ASSIGNMENT 1 (LITERATURE REVIEW PAPER)

TECHNOLOGY PARK MALAYSIA

CT095-6-M-RMCE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY IN COMPUTING & ENGINEERING

HAND OUT DATE: See Online Assignment Submission

HAND IN DATE: See Online Assignment Submission

WEIGHTAGE: 40%

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES:

1 Submit your assignment Online via Moodle

2 Students are advised to underpin their answers with the use of references (cited using
the APA System of Referencing)

3 Late submission will be awarded zero (0) unless Extenuating Circumstances (EC) are
upheld

4 Cases of plagiarism will be penalized

 Assignment 1: Literature Review Paper

1. Introduction

This assignment requires the student to conduct a literature review of existing sources to explore a domain
of interest. The deliverable of this “exploration” is a literature review paper written by the student
regarding the explored topic.

A literature review paper reviews and synthesizes the current understanding of a particular topic. It is a
very useful way to become up to date on the state of knowledge and the research that has been done in a
particular research area. Writing a review paper is good practice for synthesizing and organizing a lot of
information into a concise product (i.e. a short written document). Reviewing and summarizing the
literature is a critical skill for successful researchers. In particular, this skill is an important component of
identifying research questions and writing research proposals. When writing such a paper, researchers
rarely, if ever, just sit down, write a first draft, and turn it in. Rather, they write outlines and multiple drafts,
editing each draft themselves, in addition to having others edit their papers. You will practice this process
with your paper.
Secondary / library research has to be done to collect journal and conference articles (and books) to write
the paper. Information from the Internet will not be accepted, unless it is from a journal, conference, or
book that is published or available on the web. The paper should be written for an audience that is
relatively familiar with the topic (such as a peer in this class; i.e., no need to define very elementary
concepts). However, do not assume that the reader has read the papers that the student has read. In
addition, students should define any new terms or jargon that is necessary to understand content of the
paper.

2. Basics of Literature Reviews

A literature review is a written approach to examining published information on a particular topic or field.
An author uses this review of literature to create a foundation and justification for his or her research or to
demonstrate knowledge on the current state of a field. This review can take the form of a course
assignment or a section of a longer project. Read on for more information about writing a strong literature
review.

Students often misinterpret the term literature review to mean a collection of source summaries, similar to
annotations or article abstracts. While summarizing is an element of a literature review, this assignment
should be approached as a comprehensive representation of the student’s understanding of a topic or field,
such as what has already been done or what has been found. Then, also using these sources, demonstrate
the need for future research, specifically, the future research to be undertaken in the Project.

There is usually no required format or template for a literature review. However, there are some actions to
keep in mind when constructing the review:

 Include an Abstract, Key Words, Introduction, and Conclusion. Even if the literature review will be
part of a longer document, these paragraphs can act as bookends to the material. Provide
background information for the reader, such as including references to the pioneers in the field in
the beginning and offering closure in the end by discussing the implications of future research to
the field.

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  Avoid direct quotations. Just like in an annotated bibliography, paraphrase all of the material
presented in the literature review. This assignment is a chance to demonstrate the student’s
knowledge on a topic, and putting ideas into the student’s own words will ensure that the student
is interpreting and critically reviewing the found material.

 Organise by topic or theme rather than by author. When compiling multiple sources, there is a
tendency for writers to summarize each source, then compare, and contrast the sources at the end.
Instead, organize the sources by the identified themes and patterns. This organization helps
demonstrate the synthesis of the material and inhibits the student from creating a series of book
reports.

 Use headings. It is encouraged to use headings (and sub-headings) within longer pieces of text to
display a shift in topic and create a visual break for the reader. Headings in a literature review can
also help the writer organize the material by theme and note any subtopics, within the field.

 Use comparative terms. A literature review can be lengthy and dense, so make the text appealing
to the reader. Transitions and comparison terms will allow the student to demonstrate where
authors agree or disagree on a topic and highlight the interpretation of the literature.

