Chapter two Discussions and activities

Getting started with your literature review

Activity 1: Module 1 Discussion Board

This is the second foundational course for your dissertation project. Much of your success is contingent on working closely with your chair. Thus, communication is essential. You will have both formal and informal touchpoints through this course and throughout your dissertation journey. Each touchpoint is aimed to gauge your progress, answer questions, provide and clarify feedback, and to provide general guidance and support.

1. Post the final version of chapter one

2. Post any literature review you completed in the comp exam class

3. Propose ideas for gathering research as you begin the process of developing a literature review

Post your response to the prompt and schedule an appointment with your chair.

Organizing your literature

Activity 3: Module 3 Discussion Board

Complete an initial search of 5-10 research studies to gain ideas for your literature review. Search for key words from your research questions for your initial review. Save the research studies, you find interesting for your literature review. If it is easier for you to complete a summary of the research as you read it, then write a few paragraphs for each study.

Organizing your research is also important as you begin to gather quite a few sources. Think about how you might organize your literature to easily find studies when needed. You can also refer to the file system you created in the Comp Exam class.

1. Discuss your findings from your initial research, what you found interesting and any apparent gaps in the literature.

2. Discuss how you will organize the literature you collect.

Post your response to the prompt.

Submit a detailed outline for your literature review that includes all key ideas for your study. Your chair must approve your outline before moving forward.

Gathering research and writing your literature review

Activity 5: Module 5 Discussion Board

Now that your chair has approved your outline, you can begin to gather research studies for each section of your literature review and write your literature review. You should write at least five pages every week for your literature review. Your completed literature review will be a minimum of 30 full pages. Begin by reading your research, hi-lighting the information you want to summarize, and then in your own words writing a few paragraphs about each reference.

Discuss any issues that arise as you begin to gather your research for the literature review.

Post your response to the prompt

Unbiased research

Activity 7: Module 7 Discussion Board

When writing your literature review, it is important to remain unbiased. You should not develop an idea of where you want the research to go because you will follow your opinion. There is no opinion in a literature review. If you feel strongly about a subject, you may have difficulty seeing the research in an unbiased way.

A literature review is about reporting a summary of the research you read without bias. You may read one study, hi-light information contained in that study, and then summarize the study in your own words while writing several paragraphs for your literature review. Complete research about what bias means as it relates to research.

Write a few paragraphs about what bias means as it relates to research. What can you do to avoid using bias while writing your literature review?

Post your response to the prompt.

The ethical research process.

Activity 9: Module 9 Discussion Board

Giving credit where credit is due means you are ethically using valid research and citing it properly in your literature review. Part of the process of completing your dissertation is to be open and honest when gathering research. It is important that you read the study, summarize in your own words what you read, and write that summary with the proper citations.

Discuss the ethical research process and how that applies to your literature review Post your response to the prompt.

Gaps in the literatures

Activity 11: Module 11 Discussion Board

As you research and write your literature review, you may notice gaps in the literature. When this occurs, it is important that you add a section to your literature review mentioning those gaps. These may become ideas for future research when you are in chapter five of your dissertation.

Discuss the literature gaps you found while researching for your literature review, and how this information might change the direction of your study.

Post your response to the prompt.

Literature review revisions

Activity 13: Module 13 Discussion Board

Using background of the problem information in your study is important, but it should not be the focus of your literature review. Ensure that you use the background information appropriately and that it has a place in your literature review.

Review feedback received from your committee about your literature review.

Discuss the feedback received from your committee with your chair.

Post your response to the prompt.

Literature review revisions

Activity 15: Module 15 Discussion Board

Depending on your dissertation topic, you may identify business systems and themes that need to be covered in your literature review. If needed, you will need to add a section to your literature review for these business systems and themes.

Your committee may have additional changes or updates they would like to see for your literature review.

Discuss any additional chapter revisions with your chair and create a path forward to finalizing the chapter.

Post your response to the prompt.

Choosing your research theme

Activity 2: Module 2 Individual Project

Choosing a research th.me is important for a literature review. Chronological and thematic themes are two ways to organize a literature review. Chronological is an historical view of the literature and may be based on names, dates, events or order of events. While thematic is based on your key ideas from your research questions and problem statement.

Research both chronological and thematic themes and determine which will work best for your literature review.

Write a one page paper about which theme will work best for your dissertation literature review and why the other theme would not work.

Creating a literature review online

Activity 4: Module 4 Individual Project

Before beginning an in-depth search of collecting literature for your literature review, you must create an outline.

Review your research questions, highlight key ideas and develop an outline that includes sections for your literature review, and then fill in the subsections for each main heading. If you have chosen to complete a chronological or thematic literature review, then complete an outline based on that theme.

Submit a detailed outline for your literature review that includes all key ideas for your study. Your chair must approve your outline before moving forward.

Grey Literature and using appropriate sources

Activity 6: Module 6 Individual Project

Understanding the difference between usable and unusable research for your literature review is important. Some literature is unacceptable to use in a research study. Most of your research should be obtained through the library databases available at Some government reports and annual reports obtained directly from a company’s website may also be useful. While Forbes, Wikipedia, Harvard Business Review, etc. are not considered acceptable.

Complete research about the difference between usable and unusable data, and grey literature for a literature review. How do you know what is reliable and what is not?

Write a one page paper about what type of research is acceptable and not acceptable for a dissertation literature review.

Turn in and Plagiarism

Activity 8: Module 8 Individual Project

At this point, you should have at least 15 pages of your literature review written. Your literature review will be a minimum of 30 full pages. 

Your entire dissertation must be free of any plagiarism issues. By uploading your paper to any assignment in the course, you can see a Turn it In (TIN) report that will point out any issues. It is your responsibility to ensure your paper is free of these issues.

Re-read your draft of your literature review and prepare it for your chair review. Make sure to check APA Style and ensure it is correct.

Upload a draft of your literature review to the course and review the Turn it In (TIN) report and fix any plagiarism issues, then ask your chair to review your draft to ensure you are on the right track.

Ethical, reliable and valid data

Activity 10: Module 10 Individual Project

Choosing ethical, reliable and valid data is important as you collect research for your literature review.

Complete a final draft of your literature review.

Read the NIH article about using ethics in research and why it is important.

Summarize the NIH article about ethics in research and include information about how it applies to your literature review.

Conflicting research and literature review revisions

Activity 12: Module 12 Individual Project

While gathering your literature, you may discover study results that directly conflict with each other. By reviewing the data with a critical eye, you may discover different research questions, problem statements, or objectives. These differences may show why the results may be conflicting. As you come across conflicting research, consider why that might occur.

After making any changes and updates suggested by your chair, you should have a good draft of your literature review completed.

Summarize the conflicting research you have uncovered and why it may have occurred.

In a few paragraphs, summarize the conflicting research you have uncovered and why it may have occurred.

Submit the first draft of your literature review to your committee

Literature review revisions

Activity 14: Module 14 Individual Project

Now that you have reviewed your committee feedback with your chair, you are ready to make changes and updates to your literature review.

Use your committee feedback and the change matrix to show changes to your literature review.

Re-submit your updated literature review and change matrix to your committee (if requested).

Putting it all together in a final literature review

Activity 16: Module 16 Individual Project

By now, your literature review has been refined. If your paper has been approved, your committee will note that you are ready to move forward to chapter three. Congratulations!

Make any final updates and submit your final version of your chapter two to your chair.

Upload the final version of your literature review to the course

Reference

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