Objectives
We will share our findings in a written literature review (of about 2000 words).
The literature review should be based on at least five reading or video sources. At least one source of information should be from a peer-reviewed academic journal. Please try your best to follow the APA guidelines when citing the sources. Here’s a tutorial:
In-Text Citations: The BasicsLinks to an external site.
Guidelines
Here are some questions to think about:
What’s the topic? Why are you interested in this topic?
Why might others want to know about the topic?
What are your sources of information?
What is already known about the topic?
What knowledge is missing about the topic?
What is the major question(s) that people are trying to answer?
What methods have people used to make discoveries?
What were some of the major findings related to the topic?
How might the data obtained by all the experiments performed be applied to solve a
greater problem?
Are you convinced by what you have read? Provide ample explanation
for your reasoning.
What was the most important take-home message of this study?
Were there any unexpected or additional findings of importance? If yes, what were they?
How to complete the assignment
Step 0. Select a topic
Please let me know what topic you have chosen before continuing with the next steps.
Step 1. Delegate and coordinate with others
I suggest that each group/team elect or appoint a manager who will keep all the links organized in one shared google doc or folder. Then the manager can share the link to the google doc or folder here. I suggest making a google doc that contains all of the links. Here’s an example:
Literature review cover pageLinks to an external site. (make a copy before editing)
Step 2. Perform the library search and learn about the topic
Look up at least five articles related to the topic that interests you.
When you extract information from academic sources, try to answer the following prompts. Most of them are taken from Prof. Andrea Denmon’s BIOL-21 library search assignment.
In the abstract or the background/introduction section, the scientists will usually introduce us to their research of the topic and the question that motivated their project. This section will tell us what question or interest the scientists have in mind for their project.
What is already known about the authors’ field of research?
What knowledge is missing in the authors’ field
What the paper seeks to present?
What is the major question(s) that the authors were trying to answer? (This relates to the hypothesis or
hypotheses that were tested and their purpose for being studied)
What hypothesis or question do the authors explicitly mention?
Highlight the phrase(s) that specifically shows the unknown that the researchers were attempting to
discover and the phrase(s) that provides the answer to the unknown. (The question and the answer)
In the materials and methods or methodology section, the scientists will tell us about how the experiment is designed to answer their question, and how they process the experimental observations and data
What experimental methods were used?
In general, what type of data do these scientific methods generate?
Were any statistical values reported?
Did the authors mention any important negative results that failed to support their hypothesis?
List the major findings that were observed when the authors tested their hypotheses. Indicate which figure(s) visually represents the finding. (Hint: Look for the subheadings)
Describe in detail how the independent variable is influencing the dependent variable. How does the
dependent variable compare to the control group/condition?
What are the obvious faults of the experiment(s) used to generate the data for the figure you selected?
(e.g. inadequate controls, poorly regulated controlled variables influencing the outcomes, etc.)
In the results/conclusion section (sometimes called “results and discussion”), the author interprets their results and discusses the significance of their findings.
Did the authors restate the major problem they were attempting to solve? Highlight and label this in the discussion section.
Did the authors provide specific details about their results?
What was the most important take-home message of this study?
Were there any unexpected or additional findings of importance? If yes, what were they?
What were the key observations that were generated from previous studies?
How might the data obtained by all the experiments performed be applied to solve a
greater problem?
Based on your analysis, are you convinced by the science that was conducted? Provide ample explanation
for your reasoning.
Step 3. Write the literature review
Make a copy of the APA paper template.
APA paper templateLinks to an external site.
Grading guidelines
Write-up guidelinesLinks to an external site.
