Literature reviews are typically written as part of a large research paper. In this assignment,
you’re going to write a standalone literature review that outlines and evaluates research on the
theme you chose at the beginning of the term. You will go beyond simply discussing the topic;
you will synthesize and make connections between the research you find.
You will take at least 10 sources from the FTCC library (or other libraries you have access
to), .gov, and .edu sites only, and write a 1,200-1,800 word paper that demonstrates your ability
to synthesize your sources and discuss their connections and relationships among the researchers’
ideas and approaches to research. Review the discussion on synthesizing sources and writing the
literature review on pages 215-217 of the course text. Your literature review should follow the
structured path outlined in the text:
INTRODUCTION
Introduce the general issue and its importance.
Identify key trends or perspectives.
Identify the specific focus of this literature review.
Offer a thesis statement that answers the research question and highlights the main points you
will discuss.
BODY
Focus on the narrowed issue you are exploring as it relates to your theme.
Develop themes, highlighting major concepts, influential studies, etc., in relation to your topic.
Synthesize the research by making connections; focus on areas of agreement, disagreements,
tensions and contentious issues related to your topic.
Use strong topic sentences at the beginning of each paragraph so the reader can clearly identify
the theme or aspect of the theme being discussed (use the MEAL PLAN to help you structure the
body paragraphs).
** Avoid over-using direct quotes. Paraphrase most often, and only use quotes when you are
unable to translate information into your own words without changing the authors ideas or
intent. You may use no more than two lines of quoted text (lines, not sentences) for each page of
your paper.**
CONCLUSION
Summarize major contributions in the literature, in the context of the particular focus mentioned
in the introduction.
Conclude by summing up and identifying the significance of the topic in relation to the
literature.
Make suggestions for future research
The literature must be written in APA format (do not include an Abstract)
