used in an annotated bibliography can be used also in a literature review, so you’ll be not only partially drafting your lit review as you research, but also developing your sense of the larger conversation going on among scholars, professionals, and any other stakeholders in your topic.

Usually you will need to synthesize research rather than just summarizing it. This means drawing connections between sources to create a picture of the scholarly conversation on a topic over time. Many student writers struggle to synthesize because they feel they don’t have anything to add to the scholars they are citing; here are some strategies to help you:

• It often helps to remember that the point of these kinds of syntheses is to show your readers how you understand your research, to help them read the rest of your paper.
• Writing teachers often say synthesis is like hosting a dinner party: imagine all your sources are together in a room, discussing your topic. What are they saying to each other?
• Look at the in-text citations in each paragraph. Are you citing just one source for each paragraph? This usually indicates summary only. When you have multiple sources cited in a paragraph, you are more likely to be synthesizing them (not always, but often
• Read more about synthesis here.

The most interesting literature reviews are often written as arguments (again, as mentioned at the beginning of the page, this is discipline-specific and doesn’t work for all situations). Often, the literature review is where you can establish your research as filling a particular gap or as relevant in a particular way. You have some chance to do this in your introduction in an article, but the literature review section gives a more extended opportunity to establish the conversation in the way you would like your readers to see it. You can choose the intellectual lineage you would like to be part of and whose definitions matter most to your thinking (mostly humanities-specific, but this goes for sciences as well). In addressing these points, you argue for your place in the conversation, which tends to make the lit review more compelling than a simple reporting of other sources.

How to Write a Literature Review: Writing a Literature Review in APA Format

• Writing a Literature Review in APA Format
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• Primary and Secondary Sources
• Basic Research Strategies
• Evaluating Sources
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• How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates

How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates

Published on January 2, 2023 by Shona McCombes . Revised on September 11, 2023.

What is a literature review? A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research that you can later apply to your paper, thesis, or dissertation topic .

There are five key steps to writing a literature review:

• Search for relevant literature
• Evaluate sources
• Identify themes, debates, and gaps
• Outline the structure
• Write your literature review

A good literature review doesn’t just summarize sources—it analyzes, synthesizes , and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.

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Table of contents

What is the purpose of a literature review, examples of literature reviews, step 1 – search for relevant literature, step 2 – evaluate and select sources, step 3 – identify themes, debates, and gaps, step 4 – outline your literature review’s structure, step 5 – write your literature review, free lecture slides, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions, introduction.

• Quick Run-through
• Step 1 & 2

When you write a thesis , dissertation , or research paper , you will likely have to conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge. The literature review gives you a chance to:

• Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and its scholarly context
• Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research
• Position your work in relation to other researchers and theorists
• Show how your research addresses a gap or contributes to a debate
• Evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge of the scholarly debates around your topic.

Writing literature reviews is a particularly important skill if you want to apply for graduate school or pursue a career in research. We’ve written a step-by-step guide that you can follow below.

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See an example

Writing literature reviews can be quite challenging! A good starting point could be to look at some examples, depending on what kind of literature review you’d like to write.

• Example literature review #1: “Why Do People Migrate? A Review of the Theoretical Literature” ( Theoretical literature review about the development of economic migration theory from the 1950s to today.)
• Example literature review #2: “Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines” ( Methodological literature review about interdisciplinary knowledge acquisition and production.)
• Example literature review #3: “The Use of Technology in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Thematic literature review about the effects of technology on language acquisition.)
• Example literature review #4: “Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Chronological literature review about how the concept of listening skills has changed over time.)

You can also check out our templates with literature review examples and sample outlines at the links below.

Download Word doc Download Google doc

Before you begin searching for literature, you need a clearly defined topic .

If you are writing the literature review section of a dissertation or research paper, you will search for literature related to your research problem and questions .

Make a list of keywords

Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research question. Include each of the key concepts or variables you’re interested in, and list any synonyms and related terms. You can add to this list as you discover new keywords in the process of your literature search.

• Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok
• Body image, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health
• Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth

Search for relevant sources

Use your keywords to begin searching for sources. Some useful databases to search for journals and articles include:

• Your university’s library catalogue
• Google Scholar
• Project Muse (humanities and social sciences)
• Medline (life sciences and biomedicine)
• EconLit (economics)
• Inspec (physics, engineering and computer science)

You can also use boolean operators to help narrow down your search.

Make sure to read the abstract to find out whether an article is relevant to your question. When you find a useful book or article, you can check the bibliography to find other relevant sources.

You likely won’t be able to read absolutely everything that has been written on your topic, so it will be necessary to evaluate which sources are most relevant to your research question.

For each publication, ask yourself:

• What question or problem is the author addressing?
• What are the key concepts and how are they defined?
• What are the key theories, models, and methods?
• Does the research use established frameworks or take an innovative approach?
• What are the results and conclusions of the study?
• How does the publication relate to other literature in the field? Does it confirm, add to, or challenge established knowledge?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?

Make sure the sources you use are credible , and make sure you read any landmark studies and major theories in your field of research.

You can use our template to summarize and evaluate sources you’re thinking about using. Click on either button below to download.

Take notes and cite your sources

As you read, you should also begin the writing process. Take notes that you can later incorporate into the text of your literature review.

