RES611- Critical Literature Review Assignment - Torrens University

Assignment Task

Assessment

Formulate and write a comprehensive literature review from the annotated and synthesised literature, resulting in a project statement for further scholarly research in your field.

Context

A Literature Review explores and evaluates the body of knowledge on a specific topic or research question. As an output, it is expected to highlight the current state of knowledge regarding a particular topic under study. As a process, a literature review moves broadly from what is established knowledge and narrows down to what is less well known, which is where your research gap is likely to be found. It is important to remember that a literature review does not include everything ever written on the topic, it is a focussed analysis of the important constructs in the specific context of your research inquiry. The critical thing is to show how the reviewed literature relates to your own area of inquiry.

In the broader context of a dissertation, the main purpose of a literature review is to situate the research proposal within the existing literature and to provide context for the audience.

The literature review will draw from secondary sources, and should not include your opinions, viewpoints, and own unpublished findings. There are many types of literature that one could include in a review, but as far as possible, in academe one should use scholarly sources, preferably original works. A literature review requires you to paraphrase and collate the works included in your own words whilst using the correct referencing conventions and academic integrity, to express the collated view of your inquiry.

Instructions

Refer to the skeletal framework that you developed in Assessment 1. Combining your findings with the feedback you received on this framework, you will now undertake the formal literature review.

Introduction Section: State your overall purpose of your literature review clearly.

1. Introduce your topic of enquiry. This is not the broader body of knowledge, rather it is the narrowed inquiry that you are pursuing. The inquiry itself must be framed in the context of the broader literature and define the key terms of enquiry.

2. Identify overall trends in what has been published on the topic. For this, you are expected to draw from your Assessment 1 and any feedback your mentors may have given you for Assessment 1.

Body: Summarise the findings of important studies that have been conducted on your topic.

1. Group the literature. Do not organise the items on a source-by-source basis (as you would in an annotated bibliography.) Instead, refer to your Concept Map from Assessment 1 and review your groupings of the literature (Chronological, Thematic, Methodological, Theoretical).

2. Discuss the literature in context of the basis on which they are grouped. For example, variables, methods, conclusions, geographical areas or as applicable. Construct the body from a “themes” perspective rather than as a list of journal articles. Be sure to keep your discussion objective and avoid making judgements or your own arguments. Use the literature and the voice of the expert authors to build the critical analysis and emergent themes presented in your literature review.

Discussion and Synthesis: Compare the literature and present key points for further inquiry.

1. Compare and contrast articles. Discuss their strengths and weaknesses, and pinpoint similarities and dissimilarities in theoretical underpinnings, methods and evidence.

2. Analyse the contributions of the significant studies in the literature area with reference to the purpose of the review.

3. Synthesise your understanding. Combine the ideas and findings of multiple sources that you used in the discussion to present one or more overall points that will form the spine of your own inquiry

Conclusion: Restate the purpose of the literature review and summarise findings

1. Repeat the overall purpose of the review.

2. Summarise your main findings from the review of the literature. In doing so, demonstrate how the overall purpose was achieved.

3. Clearly identify your area of inquiry. Direct the audience to a new area for research and make a strong case for further exploration.

At all times and in all sections, maintain alignment between your goals and the literature reviewed. You cannot state a goal and not address that area of the literature in your review, and you cannot discuss literature that is unrelated to your goals either.

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