FINAL PROJECT: REVIEW ARTICLES From Proposal to Paper

Review articles  Review Articles  What is a review article?  How is it different from an argument paper?

Writing Critical Review Articles  What is a Critical Review of an Idea?  It is DIFFERENT from a critical academic text (e.g., an article, report, argument essay or book), which typically offer a summary of the main question it proposes to answer, the arguments it makes, the methodologies employed, and the conclusions it makes.  A CRITICAL REVIEW ALSO OFFERS: an evaluation or judgment of the arguments/methodologies. In other words, a SYNTHESIS: it shows you how to think about a topic.  But it employs many of the same strategies:

Writing Critical Reviews  Summary/Description  Set the context: Provide basic information about the main idea (your group’s topic) Explain the situation to the reader and why it is important (why should I keep reading?) State your research question: What are the concerns of X?  Synthesize the disciplinary approach to the topic: Principle concerns about X in this discipline or field. Methodological approach to X in this discipline or field. Conclusions this discipline have come to over issue of X

Writing Critical Reviews  Evaluation/Judgment Questions what your discipline still has to say about X and evaluates what has been said about X. How effective is your discipline’s investigation of X? What concerns does your discipline still have about X? What is the significance of the study of X in your discipline or field? What’s at stake in the study of X for your discipline? What’s at stake in the study of X for those outside your discipline? Why is X important to your discipline?

Writing Critical Reviews  Draws Conclusions  Why has your discipline or field approached this issue this way?  What is your discipline's interest/stake in this topic?  In what direction(s) might your discipline be headed for future research?  How has this issue changed the discipline?

What, then, is a Review Article?  The review article you write should examine the ways in which members of your discipline approach your group's topic or theme.  CONTENT: Define, clarify, and summarize the issue in the context of your discipline  ANAYSIS: Critically examine disciplinary concerns and approach (why, how, and “so what?”) (*these you should have gleaned from your annotated bibliographies*)  STYLE: Lexicon, Form, and Tone of your discipline (and perhaps metaphors??)

Mapping connections  Open your annotated bibliography.  Cut and paste your citations (10 minutes):  Place them in order of how you plan to use them in your paper. What source will you use to begin your discussion? (and so on…)  As you are arranging, think about how the sources connect with each other: are there two opposing sides of a debate? Is there a circular pattern?

Mapping connections  One person at a time, show your map to your group and explain your source map (10 minutes):  *use this as a way to think through summarizing your map or plan for your lit review*  When everyone in your group has shown and discussed his/her map, begin writing: compose your map in 1-2 paragraphs (write for 10 minutes)

Thinking about Organization…  AS YOU CONTINUE TO WRITE:  What sections must your paper have to support your statement of purpose?  What claims will you have to make in each section?  What evidence must you give (look to your annotated bibs)?