It is important to keep track of your sources with citations to avoid plagiarism . It can be helpful to make an annotated bibliography , where you compile full citation information and write a paragraph of summary and analysis for each source. This helps you remember what you read and saves time later in the process.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

To begin organizing your literature review’s argument and structure, be sure you understand the connections and relationships between the sources you’ve read. Based on your reading and notes, you can look for:

• Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results): do certain approaches become more or less popular over time?
• Themes: what questions or concepts recur across the literature?
• Debates, conflicts and contradictions: where do sources disagree?
• Pivotal publications: are there any influential theories or studies that changed the direction of the field?
• Gaps: what is missing from the literature? Are there weaknesses that need to be addressed?

This step will help you work out the structure of your literature review and (if applicable) show how your own research will contribute to existing knowledge.

• Most research has focused on young women.
• There is an increasing interest in the visual aspects of social media.
• But there is still a lack of robust research on highly visual platforms like Instagram and Snapchat—this is a gap that you could address in your own research.

There are various approaches to organizing the body of a literature review. Depending on the length of your literature review, you can combine several of these strategies (for example, your overall structure might be thematic, but each theme is discussed chronologically).

Chronological

The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time. However, if you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order.

Try to analyze patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred.

If you have found some recurring central themes, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic.

For example, if you are reviewing literature about inequalities in migrant health outcomes, key themes might include healthcare policy, language barriers, cultural attitudes, legal status, and economic access.

Methodological

If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods , you might want to compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:

• Look at what results have emerged in qualitative versus quantitative research
• Discuss how the topic has been approached by empirical versus theoretical scholarship
• Divide the literature into sociological, historical, and cultural sources

Theoretical

A literature review is often the foundation for a theoretical framework . You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts.

You might argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach, or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.

Like any other academic text , your literature review should have an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion . What you include in each depends on the objective of your literature review.

The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose of the literature review.

Depending on the length of your literature review, you might want to divide the body into subsections. You can use a subheading for each theme, time period, or methodological approach.

As you write, you can follow these tips:

• Summarize and synthesize: give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole
• Analyze and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other researchers — add your own interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole
• Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources
• Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transition words and topic sentences to draw connections, comparisons and contrasts

In the conclusion, you should summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance.

When you’ve finished writing and revising your literature review, don’t forget to proofread thoroughly before submitting. Not a language expert? Check out Scribbr’s professional proofreading services !

This article has been adapted into lecture slides that you can use to teach your students about writing a literature review.

Scribbr slides are free to use, customize, and distribute for educational purposes.

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If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• Sampling methods
• Simple random sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Cluster sampling
• Likert scales
• Reproducibility

 Statistics

• Null hypothesis
• Statistical power
• Probability distribution
• Effect size
• Poisson distribution

Research bias

• Optimism bias
• Cognitive bias
• Implicit bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Anchoring bias
• Explicit bias

A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources (such as books, journal articles, and theses) related to a specific topic or research question .

It is often written as part of a thesis, dissertation , or research paper , in order to situate your work in relation to existing knowledge.

There are several reasons to conduct a literature review at the beginning of a research project:

• To familiarize yourself with the current state of knowledge on your topic
• To ensure that you’re not just repeating what others have already done
• To identify gaps in knowledge and unresolved problems that your research can address
• To develop your theoretical framework and methodology
• To provide an overview of the key findings and debates on the topic

Writing the literature review shows your reader how your work relates to existing research and what new insights it will contribute.

The literature review usually comes near the beginning of your thesis or dissertation . After the introduction , it grounds your research in a scholarly field and leads directly to your theoretical framework or methodology .

A literature review is a survey of credible sources on a topic, often used in dissertations , theses, and research papers . Literature reviews give an overview of knowledge on a subject, helping you identify relevant theories and methods, as well as gaps in existing research. Literature reviews are set up similarly to other  academic texts , with an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion .

An  annotated bibliography is a list of  source references that has a short description (called an annotation ) for each of the sources. It is often assigned as part of the research process for a  paper .  

Cite this Scribbr article

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McCombes, S. (2023, September 11). How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates. Scribbr. Retrieved August 26, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/literature-review/

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Writing Center Literature Reviews: Literature Reviews

Literature reviews.

A literature review is a summary of published information in a subject area; sometimes limited to a specific time period. Researchers benefit from literature reviews since they provide critical evaluation of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers. Oftentimes a literature review will highlight disagreements between different scholars or schools of thought. The following literature review examples are just two types found in scholarly literature and does not reflect the format you may need to produce for your assignment. 

Example: Literature Review in a Standalone Article

A literature review can be a standalone document that provides a survey of current research in a particular field or subject. Notice this entire article is dedicated to reviewing literature on the topic.

Example: Literature Review in Original Research

A literature review may also be located at the beginning of an original research article. Notice this article's literature review is located only in the beginning of the article before the Methodology section.

Literature Review

Literature review provides a narrative summary and evaluation of the findings or theories within a literature base. The literature base may include qualitative, quantitative, and/or mixed methods research. Literature reviews capture trends in the literature. 

When writing a literature review, here are some things to consider

Consider what the assignment prompt is asking you to highlight within your literature review. 

Is it part of a research paper (usually found after the introduction) or

Are you asked to summarize previous literature to inform readers of the state of the research?

You may need to identify relations, contradictions, gaps, and inconsistencies in the literature.

Parts of a literature review may include: 

An Introduction, Body, & Conclusion.

