A few more notes on issues which came up during conferences today:
(1) You will notice that, in the Introduction section of the Project IVB Checklist, you are asked to define key terms. In the introduction, the key terms which you should define are those terms which can be interpreted in several ways or which have vague definitions. (For example, the term "adolescent" is generally understood to mean a teenager. However, in various contexts, "adolescent" can refer to anyone between the ages of 11 and 19, or within the specific range of 13 to 16.) Defining key terms in the introduction allows you to specify how you are using those terms in your literature review and indicates that you know they can be defined differently. This is usually done by adding a phrase such as "within this context" or "for this study."
More specific key terms (usually related to discipline specific vocabulary) should be addressed as they appear in the body paragraphs.
(2) In class we have previously discussed how your body paragraphs should be divided according to the main topics in your synthesis matrix. For example, you may look at the physical effects, the mental effects, and the behavioral effects of violent video games on children. These will be your headings, and should be centered and bolded within your text.
However, if you choose to further divide your headings, these will be considered "sub-headings." If you decide to use sub-headings, please note that they should be bolded as well, but that they should be flush with the left margin. This indicates that they are headings-within-headings and are not themselves a separate main idea.
(3) Lastly, please note that in the sample literature review, particularly #4, the body paragraphs provide a very superficial level of analysis. While the information is synthesized (and synthesized correctly), there is not a lot of detail about the relationships being commented on. Remember that a literature review should be a combination of synthesis and summary (although priority should be given to synthesis). In some cases, you will need to expand your synthesis by summarizing some of the author's main points to reinforce the statement you have made. This is where the Annotated Bibliography comes in: that assignment asked you to summarize the main ideas which were relevant to your study and should prove useful in this instance.
A few additional notes regarding Project IVB:
(1) The title "References" on the corresponding page should be centered but NOT bolded. This follows the example on the Diana Hacker website.
(2) You do NOT need to have a separate section titled "Body" or "Results" in your literature review. Aside from the Introduction and Conclusion, your headings should be the main ideas of your synthesis matrix. (These headings should be centered and bolded.)
(3) Lastly, be sure to check the APA rules for referring to authors in your text. For example, if an article is written by 2 authors, you always refer to BOTH authors (i.e. Smith and Jones). If an article has 3-5 authors, you must refer to all of the authors the first time (i.e. Eccleston, Tennant, and Smith) but every time after the first, you need only use the lead author (i.e. Eccleston et al.). If an article has 6 or more authors, the authors are always referred to as the lead author et al (i.e. Noble et al.).
The phrase "et al" is Latin for "and others" and should only be used in instances where there are 3 or more authors.
Also--remember to avoid the construction of "the articles argue..." On the one hand, this is not possible; the author does the arguing, not the article. On the other hand, remember that the literature review is a conversation or dialogue. The emphasis should be on the authors.
Please note that individual conferences will take place Monday, April 25th and Tuesday, April 26 at my office on the catwalk. If you cannot make your appointment (or if you decide that you no longer need to come to your appointment) please let me know as soon as possible so your time slot can perhaps go to someone else.
Also, remember that Thursday's class will be an in-class drafting day. There will be no Peer Review for Project IVB. Since Easter was so late this year, the schedule was affected and I had to choose between the two.
With regards to Project IVB: please remember that the main thing I will be looking for is synthesis. In order to have a strong synthesis, think of your literature review as a report or a depiction of a conversation between the authors whose research you have read. Most of your sentences should start with an author's (or authors') name(s), should be followed by the year of publication of the article and a strong They Say/I Say verb, and end with a summary of their argument. (For example: Smith et al. (2008) argues that....Smith et al. (2008) further clarify this by saying....However, Jones et al. (2005) claim....Similarly, Grey and Shepherd (2000) believe that....) You must repeat the year every time you mention the authors -- this is a hallmark of APA writing. These authorial tags/signal phrases indicate and emphasize that you are reporting/summarizing someone else's research and not making your own argument. If you leave them off, the sentence technically indicates that you are making this claim, which should not be the case for a literature review.
