Assignment

Report

for Literature Review/Research

To learn and understand how research professionals work, you will conduct both primary and secondary research on educational, cultural, environment, economic, technological, social, political, or ethical issues. You will summarize and synthesize the arguments and ideas of the research sources alongside the data you collect. Then you will design a project and engage in the research process. The end result will be a 6 or more page literature review/research report based on the secondary sources. (Not including cover page, references. Research Questions There are hundreds or even thousands of articles and books on most areas of study. The more narrow your research !uestions, the easier it will be to limit the number of sources you need to answer those !uestions. You will not be e"pected to read everything available on the topic, but you will make your work easier if you first limit your scope with a good set of research !uestions. Remember that the more focused your topic, the better the quality of your work and thus the higher your grade!"# $o not rely on general topics such as %feminism& or %child abuse#& 'hese are good starting points for research that can then be made more interesting, novel, and meaningful# #s you are formulating your research !uestions, do some preliminary library research to see what other researchers have to say about your !uestion. $ood databases to start with are %e"isNe"is (non&scholarly sources and #cademic 'earch (omplete (scholarly sources because these two databases inde" more articles than any other databases. (heck the 'tatistical #bstract of the )nited 'tates and )' #lmanac for statistics as well. Avoid sources that you randomly found on the internet. (ou will need 6 or more sources for your pro)ect. Your instructor will give you guidelines about the number and kind of sources permitted. The more data points (answers you have, the more robust are your findings. Your instructor will give you specific instructions about finding and analyzing sources.

* will be looking for a variety of sources within your report. 'cores are based on the !uality and variety of those sources. +epending on your topic, sources should include, 'cholarly journal articles 'tatistical resources, such as data from an official government resource or reputable organization (./#, +0T, (ensus, (+(, N*1, )N, 'tatistical #bstract of the )nited .N$%*'1 2324 544 'tates, etc. 6agazine or newspaper articles from high !uality sources such as Business Week, National Geographic, NY Times, Chicago Tribune 7roadcast media such as N/8, /7', 77( 'pecialty dictionaries and handbooks ( andbook of Chemistry and !hysics, World Almanac $o *+' cite, 9ikipedia, general knowledge encyclopedias, general dictionaries, 0pposing :iewpoints, /ro;(on, (urrent (ontroversies, etc. -ormat You must maintain third person voice throughout, use #/# formatting, and the sections of your literature review;primary research report should include, #bstract o # short, one or two&paragraph summary of your research !uestions and your findings (no more than 25< words . You should write this last. *ntroduction o $eneral background information that prompted the research. o # clear statement of purpose. o 'tated research !uestions (4&3 . 8emember that more specific !uestions allow for more specific answers, and this improves the focus immensely. They must be strong enough to push the entire project forward. These !uestions should appear in bullet list format. o # thesis statement. 8eview of literature (the bulk of your project . o 7lend a discussion of your primary and secondary research findings into the %iterature 8eview. 7ase this blend on a discussion of ideas in response to the research !uestions, rather than the individual sources.

 # discussion of your 4&3 research !uestions in the order you presented them. *n this project, it is vital that you do N0T take sides or show any bias as you discuss all sides of the issue. 9hen discussing the sources that you have found, think of yourself as the mediator in the debate=the voice for both sides, not just one. 9hen discussing the literature, e"plore the ideas as they (the sources present them, not what you think about them. .N$%*'1 2324 543 7e sure to include a 8eference /age and use in&te"t citations in the report itself. Your instructor may re!uire you to turn in drafts, survey or !uestions (2 copy , abstract;citation pages from the articles cited in your literature review, .ey /lements 0hecklist, *nformative, N0T argumentative. /rovide 4&3 research !uestions. #nswer your research !uestions with multiple perspectives.