A literature review may be organized 

Chronological - to identify the development of the topic

Thematic - grouping research on the basis of similarity in the topic and concepts. 

Methodological - if you are pulling together information from various fields that use different research methods. 

Theoretical - in order to discuss different theories, models, and key concepts. 

• Last Updated: Apr 23, 2024 10:10 AM
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Literature Reviews

• Steps to Writing a Lit Review
• Sample Literature Reviews from the APA
• Topic Selection
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Accessibility Statement

Exercise Science Research Guide

• Brainstorming for a topic....
• Your Research Question
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• Importing Citations
• Create Annotated Bibliography with Endnote basic/web/online
• Literature Review Example / APA Examples & Tools

Literature Review Examples

• Literature Review Example Paper
• STRATEGIES FOR WRITING THE LITERATURE REVIEW
• Writing a Literature Review
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• Academic Writer APA Manual of Style, writing templates, plagiarism tutorials, and research tools.
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IND5937: Special Topics: Literature Review

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APA 7th Edition

• In-Text Citations
• Books/Book Chapters
• Social Media/Apps/Websites
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• Presentations/Dissertations
• Data/Unpublished Works
• Visual Works
• Legal Materials
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This guide will provide information on how to cite your sources in-text and in your reference list using APA style & formatting. Click the tabs for an example of each. 

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association

Examples of Reference Lists & In-text Citations

Additional resources:.

• Sample APA Papers from APA Style Download the Word Document and use the template for your APA papers.
• Sample Student Paper using APA from OWL Includes notes to explain the details. From APA Style. Use this sample paper as a guide for headings, in-text citations, references, & more.

The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) APA Guide

• No Date : if there isn't a date, the reference starts with the author. 

Lucas, T. (n.d.). Mother nature revolts.  U.S. News & World

Report.   https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2020-04-17/why-you-still-havent-gotten-your-coronavirus-stimulus-check

The in-text citation will look like this:

According to Lucas,  ... (n.d.).

It is hypothesized that Coronavirus was the planet's way of making a point (Lucas, n.d.).

• No Author : if there isn't an author, the reference starts with the title. 

Mother nature revolts. (2020, March 29). U.S. News & World

"Mother nature revolts" ... (2020).

It is hypothesized that Coronavirus was the planet's way of making a point ("Mother nature revolts", 2020).

• Exact quotes:  page numbers (or paragraph numbers) must be included for exact quotes: 

It was hypothesized that, "Coronavirus was the planet's way of making a point" (Lucas, 2017, p. 5.).

It was  hypothesized that, "Coronavirus w as the planet's way of making a point" (Lucas, 2017,  para . 5.).

• ​ ​ DOI = Digital Object Identifier.   If an item has a DOI, it must be included in the reference.  Not all articles and e-books will have a DOI.
• The research ... (Gonzalez & Perez., 2020).
• According to Perez, .... (2020).

If there are 2 authors, include both of them every time in the in-text citations.

• The research ... (Gonzalez et al., 2020).
• According to Gonzalez et al. .... (2020).
• Up to 20 Authors : names and initials for all 20 authors must be provided in the reference list. It will look like this:

The in-text citation will look like this: 

According to Smith et al. ... (2020). 

The research .... (Smith, et al., 2020).

• 21+ Authors : for sources with more than 20 authors, the first 19 are included in the reference list followed by an ellipses and the final author. It looks like this:

• Citing Multiple Works :  when referring to multiple works in-text, place the citations in alphabetical order, separating them with semicolons.

(Edwards, 2012; Flygare et al., 2019; Steba, 2015).

• Citing Multiple Works by the same author(s) in the same year:  when multiple references have identical author (or authors) and publication year, include a lowercase letter after the year. The year–letter combination is used in both the in-text citation and the reference list entry. Use only the year with a letter in the in-text citation, even if the reference list entry contains a more specific date.

Smith, J. & Ortiz, P. (2019a, February). Judge Judy and her impact on society.  Journal of Social Science, 15 (2), 16-25.

http://journsocscience.com

Smith, J. & Ortiz, P. (2019b, March). Judge Judy impacts social justice.  Journal of Social Science, 15 (2), 16-25.

Smith and Ortiz found ... (2019a).

...  (Smith & Ortiz, 2019b).

• Citing a Source within a Source :

Arpan, L. M., & Raney, A. A. (2003). An experimental investigation of news source and the hostile media effect. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 80 (2), 265-281.

(Gunther, 1992, as cited in Arpan & Raney, 2003);

The in-text citation gives credit to the source used. This is the same one included in the reference list.

• Citing Personal Communication (for example via email or messenger):

Because readers cannot retrieve the communication, it is not included in the reference list.   The communication is cited in the text of the paper only.  

S. Fernandez (personal communication, April 15, 2020) ...

... (S. Fernandez, personal communication, April 15, 2020). 

• Organizational Authors with Common Acronyms

If an organization or government entity is commonly known by it's acronym, it can be used in-text but the full name should be spelled out in the reference list.  

The first in-text citation will look like this: 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS, 2020), described ... 

... (The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS], 2020).

In-text citations that follow can use the acronym:

According to CMS ... (2020).

... (CMS, 2020).

The reference list will always include the spelled out organization (and not the acronym):

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Servic e s. (2020).  ...

If you use Artificial Intelligence generated text such as ChatGPT, it needs to be cited.

However, before you get help from ai, check your syllabus and/or ask your professor whether it is allowed , example to model:.

