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Communication 300 – Shaker Principles of Communication

How-To Literature Review In One Page

1. Begin with a research question (RQ)

[Topic & Research proposal] 2. Find the most relevant, recent peer-reviewed articles that relate to your specific RQ.

3. [Topic & Research proposal] 4. Read your articles’ abstracts and eliminate all but the most relevant 10. Then, more closely

examine the 10 that remain. Write reading notes that identify key themes, theories, concepts,

and findings for each article. Organize sources according to the main themes and findings.

[Annotated bibliography]

Here is where you are going…

5. Reevaluate your reading notes to determine how the pieces relate to one another and to your

RQ.

6. Create an outline that traces your argument (a kind of road map). Start with the context of

the RQ, the most important theories that apply to it, and the answer(s) to your RQ indicated

by the evidence. Use headings and sub-headings (no matter how preliminary!) to organize

your outline.

From outline to draft… 7. Use your notes to fill out your outline. The goal here is to fill in the sections of your outline

with evidence from your sources. Include enough detail from the articles in the outline so

that you will be able to write clearly about the studies later. Be sure to include notes on the

weaknesses of the articles too.

8. Write a concluding paragraph in which you summarize what your articles show.

9. Flesh out your outline with any other important details from your reading notes.

10. At end of this organizing process, your outline should be several pages long and ready to

convert into a complete first draft.

11. Convert notes into prose: sentences and paragraphs primarily composed of your own words.

[Complete Draft is due Week 8]

Completing a draft…

12. Before the peer review session, complete the following steps:

 Reread your entire essay out loud to proofread (check spelling, grammar, punctuation), but

also to ensure that your argument is consistent with the evidence you have presented.

o Add explanations and examples to help clarify relevant theories and/or concepts.

 Review the overall organization to ensure your draft flows well: revise headings and

subheadings, and move passages that seem out of place.

 Be sure that each paragraph is organized in a logical way around one single idea; break long

paragraphs into shorter paragraphs.

 Delete irrelevant comments and extraneous details. Avoid statements of opinion: evaluative

statements should be supported by evidence from your articles. Cite any and all ideas or

quotations that are not your own.

 Limit the use of quotations: your job is to summarize many long articles into one, much

shorter, essay. Effective rewriting is the key to good writing.

[Revision session - Week 8] 13. Conduct a review of your complete draft with your peers.

14. Rewrite, revise, repeat!