Arboriculture Literature Review
- Due Nov 15, 2021 by 11:59p.m.
- Points 100
- Submitting a file upload
- Available Sep 26, 2021 at 12a.m. - Nov 15, 2021 at 11:59p.m.
The first assignment is a literature review on a topic of choice, pertaining to the course and demonstrating the student’s ability to synthesize peer reviewed research. At the end of the assessment, students should be able to read, assess, and critically appraise relevant references. This assignment gives students an opportunity to explore the latest in academic journal database technology and refereed journals pertaining to the study of trees and green spaces.
The goal is to present a timely subject in arboriculture, discussing and comparing different research conclusions and points of view on a specific domain or research question. This should include a justification of why this topic or research question is important in regards to arboricultural advances or professional practice.
You may want to check out UBC's Library website on literature reviews before getting started. There are some useful guides and practical advice here: https://guides.library.ubc.ca/litreviews
Some tips:
1. Start with a wide review. Ask yourself where your selected topic fits within the broad context of arboriculture. You can begin your search by addressing one of the chapter topics listed in the course (Nursery Production and Tree Selection or Tree Risk Management for example). Explore a theme or question that is of interest to you or something that is important for advancing responsible practices in arboriculture. Are there relevant research findings, theories, or applications that apply to your topic?
2. Begin to narrow. Think about relevant issues and research. Ask yourself how existing research has been undertaken and applied. Are there key examples that can help highlight or illustrate issues of relevance? Perhaps you'd like to address an issue with different schools of thought and conflicting opinions (For example, comparing one pruning approach with another from the perspective of peer-reviewed research).
3. Now focus. How can your specific topic or question be answered? Does the current research provoke a need for more advanced study? What comes next? Finish with a discussion that revisits the wide review and asks questions for further research.
Highest marks tend to be awarded for reviews that use the literature to develop a discussion and frame an argument, in your own voice. This demonstrates a depth of understanding of the topic and critical thinking. To help inspire you, comprehensive literature reviews on topics in arboriculture, are published every year in the journal Arboriculture & Urban Forestry. Nevertheless, this assignment is shorter in scope with a final minimum word count of 1200 words and maximum potential word count of 2000 words (final word count does not include bibliographic references).
By contrast, relying on only a few references to construct key arguments and/or not using references that present a contrasting view do not generally gain high marks.
Rubric
Find Rubric
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Introduction
An introduction should provide a clear statement of the theme, context and/or application, ‘set the scene’ and identify or emphasize the significant and relevant issues. The scope of the review should be defined. The introduction can also explain why this topic of interest is important for arboriculture as a field of study and practice. This can include a problem statement (and sub-problems/statements) or question/s that the review will seek to address.
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Content/Discussion of Findings
The review of the literature should be comprehensive, relevant and cover issues at an appropriate academic depth. It demonstrates a deep understanding of the topic and the main issues and provides supporting evidence for any arguments, claims, statements made throughout. This is achieved by:
Analyzing key issues and problems related to the topic that are present in the literature; Comparing and contrasting different views of the topic; Working towards, discussing and drawing valid conclusions from the literature (evidence-based); Providing a basis and/or rationale for applications, examples and practices; and Using suitable, high quality, relevant and current references throughout. References used should be limited to scholarly articles in refereed (peer-review) journals, scholarly monographs and government reports.
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Structure
Make sure your writing is focused, this is especially crucial given the word limit.
Focus on the following: A consistent approach to the layout Clear presentation and structure, headings, subheadings, etc. Logical progression and flow, clear and concise text Properly referenced (citing and listing is accurate and consistent) Follow APA 7th edition citation style guide Minimum word count 1200 words Maximum word count 2000 words (Word count does not include citations and bibliographic references)
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