Literature reviews are designed to do two things:
1) Give your readers an overview of sources you have explored while researching a particular topic or idea and
2) Demonstrate how your research fits into the larger field of study, in this case, sociology.
Unlike annotated bibliographies which are lists of references arranged alphabetically that include the bibliographic citation and a paragraph summary and critique for each source, literature reviews can be incorporated into a research paper or manuscript. You may quote or paraphrase from the sources, and all references to sources should include in-text parenthetical citations with a reference list at the end of the document. Sometimes, however, an instructor may require a separate literature review document and will have specific instructions for completing the assignment.
Duquesne's Writing Center has created guides to assist you with citing in-text and in reference lists in MLA, APA, and Chicago style.
See these guides to will help you integrate text from sources into your own writing without plagiarizing:
Learn about writing with a sociological perspective from this guide from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
There are two essential parts to citing correctly. The first is citing within the text of a paper, either by using parenthetical references, or footnotes. The second is providing complete bibliographic information for your sources in a bibliography (also known as a Works Cited page or Reference list).
Undergraduates at Duquesne most frequently use one of these styles:
There is also a special style used in the discipline of Sociology called ASA, or American Sociological Association, style.
