Literature reviews bring together theories and results from a number of studies to describe the "big picture" of your area of research and provide the context for your research study. Your literature review should be a compelling narrative about the research trails you followed, how they build up to your study hypothesis, and why your research study is original and important.
Your Introduction and Literature Review should:
- Be more than a summary of the articles you read
- Begin with a "hook," a relatable experience that draws in the reader
- Bring together theories and results from a number of studies to provide background for your project and demonstrate how your research study hypothesis fits into this current research area
- Be a compelling narrative about how the articles you've read demonstrate a specific issue or problem and makes the case for why your research study is important for addressing that specific issue or problem
- End with an explicit statement about your study hypothesis
See Dr. Dykstra's guidelines and grading rubric below for further guidance:
