Technology and Its Impact on Physical Education

Writing a Literature Review

Purpose

Scholars use literature reviews to see the big picture of an area of research to which they are interested in contributing. Literature reviews can be found in empirical journal articles in the first or second section of the paper, or they can be found as “stand-alone” published articles. This assignment will enable you to practice the skills of critical thinking, analysis, and problem solving in your discipline.

Expectations

Review and evaluate a body of literature by identifying relations, contradictions, gaps, and inconsistencies in the literature and by suggesting the next step needed to solve a problem in the research. Blend theories and results from a number of studies to describe the "big picture" of a field of research and to answer your research question.

Your literature review should (1) make a persuasive claim about a specific area of research and (2) use scholarly sources to support your claim. If you just describe past research without evaluating it, you are merely summarizing information without digesting it. This paper must be persuasive, not just a “report.” Your goal is to change in some way the reader’s initial stance or view.

Format

Audience: Besides me, your audience should be the place you would publish this paper. Research your audience and find the specifications, as well as the technical level. (Chiasm, Intuition, etc.)

Requirements :

1) Submit a minimum of two significantly different intermediate drafts. This does not mean just “edited.”

2) Submit the final draft.

3) Take your paper (minimum 5 full pages) to the University Writing Center at least once to meet with the student tutor.

4) Use APA, IEEE, or a journal in your field’s documentation style.

The final draft should have these parts:

1) Title page

2) Abstract

3) Table of Contents with dot leaders and with page numbers aligned on the right margin.

4) Effective introduction that gives a context for the research question, states the narrow thesis at the end, and suggests the organization of the paper (at least 1 1/3 pages).

5) Thesis or hypothesis (at the end of the intro) which states your main claim and provide a roadmap for the paper.

6) Headings

6) Well-developed body in which assertions are carefully supported with scholarly evidence. Evidence must be synthesized (at least 2 sources in each paragraph). This section must be 8-10 full pages.

7) Effective conclusion that emphatically restates your position and shows the implications of what you have learned from your research, not just sums up information.

8) Reference list of the sources you cited (minimum 10 scholarly sources).

NOTE: As usual, plagiarism on this assignment will result in a failing grade for the paper and may result in a failing grade for the course.

Portions of this assignment have been adapted from Joyce Adams and http://depts.washington.edu/psywc/handouts/pdf/litrev.pdf