Dissertation Literature Review Format Fundamentals

• The beginning of the literature review should make the reader focus on the problem being dwelt on; here one can use the contrast scheme, for example, stating “despite the common opinion about…, there is current evidence of…” and transfer to the description of the subject
• It is always necessary for the writer of the dissertation literature review to start the new idea with citations from relevant academic readings – only this way one can justify the choice of the arguments
• At the end of literary review on each separate category, the writer has to make a clear statement about the significance of this information for the overall body of research. Here you can use such phrases as “as it follows from the literary research…”, “from the information analyzed above, one can infer that…”, or “the present data surely possess significant value for the present research, since they indicate that…”
• Finally, it is vital to identify the research gap in a dissertation literature review. The writer’s job in the literature review should not be evaluative, which is obvious in terms of the literature review purposes. However, there is a place for evaluation and a personal opinion in the part about the value of research findings, their comprehensiveness, and the facts they lack to ensure the complete understanding of the research topic.

APA formatting of a title page

The first step to making your APA papers just perfect is formatting their title page. These are the main steps to take:

• Select 1 inch margins on all sides.
• In a left-aligned header, type the words “running head” and a short title of your paper. Use capital letters for all words in this title. E.g. Running head: EFFECTS OF MUSIC ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE.
• Use an Arabic figure to show the page number in the upper right corner of the page.
• Include the full title of your paper, your name and your course in the center of your title page.

APA formatting of the main text

The second step is to use properly formatted in-text (parenthetical) citations throughout your text. The APA format guides recommend that you:

1. Mention the authors of all ideas that you borrow from external sources. Do not plagiarize!!
2. Use in-text citations every time you use statistical data and figures, as well as whenever you say something that is not obvious or common knowledge.
3. Use only the author’s name and the year of publication if you refer to a conclusion made after reading the whole book: Johnson et al (2009) noted that …or (Johnson, 2009) at the end of the sentence. By the way, this “et al” is a substitute for what would be in English “and others”. It is used in in-text citations for sources with more than three authors.
4. Add the page number where the information can be found if you use a direct quote (word by word as it is in the book or article): “Background music can have a significant impact upon adolescents’ academic performance” (Johnson, 2009, p. 43). The same when you use a paraphrased sentence, taken from a particular page: Recent studies show that music can have strong effects on students’ achievements (Johnson, 2009, p. 43).

APA formatting of a reference list

The next crucial step is making an APA format bibliography. Start it on a new page. Name it “Reference List”. Order all the entries alphabetically and indent the second and following lines of all entries. Use double spacing between the lines of each entry and between the entries. Here is a good example for you:
 

What is a cover letter and why to write it?

A cover letter is a message attached to resumes and curriculum vitae (CVs) by job seekers. The main reasons for writing a cover letter are:

• To introduce yourself.
• To inform your reader why you are writing (what position you are applying for). Do not make your readers guess your reason for writing.
• To briefly discuss your main strengths (competencies, skills and experience).
• To show that you have done your homework (you know the main facts about the industry and company).
• To invite the employer to read your resume and contact you.

What is a cover letter and when to use it?

As you see, your cover letter is a decisive step in the application process. If your teachers assign you this type of paper, you should be really grateful to them. This knowledge will be valuable for your bright future. Along with receiving good marks for your academic papers, you will need to follow the proper cover letter format on the following occasions:

1. when seeking a permanent or temporary position;
2. when requesting a loan;
3. when sending other types of business documents.

You should tailor your cover letters to each and every occasion. Sorry, no universal templates can be used.

What is a cover letter and how to format it?

The core elements of most cover letters are:

• Header. It includes the recipient’s name, contact information and date.
• Introduction. This part should mention the desired position and how you found out about it.
• Body. It is the main “meat” of your cover letter. It discusses you competencies, skills and experiences.
• Closing. This part invites the recipient to look through your resume and contact you. Do not forget to say “good-bye”. Use “Best regards”, “Kindest regards”, “Sincerely” to say good-bye in a cover letter.

