The final assignment of the semester is to write a 4-5 page review of the scholarly literature on your research topic. The final paper builds on earlier assignments in that it includes an introduction of your research topic and question, and the annotated bibliography. This time, you will add a section of the paper describing important features of the scholarly research, and a conclusion. Remember, the purpose of the literature review is to summarize how researchers have studied the topic and what they learned in conducting their research. In other words, it’s a review of our existing knowledge on a certain topic. To do this, first go back to the summaries you wrote about the different sources you found. Look for patterns and themes across them. Find more sources and summarize them, if necessary. There's no one correct way to write a literature review. They cover the key features and findings so it depends on what those are. Here are some of the aspects of research typically covered in a literature review: Rationale/Significance - Why do researchers study the topic? How much research exists on the topic? How long have researchers been studying the topic? Defining key concepts - How do researchers define the topic, or key variables? Do they agree on one definition or do they use different ones? Questions - Which questions do researchers ask about the topic? Are some questions more popular than others? Which questions have they devoted less attention to? Methods - How do researchers investigate the topic? Do they tend to adopt qualitative or quantitative research methods? Which data do they use? Which populations do they study? How large or small are the samples they select? Findings/Results - What answers do researchers find to their question? What have they learned? Is there agreement among researchers or do their findings differ? Conclusions - What conclusions do researchers draw from their findings? Do they agree or disagree? What's still missing? In the final paper, make sure to include the following elements, in this order: Title page Introduction of your topic and question (revised again) Body of the essay = Paragraphs covering 3 aspects of the research Conclusion Annotated bibliography (in ASA format) The final paper should also include: Pagination (the body of the paper should be 4-5 pages, not including title page or bibliography) Appropriate use and citation of sources within the text Clarity of points and correct spelling/grammar Full bibliographic citations in ASA format