BIOL 338: Human Impact on the Environment (Professor Simokat)

BIOL 338 Human Impact on the Environment: Literature review 

A literature review is a descriptive summary of primary research on a topic from scholarly, peer reviewed journals. It informs readers of the significant knowledge and ideas that have been established on a topic. Its purpose is to compare, contrast and/or connect findings that were identified when reviewing researchers' work. Oftentimes, literature reviews are written to ground a study in a particular context of what is known about a subject in order to establish a foundation for further research.

The purpose of this assignment is to learn to (1) formulate a specific and achievable research question, (2) apply the knowledge that you've learned in class, (3) analyze information found in journal articles, and (4) synthesize new knowledge into a written small-scale literature review.

Assignment Description:

You will form a group of 3 to 5 members to complete a small-scale literature review on a solution to a human impact topic of your choice related to class.  General topics will be suggested in the Research Paper section of Cougar Courses, however you may also suggest a topic that is not listed there.  Please contact the instructor if you wish to suggest a new topic.

You are asked to include 6-10 journal articles on your topic and write a 2000-3000 word literature review on the articles you've selected.  Use APA formatting for in-text and full citations.  Submit paper as a Word doc or PDF only.  1 paper per group submitted on Cougar Courses. 

 Steps to complete your small-scale literature review:

1. Choose a topic related to class that you are interested in studying.
2. Formulate a specific, achievable question.
3. Using the CSUSM library, find related scholarly articles. Read the abstracts and skim the articles to determine if they correspond well to your topic and question.
4. Select 6-10 articles that are a good fit for your review. Read the articles thoroughly, and sort and classify them according to their findings.
5. Organize your articles into themes by sorting and classifying their findings in a meaningful way, always considering your original topic and inquiry question.
6. Write an outline for your small-scale literature review.
7. Write a first internal draft, then all group members review and make changes.
8. Incorporate those changes into a second internal draft and all group members review again.
9. When all group members agree, submit your final paper on Cougar Courses.

The structure of a literature review

A literature review should be structured like any other essay: it should have an introduction, a middle or main body, and a conclusion.

Introduction

The introduction should:

• define your topic and provide an appropriate context for reviewing the literature;
• present your research question;
• establish your reasons – i.e. point of view – for reviewing the literature;
• explain the organisation – i.e. sequence – of the review;
• state the scope of the review – i.e. what is included and what isn’t included. For example, if you were reviewing the literature on obesity in children you might say something like: There are a large number of studies of obesity trends in the general population. However, since the focus of this research is on obesity in children, these will not be reviewed in detail and will only be referred to as appropriate.

Main body

The middle or main body should:

• organise the literature according to common themes (there should be at least 2);
• provide insight into the relation between your chosen topic and the wider subject area e.g. between obesity in children and obesity in general;
• move from a general, wider view of the literature being reviewed to the specific focus of your research.

Conclusion

The conclusion should:

• summarise the important aspects of the existing body of literature;
• identify significant flaws or gaps in existing knowledge;
• outline areas for future study.

Works Cited should be at the end.

For full assignment guidelines, please consult Cougar Courses.