Minor Assignment One Background Literature Review

What is a Literature Review? “It is not just a set of summaries or a descriptive list of material. It shows the reader what previous research has been done in your field, critiques previous methodology, and evaluates prior studies to show an information gap which your own research will fill.”
Adapted from Student Learning Centre, Academic Writing Guides. Background Literature Review (10%) Background Literature Review (10 marks) • This will become the ‘Introduction’ section of your final assignment • It should provide the background information needed to understand your study. •It should highlight the importance/significance of the health problem, the current state of knowledge, and the gaps in current knowledge leading logically to the research question. 
 •It should be concise, and should succinctly summarise and critically review the key papers. 
YOU MUST USE THE ASSIGNMENT ONE TEMPLATE. 
Length 
• Between 500-750 words 
 Background Literature Review: Structure and content This assignment will provide the background information needed to understand your study. It should highlight: • The importance/significance of the health/social problem – 1 paragraph 
 • Identify and describe a theoretical or conceptual frame that may be useful 
to guide data collection and/or interpret findings. – 1 paragraph 
 • Succinctly summarise the current state of knowledge and demonstrate 
critical appraisal of key papers – 1-2 paragraphs 
 • Provide a rationale and need for the research + highlight a gap in 
knowledge 
 • Leads logically to your research question and 3 hypotheses – 1 paragraph 
 Please look at the structure of the introduction of published journal articles for help with the structure of your Assignment. Paragraph 1 – Describing the health/social problem • What broader health/social problem will findings from your research potentially influence? 
 • E.g. nutrition behaviour influences risk of overweight and obesity. 
 • Prevalence of the problem in the population? 
 • Serious adverse health outcomes of the problem – highlights to the reader that the knowledge gained in your study could potentially improve the health of a population. 
 Paragraph 2 – Describing theory in the context of your research “Theories are formulated to explain, predict, and understand phenomena and, in many cases, to challenge and extend existing knowledge within the limits of critical bounding assumptions. The theoretical framework is the structure that can hold or support a theory of a research study. The theoretical framework introduces and describes the theory that explains why the research problem under study exists.” Abend, Gabriel. “The Meaning of Theory.” Sociological Theory 26 (June 2008): 173–199; Swanson, Richard A. Theory Building in Applied Disciplines. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers 2013. • Use tips in Instructional Video/readings/tutorial activities to locate appropriate theory. 
 • Define the theory. 
 • Describe HOW you will use it in your study. 
 Paragraph 3 & 4 – Summary of the Literature • Showcase the findings of your literature search 
 • Need to appraise the literature to assist in the 
 justification of your research • Consider the quality of individual articles (particularly study design choice; data collection and analysis techniques) 
 • Are there mixed findings across the literature, i.e. have studies had different findings? 
 • Is the data lacking specificity in terms of variables being investigated or the sample from which data is collected? 
 • Highlight gaps/weaknesses that your research will address. 
 Final Paragraph • Statement of the gaps in the literature/weaknesses in previous research. • Leads logically to the statement of Research Question and 3 Hypotheses. Checklist – Assignment 1
You should ensure that you have included all of the following information in your assignment. Title (does not have to be the research question) Overview of the Health problem Research Theory Review and critical analysis of the Research Literature Identified gaps in the literature Research Question Three Hypotheses 1.
2.
3. References (approx. 10) … The fine print • Submit on FLO by midnight, Sunday week 4, August 20 
 • All submissions will be checked using Turnitin text matching software. You 
 can check a draft of your assignment turnitin score on FLO before submission • All assignments should be submitted electronically via FLO 
 • Feedback on this assignment should be incorporated into the Final 
 Assignment • Feedback will be received by week 6 tutorial. 
 • -5% of your grade per day the assignment is late. 
 • Double space your work and use size 12 font. 
 • The word count of 500-750 is only a guide to ensure you will be ‘on track’ to 
 meet the word limit of the Final Assignment.
• Spelling and grammar should be carefully checked for accuracy. It should be • Don’t forget to submit your research journal with your assignment, one mark will be deducted from your grade if you do not submit or submit an inadequate journal. You can submit your journal electronically on FLO or provide a hard copy to your tutor in the week 4 tutorial. well structured so that information is presented logically and coherently Rubric for the Background Literature Review