Senior capstone literature review PPT — rubric only says "credible sources" but my professor rejected my first draft for citing too many websites?

Your professor is likely looking for a synthesis of academic conversation rather than a collection of isolated facts, which is why your deck feels like a list of search results instead of a cohesive argument. When they mention a trail of scholarship, they mean they want to see how different researchers are talking to each other, building upon, or debating previous findings in the field of public administration. While government reports are great for data, they don’t always provide the theoretical framework or the critical analysis that peer-reviewed journals offer. To fix this, you should shift your focus toward academic databases to find core studies that have shaped the policy area you’re investigating. Think of it like this: if you’re researching municipal waste management, instead of just citing a city’s annual report, you should find a study that analyzes the effectiveness of that specific policy model, then cite a second paper that critiques that model’s limitations. By showing how these two authors disagree or build on one another, you create that scholarly trail the professor is craving. To make this transition, start by revisiting your bibliography and swapping out your general web sources for at least three to four foundational journal articles that cover the same topics. You can integrate these by adding a slide that specifically maps out the evolution of the research, perhaps using a timeline or a conceptual diagram that connects the authors to one another. It’s also helpful to check if your department has a preferred citation style for presentations, as keeping your in-text citations consistent—even on slides—shows you’re treating the literature with the necessary academic rigor. If you’re still feeling stuck, try reaching out to your professor during office hours with a specific question about which theoretical frameworks they’d like to see represented in your literature review. Taking these steps will help you move away from a simple list of links and toward a professional defense that demonstrates your mastery of the subject matter.