LITERATURE REVIEW WORKSHEET 1

Harrison High School STEM

Class of 2023
Literature Review Worksheet

Directions: Freshmen students in the STEM program will compile a list of resources and
complete this literature review worksheet to assist their science fair research design.
1. Type directly into this document.
2. Save your document as follows: ScienceFair19-20_LitReview_FirstInitial_LastName
(for example: ScienceFair19-20_LitReview_J_Motsinger).
3. Upload your literature review worksheet to TurnItIn.com under the assignment titled “STEM
Literature Review.” The deadline to submit is Wednesday, August 21, 2019 at 11:59 p.m.

Introduction: What is the topic of my literature review?

Example: Desalination of oceans
Type your topic here: Earth worm reproduction

Topic sentence: What is a basic explanation of your topic?

Example: Desalination is the process that converts saltwater into water that can used for drinking,
agriculture, or industrial uses.
Type your topic sentence here: We are going to test if herbicides affect the earthworm
reproduction rate.

My (minimum) three sources (works to be read, analyzed and cited using APA):
Example:
Lattemann, S., & Höpner, T. (2008). Environmental impact and impact assessment of seawater
desalination. Desalination, 220(1-3), 1-15. doi:10.1016/j.desal.2007.03.009
1. Encyclopedia Britannica: School. (2019). Earthworms. Encyclopedia Britannica: School. Retrieved
from https://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/earthworm/31737.
2. Encyclopedia Britannica: School. (2019). Herbicide. Encyclopedia Britannica: School. Retrieved
From https://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/herbicide/40113.
3. National Geographic Kids (2019). Earthworm. National Geographic Kids. Retrieved from
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/earthworm/

Body: What are the main points/arguments of my sources? How are these points supported?
Example:
Source 1: Lattemann and Hopner argue that desalination discharges concentrate and chemical discharges
to the marine environment, emit pollutants, and requires a high energy demand to process.
Example:
Source 2: Bremere states desalination expansion is required to meet the population growth and the
groundwater scarcity in the coming 25 years in various regions of the world.
Source 1
a. Encyclopedia Britannica (2019) explains, “They become sexually mature in 60 to 90 days and attain
full growth in about one year.” (p. 1).
b. Encyclopedia Britannica (2019) explains, “Miniature earthworms usually emerge from the cocoon after
two to four weeks” (p. 1).
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c. Encyclopedia Britannica (2019) explains, “Within 24 hours after the worms mate, the cocoon is
deposited in the soil” (p. 2)

Source 2
a. Encyclopedia Britannica (2019) explains, “Most herbicides are considered nontoxic to animals and
humans, but they can cause substantial mortality of nontarget plants and the insects that depend on them,
especially when applied aerially” (p. 1).
b. Encyclopedia Britannica (2019) explains, “However, because these crops encourage increased
application of chemicals to the soil rather than decreased application, they remain controversial with
regard to their environmental impact and general safety” (p. 1)
c. Encyclopedia Britannica (2019) explains, “The new herbicides were revolutionary in that their high
toxicity allowed for effective weed control at dosage rates as low as one to two kilograms per hectare (one
or two pounds per acre)” (p. 1)

Source 3
a. National Geographic Kids (2019) explains, “Earthworms are vital to soil health and to plants
growing in it because they transport nutrients and minerals from below to the surface via their
waste”.
b. National Geographic Kids (2019) explains, “Typically only a few inches (7 or 8 centimeters) long,
some members of this species have been known to grow to a snakelike 14 inches (35 centimeters)”.
c. National Geographic Kids (2019) explains, “As they burrow, they consume soil, extracting nutrients
from decomposing organic matter like leaves and roots”.

Body: Similarities in (comparing) two or more of the articles. This should be at least one paragraph.
Example: Lattemann and Bremeer both recognize that the process of desalination will continue to grow
and expand throughout the world…
Type your first body paragraph here: In the earthworm article on Britannica and in the earthworm
article on National Geographic Kids they both talk about earthworms. Both articles talk about how much
the earthworm grows and how long it takes the earthworm to grow. The earthworm cocoon is buried 24
hours after mating. After two to four weeks, the earthworm comes out of the cocoon. They usually mature
within 60 to 90 days. They can usually grow up to a few inches long.

Body: Differences in (contrasting) in two or more of the articles. This should be at least one paragraph.
Example: Lattemann and Bremeer disagree on the extent that desalination harms the environment...
Type your second body paragraph here: In the earthworm article in Britannica it talks about earthworm
and their reproduction process. In the article “Herbicides” in Britannica, it talks about what herbicides do
and the effects. The “Herbicide” article talks about how herbicides can lead to death in insects. The
article on earthworms talks about how the reproduction process works. Although the articles don’t
disagree they are about different topics.

Conclusion Paragraph: Summarizing

LITERATURE REVIEW WORKSHEET 3

Example: This literature review was conducted to analyze opposing perspectives on the effects of
desalination on the environment versus the human demand for fresh water...
Type your conclusion paragraph here:
In conclusion, many herbicides are meant to kill on plants but could also harm insects. In my science fair
project, we will be testing to see if this is true or not. We can use the information about how a regular
earthworm is compared to how an earthworm is after using herbicides.

Why is the topic of this literature review important and/or what should be the next step of this
study?
Example: Further research is needed to examine recent statistics on gun control, gun ownership and gun
deaths in other countries compared with that in the United States.
Type your response here: This topic is important because many people use herbicides on their unwanted
plants but that could have a negative impact on the worms. If it does have a negative impact on the worms
then soon our whole ecosystem could be messed up.

For additional help:

 Make an appointment with Mrs. Motsinger using Remind or email:
Jordan.motsinger@cobbk12.org.
 Refer to www.citefast.com or Purdue OWL for help with APA formatting. (Remember the
hanging paragraph does not copy, so you will have to edit that!)