Literature Review Assignment: Explanation of Required Sections
The literature review builds upon the foundation of your (Cyberstalking) paper. Here you identify what other researchers have done in the field. What have they written about the problem you want to address? What are the theoretical frameworks? What are the questions to be answered?
How have others answered the questions? Your literature review does not require you to explore new and uncharted territories; rather, look for something you can build on incrementally from research already completed by others.
The literature review is a comprehensive evaluation of the body of literature that applies to your problem. A well-written literature review will include the seminal writings in your subject area that apply to your research problem. It should be organized around the relevant themes. It will include solid resources that share findings based on sound research practices.
The use of trade journals, popular press, and textbooks is discouraged and should be used at a minimum. A textbook can be a source for getting you started, but unless the textbook is the result of original work of the author, your literature review should not include a textbook.
Only use a textbook to seek out the original works referenced by the textbook author.
Keep in mind that the literature review may constitute an essential chapter of a thesis or dissertation, or may be a self-contained review of writings on a subject. In either case, its purpose is to:
• Place each work in the context of its contribution to the understanding of the topic under investigation.
• Describe the relationship of each work to the others under consideration.
• Identify new ways to interpret, and shed light on any gaps in, previous research.
• Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory previous studies.
• Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort.
• Point the way forward for further research.
NOTE - The literature review does not present new primary scholarship.
The literature review focuses on introducing the reader to your research problem or research questions, and provides important background information about the problem. It also includes a brief discussion of the significant or relevance of your research (i.e its contribution to the body of knowledge).
You begin working on the literature review by drawing from the research problem and/or research question you formulated in the idea paper.
The literature review needs to include the following components:
Sections of the literature review (total page count including title page and references page should be 12 - 15 pages):
Introduction - Discuss the problem you have identified and the domain/context of problem (2 to 3 paragraphs that do not generally require literature citations). The introduction should offer the reader an idea of the topic of the literature review, such as the central theme or organizational pattern.
Capture the readers' attention in the introduction (ask "why should they want to read my literature review?").
Write a Purpose Statement. This should be at least three sentences describing the study's goal, including variables, constructs, or concepts to study.
Clearly state and explain your Research Problem/question, or Hypotheses. This statement should be narrow and tells the reader specifically what you are investigating. It also refines the goals and focus of the study. Answer the question, why is this problem research worthy?
The research problem is derived from what other scholars & researchers are saying about concerns in a particular domain. As you review articles to identify a research-worthy problem, make notes and include in your Annotated Bibliography what it is that "they" are saying about your problem or issue.
Reading carefully from credible sources helps you to understand what others have to say-then summarize those ideas. This will help you generate your own perspective and insights about the problem.
Your research worthy-problem presents a problem (gleaned from the literature you have been reading). It is explained clearly and concisely, and it ties back to the study's significance and purpose, which requires support and evidence from the literature so the reader can see how you derived this problem from existing scholarly research.
State the significance or relevance for your study (1-2 paragraphs).Address what contribution your study may make to the body of knowledge in this topic. What questions does it help answer? What knowledge gaps does it acknowledge or fill in this domain?
What are the paper's potential benefits and overall impact? For whom is this study beneficial? What impact could this study have on the academic or scientific community and the general public? What unique perspectives do you bring to this study?
Your analysis and synthesis of the literature, which is the Literature Review itself, needs to be about 8-9 pages. The literature review clearly ties to the research problem and questions. In this section, the literature you synthesized is tied together so that the story supporting the research question and problem is articulated clearly with sufficient detail to expose the gaps and limitations in the current body of knowledge.
The literature review needs to demonstrate your comprehension and mastery of the body of knowledge that surrounds the problem and research questions identified.
The Conclusionneeds to wrap up the findings andyour analysis. Write a succinct and precise conclusion based on the literature you reviewed. Tie concluding thoughts back to the original research problem/questions crisply and clearly. Discuss what you have drawn from reviewing the literature so far. Where might the discussion proceed?Do not reiterate your findings or the previous discussion of your results.
Rather, provide a synthesis of arguments presented in the paper to show how these converged to address your research problem or question and the overall objectives of your study. Indicate opportunities for future research if you have not already done so already in the paper. Highlighting the need for further research provides the reader with evidence that you have an in-depth awareness of the research problem.
The conclusion allows you to consider broader issues, make new connections, and elaborate on your findings. Your conclusion should make readers glad they read your paper; closure is achieved.
Follow correct APA formatting 100%.Make sure references are relevant, credible and represent peer-reviewed articles. Your study needs to be supported by15 (at a minimum) relevant peer-reviewed sources that include seminal works.