When prompted “Why is toxic positivity a problem in the workplace,” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that “toxic positivity can be harmful as it can lead to a dismissive attitude towards the concerns or struggles of employees” (OpenAI, 2023).

OpenAI. (2023).  ChatGPT  (Mar 23 version). [Large language model].  https://chat.openai.com/chat

• APA Style: How to cite ChatGPT We, the APA Style team, are not robots. We can all pass a CAPTCHA test, and we know our roles in a Turing test. And, like so many nonrobot human beings this year, we’ve spent a fair amount of time reading, learning, and thinking about issues related to large language models, artificial intelligence (AI), AI-generated text, and specifically ChatGPT. We’ve also been gathering opinions and feedback about the use and citation of ChatGPT. Thank you to everyone who has contributed and shared ideas, opinions, research, and feedback.

In-Text Citation Basics:

• APA uses author-date citation system
• Informs the reader where the information came from
• Refers the reader to the source information

• Use sparingly
• Page numbers (or paragraph numbers) must be included for exact quotes
• Only include relevant material
• Block quotes = 40+ words, no quotation marks, indented

Neu (2015) stated that “healthcare is a right” (p. 6).

In 2017, Smith argued that “healthcare is a privilege” (para. 3) and therefore should not be free.

The notion that healthcare is a right has been debated by many authors (Neu, 2105, p. 6; Smith, 2017, para. 3).

Blockquote:

Avoid Plagiarism

Indicate info. from various sources

Easily identify sources

Adds credibility to your writing

Expands breadth/depth of your writing

Acknowledge the sources that you have borrowed from

• The reference list starts on a new page with the word References , centered and bold

Double-spaced

Your reference list must match your in-text citations and vice versa

Alphabetical list by author’s last name

Use a hanging indent for every line after the first

For titles of books, articles, & websites in reference lists, capitalize only:

• the first word
• the first word after a colon
• proper nouns

In-Text Citation Examples:

General Reference Form :

Author Last Name(s), First Initial, Middle Initial. (Date). Title of article. Title of Source, volume number (issue number), page

numbers. DOI or URL.  

Reference Examples: 

Articles with a doi (digital object identifier):.

McConkey, S.M., & Christiansen, S.J. (2020). Language learning in Miami: A cross-linguistic model of diverse Spanish

dialects. Psychological Review , 128 (8), 25-61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/rev0000126

Articles without a DOI:

Andersen, J. (2020, March 30). Miami and Coronavirus. New York Times . C1

Pearsong, S., Padron, M., & Ortiz, J. (2020, January 1). What the New Year has in store for the U.S. The New

Yorker.  https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-homemade-insight-of-fetch-the-bolt-cutters

Article with an article number or eLocator

​ Smith, T. C., Castillo, M. J., Jackson, G. L., Simpson, B. B., Lantry, R. S., O'Reilly, S. T., Rosenberg, F., Lee, L. H., Cox,

G.,  Harris, H. L., Kass, P., Gonzalez, W. L., Hughes, W., Carter, D., Campbell, C., Baker, A. B., Flores, T., Gray, W. E., 

Green, G., ... Nelson, T. P. (2020).  Miami and Coronavirus. PLOS ONE, 14 (1), Article

e0209899.  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0209899  

Reference Examples:

TIP: In the 7th edition, publisher location is no longer required when citing books.

Authored book with a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) Example:

Nadler, J.T. & Voyles, E. C. (2020).  Stereotypes: The incidence and impacts of bias.  ABC-CLIO.

http://dx.doi.org/10.3389 /fpsyg.2015.0004

Authored book without a DOI (print or ebook) Example:

Johnson, D.W. (2020). The customer revolution in healthcare: Delivering kinder, smarter, affordable care for all. McGraw-Hill.

Edited book without a DOI Example:

Hacker Hughes, J. (Ed). (2017). Military veteran psychological health and social care: Contemporary approaches. Routledge.

Chapter in an edited book with a DOI Example:

Stone, C. (2020). Stereotypes of veterans. In J. T. Nadler & Voyles, E. C. (Eds.), Stereotypes: The incidence and impacts of

bias . (pp. 213-225). ABC-CLIO. http://dx.doi.org/10.3389 /fpsyg.2015.0004.

Chapter in an edited book without a DOI Example:

Weinstock, R., Leong, G. B., & Silva, J. A. (2003). Defining forensic psychiatry: Roles and responsibilities. In R. Rosner (Ed.),

Principles and practice of forensic psychiatr y (2nd ed., pp. 7-13). CRC Press.

Website Examples:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018, January 23). People at high risk of developing flu-related complications.

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/high_risk.htm

Martin Lillie, C. M. (2016, December 29). Be kind to yourself: How self-compassion can improve your resiliency. Mayo Clinic.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/health-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/self-compassion-can-improve-your-resiliency/art-20267193

Boddy, J., Neumann, T., Jennings, S., Morron, V., Alderson, P., Rees, R., & Gibson, W. (n.d.). Ethics principles. The

Research Ethics Guidebook: A Resource for Social Scientists. http://www.ethicsguidebook.ac.uk/EthicsPrinciples

.... (Boddy, et al., n.d.).

... ( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018).

Body et al. ...  (n.d.) ...

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ... (2018).

