Literature Review Assignment-

Purpose of Assignment:

The purpose of this assignment is for you to (a) synthesize disciplinary knowledge regarding a topic of interpersonal communication research, (b) effectively write your synthesis in the style of the discipline, and (c) speak to future directions that research regarding your topic might take.

Requirements:

Using 5 to 7 peer reviewed scholarly communication articles you will prepare a written synthesis of the research. By scholarly, I mean that the articles should come from published peerreviewed journals, not magazines, newspapers, conference papers, dissertations/thesis, or books. If you have any questions about whether your sources are appropriate, please ask me.

You will organize your paper with an introduction, body, and conclusion. See below for specific details about each requirement for this assignment.

1. In your introduction, establish the focus of your research; include:

• A brief explanation, description, and/or definition of the topic
• Offer a rationale for focusing on the topic - why is this important to study?
• State a thesis regarding your reading of "the literature" (i.e., what's the bottom line)
• Preview what will follow (main ideas that support the thesis and make clear what is going on in the research literature)
• Your introduction should help your audience feel interested in the topic.

2. In the body of your paper, support your thesis with main ideas that summarize the research regarding your topic. This is the heart of your paper and you should select an organizational framework suited to your topic (e.g., topical, chronological).

• Your main points should make specific claims about what different aspects of the literature are telling us and offer explanations of research to elaborate those claims.

3. In your conclusion,

• Review what is known about the topic
• Discuss the limitations of existing research (i.e., What problems exist in our knowledge of the topic?)
• Suggest possible future directions for research (i.e., What areas or questions need to be examined in future research?)
• Propose a research question based on your review
• Provide general closure.

4. Your writing should be free of misspellings and grammatical errors. Refer to handout on Canvas titled, "Common Grammar Mistakes."

5. Fully adhere to APA style (this includes a title page, reference list, and proper APA in-text format/citations).

• Refer to the APA resources posted on Canvas, as well as the handout titled "Basics of APA Style." Remember, you will be graded based on your ability to follow APA standards.