3. Three Stages of Assignment

There will be three main steps involved in writing this paper:

3.1. Topic Choice

Each student will need to select an appropriate topic to work on. A list of suggested topics will be
discussed in class but students are encouraged to propose their own topic. Also, students are expected
to identify their potential supervisor from a list made available in class. Students should have already
discussed with the potential supervisor before confirming the topic and proposed supervisor on the
APU PGD Bank (http://pgd.apiit.edu.my). The final choice would be determined by the university
based on the student’s choice while avoiding excessive overlap among students.

3.2. Paper Outline and Article Summaries

Prior to writing the outline, search the literature and identify the articles that are to be reviewed.
Using these articles, outline the paper, and identify the main points from each article in relation to
how the article will help address the topic. At this point, identify all of the citations (and full
references) that are going to be used in the paper (at least 15 articles, not older than 5 years but
should contain some from the current year). Most of the literature searching and journal article
reading has to be done BEFORE drafting the paper. The following important information must be
identified for each literature article:

Article Full Reference Main research Main results / Why is this Other
# (APA Referencing questions / issues paper relevant remarks (e.g.
Style) objectives theme / etc.)
1
:
15

Articles from popular press sources such as Discover magazine, Time magazine, National Geographic or
newspaper articles do not count as 'journal articles'. Articles from scientific journals such as IEEE
Transactions on Mobile Computing, Journal of Network and Computer Applications, IEEE Internet

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 Computing, ACM Transactions on the Web, ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and
Methodology, etc. If there is ANY doubt about what counts, please check with the lecturer BEFORE
submitting the assignment. Information from the Internet also may not be used for this paper, unless it
is from an e-journal (a peer-reviewed journal that is published on the web) or a website belonging to
the appropriate authority for the particular type of information). Again, please check with the lecturer
before turning in anything.

3.3. Final Paper

As the practice with any author / writer, revise, proofread and edit the paper several times! This
SHOULD NOT BE A FIRST DRAFT. Where applicable, the student is also encouraged to ask a friend /
classmate to read over the paper and give feedback before turning it in.

4. Submission Format & Guidelines

Typed answers only. Please use the following format when writing the paper:

 Format: MS Word file using a journal paper template.

In order to format the paper in a form used for journal paper submission, students are to use the
template assigned by the lecturer.

 Length: On average 6-12 pages of text (but not limited). As a guide, the final paper should be
around 4,000 words, excluding references.

 Sections: The following sections must be included:

 Cover page (Title, Student name, TP number, Intake code, date, Module name & Code,
Module lecturer name, Supervisor name)
 Abstract & Keywords
 Introduction
Brief introduction to the topic for a general scientific audience – why is the topic
important? What is the main purpose/objective of this paper?
 Multiple sections (by theme) summarizing the main points
It is a good idea to split the paper into different sections (with subtitles) that break the
paper up for the reader. For an 8 page paper, there are usually 3 to 5 sections in addition
to the introduction and conclusion. The number of sections depends entirely on the
subject matter, and the content chosen to be included in the paper. Note: There MUST
NOT be any section titled “Literature Review”, as the entire paper is a literature review!
 Conclusions AND future research
Summarize the overall findings and make conclusions in the student’s own words! Then,
must explain what 'we don't know' about the topic and what needs to be done in the
future to better understand the issue. For example, suggest future studies that can be
conducted to improve understanding of the topic.
 References
Only use the correct APA referencing system (see the APU library webpage).
 Literature Review Matrix to be included.
Example:
Author/ Research Methodology Analysis and Conclusions Implications for
Article title, Question(s)/ Results Future
journal title, Hypotheses research/practice
** and
publication
details

Ensure that the Turnitin score is less than 10%

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5. Plagiarism

Basically, 'plagiarism' means representing someone else's work as if it is your own. This is a very
serious academic offence for all students within the University regulations, and is particularly
reprehensible for a researcher. Please do not even consider it. Remember that accidental
plagiarism (or the appearance of it) may be avoided by referencing the work properly. This gains
the student credit, not loses it! The simple rule is that one should not represent the ideas of other
people (whether they are published works or the work of other students) as their own. The golden
rule on plagiarism is DO NOT DO IT!

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