Describe a topic, concept or question within microeconomics that you intend to research. The proposal should focus on clearly and succinctly defining the scope of the literature review. It is often helpful to state a research question to focus the research; however, this it not strictly required. Other than the limit that the topic has to be microeconomic (e.g. not topics related to economic aggregates, fiscal or monetary policy, etc.) there are no limits on the subject matter. Excellent ideas can be found by skimming the tables of contents of journals like the Journal of Economic Perspectives, Applied Economics, Applied Economic Letters, and many others.

Literature Review:

Restate your specific topic or research question at the beginning of the literature review.

The literature review should be written in a formal scholarly style using APA citations (with in-line references). Use the literature review sections of the papers that you are reading as models. Remember that the purpose is not to summarize each article, but to focus on the information from the articles that specifically relates to your topic/question.

You’ve got a focus (your research question/topic), and you’ve stated it clearly and directly. Now what is the most effective way of presenting the information? What are the most important topics, subtopics, etc., that your review needs to include? And in what order should you present them? Develop an organization for your review at both a global and local level. Note that a simple chronological organization is generally not the most effective.

The literature review must include a works cited page listing all of the works referenced in the paper in APA format.

It is strongly recommended that you consult with the Foundry Writing Center when preparing your literature review.

Literature Review Rubric

The Literature Review should present a review of the scholarly literature related to the research topic/question chosen. In-line citations following APA style should be used.