What is a Literature Review for a Case Study?

What is a Literature Review for a Case Study?

While a Literature Review in a Psychology Case Study is one part of the entire case study, it is a detailed and important section.  This is the section where all of your research and credible sources are examined.  Read, take notes, and examine the outcomes of patients with similar symptoms.  Determine what worked well in these studies.  Use the information from your research to inform your therapy treatments to help your patient.

It can help the reader of your study better understand the topic, situation, diagnosis, etc., of your case study without having to read through multiple lengthy texts prior to reading your essay.

In your literature review, you will want to find research that has already been completed and is like your study in some way. What did those studies find, and how do they inform you on how to further assist the individual described in the case chosen? Here, you will want at least two more scholarly sources added to your proposal. Discuss each source that you find. What did they do, what were their results, and how does that relate to your case study?

What Will Need to be Included:

  • An explanation of the research that has already been done. Provide a brief analysis of the information learned from the research and relate it to your case.  

  • Make a connection from the research to the case study.  Explain how the research findings are connected to the information about your case study. 

  • Use researched information, and explain the impacts this diagnosis will have on your patient’s future, including daily living struggles, modifications needed, or assistance that may be necessary for the future. 

  • Provide general examples to specific examples related to your patient’s situations and experience. 

  • Minimum of two scholarly sources, cited using APA


For more information about how to write a literature review for a case study in psychology, click here or watch this video.


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