RevisionFebruary 24th

Before We Get Started…

Neighbor Time! Get in a big circle and tell the class:

1. Your name

2. Your favorite superhero

3. Your literature review topic

4. 1 good thing you are getting out of the process of writing your 1.1

5. Your favorite city and 2 reasons why it is your favorite

6. The last person’s favorite superhero and 1 reason they like their favorite city (and name the city)

Why are we here? The literature review is good to understand,

even if you don’t plan on ever writing one again

Synthesizing the research is KEY and will help you write the argumentative paper

You have ALL this research done for the argumentative paper

The (pyramid) structure of this paper is a GREAT way to write any paper (we’ll get to this near the end of the prez today)

The 1.2 To complete this assignment, you will expand and revise the

first draft of your literature review, draft 1.1. Remember, your literature review must do more than just

summarize the information. A literature review discusses previously published

information about a particular topic or issue in order to accomplish the following: show readers what has been written about a topic, so that

they can understand a particular development of ideas concerning that topic

explain to readers why certain ideas or theories concerning a topic are being challenged or re-examined by researchers

help readers understand more about why a topic is being examined by a researcher in a particular way

The 1.2 Your review will discuss at least eight

sources, all of which must be located via the TTU library databases and online catalog.

Minimum word count: 1500 words

Format: MLA style for internal citations and works cited.

So… Did you write a research paper? Did you write an argumentative paper? Did you just summarize your sources? Did you choose sources only from one

author/authorial source?

You want this…According to Jenifer Tidwell, in Designing Interfaces, “everyone who uses a tool, software or otherwise, has a reason to use it” (Tidwell 3). Lowgren and Stolterman also recognize that “all design work results in a product of some kind” (Lowgren and Stolterman 1). Regardless of the reason, information availability needs to match desirability (Morville 44). Information also needs to be clearly defined in order to support productive and valued interfaces (Stibel 63). Peter Morville's Ambient Findability argues that information in digital realms needs to be as available as information in physical ones and people use similar behaviors to navigate both (Morville 30). Morville also addresses the large range of different users that interact with technology: “the significant (and growing) numbers of people with disabilities from those with limited vision to those suffering from Alzheimer's face greater wayfinding challenges and risks than most” (29). Jenkins et al. suggest that discerning between interaction and interface design is important, but this is the only text to separate and define the two. Lowgren and Stolterman attend to interaction design more than to interface design; placing emphasis on a user-centered design model in both interface and human-computer interaction and arguing that effective computer and web design practice focuses on interface interaction (Lowgren and Stolterman)

So you really want… A comparison of sources

Where are they the same? Where do they overlap? Where are they saying the same things?

A contrasting of sources Do any researchers say anything really unique? Is any of the research really strange, really good, or

really foundational (important to all)?

A synthesis of the sources What overlaps or individual characteristics of the

sources are fundamental to the topic? What themes or sub-themes are important to the topic?

You don’t want… Each paragraph only discussing 1 or 2

researchers An essay that supports one side of an

argument An essay that focuses on a topic instead of on

the sources published on that topic An extended BA4

The Introduction

Major Components Context

Why is this topic important? What is the context of this topic?

i.e. What is the contention surrounding this issue?

i.e. Why is this topic popular right now? With whom?

Why should we, the readers, care about this topic?

Lit Review Intro You can use 1-4 sentences to convey critical info in introduction Thesis:

e.g. A hot-button issue for many, the topic of childhood obesity has received a lot of attention recently and has seen a lot of research published, but with all of the material focusing on only three major issues: the effects of parenting and of entertainment media on childhood obesity, and the long-term effects of childhood obesity.

Scope: e.g. Specifically, the field of psychology has taken a particular interest

in the topic and is responsible for a majority of the new research coming out, investigating the causes and effects of childhood obesity.

Purpose: e.g. The purpose of this literature review is to highlight major themes and

discrepancies in the literature on childhood obesity published in the field of psychology over the past 11 years.