Tweet Example:

Obama, M. [@MichelleObama] (2020, April 18). Thank you to all the essential workers who are getting up every day and

risking their lives on our behalf. @LauraWBush and I were honored to show our support for their heroic efforts during

tonight's @GlblCtzn’s One World: #TogetherAtHome Special. [video attached] Tweet. Twitter

https://twitter.com/MichelleObama/status/1251695525017137159

.... (Obama, 2020).

Obama (2020) ...

Twitter Profile Example:

Bush, Laura. [@laurawbush]. (n.d.). Tweets . [Twitter profile] Twitter. Retrieved from April 18, 2020 from

https://twitter.com/laurawbush.

.... (Bush, n.d.).

Bush (n.d.) ...  

Facebook Page Example:

Coronavirus (Covid-19) Information Center. (n.d.). Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved April 18, 2020, from

https://www.facebook.com/coronavirus_info/

.... ( Coronavirus  ( Covid-19 ) Information Center, n.d. ).

Coronavirus  ( Covid-19 ) Information Center (n.d.) ...

Facebook Post Example:

National institute of mental health. (2018, november 28). suicide affects all ages, genders, races, and ethnicities. check out, these 5 action steps for helping someone in emotional pain [infographic]. facebook. http://bit.ly/321qstq.

.... ( National Institute of Mental Health, 2018 ).

The National Institute of Mental Health ...   (2018) ...

Instagram Video or Photo Example: APA Style [@officialapastyle]. (2018, December 5). Welcome to the official Instagram for #APAStyle! We’re here to help you

With your apa style questions [instagram photograph]. retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/p/bq-a-dvblih/.

.... (APA Style, 2018).

APA Style ...  (2018) ...

Instagram Profile: Star Wars [@starwars]. (n.d.). Posts [Instagram profile]. Retrieved December 10, 2018, from

Https://www.instagram.com/starwars/.

.... (Star Wars, n.d.).

Star Wars ...  (n.d.) ...

Instagram Highlight: APA Style [@officialapastyle]. (n.d.). FAQs [Instagram highlight]. Retrieved December 10, 2018, from

Https://www.instagram.com/s/aglnagxpz2h0oje3otc2odkwntk5mtc5mty1/.

.... (APA Style, n.d.).

APA Style ...  (n.d.) ...

Blog Post Example:

APA Style. (2020, March 19). What’s new in the seventh edition  Publication  Manual.  APA Style.

https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/ whats-new-7e

.... (APA Style, 2020).

The APA Style (2020) ...

Mobile App Examples:

Actual app:.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/epocrates/id281935788?mt=8  

Entry in the App:

Epocrates. (2019). Interaction check: Aspirin + sertraline. In Epocrates medical references (version 18.12) [Mobile app]. App

Store. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/epocrates/id281935788?mt=8

.... (Epocrates, 2019).

Epocrates ... (2019). 

YouTube Example:

Cutts, S. (2017, November 24). Happiness [Video]. YouTube. ​ https:youtube.com/24455202929

.... (Cutts, 2017).

Cutts (2017) ...

Ted Talk Example:

Kowalski, C. (2017, November). The critical role librarians play in the

opioid  crisis  https ://www.ted.com/talks/chera_kowalski_the_critical_role_librarians_play_in_the_opioid_crisis

.... (Kowalski, 2017).

Kowalski (2017) ...

Film or Video Example:

Forman, M. (Director). (1975). One flew over the cuckoo’s nest [Film]. United Artists.

.... (Forman, 1975).

Forman (1975) ...

TV Example:

Wolf, D. (1999-present). Law & Order: Special Victims Unit  [TV Series].  Wolf Entertainment Productions; NBC.

.... (Wolf , 1999-present ).

Wolf (1999-present) ...

Podcast Example:

Poor, N., Woods, E. & Williams, A. (2016-present). Ear Hustle [Audio podcast]. PRX.   https://www.earhustlesq.com/

.... (Poor et al., 2016-present).

Poor et al. (2016-present) ...

Report Examples:

National Cancer Institute. (2018). Facing forward: Life after cancer treatment (NIH Publication No. 18-2424). U.S. Department

of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/patient-education/life-after-treatment.pdf

Blackwell, D. L., Lucas, J. W., & Clarke, T. C. (2014). Summary health statistics for U.S. adults: National Health Interview

Survey, 2012. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_10/sr10_260.pdf

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. (2017). Agency financial report: Fiscal year 2017.

https://www.sec.gov/files/sec-2017-agency-financial-report.pdf

.... ( National Cancer Institute , 2018).

... (Blackwell, et al., 2014).

... ( U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2017).

National Cancer Institute (2018) ...

Blackwell, et al. (2014) ...

According to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (2017), ...

Presentation Example:

O'Reilly, P., Edwards, C., & Hamil, S. K. (2020, April 1-3).  How to cite properly in APA.  [Paper presentation]. Florida Library Association 100th Annual Conference, Orlando, FL, United States.

*Replace [Paper presentation] with [Conference presentation] or [Poster presentation] as needed. 

.... (O'Reilly, et al., 2020).

O'Reilly et al. (2020) ...

Dissertation Examples:

Unpublished:

Hodges, L. (2018). Instructional design perceptions and practices of faculty [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Florida

International University.

Sanderson, K. R. (2012). Time orientation in organizations: Polychronicity and multitasking (Publication No. 3554209)

[Doctoral dissertation Florida International University]. Proquest Dissertations & Theses.

.... (Hodges, 2018).

