CHAPTER 5 IDENTIFYING SOURCES AND AREAS
FOR RESEARCH UNDERTAKING
AND
CHAPTER 6 - REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
AND STUDIES
Sources for Research Understanding
1. Primary Sources – are published original
writings, reflections, and reports that can be
found in periodicals, monographs, conference
proceedings, books, theses, and dissertations.
2. Secondary Sources – are published writings
and reports that analyze, critique, or report on
primary sources and can be found in periodicals
and reference books.
3. Tertiary Sources – are indexes, dictionaries,
guides and bibliographies / references that aid
the researcher in using primary and secondary
sources.
4. Non documentary Sources – are unpublished
forms of communication and information, which
can include interviews, conversations with
professionals, students and other experts in the
field.
5. Online Searching – It is seen as information on
the internet through major search engines such
as Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
Deciding Whether a Source is Reliable
Many sources of information are available.
Knowing if the information can be trusted can be
difficult. The following are some criteria to consider the
reliability of the source.
 Where was the research published?
- Researchers trust and use research
published in credible peer-reviewed scientific
journals. Experts have reviewed studies
published in these journals to make sure are
of high quality.
 How does the new information fit with what is
already known?
- Each research study contributes to an
existing body of knowledge. More weight can
be given to finding that support and build on
the findings of other research. One study
alone is never enough to make a case, It
only gives direction about what new research
is needed.
 How does funding influence research?
- The ability to report study results without
personal bias, is an important consideration
when conducting research. When reading an
article from funded research project, you
must consider whether the funders of this
research had anything to gain by the results.
When research is paid for by a source that
does not have interest in the results, funder’s
expectations or preferences were less likely
to have influences the results
AREAS OF RESEARCH INTEREST
Reported by: Irha Jane A. Almendras
Selecting a researchable area is one of the most
important aspects of social research. There are
processes considered at the start. Kumar (1996)
suggested a set of exercises in developing a research
project:
Step 1: Select a broad area of study that interests you.
Example:
 School environment
 Academic performance
 Parental involvement
Step 2: Having selected an area, analyze it in order to
identify its sub-problem(s). Some sub-areas are:
Example:
 Academic performance and school environment
 Academic performance and parental
involvement
Select only a sub-area that would be possible to
study within the constraints of time resources and
expertise. One way to select your sub-area is to
 start the process of elimination. Select the sub-area
you are very interested in.
Step 3: From the above sub-areas, select a sub-area in
which you would like to conduct your study.
Here are some Areas of Research Interest (The
Teaching Council,2015)
1. The Continuum of Teachers Education
Examples of possible research topics under this
heading:
 The professional portfolio
 The career entry phase, including induction and
probation
 Continuing professional development including,
individual, school, system
 Standards of teaching, knowledge, skill and
competence across the continuum
2. Teaching in a Changing Society
Examples of possible research topics under this
heading:
 Teaching for diversity, inclusion and special
educational needs
 Teaching for citizenship and moral development
 Developing, creative, lifelong learners
 Using ICT for teaching, learning, and
assessment
3. Pedagogy
Examples of possible research topics under this
heading:
 Effective teaching of literacy and numeracy
 School curriculum policy development and
evaluation
 Assessing for learning/formative assessment
 Pedagogical approaches and perspective on
learning
4. Teaching as a Profession
Examples of possible research topics under this
heading:
 Perceptions of teacher professionalism
 Perceptions of the role of the teacher
 Collegiality in teaching
 The development of teaching as a profession
(national and international trends)
5. Core Education Principles and Policy Issues
Examples of possible research topics under this
heading:
 Supply of and demand for teachers
 Partnership within education
 Reconceptualization of the education system
towards an improved teaching and learning
experience.
Chapter 6 - REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
AND STUDIES
Major steps in literature review (RRL) according to
Gale and Borg:
STEP 1: Search for preliminary sources such as books,
articles, theses, etc.
STEP 2: Use secondary sources – a document written
by someone who do not actually do the research.
STEP 3: Read primary sources – obtain and study the
original outputs of at least those studies that are most
central to your proposed investigation.
STEP 4: Synthesize the literature – synthesize what you
have learned in order to write a little literature review.
STEP 5: Identify recommendations for further research.
