The significance and importance of your selected theory to communication scholars, practitioners, and/or the general public. Rationale also includes gaps in the research that the review of literature is suggesting needs to be addressed.

COM 207 Literature Review 100 points A literature review entails finding, reading, evaluating, and synthesizing current research on a specific theory or topic. You will use at least five academic journal articles in addition to the textbook. The articles used for this assignment must adhere to the guidelines explained in the course materials. Your literature review will focus on one specific theory covered in the course textbook. This assignment requires the following sections: 1) Introduction; 2) Theoretical Discussion; 3) Synthesis of Scholarship; and, 4) Conclusion. Each is detailed below. This assignment must be submitted through the Literature Review Safe Assignment link before midnight Arizona time on the due date. Technical problems or time zone differences do NOT excuse late submission. Emailed assignments cannot be accepted. 1. Introduction (no more than 1⁄2 -1 page) Establish the purpose and significance of your literature review. Include each of the following: Attention getter. Rationale: The significance and importance of your selected theory to communication scholars, practitioners, and/or the general public. Rationale also includes gaps in the research that the review of literature is suggesting needs to be addressed. Areas of research you will be investigating. Include the specific theory and the overall thesis or theme for the literature review. You thesis should be the overarching argument you are making for a future study (of which you are using the current literature as evidence) A structural preview of the forthcoming essay that outlines the various sections for the reader. Transition to the next section of the paper. 2. Theoretical Discussion (1 – 1 1⁄2 pages) Provide a brief description of the theory as well as its relevant terms and concepts. Include each of the following: Accurately note the paradigmatic assumptions of the theory – in other words, does the theory attempt to predict and explain (objective), describe and interpret (interpretive), or uncover unjust communication practices (critical). Outline the primary assumption of the theory Outline the key terms/topics that the theory seeks to explain or describe that are relevant to your review of the research that will follow Specifically connect the theory’s primary assumption to the topic of the research you are reviewing. For example, one of the key topics that might drive a review of literature on social penetration is self-disclosure. After defining how the theory outlines self- disclosure above, here you would indicate to the reader the specific way self-disclosure is taken up in the literature you are reviewing and how you will be using that literature to indicate to your reader what still needs to be studied about self-disclosure through your treatment of the literature Make sure to draw on the textbook for this section of your paper. You will reference the specific chapter on your theory as well as explanations of the applicable paradigm as described in chapters 1-3. All of the information required for this section is clearly explained in the textbook. 3. Synthesis of Scholarship (2-3 pages) This is the body of your paper.

The purpose of this section is to not only summarize what is known about the research you are using. It must also synthesize the research. Synthesizing research means putting together the studies you use and explaining how the studies relate to each other. This is extremely important and requires you choose an organizational pattern around which you will organize the research. This is also accomplished by focusing on a specific topic explored by the research and then using the research as evidence for how that topic has been explored by a theory and arguing for how it still needs to be studied based on what is, and is not currently in the literature under review. This section will also provide evidence for your evaluation of the theory and suggestions for future research you will suggest in the conclusion. Introduce the synthesis section by explaining the organizational scheme you are using and why it is appropriate for the topic. A good organizational scheme provides the framework to write a coherent explanation of the literature review, leads to helpful transitions between studies, and clearly shows relationships between the different studies. DO NOT simply list one article after another without connecting them together. Doing so will result in a low grade for this part of the assignment. There should be citations from at least two different studies in each paragraph. Structure this section so studies are presented in an organized and coherent manner. DO NOT copy and paste the sections in your annotated bibliography. Use one of these organizing schemes and explain why it is appropriate for your topic: Chronological: organized by historical progression in terms of time and how the progression of the theory/research has evolved. Problem-cause-solution: organized so that the review moves from a problem to a cause to a solution. General-to-specific: examines broad-based research first then focuses on specific studies that relate to topic. Known-to-unknown: examines current literature about problem then identifies at the end what is still not known. Comparison-and-contrast: shows how research studies are similar to and different from one another. Specific-to-general: tries to make sense out of specific research studies so general conclusions can be drawn. Synthesizing research means explaining commonalities and differences between the articles you have chosen. Amongst other things, consider the variables the studies investigated in quantitative research; consider the aspects of communication (for instance which dialectics) are being studied in qualitative research. For rhetorical research consider the kinds of texts being studied. In all cases consider the communication setting, the kinds of communication being discussed, and the methods used. Also consider how some studies address gaps left in other studies. In short, describe and explain how the different studies relate to each other. Each article will have several things in common: they all use one theory, they all frame an empirical research study, and they all investigate a phenomenon appropriate for that given theory. A good synthesis moves beyond these common connections to engage how a particular topic is treated by a theory and how that topic has changed over time (chronological), how it is generally understood and then how it is specifically examined in a particular way (general to specific), or how it is understood similarly or differently in the research (compare and contrast). 4. Conclusion (no more than 1 page) The conclusion should include all of the following information: Evaluate the studies you reviewed by explaining their strengths and limitations. Suggest directions for future research. This should have guided your review of literature – in other words, the synthesis should have used the literature as evidence for the study you propose here as a direction for future research. Suggestions for future research might include new topics, different theoretical frameworks, difference populations or texts to study. Close the paper with a concluding statement. The best concluding statements will clearly connect with your introduction. Important Considerations: It is your responsibility to fully, honestly, and accurately reference all sources used as both intext citations and a complete reference list. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism. If you have questions about how to cite references either on your references page or in the body of your paper, please refer to your APA manual or the OWL@Purdue web-site. Mechanical requirements • APA format At least five references to research articles The textbook must also be used, cited, and properly referenced All references to research articles must be from legitimate sources as described in the course materials At least four of the five references must be from communication journals Formal style. Do not use contractions, colloquialisms (slang), or gender biased language Free of grammar, spelling, or syntax errors. Please proofread! Section headings Transitions between sections Coversheet with paper title, student name, institution, running head Numbered pages 6 full pages in length – not counting cover page & references Typed, double spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font, 1” margins Literature Review Grading Rubric: 100 points Introduction Theoretical Discussion Synthesis of Scholarship Conclusion APA Citations, References and Formatting 10 points 30 points 40 points 10 points 10 points.

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