The Body Paragraphs

Basic Requirements1. >3 body paragraphs

2. A topic sentence for each paragraph

3. A closing sentence for each paragraph1. Relate back to topic sentence2. Transition to next topic

4. A sub-topic by sub-topic comparison of the research1. e.g. Researcher’s A, D, and E think that childhood obesity is a

direct result of poor parenting. While Researchers B and C feel that the quality of parenting is certainly an influence, they feel that poor parenting has little to no effect on childhood obesity while good parenting, on the other hand, has a significant effect. For Researcher F, poor parenting is not only a cause of childhood obesity, but actually made worse as a result of the child’s condition as the parent begins to…

The Conclusion

Lit Review Conc. Basically, intro in reverse

Readdress (but do not repeat verbatim) thesis, scope, and purpose

Instead of “context” add possible future Future research

Make a call for it! What kinds of research? Where is there a gap in the research?

Speculation on relationship between topic and field Influence? No influence? Is research from this particular field important to

continue? Does it have any effect on the issue?

Research Gap? A research gap is a theme that is not covered in the literature For example,

While the literature on childhood obesity discusses three very important issues—the effects of parenting and of entertainment media on childhood obesity, and the long-term effects of childhood obesity—it does not discuss anything about effects of parents’ habits on children. Considering the debate over whether nature is more or less influential on children than nurture, this seems like a good direction to take future research. Another potential research topic that is not covered in the literature in this review is the role of the school environment on childhood obesity: issues concerning school lunches, to vending machine choices, and even recess would certainly fall into this category. Since all children are required by law to attend school, and since most children spend a significant portion of their time at school, the effects of this environment on children’s eating habits is potentially significant.

Lastly…

Don’t forget MLA citations!!!!

Title Works Cited…yep, you got it…Works Cited

Order sources alphabetically Easybib.com is a great resource for making

Works Cited citations In-text citations are required. Don’t forget to

include these!

Useful Revision Tactics

First, Make sure your focus is on the literature and

major themes—aka “overlaps”—in the literature and NOT on the topic itself

Next, try a “known-new” strategy Then restructure or refine the structure of

your lit review: top-down or bottom-up Your literature should be built like a pyramid

with the thesis at the topic and the sub-themes building the base

Try this… Writing/revising each sentence with a

“known/new” strategy e.g. Researcher’s A, D, and E think that childhood

obesity is a direct result of poor parenting. While Researchers B and C feel that the quality of parenting is certainly an influence, they feel that poor parenting has little to no effect on childhood obesity [known] while good parenting, on the other hand, has a significant effect [new]. For Researcher F, poor parenting is not only a cause of childhood obesity [known], but actually made worse as a result of the child’s condition as the parent begins to [new]…

Another example:According to Jenifer Tidwell, in Designing Interfaces, “everyone who uses a tool, software or otherwise, has a reason to use it” (Tidwell 3). Lowgren and Stolterman also recognize that “all design work results in a product of some kind” (Lowgren and Stolterman 1). Regardless of the reason, information availability needs to match desirability (Morville 44). Information also needs to be clearly defned in order to support productive and valued interfaces (Stibel 63). Peter Morville's Ambient Findability argues that information in digital realms needs to be as available as information in physical ones and people use similar behaviors to navigate both (Morville 30). Morville also addresses the large range of different users that interact with technology: “the signifcant (and growing) numbers of people with disabilities from those with limited vision to those suffering from Alzheimer's face greater wayfnding challenges and risks than most” (29). Jenkins et al. suggest that discerning between interaction and interface design is important, but this is the only text to separate and defne the two. Lowgren and Stolterman attend to interaction design more than to interface design; placing emphasis on a user-centered design model in both interface and human-computer interaction and arguing that effective computer and web design practice focuses on interface interaction (Lowgren and Stolterman)

Stuck on Structure? There will be blood lots of rewriting Look at your BA4 and your in-text notes to

compare, contrast, and synthesize literature

You can work Top-Down

1. Come up with your thesis

2. Come up with your 2/3/4 themes (topic sentences)

3. Come up with at least 3 sub-themes for each primary theme

Or work Bottom-Up1. Group your various sub-themes

2. Find themes for each grouping (aim for 2-4)

3. (you may need to go back and find more sub-themes, remove a few possible, maybe even switch some from one group to another)

4. Construct your thesis topic around these themes

Quiz What is a “proposition”? What is one way to back up a proposition? What does the term “ideology” mean?

Intro to Argument http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=aFQFB5YpDZE