Synthesis in a Systematic Literature Review
As you have identified through this course, a literature review is a unique form of academic writing with a specific and important function relative to a capstone research study. The literature review is contained within a full chapter of the dissertation research proposal and can be one of the most demanding and time-consuming aspects of the dissertation study. Yet mastery of the synthesis skills necessary to a quality literature review can make this a less daunting endeavor.
In this week’s Signature Assignment, you will demonstrate all you have gained in this course through your ability to select and organize 15 current and relevant research articles aligned with your specific research focus. Sources are organized in groups known as themes and categorized based on similarities or contrasted by divergent viewpoints. These categories are referred to as a research theme in the dissertation proposal template and serve as subsection headings for the literature review.
Be sure to review this week’s resources carefully. You are expected to apply the information from these resources when you prepare your assignment.
Resources
On the attributes of a critical literature review
Saunders, M. N. K., & Rojon, C. (2011). On the attributes of a critical literature review. Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice, 4(2), 156–162. https://doi.org/10.1080/17521882.2011.596485
Assignment
Before starting the final assignment, be sure you have sourced at least 15 empirical, theoretical, or conceptual articles that are either seminal resources or published within the past 10 years. For this final, you will present a coherent review of each article and synthesize a collective discussion of the sources under coherent research theme headings.
If you retain the same research focus for your capstone prospectus, this assignment may serve as an initial draft of one section of the literature review in your capstone research proposal. Remember from Week 4 that you first need to review the source for the categories noted in your literature review matrix/table. Then, complete the review of each source as you situate the source within the context of the additional sources grouped within your discussion.
For this assignment, your final submission should ensure the following criteria are met:
- Review and synthesize 15 research articles from peer-reviewed scholarly sources with at least 11 sources being empirical articles and no more than 4 sources from the theoretical literature and other forms of non-peer-reviewed grey literature, which may include organizational research reports, governmental analyses, etc.
- An appendix to the assignment that demonstrates the academic databases searched to source the 15 research articles used within the assignment. This appendix will be constructed from the matrix/table begun in Weeks 4 that notes the source and respective academic database or library from which it was sourced.
- The assignment must reflect graduate-level scholarly writing and appropriate APA style. Be sure to adhere to SUU’s Academic Integrity Policy.
Length: 7-10 pages of synthesized literature review (not including title page or references) with 1 matrix/table as an appendix to the literature review
References: A full reference list with at least 15 sources in APA style
Your paper with appendix that includes the matrix/table should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts presented in the course and provide new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards. Be sure to adhere to SUU’s Academic Integrity Policy.
Hayden Coombs 