LS 350: Literature Reviews: Theory & Practice
Spring Syllabus
Professor:
Greg Notess, Professor/Reference Librarian
Office: Renne Library, Rm 117B
Phone: 406-994-6563
Email: align@montana.edu
Available in-person, by phone, on Skype, & many other
online options: Google Hangout, Facebook Chat, etc.
Office Hours:
Wednesdays: 2-4PM
Thursdays: 8-10 AM
Schedule Times at
http://calendar.lib.montana.edu/appointment/756
Course Description:
This interdisciplinary course examines scholarly information resources, the literature review processes
and theory, and effective management techniques for tracking scholarly reading and citations. Intended
for upper-division students, the course covers advanced literature research methodologies and prepares
students for reading and creating literature reviews for their capstones, senior projects, and other indepth research endeavors.
Course Goals:
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Provide student scholars with a foundation for searching, locating, and managing scholarly
literature for upper level courses and research projects
Analyze, understand, and be able to create literature reviews
Examine the legal and ethical issues of information access and use
Course Location: Online via Desire2Learn (D2L) at https://ecat.montana.edu/
Course Materials: Readings, videos, lectures, and discussions will be posted and/or linked online on D2L
Student Learning Outcomes:
After successfully completing this course, students will be able to
 Demonstrate knowledge and use of scholarly literature sources in their discipline
 Successfully develop and apply search strategies in appropriate scholarly databases
 Differentiate among resource types and choose the most appropriate for the research topic
 Effectively manage citations using a bibliographic management program
 Demonstrate knowledge of the disciplinary information structure (flow of information, type of
publications, dissemination methods)
 Distinguish narrative and systematic literature reviews and a meta analysis, and be able to write
a narrative literature review
 Apply legal and ethical standards in their use of information. (Ex: plagiarism; falsifying results;
protecting their copyright, open access)
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Preliminary Course Outline:
Assignments Due: 8:00PM on Sundays (unless otherwise stated on D2L)
Topic
Assignments
Week 1
Scholarly Communication & Info Cycle
 Pre-test, Readings Quiz
 Discussions: Introductions
Week 2
January 20, 2015
Intro to Citations and Literature Reviews
 Styles Quiz & Lit Review Assignment
 Discussions: Literature Reviews
Week 3
January 26, 2015
Citation Management
 Comparing Citation Tools Assignment
 Discussions: Citation Tools
Week 4
February 2, 2015
Search Strategies
 Outline Preliminary Research Plan
 Discussions: Finalize Topic Selection
Week 5
February 9, 2015
Search Strategies, Advanced
 Advanced Search Evaluation Assignment
 Discussions: Strategy Sharing
Week 6
February 17, 2015
Alerts
 Basic Search Analysis Paper
 Discussions: Establishing Alerts
Week 7
February 23, 2015
Disciplinary & Specialized Databases
 Database Review Assignment
 Discussions: Database Finds
Week 8
March 2, 2015
Evaluating Sources
 Mid-Semester Project: Due 3/8
 Discussions: Evaluation
Spring Break
Week 9
March 16, 2015
Citations, Managers, and Lit Reviews
Review
 Advanced Citation Styles Quiz
 Discussions: Citation Difficulties
Week 10
March 23, 2015
Publication Types
 Comparing Publications Assignment
 Discussions: Sharing Document Types
Week 11
March 30, 2015
Primary Sources & Government
Information
 Government Info Access Essay
 Discussions: Document Sharing
Week 12
April 6, 2015
Copyright and Open Access
 Copyright Quiz
 Discussions: Open Access
Week 13
April 13, 2015
Social Media & Scholarly Networks
 Scholarly Network Assignment
 Discussions: Social Media
Week 14
Bias in Scholarly Literature
 Bias Assignment
 Discussions: Identifying Bias in Sources
Week 15
Ethics & Plagiarism
 TurnItIn and Peer Review Assignment
 Discussions: Plagiarism
Week 16
Finals Week
 Final Project Due
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Course Policies:
Online Participation: You are expected to be a contributing member of our learning community. It is
your responsibility to track updates, know deadlines, and submit work on time. You are required to
participate in online discussions, complete readings, assignments, quizzes, and projects.
The course material, the activities, and assignments have been designed to build upon each other to
culminate in the final literature review project. Your evaluation and grade will depend upon your
participation, completion of assignments, and the quality of those assignments.
Course Grading: The final letter grades assigned will be based on the following percentages.
