Research Paper Rationale

You are limited to using ONLY 5 direct quotations in this paper. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.(BOOK CURRENTLY USING IN COURSE TO REFERENCE)).

Avoid recording direct quotations from the journal articles.

Instead, paraphrase and summarize ideas from original sources in your own words – explain these ideas in plain language. Investigating communication: An introduction to research methods (2nd edition).

On the other hand, make sure that you incorporate enough evidence from reviewed literature to create a strong argument for exploring your research question or hypothesis (from at least 10 journals articles, with a minimum of seven articles from communication journals).

The key to writing a good literature review is synthesis.

The following questions may help to guide your reading and organization process: 1.

Which research articles come to similar conclusions? Which research articles disagree with one another or have contradictory findings? Are certain theories consistently used to frame studies on the topic? How could further research add to previous research accomplished on this topic?A written review of current scholarly literature on a topic begins generally (often with a theory or theoretical perspective), and gradually becomes more and more specific until you propose your specific research question or hypothesis.You will incorporate all relevant theories and previous research findings into your review.Then, read relevant, primary sources (peer-reviewed research studies and articles published in scholarly journals, NOT in books, popular media, and web-based articles- ) on your topic and related issues.Make notes as you read that identify key ideas, variables, and definitions.A review of literature should represent a synthesis of existing theory and research studies that argues for the need to explore a research question or hypothesis.The process of constructing a literature review acquaints the researcher with scholarly thought and studies already accomplished in a particular area, and allows the researcher to build on and extend the existing knowledge by identifying a need for further research.Remember that this should serve as an argument creating the need to explore your research question or hypothesis.Please do not incorporate information in your literature review that does not deal directly with your research question or hypothesis.Briefly describe the structure/elements of the literature review section, the method section, and the conclusion/limitations section (see below).INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE LITERATURE REVIEW SECTION (4-6 pages) The primary purpose of a literature review is to provide a rationale for a proposed research question or hypothesis.