Overview
Literature Review
For this assignment, you will review the literature on the use of social media in disasters. You will develop a critical evaluation of three studies, analyzing the similarities and differences among them, identifying common elements and themes, and identifying strengths and weaknesses in the studies. Based on what is known about the topic and the conclusions and recommendations of researchers, you will identify a viable approach to future research on this topic. You will develop the foundational components to propose an applied research study that could generate new knowledge on the topic and contribute to the existing literature.
You will use these three studies to develop your literature review:
- Social Media in Disaster Communications: A Case Study of Strategies, Barriers, and Ethical Implications
- Social Media, Trust, and Disaster: Does Trust in Public and Nonprofit Organizations Explain Social Media Use During a Disaster?
- Social Media and Crisis Communications: A Survey of Local Governments in Florida
Develop a 5- to 7-page paper that has the following sections:
- Introduction: Develop an introduction to the review of literature on the topic of social media. Discuss the importance of understanding what is already known about a topic as a critical component of the applied research process. Provide a brief overview of the topic of social media use in disasters to provide context for the literature review. Finally, discuss how the literature review will be used to propose additional research to expand knowledge on social media use in disasters.
- Literature Review: Develop a synthesized review of the three studies on social media use in disasters, including the following:
- Include a comprehensive analysis of the studies, identifying the common themes running through them and the core issues and problems addressed by the researchers.
- Discuss the common areas of agreement among the authors and the overall findings from their research. Discuss the areas of disagreement, contradictions, and gaps in the literature.
- Identify conclusions that can be drawn in terms of the current knowledge on the topic of social media use in disasters. Based on the limitations of the studies and the recommendations of the researchers, identify what additional research is needed to generate new and relevant knowledge on the topic. Remember that a literature review is a comprehensive discussion of the studies and what they represent as a whole rather than a listing of each study and its summary findings. Support your analysis and evaluation of the literature with evidence and citations from each of the three studies.
- Proposed Research on Social Media Use in Disasters: Based on what you have identified from the literature review as additional research needed on this topic, develop the foundational components of a proposed applied research study. Include the following:
- Background: Develop a brief overview of the additional research needed, including supporting evidence and citations from the studies in your literature review. Identify the location (city, agency, etc.) where the research will take place, provide relevant background and demographic information, and discuss why this is the most appropriate location.
- Research Questions: Develop 3–5 research questions that are vital to addressing the key concerns of your proposed research and that serve to narrow the focus and scope of the proposed research. Remember that research questions must be in the form of a question, be open-ended, and indicate the kind of data that will be collected and from whom. Discuss the process for developing the research questions, including a clear rationale demonstrating how the research questions will address the scope and aim of the proposed research.
- Hypotheses: For each of the research questions, develop a corresponding hypothesis. Remember that a hypothesis is a statement (not a question) indicating a relationship between variables. The hypothesis is a tentative answer to the research question, such that by conducting the research, the hypothesis can be tested and the research question answered. Discuss the relevance of each hypothesis to the proposed research.
- Variables: Identify the variables (independent and dependent) associated with each of the hypotheses. Discuss how each variable has been operationalized and conceptualized for the proposed research study.
- Units of Analysis: Identify the units of analysis for the proposed study, including supporting rationale for the selection. Discuss the ecological fallacy and how this will be avoided in the proposed research.
- Time Dimension of the Research:Discuss the time dimension for the proposed research. Identify whether the research will be cross-sectional or longitudinal, retrospective or prospective, and provide supporting rationale for these determinations.
- Conclusion: Develop a conclusion that summarizes the main points of discussion throughout your paper. Highlight the significant findings from the literature review and the value of the proposed research on the topic of social media use in disasters.
Write in a scholarly and objective tone, avoiding the use of first person, personal pronouns, contractions, and colloquial or conversational language. Avoid the use of direct quotations. Use citations from each of the assigned readings in Units 3 and 4, and two additional scholarly, peer-reviewed sources to support your content and credit sources of information and ideas.
Note: This assignment requires the use of the assigned readings and outside research. Include citations from at least two scholarly, peer-reviewed sources in addition to the assigned reading material throughout your assignment to support your content and credit sources of information and ideas.