Scientific Review Paper

Suggested Outline
Introduction
Literature Review
A literature review may consist of simple a summary of key sources, but it usually has an organizational pattern and combines both summary and synthesis, often within specific conceptual categories. A summary is a recap of the important information of the source, but a synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information in a way that informs how you are planning to investigate a research problem.
The analytical features of a literature review might:
Give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old interpretations,
Trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates,
Depending on the situation, evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the most pertinent or relevant,
Usually in the conclusion of a literature review, identify where gaps exist in how a problem has been researched to date.
The purpose of a literature review is to:
Place each work in the context of its contribution to the understanding of the research problem being studied,
Describe the relationship of each work to the others under consideration,
Identify new ways to interpret, and shed light on any gaps in previous research,
Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory previous studies,
Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort,
Point the way in fulfilling a need for additional research, and
Locate your own research within the context of existing literature.
III. Analysis
Questions to Consider:
Does the author go beyond summarizing the studies? Is there evidence of analysis and critique of individual studies?
Is there evidence of analysis and synthesis across the studies? Are the messages that emerge from the literature made evident? (This may involve comparing results, identifying differences among a number of studies). I
Are the gaps, problems, or issues unresolved by the literature clearly identified?
Does the author provide evidence to support the arguments, analysis, and criticism being made? Is the evidence sufficient and convincing?
Is the author’s voice separate and distinct from that of the authors they are summarizing, critiquing, and reviewing?
Results
In general, the content of your results section should include the following elements:
An introductory context for understanding the results by restating the research problem underpinning the purpose of your study.
A summary of your key findings arranged in a logical sequence that generally follows your methodology section.
Inclusion of non-textual elements, such as, figures, charts, photos, maps, tables, etc. to further illustrate the findings, if appropriate.
In the text, a systematic description of your results, highlighting for the reader observations that are most relevant to the topic under investigation [remember that not all results that emerge from the methodology that you used to gather the data may be relevant].
Use of the past tense when referring to your results. The page length of your results section is guided by the amount and types of data to be reported. However, focus only on findings that are important and related to addressing the research problem.
Discussion
The function of the Discussion is to interpret your results in light of what was already known about the subject of the investigation, and to explain our new understanding of the problem after taking your results into consideration. The Discussion will always connect to the Introduction by way of the question(s) or hypotheses you posed and the literature you cited, but it does not simply repeat or rearrange the Introduction. Instead, it tells how your study has moved us forward from the place you left us at the end of the Introduction.
Fundamental questions to answer here include:
Do your results provide answers to your testable hypotheses? If so, how do you interpret your findings?
Do your findings agree with what others have shown? If not, do they suggest an alternative explanation or perhaps an unforeseen design flaw in your experiment (or theirs?)
Given your conclusions, what is our new understanding of the problem you investigated and outlined in the Introduction?
If warranted, what would be the next step in the study?
Conclusion(s)
VI References
APA Format or MLA Format
Need 6 references
General Rules for Research Paper
Times Roman 12 Font
Line Spacing Double
Normal Margin Layout
Write in third person (not me, you)
Past tense

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