Your study should focus on one of the analytical techniques discussed in this course (psychobiography; operational code analysis; trait analysis; motive analysis; integrative complexity and self monitoring), and a relevant world leader of your choice. Your topic should be appropriately narrow for a graduate-level research paper. In other words, it should provide a “deep dive” or explore a specific “slice” of a larger topic that has not yet been sufficiently studied by previous scholars. Or it should creatively explore a new “intersection” between two or more topics. If you are struggling to find an appropriate topic, consult the research section of the Trefry library web site or consult a research librarian or discuss some ideas with the instructor.
The purpose of the literature review is to summarize the existing body of scholarly studies to-date on your chosen research topic. Literature reviews can be a bit tricky to write. The literature review should be a component of every research paper you write in graduate school. If you are not certain about the purpose, organization, and language of a literature review, you should consult the research section of the Trefry library web site or consult a research librarian or discuss with the instructor. Do not guess!
The literature review should adhere to the following:
Typewritten in 1.5 spaced format in a scholarly writing style, free from errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, diction, and English usage.
Times New Roman 12-point font,
One-inch margins (top, bottom, sides),
Use parenthetical citations and author-date references, not footnotes. Follow the Chicago/Turabian style manual. Refer to the Research page of the Trefry Library for more information.
Total 8-10 pages, plus cover page and references.
For the number of sources and peer-reviewed sources for this assignment, please refer to the rubric.
Your literature review should include the following sections:
1. TITLE PAGE: The title of your paper should be brief but should adequately inform the reader of your general topic and the specific focus of your research. Keywords relating to parameters, population, and other specifics are useful.
2. INTRODUCTION: Explain the purpose and importance of the study, and specifically state your research question. Unless you are experienced and confident in conducting hypotheses-based quantitative studies, you should avoid having a “binary” research question that requires a yes/no answer. Instead, use a research question that allows a more explorative and qualitative study. For example: How was the United States’ participation in Operation X justified in accordance with international laws and norms?
You can find additional information on developing your research question on the Trefry Library’s “Research” web pages, or by consulting a research librarian or having a conversation with the instructor.
3. LITERATURE REVIEW: This section should summarize the existing body of scholarly studies to-date on your chosen research topic, and what you believe are the current “gaps” in scholarly research. This section should be organized into subsections by “themes” of scholarship. This section will eventually be re-used as Section 2 in your final research paper. (Yes, you will be allowed to just copy, paste and update accordingly.)
If you are struggling to find peer-reviewed journal articles on your topic, please remember this: Again, let’s assume you are studying Operation X, and let’s assume that you have selected Walzer’s (1977) just war theory as your theoretical framework. While you might not find a large number of peer-reviewed scholarly articles on Operation X itself, you WILL find good number of peer-reviewed scholarly articles on just war theory.
4. CONCLUSION: Briefly reiterate the purpose of your study, your research question, and the current scholarship “gap” that your research question will help address.
5. REFERENCES: Your citations and references must be in accordance with the Chicago/Turabian Style Manual. You can find additional guidance on the Chicago/Turabian Style Manual in the Reference section of the Trefry Library website.