Sanderson (2012) ...

Unpublished Manuscript Example:

Yen, J., Chen, Y., Rigotti, A., & Deckard C. (2016). Linking good customer services to increased sales: An observational study

[Unpublished manuscript]. College of Business, Florida International University.

Include the department and institution where the work was published if possible. 

....  (Yen et al., 2016).

Yen, et al. (2016) ...

Data Set Examples:

Published Data:

Pew Research Center (2018).  Core Trend Survey  [Data set]. 

https ://www.pewresearch.org/internet/dataset/core-trends - survey/

Unpublished Unnamed Raw Data Set :

Baer,  R. A. (2015). [Unpublished raw data on the correlations between the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and the

Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills]. University of Kentucky.

.... (Pew Research Center, 2018).

Baer (2015) ...

Infographic Example:

Florida Library Association. (2020, February). Federal funds in Florida  [Infographic]. https://www.flalib.org/advocacy ​

.... (Florida Library Association [FLA], 2020).

Florida Library Association [FLA] (2020) ...

Map Example:

Florida International University GIS Center. (2015). BIKE – Bicycle Knowledge Explorer (Palm Beach)  [Map].

https://maps.fiu.edu/gis/research/projects/255/bike-%E2%80%93-bicycle-knowledge-explorer-palm-beach

.... ( Florida International  University  GIS Center , 2015).

Florida International  University  GIS Center  (2015) ...

Photograph Example:

McCurry, S. (1985). Afghan girl [Photograph]. National Geographic.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/national-geographic-magazine-50-years-of-covers/#/ngm-1985-jun-714.jpg

.... (McCurry, 1985).

McCurry (1985) ...

PowerPoint or Lecture Notes Example:

Cana, E., & Vasilev, J. (2019, May 22). [Lecture notes on resource allocation]. Department of Management Control and

Information Systems, University of Chile. https://uchilefau.academia.edu/ElseZCanan

.... (Mack & Spake, 2018).

Cana and Vasiley (2019) ...

Museum Example:

Wood, G. (1930). American gothic [Painting]. Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States. https://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/6565

.... (Wood, 1930).

Wood (1930) ...

• APA 7th Edition Citation Guide for Business Resources This guide provides examples for citing business databases such as IBISWorld, Mergent Online, S&P, and other non-traditional article databases.

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APA Literature Review

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The realm of academia thrives on knowledge expansion, and a crucial element in this quest is the literature review. Whether it be delving into an extensive body of research, analyzing a book or article, or comprehending a research paper format , the literature review serves as a cornerstone for scholarly pursuits. In this article, we explore the intricacies of an APA literature review, providing a step-by-step guide on how to craft one effectively. Let us embark on this enlightening journey, acquainting ourselves with the vital aspects of citation, in-text citation, and the construction of a reference list. Along the way, we will answer three frequently asked questions to further enhance your understanding. So, let’s dive in!

1. Literature Review Template

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What is an APA Literature Review?

An APA literature review encapsulates a systematic examination and synthesis of scholarly sources relevant to a specific research topic. It serves to provide a comprehensive overview of the existing knowledge, identify gaps in research, and present a theoretical foundation for further investigation. Distinct from a book review or an article review that focuses on analyzing a single publication, a literature review involves an in-depth exploration of a broad range of sources. By adhering to the guidelines set forth by the American Psychological Association (APA), this review ensures clarity, consistency, and credibility throughout the process.

How to Write an APA Literature Review

Embarking on the journey of crafting an APA literature review requires careful planning and meticulous execution. By following these steps, you can streamline your writing process and ensure a cohesive and comprehensive review.

Select a Topic:

Begin by choosing a research topic that aligns with your area of interest or academic requirements. This topic should be broad enough to provide an adequate range of relevant sources but specific enough to maintain focus.

Gather Relevant Literature:

Conduct a thorough search of scholarly databases, libraries, and academic journals to collect a diverse array of sources that contribute to your topic. Evaluate the quality and relevance of each source to ensure credibility and significance.

Read and Analyze:

Engage critically with each selected source, comprehending the key arguments, methodologies, and findings presented. Take diligent notes and identify common themes or gaps in the existing literature to guide the structure of your review.

Organize Your Thoughts:

Create an outline to organize your literature review effectively. Arrange the sources thematically or chronologically to present a logical flow of information. Introduce each section with an informative heading to guide the reader.

Compose the Review:

Begin writing your literature review by providing an engaging introduction that highlights the importance of the topic and presents the scope of your review. Subsequently, present the findings from each source, critically evaluating the methodologies, results, and implications. Use appropriate in-text citations to acknowledge the authors and support your claims.

Conclude with Insight:

Wrap up your literature review with a well-crafted conclusion that summarizes the main findings, identifies research gaps, and suggests avenues for future investigation. Reinforce the significance of your review and its contribution to the existing body of knowledge.

What is the difference between a literature review and a book review?

A literature review examines a range of scholarly sources on a specific topic, while a book review focuses on analyzing a single publication, typically for the purpose of providing a critique or evaluation.

Do I need to include all the sources I find in my literature review?

No, it is crucial to evaluate the quality and relevance of each source. Include sources that contribute significantly to your research topic and present diverse perspectives.

How can I format the reference list in APA style?

The APA style requires a specific format for the reference list. To ensure accuracy, you can check out 9+ reference list examples here , which demonstrate how to cite different types of sources in APA format.

