Purpose: To present a clear argument using a detailed review of 4-7 articles relevant to a specific area of inquiry in the field of nursing.

Length: Your final draft should be 1500-1800 words long. You will also produce a separate reflection memo of 200-300 words (see below for instructions).

Topic: The topic of your review is up to you, but it must be focused enough that 4-7 articles will give a reader a strong idea of the state of the art related to that topic. Ideally, this topic will be something that will work for the other main assignments for this class, so choose something you are interested in.

Audience: You are writing to scholars in the discipline of nursing.

Rhetorical Situation: Literature reviews are a way of demonstrating your understanding of an area of research, showing that you are able to make connections between related studies, and illustrating that you can synthesize sources in order to make a larger point. Readers of lit reviews expect that the author is going to bring important studies and theoretical work together to make a clear point about an important area of research. They want an accurate and intelligent explanation of the papers reviewed, and they want a well-supported argument that synthesizes those papers.

Sources to Consult: We will read texts that help us better understand the audience and genre, but much of the research for this task will be up to you. You will have to find a set of related peer-reviewed articles that demonstrate the current thinking in an area of psychological research.

Other Specifications:

Your paper must be 1500-1800 words long. The final portfolio draft should conform to the format of an APA manuscript.