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CONF 490 - RS: Integration

This guide supports the research needs for students completing their capstone project in CONF 490.

Literature Review Resources

A literature review is an analysis of the ongoing conversation on a topic, question, or issue. A strong literature review organizes existing contributions to a conversation into categories or "threads." For each category or thread, a literature review might highlight particularly interesting books or articles, then briefly cite or mention other instances

What is a Literature Review?

A literature review answers questions like:

  • What is the current state of the literature/research on your topic?
  • What are the major contributions to the study of your topic? What do they say?
  • What are the "threads," themes, or categories in the conversations about your topic? Do you find any of these particularly valuable? Why?
  • What are the major disagreements or debates on this topic? Are there any areas of consensus?
  • Do you see anything missing or otherwise problematic in the literature?

 

Recommended reading: Jeffrey W. Knopf (2006). Doing a Literature Review. PS: Political Science & Politics, 39 (01):127-132. doi: 10.1017/S1049096506060264