The journey of crafting an APA literature review demands meticulous research, critical analysis, and skillful presentation. By immersing yourself in the vast sea of literature, navigating the intricacies of citation and in-text citation , and adhering to the guidelines set forth by APA, you can construct a compelling review that contributes to the scholarly discourse. So, let your words breathe life into the existing body of knowledge, igniting the curiosity of readers and propelling the pursuit of wisdom forward. Happy reviewing!

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Literature Reviews

• What's a literature review?

Literature Review Examples

Articles (free for csuc users), additional how-to guides and help.

• Resources for Educators
• Evaluating Info
• Empirical Research This link opens in a new window
• Annotated Bibliography This link opens in a new window

Books On Literature Reviews in the Meriam Library

• Conducting Research Literature Reviews : From the Internet to Paper Call Number: Main Collection - Q180.55.M4 F56 2014
• Literature Reviews Made Easy: A Quick Guide to Success Call Number: Main Collection - PN98.B7 D37 2010
• Preparing Literature Reviews: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches Call Number: Main Collection - Q180.55.E9 P36 2008
• Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review Call Number: Main Collection - LB1047.3 .B66 2012
• The Literature Review: Six Steps to Success Call Number: Main Collection - LB1047.3 .M33 2009
• Writing Literature Reviews: A Guide for Students of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Call Number: Reference H61.8 .G34 2013

Books on Research Methodology in the Meriam Library

• Doing Case Study Research : A Practical Guide for Beginning Researchers Call Number: Main Collection - LB1028 .H313 2006
• Evaluating Research Articles from Start to Finish Call Number: Main Collection - Q180.55.E9 G57 2011
• How to do a Research Report: A Guide for Undergraduate Students Call Number: Main Collection - LB2369 .R575 2007
• How to Write a Master's Thesis Call Number: Main Collection - LB2369 .B75 2014
• Understanding Research Methods: An Overview of the Essentials Call Number: Main Collection - Q180.55.M4 P38 2018
• Master's Theses Database of master's theses written by CSU, Chico students, from 2009 on. Many of these will contain published examples of literature reviews.
• Proquest Dissertations and Theses: The Humanities and Social Sciences Collection Containes over 2 million dissertations and theses with abstracts, 24 page free previews, and full-text PDF, if available, for dissertations and theses dating back to 1637.
• Sample APA Paper (lit. review begins page 3) Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL)
• A Commentary on Literature Reviews Rhodes, E.A. (2011). A commentary on literature reviews. Volta Reviews, 111(3), 353-368.
• A Guide to Writing the Dissertation Literature Review Randolph, J.J. (2009). A guide to writing the dissertation literature review. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 14(13), 1-13.
• The Value and Purpose of the Traditional Qualitative Literature Review Rozas, L.W. & Klein, W.C. (2010). The value and purpose of the traditional qualitative literature review. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 7(5), 382-399.
• Undertaking a Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Approach Cronin, P., Ryan, F., & Coughlan, M. (2008). Undertaking a literature review: a step-by-step approach. British Journal of Nursing, 17(1), 38-43.
• Undertaking a Structured Literature Review or Structuring a Literature Review: Tales from the Field Armitage, A. & Keeble-Allen, D. (2008). Undertaking a structured literature review or structuring a literature review: tales from the field. Electronic Journal of Business Research Methods, 6(2), 103-114.
• CSU, Chico Office of Graduate Studies - Thesis Assistance Instructions, policies, and guidelines for graduate studies theses/projects.
• CSU, Chico Writing Center Make a one-on-one appointment with a writing tutor to help with your writing assignments.
• Learn How to Write a Review of the Literature University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Literature Review: An Overview for Graduate Students Video overview by North Carolina State University Libraries
• Literature Review: The What, Why and How-to Guide University of Connecticut University Libraries
• Social Work Literature Review Guidelines Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL)
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• Specific Examples/Applications of APA Style, 7th edition

Sample APA-Style Papers (7th edition)

The following links provide samples of student-paper formatting in APA's 7th edition style.  The first is from APA's web site; the second is from Purdue OWL's web site.

• Sample APA Student Paper This document from the APA web site illustrates the 7th edition formatting of a student paper. This format is a simplified version of the professional paper format (excluding things like running heads, etc.).
• Purdue OWL Sample Student Paper This sample student paper in APA 7th edition comes from PurdueOWL. It can be used to supplement the example from the APA web site, or stand on its own.

The following links provide samples of professional-paper formatting in APA's 7th edition style.  The first is from APA's web site; the second is from Purdue OWL's web site.  The formatting of these professional papers is a bit more involved than that of the student sample papers.

• Sample APA Professional Paper This sample professional paper from the APA web site illustrates the 7th edition formatting for a paper submitted for publication to a professional journal.
• Purdue OWL Sample Professional Paper This sample paper from Purdue OWL illustrates in 7th edition formatting a professional paper. It can be used to supplement the APA sample paper or it can stand alone.

Quotations and Paraphrases in APA Style (7th edition)

• Quotations (APA 7th Edition) This link takes you to a page on the official APAstyle.org web site with information that includes how to cite both direct and indirect quotations (short and long), how to cite material for direct quotations that do not contain page numbers, and more.
• Quotations--PurdueOWL (APA 7th edition) On this "Basics: In-Text Citations" page from PurdueOWL, scroll down to see explanations and example for quotations both short (under 40 words) and long (40+ words). In addition, it gives guidance about paraphrases/summaries and how to use in-text citations to document their original source(s).