A 93-100%
A- 90-92.9%
B+ 87-89.9% B 83-86.9%
B- 80-82.9%
C+ 77-79.9% C 73-76.9%
C- 70-72.9%
D+ 67-69.9% D 63-66.9%
D- 60-62.9%
Anything less than 60% is an F.
Grades will be based on the following division, with a total of 1,000 possible points for the course:
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15%
15%
15%
20%
35%
Online discussion and participation (10 points for each week)
Weekly Assignments or Quizzes (10 points each week)
Annotated Bibliography (150 points)
Mid Semester Project (200 points)
Final project – Literature Review (350 points)
Major Projects
Annotated Bibliography
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Due: Sunday Feb. 22
7+ peer reviewed journal articles
Citations in chosen citation style with 1 paragraph abstract for each
Mid Semester Project: DRAFT NARRATIVE? Literature Review
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Due: Sunday March 8
5+ double spaced page brief literature review for your topic
12+ citations
Final Project: Literature Review
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Due: Wednesday May 6
10+ double spaced page literature review for your topic
20+ citations
Details on both will be posted in the Course Materials section on D2L
Late Policy: Your success in this class requires your involvement and participation. Being late with
assignments will jeopardize your success. Be responsible for knowing when assignments, exercises, and
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discussion input are due and submitting them on time. Late assignments received within 48 hours of the
due date will receive half credit. No late final projects will be accepted.
Communication etiquette and style - good grammar and spelling will be counted when grading all
exercises, formal assignments, and the final project. Please use spellcheckers, dictionaries, and writing
guides. The MSU Writing Center (406-994-5315 or http://www.montana.edu/writingcenter/) is available
to help.
For online discussions, please read each discussion question carefully before answering and proofread
each response carefully before posting and think before posting any discussion messages. Everyone in
the class will be able read your discussion postings.
Changes to the syllabus - as your instructor, I reserve the right to make changes in the syllabus
according to the progression of the class and as deemed necessary but will adhere to the main
components and broad course outline. If a change is deemed necessary, the information will be posted
as a “News Item” so you’ll know right away. It is your responsibility to track updates, know deadlines,
and submit work on time. If you have questions, problems, or doubts please contact your instructor
right away. You'll enjoy this course and get a lot more out of it if you stay on top of when things are due!
University Policies
Behavioral Expectations: MSU expects all students to conduct themselves as honest, responsible and law-abiding
members of the academic community and to respect the rights of other students, members of the faculty and staff
and the public to use, enjoy and participate in the University programs and facilities. See MSU's Student Conduct
Code at www2.montana.edu/policy/student_conduct/cg600.html
Collaboration: University policy states that, unless otherwise specified, students may not collaborate on graded
material. Any exceptions to this policy will be stated explicitly for individual assignments. If you have any questions
about the limits of collaboration, you are expected to ask for clarification.
Plagiarism: Paraphrasing or quoting another’s work without citing the source is a form of academic misconduct.
Even inadvertent or unintentional misuse or appropriation of another's work (such as relying heavily on source
material that is not expressly acknowledged) is considered plagiarism. If you have any questions about using and
citing sources, you are expected to ask for clarification.
Academic Misconduct: Section 420 of the Student Conduct Code describes academic misconduct as including but
not limited to plagiarism, cheating, multiple submissions, or facilitating others’ misconduct. Possible sanctions for
academic misconduct range from an oral reprimand to expulsion from the university.
Academic Expectations: Section 310.00 in the MSU Conduct Guidelines states that students must:
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be prompt and regular in attending classes;
be well prepared for classes;
submit required assignments in a timely manner;
take exams when scheduled;
act in a respectful manner toward other students and the instructor and in a way that does not detract
from the learning experience; and
make and keep appointments when necessary to meet with the instructor.
In addition to the above items, students are expected to meet any additional course and behavioral standards as
defined by the instructor.
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Adds and Drops - Students can add the course during the first seven days of the semester and drop the course
online during the first 14 days of the semester. The last day to withdraw from LS 350 without a grade is
Wednesday, Feb. 4. The last day to withdraw with a W, rather than a grade, on your transcript is Friday, April 17.
Students with Disabilities: If you have a documented disability for which you are or may be requesting an
accommodation(s), you are encouraged to contact your instructor and Disabled Student Services as soon as
possible. You can find additional information at http://www.montana.edu/drv/
Student Educational Records: All records related to this course are confidential and will not be shared with
anyone, including parents, without a signed, written release. If you wish to have information from your records
shared with others, you must provide written request/authorization to the office/department. Before giving such
authorization, you should understand the purpose of the release and to whom and for how long the information is
authorized for release.
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