Two-Part Assignment: Please take a look at the directions.
Writer’s Journal: Literature Review Analysis Due Oct 19, 2025
Purpose
This assignment is intended to help you learn to do the following:
· Analyze contributions of a literature review.
· Reflect on the disparity between current research primer and future literature review.
Overview
In this course, you will go back to the Writer’s Journal you created in ENG 8010 and build on that same document. As you remember, this is a place to keep notes, tools, and resources relevant to your own doctoral studies. You will have several assignments that indicate items you should add to your Writer’s Journal. However, you may also add anything that you find to be useful and want to maintain in one place.
Select a literature review
For this assignment, you will need to identify 2-3 significant literature reviews in your field. Select one of these to analyze. In your analysis, you will consider the form and genre of the literature review and discuss what the literature review accomplishes.
Analyze the literature review
Consider the following questions in your analysis:
·
Purpose: What is the primary purpose of the literature review you are analyzing? Does it aim to provide a comprehensive overview, identify gaps, build a theoretical framework, or something else? How effectively does the review achieve this purpose within the scope defined by the author(s)?
·
Genre and Structure: Examine the genre of the literature review. Is it systematic, narrative, integrative, or a meta-analysis? How does the chosen genre influence the structure and presentation of the review? Discuss how the structure (e.g., introduction, thematic sections, conclusion) supports the overall objectives of the review.
·
Context in the Field: How does the literature review engage with the existing body of work in the field? Does it critically evaluate previous research, highlight methodological strengths and weaknesses, or synthesize findings to draw new conclusions? Provide specific examples from the text to support your analysis.
·
Thematic Coherence and Integration: Analyze how the literature review organizes and integrates various themes and topics within the field. Does it present a coherent narrative that logically connects different studies and findings? Discuss the effectiveness of the thematic organization in contributing to the review’s goals.
·
Implications and Contributions: What does the literature review accomplish in terms of advancing knowledge in the field? Does it identify key trends, propose new research questions, or suggest practical applications? Evaluate the significance of the review’s contributions and discuss how it positions itself within the broader academic discourse.
Compare the literature review to your Research Area Primer
Reflect on how the literature review is different than what you have written so far in your Research Area Primer. Consider the elements you analyzed above: purpose, genre and structure, context in the field, thematic coherence and integration, implications and contributions.
Action Items
1. Locate your Writer’s Journal and Research Area Primer from ENG8010. You may have saved them in your personal OneDrive or another location on your device.
2. Create your journal entry, responding to the prompts listed in the Overview.
3. Submit the completed first draft of your assignment. Your work will automatically be checked by Turnitin.
Discussion: Research Area Primer to Literature Review Due October 23
Purpose
This assignment is intended to help you learn to do the following:
· Refine and revise research questions.
· Identify strategies to develop a literature review.
Overview
In this assignment, you will consider whether you want to revise your research question, based on the work you have done so far on your Research Area Primer. You will also think about what steps you need to take to move from your current Research Area Primer to a full literature review. You might look back at your
Writer’s Journal: Literature Review Analysis assignment to review your analysis of the differences between your Research Area Primer and a full literature review.
Action Items
1. Read the
Discussion Guidelines.
2. By the due date indicated, create your initial post. Respond to the following prompts:
· Do I want to shift direction or change my research question? Why? What should my research question be?
· What do I need to do to get from where I am now to a full literature review?
