MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Location: file:///C:/0F324D12/LiteratureReviewPaper.htm Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Literature Review Paper

     Dr. Gass

        =   HCOM 308

    =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;      Fall 2008

Rationale & Review of Literature Paper

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          Writing a literature review is akin to assembling a pict= ure puzzle.  The pieces that are a= lready in place are analogous to the studies completed by previous researchers.  You need to explain what the pictu= re looks like thus far.  You need= to explain which pieces of the puzzle are still missing.  Your proposed experiment should constitute the next logical piece of the puzzle that needs to be put it place.  Your proposed study sh= ould make the overall picture clearer.

 

    =       Your task for Paper #3 is to revise your rationale and include a review of the literature on the topic area for your proposed experiment.  Most literature reviews devote more attention to the independent than the dependent variable, although this var= ies somewhat from topic to topic.  Your literature review should be written in a narrative or essay form.  You are building an argument as to= why your investigation is needed.  The reviews of studies should be in your own words and should reflect your own understanding of the methods used in the studies as well as the findings.

 

    =       Your literature review should not be purely descriptive (e.g., there were this m= any subjects, there were this many conditions, etc.) You should offer a systema= tic critique (analysis and evaluation) of the literature.  Rather than simply describing what= was done in a particular investigation, examine the quality of the research as well.  Analyze studies for the= ir strengths and weaknesses (but don’t feel you must find fault with eve= ry study you encounter--remember, your proposed experiment should overcome the limitations present in previous studies).&= nbsp; Point out gaps in the literature.&n= bsp; Identify inconsistencies.  Look for connections between studies, or generalizable findings acro= ss studies.  Explain how each stu= dy adds another piece to the puzzle.  Explain the relevance or relationship of each study reviewed to your proposed experiment.  A good literature review should tell a story, a story about the systematic develop= ment of knowledge in a particular line of research.

 

    =       You needn’t review each study in its entirety.  Focus only on those elements of ea= ch investigation that have bearing on your own proposed study.  You might wish to focus on the fin= dings of one study.  You might choos= e to highlight a scale or instrument used in another study.  You might explain a particular pro= cedure or operationalization used in yet another study.  Discuss only those aspects of stud= ies that are relevant to your own proposed experiment.

 

    =       You must include a minimum of 6 references from scholarly, refereed journal articles (7-10 references is the general expectation).  Include the most current studies, = as well as important “landmark” studies or seminal studies in your review.  Your paper should be = 6-10 pages (not counting references), typed, double-spaced, and carefully proofr= ead for spelling, grammatical, and typographical errors.  Note: You will be integrating pape= rs 1 and 2 into your literature review.  This paper represents 15% of your overall course grade.

 

    =       Your references should conform to the APA guidelines (5th edition).  Stop by my office if you would lik= e to see some sample papers with well-done literature reviews.

 

    =       Good luck!