Dr. Dean Taciuch
George Mason University
Spring 2008
English 302: N12 & N13
Literature Review
As part of the research project for this course, you will write a literature
review including 5-10 sources gathered from the GMU library databases. (If
your topic is suffieciently narrow, that will be much of the available research).
Most of these sources should be scholarly studies of the topic you wish to
address in your research paper.
The literature review should be 5-7 pages, doublespaced. The review should
have three sections:
- Introduction: Brief overview of the issue and of the published research.
The introduction needs to have a thesis – a statement about the
current research situation. The introduction should also outline the main
lines of research you will present in the body of the review.
- Body: Detailed discussion of the main lines of research. The body should
be organized thematically, not by source. (A source-by-source
discussion is a narrative bibliography)
- Conclusion: Summary of the current research situation, including gaps
or weaknesses in the current research.
Once you have completed this overview of the published research, you will
be prepared to write your research proposal.
Resource:
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/literature_review.html