Human Services: Children, Families, and Groups APA Lit Review

Assignment Overview:

To provide clients with the best services possible, human service professionals need to be knowledgeable on topics related to the clients they serve. Human Service professionals also need to know how to locate and utilize current statistics and other research for grant reports, newsletters, and community presentations.

This project will help you further develop and demonstrate your mastery of these skills.  You will choose a topic from an approved list. Next, locate 4 peer-reviewed journal articles from Western Databases related to your topic. Please do not use Wikipedia, Psychology Today, Healthline, WebMD, etc. Using at least 3 of the sources, produce a 4–5-page (total) project that includes:

• Title page in APA format
• 2-page Lit Review on the topic that includes an introduction, 3+ body paragraphs, and a conclusion
• Reference page in APA format
• 12 point, Times New Roman font
• Double-spaced
• APA headings above each paragraph

What is the best way to tackle this project?

The best approach to any big project involves breaking the process into smaller, more manageable tasks.  Here is a suggested breakdown of the project in 7 Steps:

• Step #1: Choose a Topic + Create Title Page
• Step #2: Find 4 Quality Sources (Peer Reviewed/Western Databases/Current—2013+)
• Step #3: Create an APA Reference Entry for Each Source

  • 1st deadline: Sept. 10/11  = TITLE/REFERENCES: submit Title page + Reference page to Keri

• Step #4: Read Sources Carefully (RECOMMENDED to do this between Week 3 and Week 4!)
  • Find Common Themes (these will become the HEADINGS in your paper)
  • Highlight/Take Notes/Identify Specific Evidence and Ideas for Paper

• Step #5: 2nd deadline: Sept. 24/25 = DRAFT 1: 

  •  Revised Title Page, Headings for all Sections, Introduction plus 1st Body Paragraph with Citations, Revised Reference Page…submitted to Keri for feedback

• Step #6: 3rd deadline: Oct 1/2 = DRAFT 2:

  • 3rd Deadline…Revisions from all prior submissions, plus full paper (remaining body paragraphs and conclusion)
  • Email Full Draft to Keri AND Submit on Blackboard

• Step #7: Final Deadline: Oct 15/16 = Submit FINAL COPY of Lit Review to Blackboard

  • 4th Deadline: FINAL COPY of Lit Review, adhering to all APA standards, formal-academic writing style

This box contains an image of a slide that provides a definition and key elements of a Literature Review.