What is a cover letter? See a clear example

Now, as you have an answer to the question “What is a cover letter”, you might want to see good examples of cover letters. So, here is a pleasant bonus for you:

April 16, 2012

Dr. Smith
72 Spring Street
New York, NY 10014

Dear Dr. Smith:

As a current graduate of Harvard University, I write to apply for a summer internship program at your office.

I have a strong commitment to the mission of providing legal counseling services to low-income population. The inequalities in access to counseling services by different groups of population intensified my desire to assist others in receiving high quality legal counseling services, regardless of their social status and average income. I have demonstrated this commitment when participating in volunteering programs at Harvard, which were immeasurably rewarding for me.

I would highly appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the internship program at your office and learn from the valuable experience of experts working in your organization. Thank you for taking your time to read my letter and I look forward to hearing from you and discussing my qualifications in more detail.

Sincerely,
John White
605-233-5555
ab.cd@harvard.edu

So, now you can easily answer the question “What is a cover letter?” This was all you needed to know for writing excellent cover letters, garnering high marks for them or filling the position of your dreams.

How does your department study history?

In light of inevitable ideological landmines, it is crucial to identify and understand your department’s special emphasis. You want to either follow this same emphasis, or prepareto defend your alternate choice. Every department has one. If you are not sure, ask yourself, how do most of the professors, or the most powerful professors, in the department study history? They could, for example, be examining history at the level of, for example:

• the individual,
• the culture,
• or the nation-state.

Know your professor’s or advisor’s perspective. Is he/she, for example:

• a Marxist?
• A feminist?
• Post-modernist?

Research that perspective if you have not done so already. You should either

• apply it,
• Prepare very strong arguments to counter it – this is risky, however.

Alternatively, find a topic that avoids the professor’s pet projects and notions entirely.

Differing strategies for history theses:

• Choose something so well researched that one search term yields a bibliography full of sources. Extending or tweaking a topic previously worked on by someone in your department ensures that sources:
  • Exist
  • Are available
  • Can be explained to you by someone close at hand
• Choose something with primary sources so new or so difficult to access that they cannot be closely criticized by your thesis advisor or committee. Are there living people you could interview? Can you obtain hitherto unknown documents? Do your language skills open up documents unavailable to others? This does not mean faking anything – just avoiding triggering reflexive resistance from those grilling you or reviewing your paper (if that is your institution’s procedure).

Your thesis in history should shed light on something

• Ask a question
  • What happened to individuals or groups overlooked by text books?
  • What happened between big conflicts?
• Connect two events
• Suggest a trend

Some guidance:

• http://www.bowdoin.edu/writing-guides/thesis.htm
• http://history.wisc.edu/undergraduate/researchinhistory.htm
• http://staff.kings.edu/bapavlac/thesis.html
• http://www.arts.cornell.edu/prh3/257/classmats/papertip.html
• http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/student/soc_sciences/history.shtml

1. Theories in Business Management

• Classical and scientific approach to business management
• Behavioral and human approach to business management
• Systems or contingency approach to business management
• Political or collaborative theories in business management
• Modern management theories

2. Business Management Styles

• Autocratic business management style
• Democratic business management style
• Laissez-faire business management style
• Collegial business management style

3. Branches of Business Management

• Strategic business management
• Financial business management
• Human resource management
• Marketing business management
• Operations business management
• Information technology business management

4. Business Ethics

• Child labour
• Ethical decision making
• Corporate governance
• Corruption issues
• Labor Laws affecting business
• Ethics in advertising
• Value management

5. Business Theorists and their contribution in business management

• Rosabeth Kanter’s change management theory
• Theodore Levitt’s marketing and globalization theory
• Constantinos Markides’ theory on strategic dynamics and management
• Henry Fayol’s theory on management
• Peter Drucker’s theory on management
• Frederick Herzberg’s theory on motivation and two factor theory
• Albert Humphrey’s business SWOT analysis
• Frederick Taylor’s principle of scientific management
• Max Weber’s social theory and research
• Edward Deming’s statistical quality control
• Erich Gutenberg’s theory of the firm

6. Business Management Skills

• Diagnostic skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Political skills
• Conceptual skills

7. Business model frameworks

• Business reference model
• Component business model
• Industrialization business model.

