Research Brief
Guidelines
You will write a research brief that
addresses some type of communication issue. This brief will include
an introduction that makes a case for why the topic is important and a review
of the relevant literature on the topic. You will conclude the brief by
summarizing what is known about the topic based on your review.
The introduction should
take the form of a clear argument that identifies who will be
able to use the findings from your research brief and how. This
section should include citations to evidence to support your argument. The
introduction should also include a clear statement of purpose that identifies
the specific area of research literature that will be reviewed in your brief.
Evidence cited in the introduction can come from a variety of sources; you do
not need to restrict yourself to just primary research studies.
The literature review should
contain the most relevant literature based on the stated purpose of the brief.
You must review at least 12 primary research studies. Eight of
the studies must come from peer-reviewed journals; the remaining studies may
come from other sources as long as they are primary research studies (report
original data and include information about research method and procedures).
The studies selected for the review should be clearly related to the stated
purpose of the brief. You should create conceptual subtopics within your review
by clustering together studies that report findings that address similar
concepts. Please use headings to organize your paper into subtopics.
When writing about a study, make sure to
focus on the actual findings that are most relevant to your purpose. Include
just basic information about the study’s method to help the reader understand
the nature of the evidence being reported. Avoid summarizing other portions of
the article, such as the authors’ introduction, literature review, or
discussion section. Your task is to extract relevant data from the study’s
findings, organize it, and make meaning of it in your own, unique way based on
the specific purpose you have for reviewing the literature.
The
brief should end with a conclusion that summarizes the major
findings of the brief. An effective summary will concisely recap for the reader
what is known about the topic.