ENG
102Major
Assignment #4Literature
Review—Assignment sheet and notes from UMass page. For your Major
Assignment #4, the final major assignment of the semester, you will write a
literature review. Important: Please consult this page for some wonderful
guidance to help write in this particular academic genre: https://people.umass.edu/curtis/academics/researchtoolbox/literature_revie
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ENG
102
Major
Assignment #4
Literature
Review—Assignment sheet and notes from UMass page.
For your Major
Assignment #4, the final major assignment of the semester, you will write a
literature review.
Important: Please consult this page for some wonderful
guidance to help write in this particular academic genre: https://people.umass.edu/curtis/academics/researchtoolbox/literature_review.html
Many
of the notes on this document stem from Marcia Curtis’s UMass page, which also
contains several student examples to help you see what a literature review
looks like.
“What is a
literature review?
|
In a Nutshell
|
|
·
A
literature review tells who else has researched your topic and what they say
about it.
·
Its
purpose is to inform readers about the range and quality of research existing
on your topic, and to point the way to future research.
·
It
is not meant to argue your opinion about the topic itself.
|
Before
a biologist reports on her laboratory experiment or an economist offers his
analysis of current fiscal conditions, each provides the background for his/her
work. That background often takes the form of a "literature review,"
a summary and appraisal of all related scientific reports and economic analyses
previously published. Such careful
review of relevant "secondary sources" establishes the context
for—the on-going conversation about— the biologist’s or economist’s own
original conclusions drawn from "primary sources," i.e., the
artifacts examined and data collected in lab or field. Written in essay style, this literature review describes,
classifies, and evaluates the sources of information published on a given
topic.
What is the "literature" in a literature
review?
The
"literature" is the collection of all books, journal and newspaper
articles, websites, government documents, etc. you found to be relevant to your
research topic.
How is a literature review different from an annotated
bibliography?
A literature review is written in
the style of an expository essay; it comprises an introduction, body and
conclusion, and it is organized around a controlling idea or thesis. An annotated bibliography
is simply an alphabetized list of sources accompanied by comments. Moreover,
while a single source appears just once in an annotated bibliography, it may be
referred to numerous times in a literature review, depending upon its
importance in the field or relationship to other sources. Finally, a literature
review includes its own in-text citations and bibliography or Works Cited
list.
How is a literature review different from a
traditional research paper?
A
literature review may stand alone and be assigned or published as a discrete
entity. Or it may constitute one section of a larger research paper or one
chapter—usually the first—of a thesis. Whereas the main body of a research
paper focuses on the subject of your research, the literature review focuses on
your sources. Put another way, in the
research paper you use expert sources to support the discussion of your thesis;
in a literature review, you discuss the sources themselves.
How is a literature review structured?
Like
any expository essay, a literature review should have an introduction, body,
and conclusion.
The introduction should
contain your research question, an explanation of its significance, and any
other background information setting the context of your research.
The body paragraphs
contain your summative, comparative, and evaluative comments on the sources
you've found. These comments may pertain to
- historical
background & early research findings
- recent developments
- areas of
controversy among experts
- areas of agreement
- dominant views or
leading authorities
- varying approaches
to or perspectives on the subject
- qualitative
comparisons and evaluations
- etc.
The conclusion summarizes
major issues in the literature; it also establishes where your own research
fits in and what directions you see for future research.
How is a literature review organized?
While
covering the range of matters listed above, a literature review—like any
expository essay—should still have a single organizing principle. Often the sort of thesis statement driving
an argument paper is replaced by the research question, followed by a preview
of the logical order the search for its answer will follow. Some common
organizing principles are these:
|
Chronological — "The rise in terrorist attacks over the last decade
makes the question of what motivates terrorist groups especially urgent. A
review of the literature of the past fifty years shows research on the
motivation behind terrorist acts shifting focus from the psychological to the
political and now the religious."
Thematic —
"In order to understand terrorism, we must first understand the mind of
the individual terrorist. While a review of the literature suggests some consensus
among researchers regarding the psychological state of most terrorists
immediately preceding the commission of a terrorist act, there appears to be
little agreement regarding the psychological profile of potential
terrorists."
|
Note:
A literature review is about the existing literature on your subject and
provides background for your own research findings or commentary. However, it is NOT primarily about you
or your relationship to the literature. Therefore, a literature review
should NOT be organized as a narrative of your own research process. A
literature review that says essentially "First I found this source, then I
found this one ...." is NOT acceptable.”
From U of Toronto:
“A
literature review is a piece of discursive prose, not a list
describing or summarizing one piece of literature after another. It’s usually a
bad sign to see every paragraph beginning with the name of a researcher.
Instead, organize the literature review into sections that present themes or
identify trends, including relevant theory. You are not trying to list all the
material published, but to synthesize and evaluate it according to the guiding
concept of your thesis or research question.”
