COM754 Research Methods for Digital Technologies Task 1 – Literature Review 2026/27

Small Research Project

Task 1 – Literature Review

1.Synthesise complex information from a variety of sources.

2. Critically evaluate research methodologies in the context of research for digital technology.

3. Plan and execute a small research project.

4. Compile, analyse and disseminate data in relation to a small research project.

Objective:

In the rapidly evolving field of digital technology, staying current with the latest research is crucial. This task is the first of three and will focus on your ability to synthesize complex information from secondary data sources, critically evaluate existing research, plan and execute a research project based on available data, and effectively compile, analyse, and disseminate findings from secondary data sources.

Task 1: Literature Review

Identify a specific topic within the field of digital technology that interests you. This could be related to emerging technologies, user experience, data security, artificial intelligence, etc.

Conduct a comprehensive literature review on your chosen topic. Synthesize complex information from a number of academic sources (journal articles, conference papers, books, and other credible academic publications). Provide a critical evaluation of the literature, discussing the reliability and validity of the sources and the methodologies employed.

GenAI can be used to help brainstorm potential topics within digital technology that may interest you, such as trends in artificial intelligence, blockchain, or user interface design. This can help narrow down a specific area for your literature review.

Using any form of GenAI to write any section of your literature review is strictly prohibited. The literature review must be your original work. Copying or pasting AIgenerated content is deemed plagiarism.

It is important to focus on building your own critical thinking skills, as this task emphasizes evaluation and synthesis from multiple reliable sources. This cannot be achieved through AI assistance.

Guidance as to how GenAI use might be permitted is available on the Learning and Teaching Hub  and on the COM754 Moodle Page in the Assessment and Feedback section.

Format and structure: Work should be submitted as a single MS Word (.doc/.docx) or PDF document only, containing your assignment and a reference list. No appendices are required.

This report should be written using the correct grammar and referencing skills (IEEE style); it must be formatted appropriately; and submitted online via the appropriate Turnitin submission link found on the module space.

Suggested structure and content

Introduction 

Introduce your chosen topic and provide context. 

Explain the significance of the topic and the rationale behind choosing it.

State the scope of your literature review and outline the main themes or questions that will be addressed.

Body

Explain how you searched the literature, what search terms you used, the sources you searched etc. How many articles you found and how you filtered this to obtain a set of literature you will be reviewing. 

Organize the body of your literature review into thematic sections or categories.

Summarize and synthesize the key findings from the literature.

Highlight areas of agreement, disagreement, and gaps in the research.

Critically evaluate the methodologies, theories, and conclusions presented in the sources.

Conclusion

Summarize the main findings of your literature review.

Discuss the implications of the findings for future research.

Suggest potential directions for further investigation on the topic. Formatting

Font: Use a readable font such as Arial, or Calibri.

Font Size: 12-point font.

Spacing: 1.5line spacing.

Margins: 2.54 cm margins on all sides.

Alignment: Left aligned or justified.

Title Page

Include a title page with your name, student ID, course, report title, and the date of submission. Footer

Include a footer with a page number on each page (excluding the title page).

Submission

This assessment must be submitted online via the appropriate Turnitin submission link found on the module space. (Emailed or paper versions will not be accepted).

Referencing for all written material should follow the IEEE standard, with particular attention paid to referencing of material resourced from the Web or other online facilities. References do not count towards the word count.

Work must submitted as a single file (.doc, .docx or PDF) via the Turnitin link provided through VLE (Moodle) by 23rd October 2026.

Make sure to submit before 23:59 on the due date – Friday 23rd October 2026.  

Hints and tips

All learning material will be found on the VLE.

Make use of the various digital library subscriptions that the University has access to, particularly IEEE Xplore and the ACM Digital Library, as well as Google Scholar.

Start your research early to allow ample time for finding and reviewing sources. Take detailed notes and organize them by themes or categories. Be critical and objective in your analysis of the literature.

Try to be as concise and focused as you can be in producing your report. Do not add words for the sake of it. Make sure each word and sentence contribute something useful.

You are expected to work on this assignment on your own, and it is important that you do not discuss or exchange your ideas, data, or any work output with other students.

All submitted work is expected to observe academic standards in terms of referencing, academic writing, use of language etc. Failure to adhere to these instructions may result in your work being awarded a lower grade than it would otherwise deserve.

Academic integrity is an important part of your learning and assessment. On submission of an assignment, software called Turnitin is automatically used to check

the similarity of your work to other sources of information and the work produced by other students. The similarity scores are reviewed by the marking team and any similarity scores that are a cause for concern will be flagged and investigated. By submitting this work, you confirm that you have read, understand and accept the university’s regulations regarding academic integrity and academic misconduct such as plagiarism and collusion and agree to be subject to the academic integrity process if any such situation should arise.

If your research involves using personal or medical data, you must obtain ethical approval from the University’s ethics committee. This process ensures that your study respects participants' rights, safety, and privacy. The committee will review your research plan to ensure it follows ethical standards, including privacy, confidentiality, and informed consent. As this approval process can take time, please do not use any personal and/or medical data inside your work. Failure to adhere to this rule is an Academic Integrity issue and will be dealt with in the appropriate manner.

Late submissions: work submitted up to a week late without a valid reason can only gain a maximum of 40%. If an extension is required, then a Short Extension to Submission Form must be completed and agreed prior to the submission date. Any work submitted more than a week late without a valid reason may be read but will not be marked.

All grades/marks are indicative and may change when moderated – see the last page for the marking criteria.

All required work must be submitted, in full and as directed and described, by the due time and date, to achieve marks reflecting its full worth. Work submitted after the due time and date, but within one calendar week, will be capped at 40%. Work more than a week late will not be marked and will be entered as 0%. 

Wrexham University Skills Framework

Employability Skills Applied

On successful completion of this module, a student will have had opportunities to demonstrate achievement of the following Employability Skills;

Tick all that apply.

Adaptability & Flexibility

(Managing Change, Coping with Ambiguity, Transferable

Skills)

Career Development

(Career information, Access to opportunity, Career readiness)

Critical Thinking (Problem

Solving, Analytical Skills,

Critical Thinking)

Digital Capabilities (Digital

Tools & Software, Data

Analysis, Digital Citizenship)

Enterprise and

Entrepreneurship

(Innovation, Commercial

Awareness and Influencing)

Interpersonal Skills

(Communication, Emotional

Intelligence, Networking,

Bilingualism)

Resilience (Positive

Mindset, Self Awareness,

Motivation & Purpose)

Social Impact and

Sustainability (Social

Responsibility, inclusivity, Cultural Awareness and application of the UN Sustainable development goals

Teamwork (Collaboration

Skills, Active Listening,

Planning & Organising)

Weighting (%) 

Review and critical evaluation:

Conduct a comprehensive 
literature review, integrating information from various academic sources, and critically

evaluate the literature. 

Reasonable understanding:

adequate synthesis with relevant sources and some insight.  Reasonable evaluation: fairly clear understanding with adequate comparison. 

Good understanding: thorough synthesis with extensive sources and critical insight.  

Strong evaluation: 

comprehensive understanding with detailed comparison. 

Excellent understanding: sophisticated synthesis with diverse sources and deep critical insight.

Exceptional evaluation:

profound insight with a thorough and detailed comparison. 

A fairly good conclusion but consider 
providing a stronger summary and discussing the broader implications of your findings. 

Format, organisation

and grammar:   

References and Citations using IEEE style.