Basic topics for Finance term papers

These are basically the concepts and definitions used in Finance studies. Understanding of these topics, concepts and definitions is very important. They are meant to prepare students for the more advanced level term papers in Finance. These topics include:

1. Definitions of the term Finance
2. Basic concepts in Finance
3. History of Finance
4. The Nature of Finance
5. Branches of Finance etc.

General Finance term paper topics

These topics can further be broken down into many other subtopics in Finance studies. You can base your term papers on either the general topics or subtopics drawn from the general topics, the choice is absolutely your. These include:

• Topic in Public Finance
• Topic in Project Finance
• Topic in International Finance
• Topic in Real Estate Finance
• Topic in Personal Finance
• Topic in Trade Finance
• Finance Regulations
• Finance Management
• Topic in Banking Finance
• Corporate Finance Financial Ethics
• Finance and Capitalism
• Finance and Economy
• Finance and Politics
• Finance and Society
• Accounting Finance
• Topic in Finance Insurance etc.

Advanced topics for Finance term papers

These topics are more technical and are suitable for advanced level term papers in Finance. Handling advanced topics may require in-depth knowledge and experience in Finance studies. Take a look at these:

1. Finance Market Regulation
2. Federal Finance Regulation
3. Financial System Meltdown in United States
4. Subprime Mortgages
5. Bailouts and Financial Crisis
6. Global Financial Flows
7. Finance and Competitiveness in Third World States

Apparently, there are more than enough topics you can pick from to complete your term paper. You can go for the basics if you feel you do not have much knowledge in Finance. Advanced level students can pick advanced topics or general topics. Wise picking!

Research paper introduction: your goals

The introduction for a research paper is like the trailer for a movie. It grabs readers’ attention, presents the topic, lists the research questions, but never gives the answers to them. The introduction should not be confused with the abstract, which includes both questions and answers. In general, your main goals in writing the introduction for a research paper are:

• grab readers’ attention and show why they should continue reading your paper;
• provide broader context for your study;
• briefly outline what and how you are going to investigate;
• formulate your goals and the questions you are going to address.

Research paper introduction: main components

As you now understand the main goals of research paper introductions, you may still wonder how to start a research paper. Here are the main components that will allow you to write a winning introduction for a research paper:

1. Background and broader context for your research problem (do not go too far with it). In this section of your research paper introduction, you might want to use keywords from the title of your paper.
2. A brief literature review, focusing on the explanation of the current understanding of the issue offered by other scholars (with citations). Do not include too many sources (3-5 should be enough).
3. Significance of the study (why this problem is topical and important).
4. A brief discussion of your research design and methods and why you chose them.
5. Research questions or hypotheses. A research question takes the form of an interrogative sentence and ends up with a question mark. A hypothesis takes the form of a declarative sentence and ends up with a period. You may include either research questions or hypotheses in your introduction. Both variants are correct.
6. A thesis statement briefly and concisely explaining what readers can expect from your project.

Research paper introduction: structure

There is no precise word count limit for research paper introductions. However, you should attempt to make them brief and not exceed 10% of the entire project. The common structure for research paper introductions is an inverted pyramid. The opening sentence would be the broadest part that includes general information. The following sentences would be narrower, providing more specific information, and a thesis statement is the top of the inverted pyramid – its narrowest part, and the most focused sentence in the entire introduction.

