Course materials

1. Assignment 2: Final Literature Review Paper (for PhD doctorate ONLY)
Based on your review of the most recent, relevant research findings on your chosen topic,
submit a final version of your literature review paper, integrating feedback received from
your instructor. Be sure to include a research/focal question, synthesis of the literature you
reviewed, well-established conclusions, and points of discussion and/or future
research. Begin the review by defining the objective of the paper. Introduce the reader to
your focal question. What is this question intended to address? You may state your
“question” in the form of a problem if you like. Describe the topic for your literature review
and why you chose this topic. Explain why you think it is important. It is also useful to tell
the reader how the review is organized in your introduction section, before you the
transition into the body of the review. Organize your literature review paper by
themes/theories/concepts, rather than article by article. If there is one major theme you
want to highlight, state the theme. If there are three major themes or streams of thought on
the topic, briefly name them—and then organize the balance of your literature review
around those three streams. Think of themes, theories, concepts, lines of thought, and ideas
as organizing strategies for your literature review. Your creativity in this assignment is not
the content or findings but the clarity with which you organize the review and create a
context for understanding the focal question.When you are done introducing the first line of
thought, create a new paragraph to discuss studies which present another line of thought or
opposing view.Your literature review should hit the high points of each article. You should
not discuss a single article, one by one, like a grocery list. Zero in on the main theme or
finding and then move on to the next theme. Remember, this is a synthesis, an integration of
all the things you have learned. You are creating a discussion on paper, which in turn gives
the reader a context for understanding where the scholarship has been, where it is
currently, and where it likely will be heading next. Provide enough details to help the reader
understand the significance of the studies you cite without “rebuilding Rome.” Be sure to
evaluate the studies and offer critical comments on any shortcomings you’ve observed or
that have been reported by the authors.Discuss the main findings and their implications.
Given the results of your literature review, what is/are the prevailing argument(s)? What
research question could you ask in order to further develop this area of study and
contribute to the existing body of knowledge? Complete your review by drawing
conclusions about your body of research and identifying gaps in the research which still
remain to be explored, maybe even by you! Make an argument as to why your research
question is important and relevant to the current work being done on your

2. topic.RequirementsApply current APA standards for editorial style, expression of ideas, and
formatting of the text, headings, citations, and references. Remember to use your own
words to describe and evaluate the articles. Avoid quoting the material and also cite works
when you are discussing someone else’s ideas. Your paper should be double-spaced and in
12 point, Times New Roman font with normal one-inch margins, written in APA style, and
free of typographical and grammatical errors. It should include a title page with a running
head, an abstract and a reference page. The body of the paper should be no less than 5–6
pages in length.