Week 8, Assignment 1: Writing a Literature Review

Week 8, Assignment 1: Writing a Literature Review For this assignment you will write a 2-3 page literature review, double spaced. This assignment is intended to be an introduction for you on writing literature reviews, something you may be requested to do for future classes (including your senior thesis project) and/or professional projects. You are going to write a small-scale or what is also called a selective literature review. Start this early in the week to give yourself plenty of time to create a well-written and polished literature review. This assignment is worth 130 points and is due Sunday at midnight. To prepare for this assignment, do the following prewriting and planning: ??£ Review the 6 sources cited in your annotated bibliography (NOTE: You are welcome to cite more sources, if you wish.). When reviewing your sources, take notes and keep in mind the questions from the guide The Literature Review: A Few Tips on Conducting It (the specific questions you really need to consider are listed in this weeks lecture on p. 2). ??£ Create an outline for your literature review . The format and content of a literature review can vary depending on its purpose and the discipline for which you are writing. The guide Writing a Literature Review (University of New South Wales, n.d.) provides a general outline you may find helpful as you plan your literature review: I. Introduction In the introduction you should: a. define or identify the general topic, issue or area of concern b. point out overall trends in what has already been published c. establish your point of view for reviewing the literature [Include your research question!] d. indicate the organization of the review II. Body In the body you should: a. group research studies and other relevant literature according to a common theme [for example, you may find prevailing theories and/or practices involved with your research; you can use these as thematic sections for the body of your literature review] b. summarize each item of the literature appropriately according to its significance c. compare and evaluate each item of the literature 1 d. provide topic sentences at the beginning of paragraphs and summary sentences at the end of sections to help the reader understand what the main issues are III. Conclusion In the conclusion you should: a. summarize the literature maintaining the focus presented in the introduction b. evaluate the current state of the art [or state of the topic that represents your research question] [by] pointing out gaps in the literature, inconsistencies and issues that are important for future study c. conclude by giving some insight into the relationship between your topic and a larger area of study or area of professional practice (What is the structure of a literature review, p. 3) The following elements are required for your literature review: ??£ Your literature review must be 2-3 pages in length, double spaced (not including your references or works cited list), using a 12-point font ??£ Include a references or works cited list at the end of your literature review o The references or works cited list should be on a separate page following the literature review o Refer to the style guide you studied last week for how to incorporate in-text or parenthetical citations throughout the body of your literature review and for formatting the citations in your references or works cited list properly. ??£ If you are using APA style, please include a title page for your literature review. See the sample paper at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20090212013008_560.pdf (p. 1 is the title page that you want to use as an example and p.3 would be the beginning of your literature review; you do not need to include an abstract) ??£ If you are using MLA style, you do not need to provide a title page since this is not required for research papers written in this format. Please see the sample paper at http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/pdf/Hacker-Orlov-MLA.pdf (p.1) and use this as your example for formatting the first page of your literature review ??£ As with previous assignments, if you are using a style other than APA or MLA, it is your responsibility to consult with your instructor early in the week about the preferred format for your literature review ??£ In drafting the introduction, body, and conclusion of your literature review, please review the outline provided in this weeks lecture (pp. 2-3; find the paragraph that begins The format and content of a literature review can vary) 2 Editing Your Literature Review and Getting Help with the Assignment: Once you have completed a draft of your literature review, read it out loud, ask another person you trust to read it for clarity and consistency, and make the necessary edits to polish your draft into a well-written final version. Please remember that it is your responsibility to contact your instructor with any questions you may have about writing the literature review. Starting your assignment early in the week will allow enough time for your instructor to answer your questions. End of Assignment 3