Research paper introduction: style

The main recommendations for the style of your research paper introductions are:

• use active voice and first person plural (we) unless something different is required by your instructor;
• do not overuse “we”;
• use the past tense to discuss your investigation and methods, because readers will read your research paper introduction only when the rest of your project is already completed (however, use the future tense for your thesis statement and the present tense for factual information);
• use domain-specific language.

Research paper introduction: constructions to use

These are some valuable phrases you might want to use for particular parts of your research paper introductions:

1. The purpose of this study was to…
2. We investigated four main mechanisms of…
3. This paper will examine…(Future tense for a thesis statement)
4. The focus of this paper will be on…

This was all you needed to know for writing winning introductions for research papers. Now you know how to start a research paper and can successfully achieve this goal.

How to start a college essay: your main goals

The opening paragraph plays a crucial role in all college essays. When you want to begin college essays, your main goals are:

• attract your readers’ attention;
• introduce the readers to the main ideas you are going to present;
• provide a thesis statement (a concise summary of your essay in just one sentence).

Remember that all readers judge too quickly. A poor introductory paragraph will spoil the readers’ impression of the entire paper. For this reason, you should put your heart and soul into the introduction part to ensure the success of your essays.

How to start a college essay: best steps

Now you perhaps wonder how to begin college essays. It is a good question to ask. Here are the best steps that can become the perfect start to a perfect paper:

1. Check the guidelines provided by instructors. Never start writing a college essay before you fully understand the task and requirements.
2. Choose a good topic for your paper. Make it narrow and manageable. If you need to write an admission essay, you should choose story lines, personal experiences, qualities or motivations you are going to discuss.
3. Collect the necessary materials. Review the relevant literature if necessary.
4. Brainstorm the chosen topic. Develop as many ideas as you can and write them down. Do not think about the quality of these ideas now. Think about their quality later.
5. Plan your essay. Create a detailed outline. Include a thesis statement as part of your outline.
6. Now you are welcome to extend your outline and write a high quality essay.

How to start a college essay: truly good ideas

Even after taking the above-mentioned steps, you may have problems with writing the first few sentences of your introductory paragraphs. Here are some good ideas for you:

• start with a relevant quotation;
• include a joke;
• ask a rhetorical question;
• include striking statistical data.

How to start a college essay: strategies to avoid

Here are the common mistakes you should avoid when you start writing a college essay:

1. providing too much or too general background information (e.g. do not start with “Let me introduce myself…” or “Shakespeare is the greatest poet of all times”. Instead, write about the experiences you are going to discuss or introduce a specific poem by Shakespeare);
2. getting straight to the point, without grabbing the readers’ interest (prepare your readers for what you are going to discuss, and make certain that the points you make do not come to them like a bolt from the blue);
3. do not start too far from the main ideas of your paper (make certain that the transition between the introductory sentences and your thesis statement is smooth).

So, this was all you needed to know on how to start a great college essay. By using this quick guide, you will be able to write good introductory paragraphs and A+ essays.

Writing a Reaction Paper: Remember All the Crucial Constituents!

Pick three words to describe analytical paper writing?
 
Boring, tedious, uninspiring.
 
Now pick three words to describe reaction paper writing!
 
Splendid, fantastic, engaging, fruitful, enticing, thrilling… Whoa, hold it! There’s definitely that certain something about this kind of writing…
 
Now let’s see what this paper is made of!
 
Let’s take a close look at these elements:

The Summary
• Who/what are you writing about?
• What is the main theme?
• What are the main facts?

The Analysis

• What is your opinion about the issue?
• What are your key arguments?
• What is the conflict?
• What are the probable solutions?

The Reaction

• How do you feel about the issue in question?
• Do you think that the author is right?
• What ideas would you like to share?

Well, that was great, and how about tips and how-tos?
 
Hold on a second – that’s going to be a bit different from what online surfers call a “how to an essay” and “how to a research paper” guides. Let’s dive right into it!

Writing a Reaction Paper and Other Works: Important Differences.

