REVIEW OF LITERATURE (MUST INCLUDE 10 REFERENCES) (3 PAGES)

This research uncovers how incarceration can affect post-release behavior. This research also identifies some of the potential barriers that ex-prisoners might face when reentering society from prison.

    Center this heading (Review of Literature) immediately following the introduction to the paper (and included subheadings); use the following instructions to write the literature review:

    The objective of a review of literature is to present a brief, but thorough, overview of previous work in the area of interest, or in a related area.  You need to demonstrate to your readers that your research is grounded in previous theoretical and/or empirical work.

    A literature review requires a plan and a clear idea of the topic.  When conducting a literature search, researchers use multiple strategies because each single way of conducting a search has weaknesses. 
    It is often necessary to consult with a reference librarian and use specialized publications called abstracts and indexes, such as SOCIOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS.  Computerized searches using electronic data bases are encouraged.  Go to the TSU Library webpage and access the alphabetized electronic data bases to begin conducting your search.  Use such sources as the American Periodical Series, Ebsco, and J-Stor, among others. You may ask your reference librarian for tips.  Once you have located relevant studies, take good notes and record and file details about the citation in a convenient location.

    Prepare a system in which you summarize information excerpted from articles, including in your notes the bibliographic citation; topic; research question(s) asked and/or hypothesis(es) tested; the research methods used; and the findings.  Information should be systematically organized.  You may want to try putting information together that represents common themes, noting agreements and/or disagreements, etc.  In the process of organizing notes, you may find that some references and notes do not fit and should be discarded as irrelevant.  Also, you may discover gaps and areas that are relevant but that you did not examine.  This will require an additional electronic search.

    The correct way to write a review of literature is to organize common findings or arguments together.  A well-accepted approach is to address the most important ideas first, to logically link statements or findings, and to note discrepancies among findings in the research. 

    Literature reviews let consumers of social science get at the information in research reports.  They show the reviewers familiarity with a body of knowledge; they show the path prior research has taken and how a current project is linked to it; they can integrate and summarize the current knowledge in a topic area; and they often stimulate new ideas and insights.

(1 PAGE)
Theoretical Framework (left margin) Ideas for a Theoretical Framework for your proposed research can be gleaned from the review of literature.  The selected theoretical framework for your study is included in this section of the paper under this subheading.