Inquiry Based Literature Review
SLO Justification:
Locate and use appropriate reference materials for written and oral reports.
Write essays based on personal experiences, observation, and/or assigned readings.
Assignment:
Your Inquiry Based Literature Review will contain three components: a research question, an annotated bibliography, and a written reflection.
Research Question:
The following topics are considered fair game for your research question:
What is a problem that is relevant to your academic discipline or career? What has been written about this problem and what are the main issues involved? An example in the information technology discipline might be “Why have we seen so many high-profile cyber attacks recently?
What is a problem that is relevant to college students? What has been written about this problem and what are the main issues involved. An example might be “Why are tuition rates increasing so much faster than inflation?”
What is a concern for Savannah residents? An example might be “What is driving homelessness in Chatham County?”
If you are having difficulty finding a specific inquiry question, you may consider using any of the following:
What is up with people’s resistance to getting vaccines?
How will current events change your field of study?
How have current events changed our local economy?
What is the homework gap and how might address it?
What factors led to America’s failure to contain coronavirus (and how might we better prepare for similar threats in the future)?
What is one thing individual Georgians should do to help alleviate some of the physical, emotional, or economic difficulties that their friends and neighbors are facing?
Why have we seen so many recent cyber-attacks?
What can Georgia – or Georgians – do to better protect our environment, water supply, natural resources?
Why are tuition rates increasing so much faster than inflation?
What is driving homelessness in Chatham County?
How can we make sure our elections are secure and voting rights are protected?
Annotated Bibliography:
You should find sources that are credible and academic – think of the items you would need a student ID to access. The library and GALILEO should be your go-to places for credible research. I am also looking for variety: were you able to find works by more than one author, journal, or book? Did your research approach your question from different disciplinary perspectives? NOTE: At least one of your entries must be from an academic journal. Please see the GALILEO pathfinder under course resources for instructions on how to access these journals.
Each bibliography entry consist of the following:
The source’s author, title, and additional relevant information. Use MLA format for each entry. Please bold the entry.
A one paragraph summary of what the source is, main argument, etc.
A one paragraph analysis that explains its worth for your final paper. Evaluate the source for its authority and credibility and also explain what this source adds to your understanding of your question that the other sources do not.
Try to think 4 to 5 sources with about 2 paragraphs of text under each.
Reflection:
The reflection is short (250 words) about your research process and your question. Your reflection should tell me the narrative of how you went about your research, how you approached your initial question, which sources were the most useful, and how your question and your understanding evolved. You may also reflect on how this paper was different or similar to past research papers, or how the skills you used here may affect the way you approach research in the future.
“Nuts and Bolts” Concerns:
Your research question should be the title of your paper
Bold the bibliography entries.
Be VERY careful about academic integrity concerns, especially as you summarize your sources. I would consider avoiding drawing direct quotes from the original sources.