Your literature review should be in
MLA format, 4-5 pages in length, double-spaced, Times New Roman. You should use 10-15
sources. Since this is an essay that contains research, you must pay close
attention to in-text citations and how
you are using the sources in your essay.
Be careful at looking at samples because many are in APA.
Remember
this quote as you get started: “Such
careful review of relevant "secondary sources" establishes the
context for the on-going conversation.”
Think about what you’ve done for MA #3.
Your literature review needs to carefully consider the work you’ve done
analyzing the secondary sources you compiled for MA #3. See also the “Literature Review” section of
your textbook, but note that the example is in APA. Also helpful will be the research
chapters—25, 26, 27 in the new edition of the textbook
"Floridians
Get Coronavirus Test Results Slowly. Pro Athletes Are Tested Regularly." All
Things Considered, 16 July 2020, p. NA. Gale In Context: Opposing
Viewpoints,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/A630016189/OVIC?u=midlandstc&sid=OVIC&xid=8c02b68d.
"Soccer
Aid for Unicef - 4:05 PM GMT". TVEyes - ITV 1 London, 6
Sep 2020. Nexis Uni. advance-lexis-com.ezproxy.midlandstech.edu/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:60SD-X8G1-DY08-30BR-00000-00&context=1516831.
Auer,
Michael, Doris Malischnig, and Mark D. Griffiths. "Gambling Before and During
the COVID-19 Pandemic Among European Regular Sports Bettors: an Empirical Study
Using Behavioral Tracking Data." International Journal of Mental
Health and Addiction, 29 May 2020.
link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11469-020-00327-8.pdf.
Azzoni,
Tales. "Portuguese soccer star Ronaldo tests positive for
COVID-19." Globe & Mail [Toronto, Canada], 14 Oct.
2020, p. B12. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A638314552/OVIC?u=midlandstc&sid=OVIC&xid=32f13867.
BMC
Public Health. Dec2021,
Vol. 21 Issue 1, p1-11. 11p. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-10470-z.
Boren,
Cindy. "With Football Players in Quarantine, Vanderbilt Considers Using a
Women's Soccer Player." Washington Post, 26 Nov. 2020, p. NA. Gale
In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/A642865481/OVIC?u=midlandstc&sid=OVIC&xid=7ecc65dc.
Drewes, Michael, Frank Daumann, and
Florian Follert. "Exploring the Sports Economic Impact of COVID-19 on
Professional Soccer." Soccer & Society, vol.22, 2021,
p.125-137. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14660970.2020.1802256.
Parnell, Daniel, et al. "COVID-19,
Networks and Sport." Managing Sport and Leisure, 2020.
DOI:10.1080/23750472.2020.1750100.
Peltier,
Elian, et al. "How French Soccer Surrendered the End of Its Season." New
York Times, 14 Jun 2020. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/A626560137/OVIC?u=midlandstc&sid=OVIC&xid=e5acf354.
Peterson,
Anne M. "Women's soccer in danger because of coronavirus: report." Globe
& Mail [Toronto, Canada], 12 Nov. 2020, p. B20. Gale In Context:
Opposing Viewpoints,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/A641279296/OVIC?u=midlandstc&sid=OVIC&xid=592d78d2.
Rittmeyer,
Brian. "Highlands Middle School soccer player tests positive for covid-19,
principal states." Valley News-Dispatch [Tarentum, PA],
23 Sept. 2020, p. NA. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A636190599/OVIC?u=midlandstc&sid=OVIC&xid=889700da.
Sarto, Fabio, et al. "Impact of
Potential Physiological Changes Due to COVID-19 Home Confinement on Athlete
Health Protection in Elite Sports: a Call for Awareness in Sports
Programming." Sports Medicine 50, May2020, p. 1417-1419.
link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s40279-020-01297-6.pdf.
Shiner,
Meredith. "The Infernal Logic of Professional Sports in a Pandemic." Gale
Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2021. Gale In Context:
Opposing Viewpoints,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/WQGNTC497584219/OVIC?u=midlandstc&sid=OVIC&xid=d5493973..
Originally published as "The Infernal Logic of Professional Sports in a
Pandemic," The New Republic, 23 July 2020.
Smith, Rory.
"Clubs Try to Prove They're Not Just Businesses." New York Times,
29 Mar. 2020, p. 5(L). Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A618810584/OVIC?u=midlandstc&sid=OVIC&xid=c0486282.
Smith, Rory.
"Soccer Is On Hold, but Its Business Carries On." New York Times,
18 Apr. 2020, p. B11(L). Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/A621146308/OVIC?u=midlandstc&sid=OVIC&xid=d96d488f.
Yomi,Kazeem. "Covid-19 Is
Robbing Young African Soccer Talent of Their Big-Time European Ambitions.
"Quartz Africa. 6 Dec 2020.
qz.com/africa/1936690/how-covid-19-is-affecting-young-african-soccer-talent.
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