Here’s a clue for you: check this table! It’ll definitely help you understand everything about writing an essay, what to write in a report, what a research paper is, how to write a paper of any other sort. What’s more, you’ll understand the difference between reaction paper writing and other genres!
 
Type of Assignment
 

And of course Similarities:

1. Require thorough analysis;
2. Have specific structures;
3. Require a thesis statement.

Now you don’t have to ask, “How do you write a paper?” – all secrets are revealed here!

Writing a Reaction Paper: Consider a Great and Original Example!

Reaction Paper on Romeo and Juliet
 
The sad story of Romeo and Juliet must be the most famous romantic poem ever. Inspiring many other writers and poets, it touches the heartstrings of any reader. Because of its enthralling and at the same time well-paced storyline, vivid characters and tense scenes, it still makes the audience gasp in awe even when they know the story already.
 
Telling the audience the story of two young people falling in love, yet separated by the powerful conflict between Montague and Capulet families.
 
What I find most thrilling is the way the two intense feelings are intertwined, namely, the all-consuming hatred of the two families and the fragile love of the lead characters.
 
Even though the plot has been used in a number of other plays, poems and novels, the atmosphere of Romeo and Juliet is still genuine and original.
 
Another peculiar detail is the duality of the poem; split into delightful scenes of bliss and those of mournful tragedy, the poem shatters the reader’s world to pieces. A second-to-none-masterpiece of the genial poet that was Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet will always remain a classic tragedy.
 
Congratulations – now you know everything about reaction paper writing; what’s more, you know that writing a paper on impressions is fun!
That’s all, folks!

Education in Africa: Everything That You’ve Ever Wanted to Know.

Now let’s dive right into the African oasis and learn what’s going on in African schools right now.
 Whenever you search for “education in Africa statistics” online, remember these hints:
 
Education in Africa Today
 

That’s how it goes – split the search term “education in Africa facts” in pieces and arrange them to get a perfect paper on Africa and education in Africa!

Education in Africa: Topical Problems and Concerns to Research.

Now that you’re done learning about recent improvements, let’s see what keeps the education in Africa in general and education in South Africa in particular in the rear. Mention these issues in your paper!
Actually, education issues in Africa remind a lot the famous nursery rhyme, This Is the House That Jack Built. Check this diagram:
 
To put it simpler:
 
Because of the quality of education, the quality of medical service is dissatisfying.
 
That impacts the state of health nationwide, causing serious problems.
 
That means that the government is preoccupied with health issues.
 
That means the government doesn’t have enough money.
 
That causes numerous financial issues.
 
That result in a lack of professional teachers.
 
And that leads to the low quality of education.
 
The circuit is complete. It really is quite much like This Is the House That Jack Built, isn’t it? However, it’s just as easy to remember. Now, think of these problems and offer the education Africa deserves.

Education in Africa: Existing Solutions and Possible Suggestions

Well, you’ve nailed down the main concerns. The paper is good.
 
Now it’s time to make it perfect.
 
Let’s offer some really splendid solutions for the African problems! You can mention in your paper that possible solutions include…

1. Liberalizing African economy;
2. Giving some room for private entrepreneurship;
3. Creating specific courses for African students;
4. Initiate study abroad programs to share experience…

All of the above must be of some help. Think of what else to include in this list – perhaps, you’ll get some brilliant and even revolutionary ideas! Whenever you write about higher education in Africa or African middle schools, keep in mind these tips.

Education in Africa: Final Recommendations for Writing Papers.

Well, you’re almost there. Let’s add some final touches and make it completely perfect!

• Try to be as politically correct as you can;
• Take into account the specifics of African culture;
• When conducting analysis, offer examples (books, video sources, etc.);
• Mention existing language issues (bilingualism, complex issues with English, etc.)

Ta-da! Reach out for a fantastic paper on a proper system of education for Africa – it’s only a step away. Good luck!