Group Literature Review Due May 15 end of day.

Number of articles reviewed per group: 4 per person per group.

Length. Each student should write no less than 6 pages. Total 18 page minimum (for groups of 3) 24 page min (for groups of 4) plus references.

Organization. Remember, you either began your literature review process with some theme or point that you wanted to emphasize, or you discovered some sort of theme as you read your articles. Either way, the organization of your paper should highlight the main theme. Although no two reviews look exactly the same (at least, they shouldn’t!), they tend to be organized something like this:

• Introduction includes:
  • Why this topic is worth researching (Why should I care?)
  • Briefly describe the organization of the paper and the subtopics that will be discussed i.e. what topics are covered in what order and why.
• Body includes:
  • Subheadings
  • Comparison and evaluation of studies
  • What do you compare? The possibilities include research assumptions, research theories tested, hypotheses stated, research designs used, variables selected (independent and dependent), equipment used, instructions given, results obtained, interpretation of results, researcher speculations about future studies. Your job is to determine which factors are relevant. All studies have strengths and weaknesses. Finding them will help you make meaningful comparisons.
  • Discuss implications of studies (your judgment of what the studies show, and where to go from here).
• Conclusion includes:
  • Wrap up that sums up the research covered in the report.
  • State the research strengths, weaknesses, and what remains to be done. In addition, you can recommend future studies (specify how future work would add to that already done).

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