The student will be able to:

1. Analyze methodological rigor in scientific research and its critical role in establishing credibility.
2. Demonstrate the ability to select research articles based on relevance and credibility.
3. Describe the process for identifying patterns and themes in published literature review articles.
4. Demonstrate the ability to group and organize the selected sources for the capstone project using a table or concept map.
5. Describe the process for synthesizing information from multiple research articles.
6. Analyze and critique the structure and arguments presented in various scientific literature.
7. Describe the types of citation patterns for incorporating sources into a literature review.
8. Demonstrate the ability to identify and structure subtopics for a literature review.
9. Demonstrate the ability to structure the key ideas/arguments for a literature review in an outline format.

1. Conducting a deep analysis of articles
   1. Determining credibility - methodological rigor
      1. Appropriateness of chosen study design based on its purpose
         1. Quantitative or qualitative
         2. Experimental or observational
      2. Sampling method and sample size
         1. Probability sampling vs. nonprobability sampling
      3. Findings
         1. Statistical significance
      4. Analysis of the data
      5. Confounding factors
      6. Potential biases
      7. Limitations
   2. Relevance of the study to the chosen article
      1. Alignment with the chosen topic
      2. Context and population
      3. Study objective
      4. Intervention
      5. Research methodology
      6. Key findings
      7. Recency
   3. Major trends or patterns in the results of previous research
      1. Common findings across studies
      2. Emerging themes or concepts
      3. Methodological patterns
      4. Areas of consensus vs. contradiction
2. Structuring the literature review
   1. Presentation of ideas
      1. Presenting findings by patterns and themes
         1. Organization based on recurring themes or concepts
         2. Identification of major debates, agreements, or contradictions
   2. Grouping sources
      1. Building a table
         1. Key findings
         2. Methodology
         3. Research aim
      2. Using a concept map
         1. Visual mapping of relationships between studies and key themes
            1. Types of concept maps
               1. Hierarchical concept map
               2. Spider concept map
               3. Flow chart
               4. System or network concept map
               5. Various software for concept mapping
   3. Making connections between different texts
      1. Differences and similarities among studies
         1. Consistency of results
         2. Contrasting perspectives or conflicting results
3. Synthesizing information
   1. Reassembling notes
      1. Organizing key points from sources into thematic categories
      2. Identifying recurring arguments and perspectives
   2. Reorganizing notes according to the paths of argument
      1. Structuring findings in a logical sequence
         1. Argument steps
            1. Identifying the main claim and supporting arguments
            2. Organizing evidence from various studies to strengthen claims
         2. Flow of arguments
            1. Effective transition between ideas
            2. Logical flow of ideas
            3. Fragmented or disjointed arguments
   3. Incorporating sources in a literature review
      1. Foregrounding writer voice
         1. Role of writer's voice
         2. Balance between summary and critical analysis/interpretation
         3. Unattributed assertions
         4. Improper use of direct quotations
         5. Use of personal nouns
      2. Choice of citation pattern
         1. Type of information requiring a reference
         2. Referencing systems
            1. Integral vs. non-integral citations
               1. Different purpose/usage
                  1. Author's role
                  2. Writing style
                  3. Sentence structure
                  4. Flow
         3. Reporting verbs
            1. Types of reporting verbs
               1. Agreement
               2. Disagreement
               3. Neutral view
            2. Choosing the right reporting verb
               1. Context of the argument
               2. Tone of the paper
4. Identifying and organizing subtopics
   1. Organizing subtopics
      1. Logical order of subtopics
         1. Clear progression of ideas
         2. Effective transition between subtopics
   2. Appropriate number of subtopics
      1. Balance between coverage and depth
      2. Targeted focus
   3. Coherence
      1. Logical flow of ideas/topics
      2. Clarity of connections
      3. Coherent theme structure
   4. Relevance
      1. Direct connection to research question
      2. Alignment with review purpose
      3. Pertinent information
5. Creating an outline
   1. Components and structure
      1. Introduction
         1. Overview of the purpose and scope of the literature review
         2. Overview of the topic/problem
         3. Research question and objective
      2. Main body
         1. Subtopics
            1. Organization of the main body into thematic subtopics
               1. Key arguments for each subtopic
               2. Summary of major findings
               3. Supporting evidence
      3. Conclusion
         1. Summary of key findings
      4. References

Not applicable.

Discussions
Group/collaborative assignments
Submission of the outline
Written essay assignments
Reflections
Peer review

Online delivery of course content, including written and multimedia content
Written feedback on all assignments
Guiding discussions
Facilitating the course throughout the term

Galvan, J.L., and M.C. Galvan. Writing Literature Reviews, 8th ed.. 2024.

Ridley, Diana. The Literature Review, 2nd ed.. 2012.

Although the Ridley text is older than the suggested "5 years or newer" standard, it remains a seminal text in this area of study. The book is highly effective in engaging students and supporting their learning. Students frequently express that they enjoy the material and find it accessible, relevant, and directly aligned with the course content. Despite the publication date, the concepts and foundational knowledge presented remains highly applicable to what students learn in this course.

1. Identify five scholarly articles relevant to your research topic
   1. For each article, analyze it based on the following criteria: credibility, relevance to your topic, methodology, key findings, and potential biases
2. Using the table provided, organize/group your sources based on their findings and how you plan to incorporate them into your literature review
3. Read the article, “Diabetes Mellitus and Inflammatory Periodontal Diseases,” and critique its structure and presentation by addressing the following
   1. Example questions
      1. Did the authors present the ideas/topics in a logical order? Provide examples to support your response
      2. Was the review written as a cohesive essay that transitions smoothly from one subtopic to another? Explain
4. Outline: For each subtopic you plan to include in your literature review, list the key arguments you intend to make
   1. Identify and document the supporting sources for each argument