Identify a current discussion within the academic discipline of your major
Literature Review Final Paper
(40% of your final grade)
MY MAJOR: CIVIL/ STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING.
Assignment: Identify a current discussion within the academic discipline of your major, use research to gain expertise on the issue, and then write a review of the significant literature on this topic.
Research Question: For this assignment, Your research question is not a thesis statement; it is an open-ended question that you do not know the answer to. For example:
MY RESEARCH QUESTION: What are the benefits and drawbacks of using waterproofed rubber versus plastic in roofs?
Focused Research: After you have developed your research question, you will begin to educate yourself on your topic by doing more targeted research. Through your research, try to identify the most significant writing and research done on the topic of your research question.
Literature Review: After you identify the significant writing and research, you will synthesize your findings into a literature review. The purpose of this literature review is to familiarize your reader with all the most significant research done on your research question. For this paper, your reader is a third-year college student outside your major.
Your paper: Your paper will give a brief, general background of your research question, including as much context as is necessary for your reader to understand it. It will then give an overview of the literature you have researched, including quotes from the original sources. (In this section, you will use your skills in Rhetorical Analysis.) Finally, your paper will conclude with a section where you synthesizeyour findings into a broad overview of the topic in your own words. The structure of this section should be organized logically based on your findings.
Details: Your final paper is a standard, academic essay with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion; is a minimum of 1500 words; includes appropriate in-text and bibliographic citations, in MLA, APA or a citation style that is appropriate to your major; cites at least six credible sources (WHICH ARE WRITTEN BY EXPERTS IN THEIR FIELD); as a Word Document in Times New Roman, 12-point font, double spaced, with page numbers and your name and the class section on the first page.
Grading:
Followed Assignment Prompt 20% Did you follow the assignment? Did you discuss a current discussion in your field? Did you use at least six credible sources? Did you quote at least once from each of your sources? Did you include an introduction and conclusion, background info., a synthesis section, and citations?
Research 20% Are your six sources credible—written by experts in the field, include evidence or data, and appear in credible publications/websites free from bias? Are your sources good representations of the discussion in your field? Did you read your sources closely and rhetorically, and represent the authors’ arguments fairly?
Synthesis 20% Does your paper include a synthesis section? Does it refer to each of your sources at least once? Does it evaluate, compare, and contrast your sources in several different ways? Does it describe relationships between your sources?
Quotations/Paraphrase 20% Do you quote from your sources? Do you select useful quotations that fairly represent the primary arguments and points of the author? Are your quotations integrated seamlessly into the body of your paper using the I.C.E. method? Are your quotations accurate and verbatim from the original text, and enclosed in quotation marks?
Citations 10% Do you include correct in-text and bibliographic citations? Did you carefully follow the rules of your academic conventions (e.g. APA, MLA) including punctuation, italics, quotation marks, spacing, formatting (use hanging indent!) and block quotes?
Sentences, Paragraphs, Grammar, & Spelling 10% Did you put time into revising, editing, and correcting errors? Are your sentences strong and clear? Are your paragraphs well-structured, including topic sentences and transitions, and a summary sentence at the end when necessary? Is your paper understandable and easy to follow?
Answer preview to Identify a current discussion within the academic discipline of your major
APA
1620 words