UPL2015-Assignment 1

Qatar University College of Engineering Department of Architecture and Urban Planning - DAUP Master of Architecture and Urban Planning - MUPD Course Code and Title: Urban Planning Legislation Semester: Fall 2015 Instructor: Dr. Yasser Mahgoub - ymahgoub@qu.edu.qa Assignment 1: Literature Review Requirements Students are required to survey the internet and library for internationally refereed journals. They should survey key issues and topics discussed by these journals. Select at least 5 journals to investigate and write a literature review. Students are to read the articles then prepare a 2-pages summary and commentary on the articles in their own words (500-700 words). They should indicate 3 important topics that they like to continue investigate in the future.

Format Include a descriptive title of your topic, your name, and Student ID#. The body of your literature review should be 1.5-space using Times New Roman font, 12 point. You will need to cite all your sources using a citation APA citation style. At the end of your literature review you should have a section titled References, in which you list the papers, articles and books you have cited in your report using a citation APA citation style.

Duration 3 weeks Submission date October 21, 2015 Effort Individual student work.

Academic journal An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research. Content typically takes the form of articles presenting original research, review articles, and book reviews.

The term “academic journal” applies to scholarly publications in all fields; common to all academic fields.

Scientific journals vary in form and function.

Peer-reviewed journals Scholarly or peer-reviewed articles “usually” contain section headings like these:  Abstract and Keywords - the abstract and keywords may be added by an editor or publisher.

1. Introduction and Statement of the Problem - identifies the need for the work, and the research question.

2. Review of the Literature - the literature review should identify the major works of other researchers and identify theories and lines of thought.

3. Methodology - explains the methods so others can replicate the study.

4. Data Collection - the data collection and analysis discuss the particular work being reported.

5. Data Analysis - examines the data by qualitative or quantitative means, states whether the research question or hypothesis was proven or disproved.

6. Conclusions and Recommendations - the final section provides a theory about the results, identifies any obvious flaws in the work, and provides suggestions for follow-up research.

7. References - includes a comprehensive list of references.

Literature Review A literature review is essential in researching a topic to determine what is current in the field. The importance of a literature review is that it teaches students to evaluate and report on the main ideas of a particular subject area using synthesis. Synthesizing information is not summarizing each article, but rather organizing the information by each main points of the larger topic.

Literature Review Contents: - The content must contain a research question or thesis statement in the first paragraph. The remaining paragraphs need to synthesize your sources by topic relating to research question/thesis statement. The final paragraph should contain a conclusion to your literature review summarizing your thesis and outcomes of the research.

- Do not summarize each of your sources to create your literature review. The information needs to be synthesized by topics.

- The term “synthesis” means to combine separate elements to form a whole. The literature review should make a variety of connections among source material so that the report is not organized source-bysource but organized topic-by-topic to create a whole text. A common strategy for planning a synthesis paper is to create a “grid of common points.” Create a grid using authors’ names and categories as organizing features.

- As you read your source material: o write down the main research question that the source material answers. o take note of words or ideas that repeat themselves. o make note of conflicts or contradictions in the information. o key ways the research answers the question.

- Once you have completed a grid of common points, you can begin writing your paper. Select one common point and divide it into sub-topics that represent paragraph size. For each “chunk” create a topic sentence that both (1) synthesizes the literature to be discussed and (2) describes the literature to be discussed.

- Support the topic sentences you created with quotes and paraphrases from source material. As you incorporate source material, make sure to use clear transitions that relate the sources to each other and to your topic sentences.

Sample Literature Review Grid Research Topic: Word/Idea 1 Word/Idea 2 Author 1 Author 2 Author 3 Author 4 Author 5 Synthesis

Word/Idea 3

Word/Idea 4

Word/Idea 5

Synthesis

Literature Review Grading Rubric Poor (1)

Good (2)

Very Good (3)

Excellent (4)

Weight

Clear Topic and Thesis Statement

Topic is unclear and does not reflect the intended research topic.

Topic is confusing but reflects part of intended research topic.

Topic is clear but does not reflect all aspects of research topic.

Topic is clear and reflects intended research topic.

10

Effectively Synthesized Sources

Literature is not integrated into one text. No reference to authors in the same sentence.

Literature is effectively integrated but no reference to authors in the same sentence.

Literature is integrated into a coherent technique.

Incomplete reference to authors in the same sentence.

Effective integration of literature into a coherent technique.

Reference is made to several authors in the same sentence.

40

References

Inappropriate amount of citations (less than 5), incorrect use of APA format style.

Inappropriate amount of citations (less than 8), incorrect use of APA format style.

Appropriate amount of citations (5 journals and 3 conferences), but incorrect use of APA format style.

Appropriate amount of citations (5 journals and 3 conferences), clear and consistent APA format style.

20

Style/Grammar

No clear sentences, long sentences, many errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Clear but long sentences, jargon use, errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Clear sentences, varied in length and structure, little errors in usage, spelling, and punctuation.

Appropriate tone, clear sentences, varied in length and structure, forceful, jargonfree diction, little to no errors in usage, spelling, and punctuation.

20

Organization/Format

No logical arrangement of supporting points, no effective transition, inappropriate format and outline, Does not include all assigned elements and inconsistent format and citation.

Acceptable arrangement of supporting points but no effective transition, inappropriate format and outline.

Includes some of the assigned elements and inconsistent format and citation.

Acceptable arrangement of supporting points, effective transitions, format and outline is appropriate for the type of report.

Inconsistent format and citation.

Logical arrangement of supporting points in coherent paragraphs; effective transitions, format and outline is appropriate for the type of report.

Includes all assigned elements, consistent format and citations.

10

Total