statement of research gaps

The final project for WRTG 391 will be a statement of research gaps or questions for further research.

In this assignment you will describe the topic on which you wrote your literature review. You will then state what further research might be appropriate on the topic or what questions have opened up for you as a result of having researched this topic.

This paper will be approximately 500-750 words.

Organization of the Paper

Introductory paragraph:

In this paragraph, you will explain the topic that you researched. The final sentence will be a thesis statement arguing for further research in specific areas.

Body section of 2 or 3 paragraphs. This section would describe any one of, or a combination of, the following. You would want at least one major suggestion for further research in your paper.

-gaps you saw in the research

For example, let us imagine you wrote a literature review on the effectiveness of one-on-one laptop programs in high schools. You may have noticed that little research has been done on how non-native speakers of English respond to one-on-one laptop programs. No studies analyzed the effects of such programs on the writing, reading, and critical thinking development of non-native speakers of English. This could be a gap in the research that you would point out in your paper.

-areas in which further research could be conducted that would shed more light on an issue

For example, let us imagine you wrote a literature review on the effectiveness of one-on-one laptop programs in high schools. You may have noticed that research has been conducted on the impact of such programs on the writing skills of non-native speakers of English. However, the studies did not focus on particular language groups. You feel that further study on Chinese speakers specifically and further study on Spanish speakers specifically is warranted. This could be an example of an area in which further research would be warranted that you would point out in your paper.

-new questions that opened up for you as you read the current literature on your topic

For example, let us imagine you wrote a literature review on the effectiveness of one-on-one laptop programs in high schools. You noticed that, as you were reading through the literature, you had questions on how schools determined what types of laptops to purchase. Did they purchase Hewlett-Packard computers, Dell computers, Toshiba computers, Acer computers, or computers from some other vendor? You found yourself wondering how business decisions with vendors are made when implementing a one-on-one laptop program. This could be an example of a question that opened up for you as you read through the literature. You could note this question in your paper.

Conclusion

In one paragraph, summarize your points in the body section. State what needs further research and why.

Rubric

Features a strong thesis stating the need for further research	10
Presents at least two areas or reasons for further research	10
Presents clear, well-supported, and reasonable arguments for the proposal for further research	40
Maintains unity among the paragraphs.	10
Maintains coherence among the paragraphs.	10
Employs a fluid writing style and an appropriate vocabulary	10
Maintains accurate grammar and punctuation.	10
Total:	100

TOPIC:

1. Review the literature on the impact of the Internet on information literacy and library skills. In reviewing the literature on this topic, you may want to draw upon what Neil Postman says about technology and information in Technopoly, especially in chapters 4 and 5.

For example, you might review the literature on one or more of the following. These are just examples. Many approaches are possible for this topic.

a. The impact of the Internet on plagiarism in student papers.

b. The impact of the Internet on research methods among students.

c. The impact of Wikipedia and other web 2.0 applications on the use of information