The purpose of this assignment is to provide you with the
opportunity to select a topic in the particular area in which you have
an occupational or research interest, and to complete a literature
review of the topic, using a minimum of ten scholarly references. This
will allow you to demonstrate mastery of the program outcomes for the
B.A. psychology program at Argosy University. A helpful Web site for
organizing and writing a literature review is www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/ReviewofLiterature.html.
You may also want to review the following documents that are available in the Doc Sharing area of the course:
- A sample literature review,
- a PowerPoint document illustrating how to set up your word processor for APA style
- a “Guide for Writing a Literature Review”
Based on your review of the most recent, relevant
research findings on your chosen topic, submit a final version of your
literature review paper, integrating feedback received from your
instructor. Be sure to include a research/focal question, synthesis of
the literature you reviewed, well-established conclusions, and points
of discussion and/or future research.
- Begin the review by defining the objective of the
paper. Introduce the reader to your focal question. What is this
question intended to address? You may state your “question” in the form
of a problem if you like. Describe the topic for your literature
review and why you chose this topic. Explain why you think it is
important. It is also useful to tell the reader how the review is
organized in your introduction section, before you the transition into
the body of the review.
- Organize your literature review paper by
themes/theories/concepts, rather than article by article. If there is
one major theme you want to highlight, state the theme. If there are
three major themes or streams of thought on the topic, briefly name
them—and then organize the balance of your literature review around
those three streams. Think of themes, theories, concepts, lines of
thought, and ideas as organizing strategies for your literature review.
Your creativity in this assignment is not the content or findings but
the clarity with which you organize the review and create a context for
understanding the focal question.
- When you are done introducing the first line of
thought, create a new paragraph to discuss studies which present
another line of thought or opposing view.
- Your literature review should hit the high points of
each article. You should not discuss a single article, one by one,
like a grocery list. Zero in on the main theme or finding and then move
on to the next theme. Remember, this is a synthesis, an integration of
all the things you have learned. You are creating a discussion on
paper, which in turn gives the reader a context for understanding where
the scholarship has been, where it is currently, and where it likely
will be heading next. Provide enough details to help the reader
understand the significance of the studies you cite without “rebuilding
Rome.” Be sure to evaluate the studies and offer critical comments on
any shortcomings you’ve observed or that have been reported by the
authors.
- Discuss the main findings and their implications.
Given the results of your literature review, what is/are the prevailing
argument(s)? What research question could you ask in order to further
develop this area of study and contribute to the existing body of
knowledge? Complete your review by drawing conclusions about your body
of research and identifying gaps in the research which still remain to
be explored, maybe even by you! Make an argument as to why your
research question is important and relevant to the current work being
done on your topic.
Requirements
Apply current APA standards for editorial style,
expression of ideas, and formatting of the text, headings, citations,
and references. Remember to use your own words to describe and evaluate
the articles. Avoid quoting the material and also cite works when you
are discussing someone else’s ideas. Your paper should be double-spaced
and in 12 point, Times New Roman font with normal one-inch margins,
written in APA style, and free of typographical and grammatical errors.
It should include a title page with a running head, an abstract and a
reference page. The body of the paper should be no less than 5–6 pages
in length.
The paper should be on drug addiction!
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