Literature Review

Students will complete a formal literature review pertaining to Vaccination Reluctance and Public Health The literature review is the culminating document of the research you conducted for the annotated bibliography and the research proposal. The primary purpose of a literature review is to provide a review of the most important research (“literature”) related to a given topic and to compare and analyze that research and literature to give a complete picture of/background on the topic.

You will need a total of 10 sources (See sources below from original work). Think strategically about what kinds of sources you need in order to provide a comprehensive assessment of the topic in relation to the research question(s). You do not need to spend an equal amount of time analyzing and interpreting each source, but you do need to address each of them substantively in the literature review. This is the basis of all serious argumentation before scholars even make their actual argument.

  • Give a detailed overview of the topic in relation to your research question.
  • Analyze and critique the sources you have collected in a way that illuminates the topic in relation to your research question—be sure you’re giving a complete overview of the topic and perspectives on it, and be absolutely sure that your sources are substantive and highly credible.
  • What are the major perspectives on the topic? Which seem credible, and which do not—and why?
  • Is there disagreement among experts and/or practitioners about the topic? What is the nature of those disagreements? Does one case seem to have more evidence in its favor?
  • Is there particular misunderstanding about the topic on the part of the public? What is the nature of this misunderstanding? Why is there a gap between popular conceptions/misunderstandings and available information that is accurate?
  • In conclusion, propose an answer or answers to the primary research question, as your review of the literature gives evidence. This is your Research Proposal thesis. You will not dwell on proving your position but rather focus on what highly credible sources argue about the topic.