3-5 pg paper

GEN 300 – Paper #2 – Literature Review

Using the same research topic and disciplinary perspective that you were assigned for Presentation #2,

create a literature review that includes six academic sources. This will essentially be a written, more

in-depth version of what you shared with the class orally during your presentation. If you are satisfied

with the organization and sources that you used for that assignment, then you should be good to go for

this one. If not, then you will need to do some further revision and/or research.

What is a literature review?

A literature review is a critical analysis of published research (literature) on a particular topic. Its

purpose is to synthesize an array of sources in order to provide readers with a sense of what the critical

conversation surrounding the topic looks/sounds like.

A lit review is not an annotated bibliography. While an annotated bib simply lists sources out and

summarizes them individually, a lit review examines the connections between and among them and

explains how they fit into an overarching structure. We’ve already talked about this in class quite a bit,

but here is another visualization of what a lit review aims to do.

How should a literature review be structured?

Like Presentation #2, a literature review has three main parts: an introduction, a body, a conclusion.

• Introduction – Identifies the topic, establishes its significance, and gestures at the how the body will be organized.

• Body – Groups sources into thematic clusters/subtopics and discusses them in a logical order. Emphasizes the main findings of sources in your own words. Summarizes, but does not quote

or paraphrase.

• Conclusion – Attempts to answer the question, “So what?” What is the main takeaway after having done all of this research?

Include a bibliography at the end of all your sources. Use APA 7th edition to format the references.

Do not forget to arrange them in alphabetical order.