1. What is your topic of interest? How has it been conceptualized and how has it been studied?
2. What are the theories used to explain attitudes, behavior or other variables of your topic?
3. What populations have been studied? By whom?
4. How have attitudes, behavior or other variables been measured in the past?
5. Have things changed over time?
6. Could relationships found in previous research be invalid, or vary depending on another (control) variable?
7. What's new in your research from what has been studied before? How is it unique or different?
I. Description of the problem. What is the incidence of it? What has been the major concern by others in studying it? Why are you interested in studying it?
II Description of the main theories that address the topic.
A. Summary of research done using one theory. This could also be a summary of research finding that X is related to Y. Be sure to group articles together by writing points. If several articles have found that X affects Y, just make the substantive point once and cite all articles.
B. Critiques of that theory, or set of relationships, with a discussion of research that differs.
C. Summary of research done using another theory or set of variables.
D. Critiques of that approach.
III Summary of what is known and the "problem" with it.
IV What your research will do to expand our knowledge or fill a gap in the literature.