Motivation for Academic Writing, Free Paper for Students

Topic, Scope, and Aim of the Literature

The literature review is quite comprehensive as it presents the objectives and the topic of the literature review. The topic of the study is 'exploring the possible motivation for academic writing'. A critical look at the literature reveals that the writer intended to identify the problems associated with academic writing or the challenges faced by writers. To this end, the study used the introductory part identify the problems that include but not limited to the lack of time, space, experience, expertise, and the necessary support to make the practice more palatable. The objective was to find solutions to the identified problems. The study focused on collaborative writing as a means of enhancing academic writing and eradicating the challenges arising from the traditional methods that relied on individual abilities. In terms of the scope, the study was conducted at the University of Limerick with groups of twelve faculty members taking part in collaborative writing experiment.

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Context of the Research Topic

The context of the topic is to highlight the nature and the history of the study problem. In this regard, the topic seeks to explore the means and the ways of boosting or improving academic writers' motivation. Historically, the literature on the problems encountered by the academic writers is scarce, meaning that the study on the same is quite limited. The limiting research presents a problem since it is hard to find a solution to the problem because of the minimal information. The topic thus bridges the gap between the past literature and the current study.

Establishing the Context of the Topic within the Research

The research first defined the nature and the history of the problem right at the introduction, which touched on the scarcity of existing literature. The study first identified the limiting nature of the literature on motivation of academic writers, which is also an obstacle to the establishing and the subsequent implementation of remedies. Thirdly, it related the research to the scope of the previous literature, which seemingly did not foresee the benefits of collaborative writing as solution to the challenges faced by the solitary writers. Essentially, it identified the gap between the existing literatures and sought to fill it by finding solutions to the identified problem.

Indication of the Choice of Material for Review

Largely, the literature chosen is subjective since it mainly focuses on the areas of interest, which are the challenges and the possible solutions to writers' motivation in the course of duty. The scope of the study, which is the study at Limerick University that aimed at establishing the effects of collaborative writing on the levels of motivation, which certainly required narrow literature review as it is precise. Evidently, the research question was narrow, as the study mainly sought measures to motivate writers using a specific strategy. The narrow scope ensured that the study focused mainly on the key areas such as the cause of writers' low levels of motivation and the possible solutions. Finally, the choice of the peer reviewed articles means that research aimed at fresh, reliable perspective on the subject. It is worth noting that peer review process screens the information and is normally timely, sufficient, and reliable. The sources tend to differ in opinion, meaning that the study has the opportunity to fill the arising gap.

Inclusion of Landmark Sources in the Study

The study has not included landmark studies in its literature review. Using Google Scholar (after customization of the time to include the period when most of the sources fall under) reveals that just a few of the sources qualify as landmark, even after the selection of the advanced option. Notably, the search engine (Google Scholar) normally relies on plain language or key words searches to identify sources. In order of relevance, in the search engine's list, it is clear that the study ignored the most timely and relevant sources, and instead settled for the remotely related sources. In addition, most of the sources used are old with the latest one dated the year 2000, which is relevant considering that the article was written in 2003. However, the sources dating 1980s are outdated. The regulations in academic writing require sources that are not alder than ten years since the information contained therein is up to date.

Timeliness of the Materials Used

As mentioned earlier, the relevance of academic information relies heavily on the timeliness with the latest sources considered the most appropriate and informative. The current rules advocate for the usage or the application of sources not more than ten years old. However, most of the sources used date back to 1986. Considering that the article was written in the year 2003, the sources used are outdated. The ones dated late 1990s and 200s are relevant and exceedingly timely. Therefore, it is safe to infer that the study combined both updated and out of date sources.

Relationship between Theory and Empirical Research

The study focused on the key implication of the research that aimed at contributing comprehensively to practice as opposed to the prevalent theories, which means that it sought to prove or disprove the theory by performing a practical experiment. In this regard, the study employed the services of twelve faculty members at Limerick University to investigate the effectiveness or the efficiency of collaborative or community-based writing on the levels of motivation. The writers' retreat proved that collaborative writing was more productive than the solitary-style writing possibly because they had the opportunity to consult and to share their expertise and top showcase their talent. The practical activity that involved 12-group members proved that community-based writing was more enjoyable. The opinions of the writers bridged the gap between practice and theory, as it proved the essence of teamwork in spurring motivation.

Synthesis of the New Research to Open up New Perspective

The study used opposing literature as a way of formulating a new perspective. In this regard, he used the literature that supported the fact that community-based writing was motivational and combined it with the other that stated that solitary writing was more motivation. The two classes of literature created a gap, which essentially formed the perspective of the research. It is imperative to note that in the end the practical experiment proved that community writing is more motivational.

The use of Quotations and Examples to Justify the Main Argument

In most instances, the study used the quotations as a way of referring to the first person opinion, giving credence to the fact that the individual had a firsthand experience about what worked and what did not in writing. First person information is more believable since it connotes experience. The examples also depict a degree of individual experience or practicality. Firsthand information supplemented by appropriate references is trustable since it is verifiable s well.