These issues and recommendations should be carefully
considered because they represent insights gained by
the researcher after a considerable study of a given
problem.
STEP 6: Seek support for grounded theory. Many
research studies are designed to test a new theory that
has been developed to explain the learning process or
other educational phenomena. The resulting theory is
called ‘grounded theory’ because it is “grounded” in a
set of used data.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND
STUDIES
Is composed of discussions of facts and
principles to which the present study is related.
The materials are usually printed and found in
books, encyclopedias, professional journals,
magazines, news papers and other publications.
Related literature are often from journalist or
any officials where as the opinions and facts are
presented matters and can affect the masses'
opinions and thinking.

RELATED STUDIES
Determining whether the research is objective and
empirically-based includes surveying previous
studies that involve similar variables (Cristobal &
Cristobal 2013). It is important to note that even if a
previous research use the same variables as his or
hers, the two studies may vary in the limitation in
terms of the sub-variables investigated or in terms of
focus and purpose.
An adequate review of related studies is
needed. This serves as the basis of the analysis of
results because it allows the researcher to compare
and contrast his/her findings with those previews
studies. The results of the study are varied by
similar findings or negated by different findings or
previews researchers.
The studies are in form of theses, disertations
or journal articles. These are collectively called
research literature.
SOURCES
*LOCAL LITERATURE
*FOREIGN LITERATURE
*LOCAL STUDIES
*FOREIGN STUDIES
CHARACTERISTICS OF RELATED LITERATURE
AND STUDIES
1. The surveyed materials must be recent as
possible
2. Materials review must be objective and unbiased
3. Materials surveyed must be relevant to the study
4. Surveyed materials must have been based upon
genuinely original and true facts data to make them
valid and reliable.
5. Reviewed materials must not be too few nor to
many.
FUNCTIONS OF RRL
1. Provides conceptual framework.
2. Provides the researcher with information about
past researchers related to his intended knowledge.
3. Gives the investagator a feeling of confidence.
4. Gives the researcher information about research
method used.
5. Provides findings and conclusions of past
investigations that would relate to his findings.
APA and MLA Format
APA Format:
The APA (American Psychological Association) style
format is the most popular method for citing sources
in academic work in the social sciences field. The
importance of using proper citations cannot be
understated. It gives credit to the authors for ideas
and research that you have incorporated into your
own paper. In addition, failing to acknowledge the
work of others can lead to accusations of plagiarism,
which in turn can lead to consequences such as a
failing grade or even getting fired from your job.
Why is it important to include citations &
references?
Including APA citations and references in your
research projects is a very important component of
the research process. When you include citations,
you’re being a responsible researcher. You’re
showing readers that you were able to find valuable,
high-quality information from other sources, place
them into your project where appropriate, all while
acknowledging the original authors and their work.
The appearance of citations & references
The format for citations varies, but most use this
general format:
Author’s Last name, First initial. (Date published).
Title. Retrieved from URL
In-text Citations
An APA in-text citation is included in research
projects in three instances: When using a direct
quote, paraphrasing information, or simply referring
to a piece of information from another source.

APA citation with no author
When the source lacks an author’s name, place the
title, year, and page number (if available) in the text.
The title should be in italics if it sits alone (such as a
movie, brochure, or report). If the source is part of a
whole (as many web pages and articles are), place
the title in quotation marks without italics.
Structure of an APA format citation in the text
narratively, with the author's name missing:
Title of Source (Year) or “Title of Source” (Year)
OR
Structure of an APA style format citation, in
parentheses at the end of the sentence, with the
author’s name missing: (Title of Source, Year) or
(“Title of Source,” Year)
Structure for one author
In the text, narratively: Last name of Author (Year)...
(page number).
OR
In parentheses, at the end of the sentence: (Last
name of Author, Year, page number).
Structure for two authors
Place the authors in the order they appear on the
source. Only use the ampersand in the parenthetical
citations. Use ‘and’ to separate the author names if
they’re in the text of the sentence.
In the text, narratively: Last name of Author 1 and
Last name of Author 2 (Year)....(page number).
OR
In parentheses, at the end of the sentence: (Last
name of Author 1 & Last name of Author 2, Year,
page number).
Structure for three, four, or five authors
Place the authors in the order they appear on the
source. Include all names in the first APA citation.
