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ASSESSMENT 3: Essay – Literature Review (40%)
You should prepare an essay on a topic of your choice that broadly fits within one of the topics that
you have studied in this subject:
Topic 1. Housing
Topic 2. Land markets
Topic 3. Urban growth management
Topic 4. Informal settlements and informal economies
Topic 5. Indigenous land rights
Topic 6. Globalisation and urban growth
Topic 7. Energy management and regional development
The above topic serve only as a guide to nest your essay topic within. Your topic will be more
narrowly defined, but should fit within one of the above categories. On the first page, you should
clarify the topic and state your title. For instance, “Topic 1. Land markets” and your own title which
talks about a specific economic concern regarding land markets. If your essay covers multiple topic
areas, please specify by stating all relevant topics from the five topics above. The title should
concisely describe the core message of your literature review. This essay is a critical analysis of the
literature in the selected field of research. Your paper should be related to the topics in urban and
regional economics.
Your task here is to provide a broad analysis of the existing body of work on your chosen topic and
provide discussion on the shortcomings of this work (ie. find gaps). You should also make
recommendations for future research. In past years, students have benefitted from this exercise
because it helped them frame their research for their Masters Thesis, so you are encouraged to analyse
something that interests you. Your essay should predominantly feature a review of existing literature.
A review is not a summary, but rather your interpretation and argument about what that literature
says. You are required to engage in critical thinking and still have your own ideas within your essay.
In general, academic journal papers have literature review sections. Weekly readings are a good
example for this task. For instance, Shearmur (2012) Are cities the font of innovation A critical
review of the literature on cities and innovation and MALMBERG & MASKELL (2002). The Elusive
Concept of Localization Economies – Towards a Knowledge-based Theory of Spatial Clustering are
both literature reviews. The early section of both papers provide a good example of how to conduct a
literature review. Most other weekly readings for this subject include a specific section for literature
review. A good essay will be more than a summary of the literature. Your essay should demonstrate
structured arguments in your selected topic. You may want to develop a question to guide your essay.
A good topic is grounded on a theoretical framework and intellectually stimulating. Some examples
may be shown during the tutorials.
Please pay attention to the formatting instructions earlier in this document, and be sure to conform to
the following specifications:

The paper should have enough references to treat the topic properly so that we are convinced
that you have mastered the field and are representing it well. Larger fields will have more
Assignment length: A maximum of 2000 words, excluding bibliographic materials, tables,
figures and appendix.
Due date: To be submitted online via the Turnit-in, Canvas by 23.59pm, Sunday, 26 May
2024 (Melbourne Time).
Late submission penalties apply.
The APA style referencing is required for this assignment. Plagiarism including self_xfffe_plagiarism is NOT acceptable. Written assessments previously submitted to any other
subject(s) are NOT acceptable. Your submission will be checked by Turnit-in that can identify
your source.
citations. To limit citation, consider narrowing your field. As a rough guideline, your essay
should cite roughly 20 – 30 references (guidance only). Please note that what matters is not
the number of references in your paper, but the quality of your understanding of the selected
topic. This is a graduate subject. You are responsible to make sure you understand the field
academically.
References can include materials from peer-reviewed journals and books. Academic journal
papers are highly encouraged to be used in your literature review. (Please refer to the
recommended academic journals in this guideline, but your use of journal papers is not
limited to the recommended journals. These journals are generally known as top journals in
urban and regional studies). The following materials are NOT appropriate except for
background and on a very limited basis: industry and non-profit publications, newspapers and
periodicals, and media websites. As a literature review, we are not interested in informal
and/or case study information that is usually presented in these kinds of documents. Your
review should be predominantly academic literature with only minimal use of other sources
(and in many cases may include nothing but journal articles and/or books).
Marking criteria:
Understanding of the topic (20%). Clear statement of appropriate field. Depth understanding
of the selected topic. A clear title and clear headings.
Scope (15%). Appropriate breadth and depth are provided, so that the topic is well represented. A good paper should be neither too general nor too broad in scope.
Analysis and structure (40%). The writing shows in-depth exploration of the topic, and an
attempt to acknowledge the major debates and competing positions surrounding an issue.
Gaps in the literature and important areas worthy of further study are identified. Your paper
should be well structured. You should identify key references in the selected topic area. Active
use of up-to-date references is desirable, but this does not apply to all papers. A simple
summary of references is not desirable. If necessary, you may make frameworks for solid
structure. This can be expressed in different forms, such as a table, a diagram, a flow chart,
and/or written sentences/paragraphs.
Quality of Presentation (15%): Your report should be coherently organised with an
introduction, main section and conclusion that integrate into a coherent whole. Your report
should be written and presented in clear and precise language. Also, tables and figures should
be clearly presented.
Referencing and Acknowledgement of Sources (10%): You should acknowledge all your
sources of information, direct quotations (use quotation marks), and paraphrasing according to
the APA referencing system; and provide a complete bibliography of all consulted sources at
the end of your report.
Please note that These criteria are not mutually exclusive, but inter-related. This assignment will
require you to undertake more than just the required and recommended readings. You will need to
source materials independently and undertake some research as necessary.
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