Literature Review

Here are the instructions from you assignment sheet for the literature review paper.

In this section of the assignment, you will compose a 5-6 page paper known as a literature review in which you discuss, in essay form, the problem you have researched. Why is it a problem? What is its history? What are the dimensions of the problem? What solutions have been proposed, have they been tried, and how successful have they been? What have been the criticisms of the solutions proposed?  In this essay, you do not need to argue for any of the solutions offered. The idea is to synthesize the literature about the problem to provide an overview of the problem and the solutions that have been offered so far.

Here us the most important thing to remember about the literature review paper: You are not making an argument for a particular solution, you are not arguing right and wrong, or anything like this. This paper should avoid being evaluative. Instead, you should think of this as something of a definition paper. The point of this paper is show that there is a problem and to show that the literature in your field has become to describe and think aboout the problem. This paper is an overview of the problem according to other writers in your field.

You might look at this video, produced for a class at San Jose State University to explain the literature review paper.

Ultimately, the point of the literature review paper is to show that you have a deep understanding of the problem you are researching and that you have done the research to understand the problem from many perspectives.

This paper should seem open-minded and informational.