LITERATURE REVIEW OVERVIEW
The purpose of this research project and writing will conform to current APA 7 format.

You will research and write a literature review on a topic relevant to the course (  Retention Management).

What is a Literature Review?
A literature review discusses published information in a particular subject area, and sometimes information in a particular subject area within a certain time period. It has an organizational pattern and combines both summary and synthesis. The summary is a recap of the important information of the source; the synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information. It might give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old interpretations. Or it might trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates. And depending on the situation, the literature review may evaluate the sources and advise the reader on what is the most pertinent or relevant.

How is a literature review different from an academic research paper?
While the main focus of an academic research paper is to support your own argument, the focus of a literature review is to summarize and synthesize the arguments and ideas of others.  The academic research paper also covers a range of sources, but it is usually a select number of sources because the emphasis is on the argument. Likewise, a literature review can also have an argument, but it is not as important as covering a number of sources. In short, an academic research paper and a literature review contain some of the same elements. In fact, many academic research papers will contain a literature review section. but it is the aspect of the study (the argument or the sources) that is emphasized that determines what type of document it is.

Why write literature reviews?
Literature reviews provide you with a handy guide to a particular topic. If you have limited time to conduct research, literature reviews can give you an overview or act as a stepping stone. For professionals, they are useful reports that keep them up to date with what is current in the field. For scholars, the depth and breadth of the literature review emphasizes the credibility of the writer in his or her field. Literature reviews also provide a solid background for a research paper’s investigation. Comprehensive knowledge of the literature of the field is essential to most research papers.

Introduction: Gives a quick idea of the topic of the literature review, such as the central theme or organizational pattern.
    Body: Contains your discussion of sources and is organized thematically (see below for more information on each).
    Conclusions/Recommendations: Discuss what you have drawn from reviewing literature so far. Where might the discussion proceed?
    Annotated Bibliography

What is a thematic literature review?
A thematic review would have subtopics based upon factors that relate to the theme or issue.
Sometimes, though, you might need to add additional sections that are necessary for your study, but do not fit in the organizational strategy of the body. What other sections you include in the body is up to you. Put in only what is necessary. Here are a few other sections you might want to consider:
    Current Situation: Information necessary to understand the topic or focus of the literature review.
    History: The chronological progression of the field, the literature, or an idea that is necessary to understand the literature review, if the body of the literature review is not already a chronology.
    Methods and/or Standards: The criteria you used to select the sources in your literature review or the way in which you present your information. For instance, you might explain that your review includes only peer-reviewed articles and journals.
    Questions for Further Research: What questions about the field has the review sparked? How will you further your research as a result of the review?

Important Points to Consider
APA standards and contain at least 10 pages of content (excluding the title page, abstract, and references) that utilizes at least 12 scholarly articles from peer-reviewed journals, published within the past 5 years. References may not come from websites, blogs, newspapers, books, dictionaries, conference proceedings, or magazines.

Three levels of APA 7 headings must be used throughout the paper as this is a graduate-level research paper.

Do not use the same source more than a total of 3 times within the whole document for quoting or paraphrasing.