Literature Review and Research Design v1

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This section is where you take your proposal and expand it to create a solid foundation for data collection and analysis. This section consists of 4 elements.

1. Finalized topic, research question, and hypothesis: incorporate instructor feedback (if needed) to come up with your final research question/hypothesis.
2. 6 Scholarly sources with annotated bibliographies:  Use the sources from your Proposal (if they still apply/qualify) and bring in other sources with annotations. Use full APA citations and each AB must be between 150-175 words. These are sources that would give you the background of either the focus of your study or the methods you might use. No more than 2 articles can deal exclusively with research methods. See the APA, Scholarly Sources, and Annotated Bibliography workshop.  Books or edited volumes may only be used with PRIOR instructor permission (physical copies or complete pdfs required). You may use other sources as well, but they do not count toward your required references.
3. Narrative Literature Review. Take your annotated bibliographies and turn them into a narrative review. Take your annotations for your references and arrange then in paragraph form. Use the articles you have reviewed for your project to see how a literature review is formatted. Rather than 6 separate paragraphs, try reducing it to 3 and combining two related sources in one paragraph. PLEASE make sure you DO NOT just copy and paste your ABs, take the time to edit them down so they flow well. Make the case for the utility of each reference. The literature review is where you brief the reader on the topic so they can understand your study. Review the
4. Detailed research plan and design. Based on instructor feedback, refine your design and the methods you are using for your project. Use as much detail as possible in planning how you will execute your study. What is the rationale for doing whatever you are planning to do and how will it help you answer your RQ/hypothesis? Who are you going to interview and why are they a good interviewee? How many surveys are you planning to distribute and to who? See related Workshops for details. It is perfectly acceptable to replicate or modify a study from a journal article as long as you collect original data for it.
5. Definition of terms: This involves coming up with the definition of the terms of behaviors you are trying to describe. Do not simply define obvious terms (eg. student: a person enrolled in a class) or important terms simplistically (eg. Participant: someone who participates). Definitions should be operationalized - this means terms are defined as how you are using them in your study. Often, the literature will provide generally used or accepted terms and definitions. Use them but cite them. For example, how are you defining participation? That is, what are you observing that counts as participation?
6. Identify Categories: It is critical that you have a basic framework for understanding your data. This involves coming up with possible categories for the behavior you are trying to describe.  For example, how are you defining participation? What are the different ways students participate (asking questions, making comments, eye contact, note taking, etc). However, you must realize that these coding categories are PRELIMINARY – as you actually begin to do your research they will change and you will add more based on what you are finding.

Tips on how to Research and Write a Literature Review

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Common Errors in Literature and Research Design Submissions

Here are some common errors to avoid when submitting your Literature Review and Research Design.

• Completely changing your project RQ/hypothesis without checking in with the instructor first. Run any significant changes by me first.
• Failure to fix errors or issues flagged in your revised Proposal.
• Not enough scholarly sources, use of non-scholarly sources, or of non-compliant sources such as conference papers or textbooks. You may use these but they DO NOT count toward the 6 scholarly sources required.
• Useless definitions. For example, "a relationships is defined as people who you have relationships with" or defining common terms such as website or literature. Definitions of key terms should have some basis in the literature or other sources. Definitions should be operationalized - that is defined based on their function in the study. For example, "Relationship: any voluntary interpersonal association that is platonic (not romantic). This excludes blood relatives, relations due to marriage or legal adoption, and co-workers or school peers that are not interacted with outside of school or work respectively." Please note, this is just one possible definition for this term.
• Lack of detail in your coding scheme. You should have a draft of a coding table or chart that is detailed enough so I can help you refine it. Please do not simply copy and paste examples from workshops or example assignments; list some random elements of your study; or use vague generalizations.