Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
ILOCOS NORTE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND TRADES
Laoag City

LECTURE IN PRACTICAL RESEARCH I

CHAPTER 4: Review of Related Literature

A literature review is a way for you to learn what others think and have research related to your
topic. You will complete the following steps: find research articles, read and take notes, cite your
sources, and write a literature review.

Definition of: Literature Review

 An examination on what has already been written about the topic.
 A collection of published research about the topic by recognized scholars and researchers.
 A way to examine what has already been done in regard to the research question or
problem.
 A summary and synthesis of research driven by a guiding concept. It is not just a list of
research sources.
 Provides a background for your problem and a rationale for your research.
 It is not a research paper.
 It is the effective evaluation of selected documents on a research topic. A review may form
an essential part of the research process or may constitute a research project in itself.

Why do researchers do a literature review?

 To get a guidance on a topic
 To establish a solid background on the topic
 To see what areas of research exist
 To investigate researchable hypotheses.
 To collect authoritative data on the topic
 To find new avenues for research direction.

How to cite related literature using standard style?

Throughout the body of your paper, whenever you refer to outside sources of information, you
must cite the sources from which you drew information. The simplest way to do this is to
parenthetically give the author’s last name and the year of publication, e. g., (Clarke, 2001). When
citing information from another publication, be sure to report the relevant aspects of the work
clearly and briefly in your own words.

Standard Text Citation Formats

APA Style gives prominence to the date of publication. In-text citations use the author’s last name
and the date, separated by a comma, as a brief reference in the text of the article to refer the
reader to complete information in the reference list.

Example: …for better understanding (Austin, 1998).

Austin (1998) compared institutional support…
Two authors. Always use both names every time they are referred to in the text. Use the
ampersand (&) to connect the names in the parentheses, but spell out “and” in the running text.

Example: (Parker & Mokhesi – Parker, 1998)

Parker and Mokhesi – Parker (1998) in examining institutional design…

Three to five authors. Cite all the authors in text the first time a reference occurs; in subsequent
citations, include only the first author followed by et al.

Example: (Author A, Author B, Author C & Author D, 2001)

Author A et al., (2001) claimed…

Six or more authors. Cite in text only the surname of the first author followed by et al. and the year
for the first and subsequent citations.

Example: (Mariano et al., 2001)

Mariano et al., (2001) stated…

Group or corporate authors. Use the name of the body in the citation.

Example: (World Bank, 2008)

Unknown author. Use the first few words of the title as the reference in the text.

Example: (“Structuring Lawmaking”, 2004)

Author is listed as “Anonymous”. Use it as if it were the author’s name.

Example: (Anonymous, 2012)

When paraphrasing. APA style does not require page numbers in the in – text citation. However,
authors are encouraged to include page numbers if it will help the reader locate the relevant
information in longer texts.

If the reference is to an exact quotation. The author, year and page number must be included. The
page number can be given in parentheses at the end of the exact quotation or incorporated into
the in-text citation.

Example: Newman (1994) concluded “sibling conflict is common that its occurrence is taken
for granted” (p. 123).
Such findings have prompted one researcher to conclude, “Sibling conflict is
common that its occurrence is taken for granted” (Newman, 1994, p. 123).

For exact quotations from sources without page numbers. Use paragraph numbers if available. If
the paragraphs are not numbered, but there are headings, use the heading name and count the
number of paragraphs after the heading to the paragraph containing the quotation.

Example: (Smith, 2003, para. 1)

(Greene, 2003, Discussion, para. 4)
For citations taken from secondary sources. Include the secondary source in the reference list and
mention the original work in the text.

Example: Goldman and Goodman’s study (as cited in Linerbarger, 2001) found…

Four Main Functions of a Literature Review

 It demonstrates the underlying assumptions behind the general research questions. It
demonstrates the stance of the researcher, and the values s/he brings to the research.
 It demonstrates that the researcher is knowledgeable about related research and theory.
 It shows that the researcher has identified some gaps in existing work on the topic, or has
singled out some element of existing work that s/he would like to develop or build on.
 It helps the researcher refine and redefine the research questions.

