Step 3

WRITE YOUR LITERATURE REVIEW

Start writing up your Research Proposal. Your Research Director will give you the exact details and may even add or remove items in this particular step.

This Research Proposal Parts table is an all-purpose outline for a Research Proposal. Please note that there is no single standard model for a Research Proposal. Requirements vary considerably.

RESEARCH PROPOSAL PARTS
Introduction (Overview & Literature Review)
Method Plan
Bibliographic List of Cited Sources
Appendix (optional) 

 

The Introduction is the first part of a Research Proposal and consists mostly of a Literature Review.

The Literature Review and the Method Plan are the most substantial parts of a Research Proposal and are interconnected. The Literature Review provides the context for the research question that emerges at the end of the review and sets the stage for the Method Plan part of the proposal. The Literature Review provides a brief account of significant literature on a selective area of a topic, while the Method Plan makes a convincing case for how best to address the research question.

The “literature” for the Literature Review should be predominantly, if not exclusively, drawn from your discipline. Your Research Director will provide you with more specific instructions.

View the Writing the Literature Review the Confetti Way video to learn how to write the Literature Review. 

 

Custom-designed for writing Literature Reviews, the Confetti Way is an innovative technique for integrating multiple sources into a blended text. 

Use the table below to summarize your sources the Confetti Way. You may need to add other rows, depending on the number of sources required by your Research Director.

SOURCE SUMMARY WORK SPACE
CITATION INFORMATION FOR SOURCES COLOUR SUMMARY POINTS
  • Generate 12 summary points for each source.
  • Place each summary point in the appropriate area below.
#1 [place citation information (author, titles…) here] red
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#2 [place citation information here] green
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#3 [place citation information here] blue
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ADD OTHER ROWS AS REQUIRED by Research Director    

 

Fill in the Inverted Pyramid Outline Template according to the Confetti Way video and the Research Director’s instructions. 

Inverted Pyramid Outline Template

Using the confetti notes and this outline, write up a draft of the Literature Review to the best of your ability. Add the References or Works Cited list. This draft will be copied into a template in Step 7, Draft Research Proposal.