I have included the sources that I want to be used and my outline of what the essay should be.
Your final paper should include the following:
Introduction
A brief description of the research topic to be addressed
A clear statement of the paper’s focus
A clear statement of the paper’s significance in relation to the course’s themes
Research Focus
Should address what is the problem? Why is your topic important? What is the need for more information on your topic? What unique contributions will a review of your topic add to the existing knowledge base and professional practice? In other words, what benefits would result with better understandings of the problem you are exploring?
Methods Section
Should describe the criteria you used to find your peer-reviewed sources (e.g., what did you do, where did you search, did you select articles/book chapters/reports/dissertations and why, and broadly explain why you chose certain sources over others, what key terms did you search)
Summary of Findings
This is the largest section of your paper (will include sections and subsections)
Should identify the trends, patterns, and gaps in existing literature related to your topic. In other words, what insights do you have about your research focus? What has been studied and written about the specific topic of interest? What methodological, empirical, and/or conceptual gaps remain in our understanding of the issue?
What else is missing from the body of literature you have reviewed?
Implications
Should address specific implications for future research (based on what you have learned, what should a scholar interested in your topic research next), future policy (what should policy-makers do with the information you have learned and synthesized), future practice (based on what you have learned, what recommendations do you have for practitioners and stakeholders). Your implications should be explicitly connected to what you have presented in your summary of findings.
Conclusion
A restatement of the paper’s research focus
Highlights of key points within the paper
Bold Finish (some prompts that you may consider to generate your thinking: Now knowing what you know about your topic, what are the benefits and/or consequences of not taking some form of action in professional practice? Based on your scan of existing literature, what research is needed in the future; what are the benefits if this research is conducted in the future, what are the consequences if this new knowledge is not discovered?)
References
APA formatting
10 (minimum) peer-reviewed sources
Sources are less than 20 years old
In an effort to help you build your skill set in the area of academic research and writing, in this course your final project will be writing an integrative research review. Integrative research reviews (literature reviews) provide the opportunity to evaluate a body of research to identify common patterns of existing knowledge, highlights gaps in current research, identifies future research needs, and translates the existing knowledge into opportunities for future research, policy, and practice. To gain enough information to complete this project, a minimum of 10 peer-reviewed journal articles must be used; peer-reviewed journal articles and sources no more than 20 years old are preferred*.
The following sections should be included:
Introduction (how is your topic of interest embedded in a larger context/conversation);
Research Focus (what is the specific topic of interest);
Methods (how were literature identified, analyzed, and used in your project);
Summary of Findings (what patterns have you identified from your analysis);
Implications (in what ways do your findings inform future research and theory, policy, and practice);
Conclusion;
References.
A good introduction should have a captivating opening. It should discuss the current existing literature around your topic at a broad level. Statistics related to your research inquiry could be stated in this section. Within the introduction section, your research focus should be stated. Consider assisting readers in knowing your paper’s focus by including: What is the problem? Why is your topic important? What is the need for more information on your topic? What unique contributions will a review of your topic add to the existing knowledge base and professional practice? In other words, what benefits would result with better understandings of the problem you are exploring?
The methods portion should describe the criteria you used to find your sources (e.g., what did you do, where did you search, did you select articles/book chapters/reports/dissertations and why, and broadly explain why you chose certain sources over others).
The summary of findings should be the most substantial portion of your paper. This section should include the following parts: 1) based on the literature you have been reviewing, what insights do you have about your research focus; 2) gaps in the literature (what is missing from the body of literature you have reviewed).
Based on what you are learning from reviewing and analyzing existing literature, offer implications; this section should be the next longest section (after the summary of findings). Specifically, what are some specific implications for future research and theory (based on what you have learned, what should a scholar interested in your topic research next), future policy (what should policy-makers do with the information you have learned and synthesized), future practice (based on what you have learned, what recommendations do you have for practitioners and stakeholders). Note, your implications should be explicitly connected to what you have presented in your summary of findings. That is, strong implications will be tightly connected to your findings.
Finally, the conclusion is where the writer communicates their contribution to the knowledge base. A bold conclusion may mirror (or be parallel to) the introduction. That is, it could address what the writer said they would accomplish in the paper. A bold conclusion may also remind the reader of the significance of your topic, your findings, and the benefits your ideas and recommendations offer to the field of higher education.
