Instructions
Select four academic journal articles about the topic you chose in the Identifying a Research Topic section of Unit 6. Write a review of the four academic journal articles. Literature reviews come in different styles and formats. For the purposes of this course, your review must follow the guidelines below:
Introduction: Include the research question for your research proposal.
Body paragraphs: You can review one article per paragraph or group the articles together based on the main themes. The guidelines below are based on the former—one article per paragraph.
What is the main research question? (What question did the researchers attempt to answer?)
How did they go about it? (Sampling and methods)
What are the main findings?
What do you think about the findings and the process? (This will be your critique.)
How relevant are the findings to your own research question?
Conclusion: The following questions should be addressed in the last paragraph of your literature review.
Will your proposed research address a gap in the literature?
Do you plan to replicate an existing study?
Useful Links for Your Literature Review Assignment
This link answers an important question; namely, What is a scholarly or peer-reviewed article? It also contains a short video clip.
What Is Peer Review?
This link provides information about how to get help for your library search from AU Library.
Get Research Help
This assignment gives you the opportunity to conduct a library search using the resources described in Unit 6. The Athabasca University Library subscribes to databases that you may find useful, including:
Academic One File
Academic Search Complete
JSTOR
Social Sciences Full Text
Additional databases are available through the AU Library website. Most journals at the AU Library can be accessed online when you log in using your student ID.
Format for Your Literature Review
The literature review must be double-spaced, in 12-point font, with standard 1.25-inch margins on the top, bottom, left, and right.
The literature review must have a cover page with the title of the assignment, your name, and your student ID.
Use APA style for all in-text citations and references. Visit the Write Site for detailed information about APA style.
Submit your work using the assignment drop-box link below.
Students who do not follow these guidelines will be penalized.
