There are various acceptable formats for writing a literature review. This is a 3 paged basic literature review (of 5 peer-reviewed articles) and must be written in continuous prose, that is, complete sentences and paragraphs (with supporting references). the basic literature review summarizes and evaluates existing knowledge on a particular topic. its purpose is to produce a position on the state of that knowledge, that is the thesis. the outcome of the literature review will be the development of a case that argues the research thesis. a literature review consists of an overview, summary, evaluation (critique) of the current state of knowledge about a specific area of research. it may also include a discussion of methodological issues, suggestions for future research. General Structure: First paragraph: describe and introduce topic, provide a brief background to topic, thesis. Second paragraph: give definitions if necessary, give stats for the prevalence of a certain issue or condition (cite source), sell the idea, underline the importance of the topic to “justify” the lit review. Third paragraph: specific scope/purpose of lit review, what specific type of literature will you be reviewing? what kind of study was selected. Later sections: review articles and their major findings/take home message. DO NOT simply summarize articles one after another. use compare and contrast based on article similarities and differences. refer to what the reader will need to understand the findings (type of design,type of sample/participants, major findings). no need to get lost in the stats, but some numbers/percentages are necessary. Last paragraph(s): conclusion/overarching take home message, general strength/weaknesses of the reviewed research, future directions to address gaps in the literature.