Formatting Instructions: The literature review should be 9-10 complete pages, not including the title
page, abstract, references, tables, or figures. Fewer than 9 complete pages will result in pointdeductions, and any text exceeding the 10-page limit will not be read or graded. Please use Times NewRoman 12-point font with 1 inch margins, and use Microsoft Word. Not all reports will have tables orfigures. The literature review must include at least 10 peer-reviewed primary sources, and should bewritten in APA format. The literature review should be written in APA style (7th edition) for an intendedaudience of graduate students and professionals in psychology. Therefore, the report is to be writtenusing an academic tone and the level of analysis should be reflective of graduate-level work. MFTstudents are encouraged to select a topic that is related to their clinical practice interests. TheLiterature Review rubric at the end of this syllabus provides details on the operationalization of“graduate-level work.”Literature Review: The purpose of a literature review is to inform the reader about what the currentliterature says about a particular topic and to point out limitations, shortcomings, and gaps in ourknowledge. In other words, you want to give the big picture, and also point out blank spaces on thecanvas, where the color isn’t quite right, or where there are distortions. This is not easy to do becausemost research is chaotic; you have to put some order to it! It is important to have an organized andcoherent approach to writing the literature review. You can classify studies into meaningful groups, suchas type of DV, IV, subject population, etc. When you describe previous research, do not go into excessivedetails on particular experiments; give just enough information so that the reader can make sense ofthe description. Remember, the reader has not read the study. When you summarize a study, make surethat you represent the results correctly. A common mistake made in writing literature reviews is tosimply present a list of summaries of studies (similar to the annotated bibliography you prepared), like alaundry list or book report. This approach fails to demonstrate critical analysis skills, fails to synthesizeinformation, and is not acceptable for this assignment. Instead, in the literature review, you shouldsynthesize the content from your sources and integrate the findings in a coherent and organizedmanner. You should articulate your voice by interpreting the results of studies, comparing andcontrasting them, and developing an argument or thesis. Please consult with your instructor if you haveadditional questions.