The exception to this are the first and last sentences which should be sentences which summarize the entire section and which should be in your own words.
Lastly, please be aware that you should have a two-part (combined) title with a descriptive (hooking) part and an informative part. However, the informative part should have the phrase "Literature Review" in it. This tells your reader that your work is a review of the research and NOT an argument - a crucial difference.
Over Easter Break, please remember to set aside some time to work on Project IVB -- the literature review. For your body paragraphs, use your synthesis matrix! That is why you have it/completed it as a rough draft. If you listed your main ideas in the first box on the left-hand side and your sources/authors along the top, then the easiest thing to do is work your way horizontally across the columns.
The schedule for the week following Easter Break will be as follows:
Monday -- April 25th : Individual Conferences on the Catwalk -- Classes Canceled
Tuesday -- April 26th : Individual Conferences on the Catwalk -- Classes Canceled
Thursday -- April 28th : In-Class Drafting Day
Friday -- April 29th : Last day of classes; Project IVB Due
In-class: Cover letter, Uber-Quiz #4, & Journal Check
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me. I should have access to email throughout the weekend.
Have a fantastic break!
Remember that tomorrow's class will be an in-class work day. Aside from the journal prompt, you will have the duration of class to work on your synthesis matrix and/or your literature review as well as have the opportunity to ask me any questions.
Your synthesis matrix will be due at the end of class -- unless you have been granted an extension, I must have it in my hands before I walk out the door, or it will be considered late and you will lose a letter grade on Project IVB. Remember to include your research question at the top of the matrix. Also--the synthesis matrix does not have to be one page long -- it can be longer, particularly if you type it up. The more detailed your synthesis matrix is, the easier it will be to write your literature review.
Also--students in ENG 101-013: if you were unable to print out the checklist due to today's printer malfunction, please remember to bring your signed checklist to class tomorrow.
For Monday, the only assigned homework you have is to complete the Police Report Synthesis Activity which was started in class on Friday. You do not have to read a sample Literature Review for Monday's class.
Please remember that the final draft of the Annotated Bibliography is due at the beginning of class on Monday. Please remember to print out and attach the Project IVA Checklist, as well as sign the Honor Pledge at the bottom. Like Project III, this project is heavily-criteria based: in other words, the checklist identifies the items I will be looking for. If you have these items, your grade should be fine. If you do not have these items, your grade will reflect that. Also, please note that correct APA citation will count for a significant portion of your grade! (Check the entry below for common mistakes in APA formatting.)
Be aware that the Synthesis Matrix is due at the beginning of class on Tuesday, April 19th. Completing this matrix is a complementary activity to the completion of the Annotated Bibliography.
When you receive your APA homework back on Thursday, please be sure to check your citations against the samples.
SAMPLE:
Frazer, E. (1987). Teenage girls reading Jackie. Media, Culture and Society, 9,
407-425. doi: 10.1177/016344387009004003
Lee, L. (2005). Tackling technology's image problem among young girls. International
Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 25, 119-130. doi:
10.1108/01443330510791414
Tiggemann, M. (2006). Body image concerns in young girls: The role of peers and
media prior to adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 35, 135-145. doi:
10.1007/s10964-005-9020-7
The above entries reflect 100% correct APA formatting. Please note the following things:
(1) All of the entries above have a hanging indent. Only in CSE are the entire entries flush with the left margin.
(2) Notice that the author's first name is not given -- only their first initial. This constitutes one of the significant differences between APA and MLA.
(3) Notice that the title of the ARTICLE is not in quotes and only the first letter of the title and sub-title are capitalized. All other words -- except proper nouns -- are NOT capitalized.
(4) Notice that the title of the JOURNAL is in italics and only articles (the, a, an, and, of) are not capitalized.
(5) Notice that the volume number is in italics as well, and is NOT preceded by either "vol." or "volume number."
(6) Notice that the complete page range is given -- NOT just the starting page -- and that the page range is NOT preceded by "pp."
(7) Lastly, notice that the "doi" is preceded by the indicator "doi:" You MUST have these letters otherwise it just looks like you tacked on a random string of numbers to the end of the citation.