The Structure of the Literature Review and Helping the AP Reader

Summary

This video guides students on how to write an effective literature review for their AP Research paper. The focus is on structuring the review with clear, focused subheadings and using rubric language to highlight the significance of the research. The presenter emphasizes starting with an introduction that narrows the topic and provides essential background information. The review should then connect scholarly sources, demonstrating their relationships and addressing gaps in the existing research. Finally, the review should highlight the unique gap the student's research addresses, helping to position the paper for success and a high grade.

Takeaways

• 😀 Focus on the reader's experience when writing your literature review, not just the writer's goal of completing the task.
• 😀 Start with a clear introduction that sets the boundaries of your research and provides necessary background information.
• 😀 Use specific language to narrow the focus of your topic, such as specifying the community or particular impacts you're studying.
• 😀 Incorporate subheadings to organize your literature review, which helps the reader follow the structure and transitions between ideas.
• 😀 Subheadings act as signposts, guiding the reader through different sections and making the paper easier to navigate.
• 😀 When discussing existing research, group similar sources together under relevant subheadings to clarify their relationships.
• 😀 Explicitly connect your research to relevant scholarly works, showing how they agree, disagree, or build on each other.
• 😀 Identify gaps in the existing literature and explain how your research addresses those gaps.
• 😀 Use clear and direct language to highlight key points, particularly when discussing gaps in the literature.
• 😀 Conclude your literature review by emphasizing how your research fills an important gap in the field.
• 😀 A well-structured literature review that clearly outlines the background, connections, and gaps in existing research will increase your chances of a high score.

Q & A

What is the main goal of the literature review in an AP research paper?

The main goal is to clearly present background information on the topic, explain the relationship between existing scholarly works, and identify the gaps in the research that the student aims to address in their own study.

How should writers think about the writing process when creating a literature review?

Writers should focus on the reader's experience, not just on what the writer needs to do to complete the paper. They should aim to help the reader understand the topic and the connections between different pieces of research.

Why is it important to narrow down the topic of inquiry in the introduction?

Narrowing the topic helps to clearly define the scope of the research, making it easier for the reader to understand what the paper is about and why it's important. It ensures that the research is focused and relevant.

What role do subheadings play in the literature review?

Subheadings act as signposts, guiding the reader through different sections of the paper. They help to organize the content logically, making it clear when the focus shifts from one idea to another, and they provide clarity on how various scholarly works are related.

What is meant by a 'gap' in research, and why is it important to identify it?

A gap in research refers to an area that has not been fully explored or addressed by previous studies. Identifying this gap is crucial because it justifies the need for the student’s research and demonstrates its contribution to advancing knowledge in the field.

How can a literature review help a student earn a high score on their AP research paper?

By clearly organizing the review, connecting the topic to relevant scholarly works, and logically explaining how the research addresses a gap, the student can demonstrate their ability to analyze existing research and contribute to the academic conversation, which aligns with the rubric’s criteria for a high score.

What is the recommended approach for structuring a literature review?

The literature review should be structured with clear subheadings that group related sources together. Each section should focus on a specific aspect of the topic, such as historical background, impacts, or economic factors, and explain how each source contributes to the understanding of the topic.

How does the use of subheadings improve the readability of a literature review?

Subheadings break the content into manageable sections, making it easier for the reader to follow the argument and track how different pieces of research relate to each other. They help prevent the review from feeling like a large, unorganized block of text.

What is the benefit of including the word 'gap' in subheadings?

Including the word 'gap' in subheadings helps the reader immediately understand that the section will focus on the gaps in the existing research. This makes it easier for them to track how the student's work fills these gaps and contributes to the field.

How should the student conclude the literature review?

The conclusion should summarize the key findings from the literature, highlight the gaps identified in previous research, and clearly connect those gaps to the student's own research focus. It should set the stage for the next section of the paper.