Particularly With the American Psychological Association Literature

¶ … Particularly with the American Psychological Association literature reviews provide credibility to the overall subject. Literary reviews also provide the reader with justification that the author has a complete understanding of the subject area. This is critical for the APA, as theories are form the foundation of its research. Without a thorough understanding of the subject matter, the conclusions derived for the research may be biased. A literary review therefore allows the writer to better establish a theoretical framework and methodological focus.

As a result the literary review provides a comprehensive focus for both the provider and the consumer on the information (Beyea, 1998) The literature review, as discussed above, is a discussion and summary of statistical literature. There are numerous elements within a literature review that are important. This literature must have either a general or specialize relevant to the subject area being discusses. In addition, nearly every statement in the literary review should be supported by a reference to statistical literature.

Because of these elements, a researcher can demonstrate to his or her audience that a large amount of literature was read. This proves that the research is aware of the wide-ranging theories relevant to the subject area. For the America Psychological Association, many theories are both contentious and divergent in their approach to a particular subject area. Many notions within a particular subject area can be complete opposites in their opinions and beliefs.

Therefore, a researcher must, at the very least, be aware of these circumstances when preparing their own research. By being aware of the varying topics, the researcher can also prove his or her deep understanding of the published statistical work. Finally, with a thorough awareness and understanding of the relevant statistical literature, the writer is in a better position to establish original work. Original work is critical to the American Psychological Association as it expands the breadth and depth of knowledge on a particular subject (Carnwell, 2001).

When conducting a comprehensive literary search, the topic is very critical. Broad topics such as "Pain" are very difficult to search. The topic is all encompassing and is therefore very cumbersome to properly ascertain. A more specific topic however allows for a more robust literary search. In particular computer databases provide a litany of information that can be retrieved seamlessly. University and hospital databases subscribe to a wide array of credible sources that can be used within a literature review. Existing literature reviews are also great sources of data.

They can offer a comprehensive overview of the research that has been undertaken. Using this information, the researcher can determine if the research is relevant to the subject area being studied. Finally, in conducting a literary search is important to take notes regarding the methods used to obtain data. These methods will be described later during a discussion.