Formatting an Annotated Bibliography in APA Style (7th edition)

• Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL): Annotated Bibliographies This helpful page from PurdueOWL explains the purpose of annotated bibliographies, what they often contain, and why they're helpful.
• Guidelines for Formatting Annotated Bibliographies (APA, 7th ed.) This document provides guidance for formatting annotated bibliographies, including a sample annotated bib.

Formatting a Literature Review in APA Style (7th edition)

While APA doesn't itself provide an example of how to format a literature review, it does provide some guidance in its Publication Manual * about the content of a lit review:

Literature Reviews:

• provide summaries and evaluations of findings/theories in the research literature of a particular discipline or field;
• may include qualitative, quantitative, or a variety of other types of research;
• should define and clarify the problem being reviewed;
• summarize previous research to inform readers of where research stands currently in regard to the problem;
• identify relationships, contradictions, gaps, and inconsistencies in the current literature;
• suggest next steps or further research needed to move toward solving the problem.  (APA, 2020, Section 1.6, p. 8)

* American Psychological Association. (2020).  Publication manual of the American Psychological Association: The official guide to APA style (7th ed.). American Psychological Association.

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Literature Review

• Steps for Conducting a Lit Review
• Finding "The Literature"
• Organizing/Writing
• Sample Literature Reviews
• FAMU Writing Center

APA 6th Edition

• Purdue OWL Purdue University Online Writing Lab
• The Writer's Handbook APA documentation guide from University of Wisconsin-Madison

Many Social Science disciplines use APA format for citing sources.  The most recent guide is the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 6th Edition.  See our additional page to format in-text or parenthetical citations.  

The following examples of the most commons types of citations are adapted from the 6th edition (2010) of the APA manual.  For additional examples, consult chapter 7 (pages 193-224) of the APA Manual or browse the APA Style online guide at http://www.apastyle.org/index.aspx  

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• Last Updated: Oct 20, 2022 11:24 AM
• URL: https://library.famu.edu/literaturereview

Literature review guidelines

Developed by James O'Neill with assistance from Ronald Levant, Rod Watts, Andrew Smiler, Michael Addis, and Stephen Wester.

General considerations

• A good review should summarize the state of knowledge on a well-defined topic in the psychology of men and masculinity in concise and clear ways. This means that the review is written with exceptional clarity, cohesiveness, conciseness, and comprehensiveness.
• A good review should describe in detail the systematic process or method that was used in doing the literature review. There are articulated ways to do "narrative reviews" just as there are ways of doing experiments or meta-analyses (Baumeister & Leary, 1997; Bem, 1995).

Essential elements for a review

• Focus on an important, relevant, and operationally defined topic in the psychology of men and masculinity, and make a strong case for why a literature review of this topic is important.
• Include a critical and inclusive review of previous theory related to the relevant topic. "Critical" means that the literature review reveals problems, contradictions, controversies, strengths, next steps, and potentials in the theories. "Inclusive" means that there is an active evaluation of all of the theory relevant to the topic.
• Include a critical and inclusive review of previous empirical research related to the relevant topic.
• Critically analyze the distinction between authors' interpretation of their data and the actual empirical evidence presented. A good review critically analyses how accurately previous authors have reported their findings and whether they have refrained from asserting conclusions not supported by data.
• Discuss the methodological diversity of studies reported in the literature review and the implications of this diversity for new knowledge or future research.
• Raise provocative and innovative questions on the topic not discussed before in the literature.
• Write the review so that theoretical knowledge and empirical research is significantly advanced in the psychology of men and masculinity, and that there is an overall contribution to the field's theory, research, and clinical practice.
• Include many "take home messages" (Sternberg, 1991) that generate new theories and empirical research.

Sections that might be included in a review

• Provide a historical account or background of the development of the theory or research program reviewed.
• Include persuasive arguments and articulated points of view on the topic from both theoretical and empirical perspectives.
• Propose novel conceptualizations or theories based on reviews of previous theories and empirical research.
• Propose new research paradigms or testable hypotheses that advance future research.
• Propose new therapeutic paradigms or testable hypotheses that advance clinical practice/psychoeducational programming with men.
• Address the frequent gap between reporting theory/research and interpreting the meaning of the theory and research.

It is not expected that reviews will be able to meet all of the above-listed criteria, but authors should meet many of them.

• Bem, D. J. (1995). Writing a review article for Psychological Bulletin. Psychological Bulletin, 118 , 172–177.
• Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1997). Writing narrative literature reviews. Review of General Psychology, 1 , 311–320.
• Sternberg, R. J. (1991). Editorial. Psychological Bulletin, 109, 3–4.

More about this journal

• Psychology of Men & Masculinities
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• General call for papers
• Call for papers: Advancements in research methods in the psychology of men and masculinities

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References provide the information necessary for readers to identify and retrieve each work cited in the text .

Check each reference carefully against the original publication to ensure information is accurate and complete. Accurately prepared references help establish your credibility as a careful researcher and writer.

Consistency in reference formatting allows readers to focus on the content of your reference list, discerning both the types of works you consulted and the important reference elements (who, when, what, and where) with ease. When you present each reference in a consistent fashion, readers do not need to spend time determining how you organized the information. And when searching the literature yourself, you also save time and effort when reading reference lists in the works of others that are written in APA Style.

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