Instructions:
You will submit a final written copy of your CURE Literature Review and Project Proposal. You have worked on this research project throughout the semester and now have all the parts that can be compiled into one deliverable report. Using the previous CURE assignments, compile a final report that includes the following sections: 1.) Introduction (includes description, background, gap in the research, and research question(s)/hypothesis), 2.) Proposed Data/Methods, 3.) Expected Results and Benefits, 4.) Conclusion. The final report also includes visual aids, use of reliable sources, references of sourced annotations, and is organized and clearly written.
Final deliverable should be:
- 6 to 12 pages double-spaced
- Normal margins
- 12 point font
- Essentials: Title, (actively participating) authors’ names, APA formatting, and citations.
- Include images and figures that help with the context of the review. Make sure to cite and caption. Images and figures do not count toward the required page numbers.
- Use at least three reliable sources per person in group.
- APA citations
- Include in-text citations and bibliography
For this assignment, you will create a final research proposal with a proposal of methods to address your group’s established topic. This final product includes a literature review introducing the topic (use the sources from your annotated bibliography and other relevant, reliable sources), then a Description, Background, Gap, and Hypothesis or Research Question (see the Framing Funnel worksheet and your submitted Draft Research Proposal). Establish a proposed methodologies section (a description of what data, tests, steps, and approaches to address your research question based on what others have done before); you may want to break this section down into a data section and methods actions. Lastly, you will include a short description of the expected benefits of your proposed research using your proposed methods.
Summary of expected deliverables: Research proposal that includes a literature review, with a proposed methods section and expected results section.
What is a Literature Review?
A literature review is an integrated analysis– not just a summary– of scholarly writings related directly to your research question. That is, it represents the literature that provides background information on your topic and shows a correspondence between those writings and your research question.
Your literature review should include/ address the following criteria based on your established research question/topic.
- Explains the background of research on a topic.
- Discussion of why the topic is significant to earth science.
- Addresses relationships between research studies/ideas (the sources collected for and from your annotated bibliography).
- Identifies major themes, concepts, and researchers on a topic.
- Identifies critical gaps and points of disagreement.
- Discusses further research questions that logically come out of the previous studies.
How to address the above criteria and analyze your research topic:
- What was the research question of the study you are reviewing?
- What were the authors trying to discover?
- Was the research funded by a source that could influence the findings?
- What were the research methodologies? Analyze its literature review, the samples and variables used, the results, and the conclusions.
- Does the research seem to be complete? Could it have been conducted more soundly? What further questions does it raise?
- If there are conflicting studies, why do you think that is? How are the authors viewed in the field? Has this study been cited?; if so, how has it been analyzed?