Course Outline

BUS513 The Literature Review

Course Coordinator:Sajid Anwar (sanwar@usc.edu.au) School:School of Business and Creative Industries

2026Trimester 1

Online

Online You can do this course without coming onto campus, unless your program has specified a mandatory onsite requirement.

Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.

What is this course about?

Description

This course develops your skills in planning and producing a high-quality literature review in the Business discipline. You will learn to locate, evaluate, organize, and critically analyze relevant sources to create a comprehensive review that effectively supports your own research. Throughout the course, emphasis is placed on the ethical and responsible use of AI, ensuring you can integrate emerging technologies thoughtfully while maintaining academic integrity and producing work that meets rigorous scholarly standards.

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Online
Learning materials – Interactive online learning activities. 1hr Week 1 11 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Scheduled online workshops (Recorded). 2hrs Week 1 10 times

Course Topics

The Big Picture

Finding the Literature

Reading and Managing Literature 

Evaluating and Critiquing Literature

Analysis and Synthesis

Structuring the literature review

Writing Journal Articles

What level is this course?

500 Level (Advanced)

Engaging with new discipline knowledge and skills at an advanced level or deepening existing knowledge and skills within a discipline. Independent application of knowledge and skills in unfamiliar contexts.

What is the unit value of this course?

12 units

How does this course contribute to my learning?

Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... Graduate Qualities Mapping Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... Professional Standard Mapping * Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
1 Design, collect and reflect on research and data in order to support the development of a research question. Engaged
PC1.1, PC3
2 Analyse and synthesise current literature to identify gaps. Creative and critical thinker
PC1.1, PC3
3 Identify both the strengths and weaknesses of specific research methodologies and how they relate to views of knowledge and research. Creative and critical thinker
Engaged
PC1.1, PC3

* Competencies by Professional Body

CODE COMPETENCY
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
PC1.1 Written Communication
PC3 Creative and Critical Thinking

Am I eligible to enrol in this course?

Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.

Pre-requisites

Enrolled in any honours program or postgraduate coursework program

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

Not applicable

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

Not applicable

Microcredential Information

Not applicable

How am I going to be assessed?

Grading Scale

Standard Grading (GRD)

High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL).

Details of early feedback on progress

Early feedback will be received in the workshops through active engagement and discussion of your research topic.

Assessment tasks

Delivery mode Task No. Assessment Product Individual or Group Weighting % What is the duration / length? When should I submit? Where should I submit it?
All 1 Literature Review (or component) Individual 10%
500 words
Week 5 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 2 Oral and Written Piece Individual 40%
15 minute presentation and a 500 words summary
Week 8 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 3 Literature Review (or component) Individual 50%
3,000 words
Week 12 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All - Assessment Task 1:Draft plan of literature review
Goal:
The purpose of creating the draft literature review is for you to provide a foundation for your research; this is a short and concise document that creates a template for your larger literature review (Task 3). This task requires the identification and analysis of the parent and immediate disciplines, identification of the relevant journals articles and a coherent outline of the topics chosen for inclusion in the literature review.
Product: Literature Review (or component)
Authorship Statement:
Format:
You will submit a short essay outlining your topic and rationale, research question or key themes, supported by 5–10 recently published papers from relevant high-quality journals, and concluding with the next steps for developing your full literature review.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Identification and categorisation of relevant research
1 2
2
Professional communication
1
3
Appropriate referencing to your discipline
1
Generic Skills:
Communication, Information literacy
All - Assessment Task 2:Critique a journal article
Goal:
This task has two parts: a presentation (or recorded video) and a written summary. You will critically evaluate a peer-reviewed journal article relevant to your research interests, identifying its strengths, weaknesses, and the relevant parent and immediate disciplines. The 15-minute presentation or video is worth 30% of the course mark, and the 500-word written summary is worth 10%. Further details about the task and submission requirements will be provided on the Canvas site, and measures will be taken to ensure the presentation is authentically delivered by you.
Product: Oral and Written Piece
Authorship Statement:
Format:
Presentation and an essay
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Analysis and synthesis of relevant research
1 3
2
Professional communication and presentation
2 3
3
Appropriate referencing to your discipline
1 2
Generic Skills:
Communication, Organisation, Information literacy
All - Assessment Task 3:Literature review
Goal:
You are required to write a clear and concise literature review based on your research question, using skills gained in the course. This task involves a comprehensive and critical analysis of key journal articles highlighting the gaps in the literature. Furthermore, attention to the development of a logical and flowing argument and the concise and accurate communication and presentation of the literature review are necessary.
Product: Literature Review (or component)
Authorship Statement:
Format:
Discipline format
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Analysis and synthesis of relevant research
2 3
2
Identification and categorisation of relevant research
1 3
3
Organisation and logic of the literature review
3
4
Professional communication and referencing
1 3
Generic Skills:
Communication, Organisation

Assessment to competency mapping

Programme Delivery Mode Assessment Type Title Competency Teaching Methods
2020 UniSC Business School Standards Undergraduate
All delivery modes Literature Review (or component) Draft plan of literature review PC1.1 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
Literature review PC1.1 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
PC1.3 Practiced, Assessed
Oral and Written Piece Critique a journal article PC1.1 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
PC1.2 Assessed

Directed study hours

A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.

What resources do I need to undertake this course?

Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.

Prescribed text(s) or course reader

You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.

Required? Author Year Title Edition Publisher
Required Ridley, D 2012 The Literature Review, A Step-by-Step Guide for Students 2nd Ed. Sage.

Specific requirements

Not applicable

How are risks managed in this course?

Health and safety risks for this course have been assessed as low. It is your responsibility to review course material, search online, discuss with lecturers and peers and understand the health and safety risks associated with your specific course of study and to familiarise yourself with the University’s general health and safety principles by reviewing the online induction training for students, and following the instructions of the University staff.

What administrative information is relevant to this course?

Assessment: Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.

Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.

In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.

Assessment: Additional Requirements

Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment

Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale

Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying: The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4% The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale You have not failed an assessment task in the course due to academic misconduct

Assessment: Submission penalties

Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.

The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty

Links to relevant University policy and procedures

For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:

  • Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
  • Review of Assessment and Final Grades
  • Supplementary Assessment
  • Central Examinations
  • Deferred Examinations
  • Student Conduct
  • Students with a Disability

For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching

Student Charter

UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.

General Enquiries

For course-specific questions, contact your teaching staff or Course Coordinator.  

For other enquiries or to access support, please contact Student Central: