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(sources are provided in my topic proposal pdf)
Introduction
Summary
The purpose of COM 308 is to familiarize the student with both academic and propriety research. The primary purpose of a review of literature is to provide a rationale for the proposed research question(s) and/or hypothesis(ses). A review of literature should represent a synthesis of existing theory and research literature that argues for the research question(s) and/or hypothesis(ses). The process of constructing a literature review acquaints the researcher with the studies already done in a particular area and allows the researcher to build/extend the existing knowledge. The key to writing a good literature review is synthesis. Purpose
The purpose of this assignment is to help you practice the following skills that are essential to your success:
Create a review of literature that synthesizes existing scholarship on a communication issue.
Identify elements of editing and be able to self edit.
Although you may not experience writing a literature review in your professional life, practicing writing in a third person voice allows you to stretch that writing muscle and develop meaningful insight into creating effective prose.
Requirements
To complete this assignment, please note:
Due Date: 1/28
Style and Format
Cover page, body, and reference page are required
4-8 pages of work APA 7th edition
Font: Times New Roman
Double spaced and margins per APA format
Step by Step Guide
To complete this assignment, follow these steps:
Identify a topic for research that focuses on communication behavior (i.e., verbal and/or nonverbal messages in some capacity). Identify a question that you have about the particular communication phenomena. (You may have a question in mind OR you may find a question by examining the literature and identifying gaps.) Please make sure that your topic is in fact appropriate to the Communication discipline. This will likely be the topic that you presented in your topic proposal. The project should build upon the research that you have already started and should be a revised version of your topic proposal.
Read relevant primary sources on the key topic and related issues. Make notes as you go that identify key ideas, variables, and definitions. Avoid using direct quotations–paraphrase ideas from others. You will need to read more material than you will end up citing in your paper in order to find useful and topic-relevant sources. You should have 6 sources referencedand cited in your final draft of the paper. You will be penalized if you do not have the appropriate number of references and they do not meet the requirements. The journals should all be peer reviewed. Additionally, please make sure that you are submitting original work. Submitting work that has been submitted for another class is considered plagiarism. Based upon the literature you have read and your own perspective on the topic, create an outline to organize the ideas for your paper.
Write the paper. Components of the paper include the following requirements:
Requirement #1: Cover Page: APA 7th edition cover page
Requirement #2: Introduction (1 page)
This will be a revision of the first paper you hand in. You should begin the introduction with an attention getter- something that draws the reader in and makes them want to read more. This should be something from the literature and not a hypothetical or anecdotal story. Throughout the entire literature review you will avoid first and second person language. This includes the introduction section. Additionally, you need a research rationale. The function of a research rationale is to justify further examination of the topic. Why is it important to communication research? Make sure that you justify examining the topic further. The paragraph where you provide your research rationale will conclude with your thesis statement. Your thesis statement will be the general point or purpose of your paper. Please start the sentence with, ‘the purpose of this paper is to…’. This will help us identify your thesis statement. The thesis statement should be a reflection of your hypothesis/research question. This will help you to focus your paper on providing evidence to support your hypothesis/research question. Finally, you should end your introduction with a preview statement. This preview will inform readers of the areas of literature that you will be discussing in the paper.
Requirement #3: Body of Literature Review (3-4 pages)
A very brief review of current literature on topic that begins generally (often with a theory or theoretical perspective) and gradually becomes more and more specific until you propose your specific H’s and/or RQ’s. This should be 3-4 pages. You will incorporate all relevant research into the discussion of your topic and ensure that you are citing appropriately. Remember that this should serve as an argument supporting your hypothesis/research question. You will need to utilize previous research findings in order to support the hypothesis that you are proposing. Please do not use arguments that do not deal directly with your hypothesis/literature review. Also, make sure that the literature that you use is appropriate and complete enough to make your argument. You should utilize and cite at least 6 sources from peer-reviewed journals.
The literature review should begin by conceptually defining each of the concepts that you are interested in. You will give a broad conceptual definition so that the reader understands the focus of your paper (if you have ever taken a conflict class, you know that a multitude of definitions exist for this concept, it is important to tell your reader how you are defining conflict). Each paragraph of the literature review should have a topic sentence. Then, the body of the paragraph should work on supporting the topic sentence. All of your topic sentences should work together to support your central thesis. When you are constructing your outline, keep in mind what main arguments you need to make in order to support your thesis. Please, do not provide a study-by-study summary of the literature. This paper should go beyond an annotated bibliography. The purpose of a focused literature review is to synthesize what scholars know about your topic, thus you should have multiple citations per paragraph and oftentimes per sentence. All constructs, variables, and theory components (if you use theory in your paper) that are relevant to your study should be defined and explained using scholarly sources (e.g., integrative conflict strategies are defined as….). When completed, your literature review should resemble the content and structure of published journal articles. This means that you should cite scholarly sources whenever an idea is not your own.
Your paper should maintain a professional tone. In order to do that, you need to use third person language. Second, don’t use hypothetical situations to illustrate a point. I don’t want to read about a case study as this is not the point of the assignment. Third, check your references! Make sure that you have the required amount and that they are peer-reviewed journals. They should be cited in your paper and in the reference page. Do not include sources in your reference page that are not cited in your paper. Fourth, don’t plagiarize. If you didn’t think of the idea, cite the person who did. This does not just apply to direct quotations. Also, do not turn in work that you have done for another class, this is self-plagiarism.
Requirement #4: Hypothesis/ Research Question
Propose research questions and/or hypotheses that emerge logically and clearly from your literature review. You should revise the hypothesis/research question from your topic proposal according to the feedback that you were given. You should present your hypothesis/research question at the end of the literature review. You will often times have a lead in paragraph that ties the research together and makes a final argument for your hypothesis/research questions. Occasionally, you will present your hypothesis/research question in a different section of the paper. If you feel that it fits better in the middle, you can put it there. Most of the time, however, they come at the end. Additionally, you need to have at least one hypothesis or research question but can have more than that. These should be set aside per APA format. You will be graded on the quality. Requirement #5: Reference Page (APA)
Your reference page. This needs to be in APA format and should contain everything that you reference in the paper. The sources should be from peer reviewed, Communication journals. This list represents communication journals.
Resources
Example Lit Review .doc
Download Microsoft Office for free
APA citationLinks to an external site.
Links to an external site.Lit Review Activity – Synthesis Example.doc
Rubric
Lit Review Grading Rubric
Lit Review Grading Rubric
Criteria Ratings Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeIntroduction
Do you introduce the topic with a clear attention getter?
Is your attention getter interesting and from the literature?
Clear thesis?
Good preview?
5 pts
Points
0 pts
No Marks
5 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeLiterature Review
Do you synthesize the research?
Is it concise?
Do you cover the topic thoroughly?
10 pts
No Marks
10 pts
Points
10 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeResearch Question/Hypothesis
Is it in the correct format? Does it follow logically from the research presented? Is it testable?
5 pts
No Marks
5 pts
Points
5 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeStyle
Are your spelling and grammar correct? Is this well cited?
10 pts
No Marks
10 pts
Points
10 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeAPA
Are you using the 7th edition of APA?
5 pts
No Marks
5 pts
Points
5 pts
Total Points: 35