In a literature review of 1,000-1,200 words, describe and evaluate the most important expert sources on a scholarly topic of your choice.
In a literature review, you describe the most important sources on your topic to give your reader a rundown and appraisal of what the experts say. A literature review is a descriptive overview and evaluation of published information on a topic. In a literature review, you do not necessarily evaluate each source individually; you evaluate the research on your topic as a whole. What research has been done? What research still needs to be done? What aspects of the topic haven’t been fully elucidated yet? What research methods have proved unfruitful or problematic? What aspects of the topic need further corroboration or exploration?
You may pick your own topic, but your topic must be an academic one -- not a popular or personal one. Your sources must also be academic and scholarly rather than popular. You must use reports of primary research, written by the actual researchers involved, rather than second-hand journalistic accounts. The number of sources that you include will depend on how much you write about each source, but I recommend 8-10 solid, scholarly sources as a minimum. Your sources should also be current (i.e., published within the last 5-10 years).
Your topic should involve some kind of controversy. A Nursing student, for example, might choose something to do with a controversial new technique in the care of newborn infants exposed to the AIDS virus in utero. An Education major might choose to research the ongoing dispute over the pros and cons of mainstreaming children with special needs. A Business major might research the current recession and the economic policies of the Bush administration designed to end it.
I recommend that you choose a topic that you have already studied in another college class or that you will be studying in the near future in your major. If you already know something about the topic, you can approach scholarly articles in the field with important basic knowledge and confidence. If you don’t know a lot about your topic when you start out, you may have to begin by reading popular newsmagazines in order to get enough background information to understand the expert sources you are required to find and use for your literature review. Once you’ve learned the basic information you need from popular articles, you will be better able to read and evaluate the scholarly sources. But you may not include popular articles in your paper.
As you are thinking about a topic, you might also consider talking to a professor in your major. Ask about important controversies in the field. Later, go back to the professor with the scholarly sources you find and ask any questions you have about things you don’t understand in the sources. This is an opportunity for you to get to know -- and to impress -- a professor in your department, program, or school.
Be sure to choose a topic that you can stick with for the long haul. PAPER 3, SPEECH 2, and PAPER 4 will all be on this topic. Choose wisely.
You must document all your sources appropriately (i.e., consult The New Century Handbook, pp. 276-346, and follow a documentation format outlined there). When you submit your paper, you will be required to give me a printed copy of one of your sources, which I will choose at random from your “References” page.
Your paper will be graded based on new grading criteria for papers.
I recommend that all students take advantage of the free tutoring services available through the Tutoring & Academic Enhancement Center. Click here to go to the Center's homepage for more information. For online assistance, go to the OWL (Online Writing Lab) at http://owl.department.tcnj.edu/.
Click here to go to the course syllabus.