introduction and literature review 5
Introduction and Literature Review
This week’s Assignment will require you to develop an introduction and abbreviated literature review on the issue for which you developed a problem statement in Unit 2. You will incorporate your problem statement into this Assignment, adding an introduction and the literature review.
Your literature review should include review of a minimum of five (5) prior research studies on your specific topic and include a range of sources from different peer-reviewed journals and credible resources.
A literature review is not an annotated bibliography; it is a synthesis of information around ideas and concepts related to a single topic (in this case, the problem statement for your Applied Research Proposal).
Write a 1,250–1,750-word Introduction and Literature Review that includes: (The high rate of incarceration in the U.S)
- Introduction should be between 2–3 pages long and include the following:
- An introductory paragraph identifying the topic;
- The problem statement – revised as necessary following feedback from your professor on the Unit 2 Assignment;
- The key concepts associated with your research (for example, if studying whether transferring youths to adult court is effective, the primary concepts that you would need to define to study the problem would be “youths,†“transfer to adult court,†and what is meant by “effectiveâ€);
- A discussion of the theoretical considerations or assumptions relevant to the issue (e.g., social learning theory claims XYZ about peer relationships and delinquency);
- The research hypothesis or hypotheses that the proposed study will test;
- The general approach to the research (e.g., survey research, field research, secondary data analysis, program evaluation, etc.); and,
- The overall goal of the research (e.g., improving juvenile justice programs, saving money, reducing crime, etc.).
- Literature Review should be between 3–4 pages long and include a summary of at least five prior research studies on the issue you are proposing to study. The literature review should:
- Discuss the specific results or findings from each study reviewed;
- Address each study individually, as well as in comparison to the other studies reviewed;
- Point out trends you see in the literature;
- Synthesize your review into a summary of what is known and what is not known from the research that has been conducted on your topic;
- Identify any areas of controversy in the literature; and
- Formulate questions that remain to be studied in future research. Review the Discussion and Conclusion sections of most scholarly articles – the authors will identify way to improve and/or expand research on the particular issue. Using this information is a good way to develop unique research ideas.