: The Impact of Community-Based Mental Health Support on Reducing Anxiety in Single Mothers

Literature Review:  Building on your research topic, you will present a literature review that contextualizes your research question in a summary of research relevant to your topic that has been done to date.  To accomplish this, first, conduct a search and review of scholarly journals to understand the state of the literature related to your topic (for example, if you are interested in a specific social problem – What is known about the prevalence, dynamics, or consequences of this issue as they relate to your specific research question?  If you are investigating the impact of a program – What is known so far about similar programs, their effectiveness, or critical elements of quality service to the population the program is serving?)  Review the literature to identify key variables that influence the problem, relevant measures that you might consider using in your own project, and other findings and gaps in the research related to this problem. Make a note of methods and measures that may be important for you to integrate later into your research project proposal.  In your literature search, concentrate on empirical sources – those that describe specific research studies.  Second, based on your reading, and based on your specific research question, write a 4-5 page (excluding references) literature review that introduces the importance of your topic and summarizes what is known about it to date.  This should include:

1. Clearly and specifically describe your research question(s) and/or hypothesis(es). 
2. A review of major findings from studies (at least 8 scholarly, peer-reviewed sources) on your specific topic, including findings that are consistent across studies, and those that differ across studies.
3. A description of gaps in the literature specific to your research topic (e.g. what is not known or what has not yet been studied?  Are there any research methodology limitations that have hindered study of this topic? What contributions might your specific study make to this knowledge base?)
4. Conclusions.  Taken together, what implications do these studies have for future research?  What will your study add to, or re-examine in the literature?
5. A Table of all studies cited. (Directions to be given in class)