Main Processes Involved in a Literature Review

 Find out what is known in the topic.
 Critically evaluate what is known.
 Examine similar work that addresses the issues being addressed.
 Identify gaps in what is known and show how the research conducted fill those gaps.
 Identify elements to build on.
 Explain why the research is worth doing.

Writing the Review

 The text of the review should be brief and to the point. To ensure brevity and conciseness,
you have to summarize or paraphrase important points. Avoid direct quotation of the
author’s ideas or the results of the studies you reviewed.
 Have a plan on how you are to present the review. Prepare an outline before finally writing
the review. This will ensure coherence and unity of ideas to be presented. The problem you
are going to work on can serve as your outline for discussion or related literature and
studies that are relevant to your proposed research.
 Emphasize relatedness. Keep the reader aware of the manner in which the literature you
are discussing is related to your problem. Try to point out precisely what that relationship is.
 Review the literature; don’t reproduce it. Refrain from copying verbatim what authors say.
Critically review and discuss the literature in relation to your research work.

Presenting the Review

There are three ways of presenting the review, namely: chronological approach; thematic or
variable/factor approach; and country of origin approach.
 In the chronological approach, literature and studies are presented according to the year
when they were written. The review can be presented following this outline: Introduction,
Recent Literature and Studies, Least Recent Literature and Studies, Synthesis of the Review.
 In the thematic or variable approach, literature and studies with the same findings or
themes are grouped together. When using this approach, research and conceptual
literature can be presented using the following outline: Introduction, Literature and Studies
on Variable 1, Literature and Studies on Variable 2, Synthesis of the Review.
 In the country of origin approach, literature and studies are categorized by the country
where they came from. In most higher institutions in the Philippines, this is popularly used.
Literature and studies can be presented using the following outline: Introduction, Foreign
Literature and Studies, Local Literature and Studies, Synthesis of the Review.
Whether the approach is chronological, thematic or country of origin, an introduction and a
synthesis are needed. It is in the introduction, where you have to make your reader aware of how
you are going to present the reviewed literature and studies. On the other hand, it is in the
synthesis of the review, where you have to specify the uniqueness of your study vis-à-vis the
literature and studies you included in the review.

A good literature review:

 is a synthesis of available research
 is a critical evaluation
 has appropriate breadth and depth
 has clarity and conciseness
 uses rigorous and consistent methods

A poor literature review is:

 an annotated bibliography
 confined description
 narrow and shallow
 confusing and longwinded
 constructed in an arbitrary way

Sample Written Review of Literature

Literature revealed that on-line information-sharing behavior is shaped by individuals, social

media, and intrinsic and extrinsic factors.

Researchers including Kuhlthau (1993), identified the diversity of feelings, thoughts, actions,
strategies, and moods for each stage in the information search process which was divided into
seven stages, namely: task initiation, topic collection, prefocus exploration, focus formulation,
information collection, search closure and starting writing. Kulthau (1993) proposed the
“uncertainty principle” in information behavior, i.e., “uncertainty due to a lack of understanding, a
gap in meaning, a limited construct which initiates the process of information seeking.” The
principle further asserts that the uncertainty is a cognitive state which causes anxiety and stress
and that can be expected in the early stages of the information search process. Therefore,
Kuhlthau’s model and uncertainty principle highlighted the importance of viewing human
information behavior as a process, and understanding that cognitive and affective components
influence human information behavior.

The study of information seeking behavior by Yusof (2009) is a qualitative research. In-
depth interviews were conducted to gather data on the Matriculation College students because the
interview is one of the most useful tools in qualitative research. In this study, interviews were
conducted about the understanding of the information seeking behavior in of students. However,
in this research, the focus was on matriculation students who joined SNS. The objective of Yusof’s
(2009) study was to explore the motivation and reasons for joining SNS.

The researcher was motivated to develop a theory that explains the dynamics of netizens’
information sharing in social media. The investigator utilized the inductive approach based on
empirical data in the field.
Prepared by: HAZEL MARIANNE L. MARIANO