First in-text citation APA:
Last name Author 1, Last name Author 2, Last name
Author 3, Last name Author 4, and Last name
Author 5 (Year)...(page number).
OR
(Last name Author 1, Last name Author 2, Last
name Author 3, Last name Author 4, Last name
Author 5, Year, page number).
For any additional citations in your paper, only
include the first author’s last name and et al.
(Last name Author 1 et al., Year, page number)
OR
Last name Author 1 et al. (Year)...(page number).
Six or more authors
Only include the first listed author’s name in the first
and any subsequent citations. Follow it with et al.
(Last name Author 1 et al., Year, page number)
OR
Last name of Author 1 et al. (Year)...(page).
What do you do when you want to cite multiple
works by an author, and the sources all written in
the same year?
Include the letters ‘a’ ‘b’ ‘c’ and so on after the
year in the citation.
(Jackson, 2013a)
OR
Jackson (2013a)

Writers can even lump dates together.
Example: Jackson often studied mammals while in
Africa (2013a, 2013b).
On the APA reference page, include the same
letters in the full references.
Groups and organizations
Write out the full name of the group or organization
in the first citation and place the abbreviation next to
it in brackets. If the group or organization is cited
again, only include the abbreviation. If it doesn’t
have an abbreviation associated with it, write out the
entire organization’s name each and every time.
Example:
First APA citation for an organization with an
abbreviation: (World Health Organization [WHO],
Year)
OR
World Health Organization (WHO, Year)
Notice in the example directly above, the name of
the organization is written out in full in the text of the
sentence, and the abbreviation is placed in
parentheses next to it.
Subsequent APA citations in the text for an
organization with an abbreviation: (WHO, Year) OR
WHO (Year)
Example:
All citations in the text for an organization without an
abbreviation: (Citation Machine, Year) or Citation
Machine (Year)
MLA Format:
The Modern Language Association (MLA) is an
organization responsible for developing MLA format,
often called MLA style. MLA format was developed
as a means for researchers, students, and scholars
in the literature and language fields to use a uniform
way to format their papers and assignments. This
uniform, or consistent, method to developing an
MLA paper or assignment allows for easy reading.
Today, MLA is not only used in literature and
language subject areas; many others have adopted
it as well.
The Modern Language Association released the 8th
and most current edition of their Handbook in April
2016. The Handbook provides thorough instructions
on MLA format citing, as well as guidelines for
submitting work that adheres to the Modern
Language Association’s rules and standards.
Although we’re not affiliated with the MLA, our
citation specialists bring you this thoughtful and
informative guide on the format.
Bibliography vs. Works Cited - What's the
Difference?
You may have heard the two terms, "Bibliography"
and "Works Cited" thrown around interchangeably.
The truth is that they are two different words with
two completely different meanings.
A bibliography is a list of sources that the writer
recommends for further reading. A works cited list is
a list of sources that were included in the author's
writing.
Citing Basics
When adding information into your project from
another source, you are required to add an MLA
citation. There are two types of MLA format
citations: in-text citations and full citations.
Why Is the MLA Format Important?
The MLA Format is important because it provides a
consistent format for writing papers. It also guides
us in documenting and citing our sources. You must
cite your sources in order to...
Lend authority and credibility to your work
Allow your readers to cross-reference your sources
Acknowledge your academic debts
Avoid Plagiarism.
MLA citing format often includes the following
pieces of information, in this order:
Author's Last name, First name. "Title of Source."
Title of Container, other contributors, version,
numbers, publisher, publication date, location.
Citation Components
Authors:
The author's name is generally the first item in a
citation (unless the source does not have an author).
The author's name is followed by a period.
If the source has one author, place the last name
first, add a comma, and then the first name.
MLA format:
Lee, Harper.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott.
If your source has two authors, place them in the
same order they're shown on the source. The first
author is in reverse order, add a comma and the
word "and", then place the second author in
standard form. Follow their names with a period.
Example:
Monsen, Avery, and Jory John.
For three or more authors, only include the first
listed author's name. Place the first author's name in
reverse order (Last name, First name) place a
comma afterwards, and then add the Latin phrase
"et al."
Example:
Borokhovic, Kenneth A., et al.
For social media posts, it's acceptable to use a
screen name or username in place of the author's
name. Start the citation with the user's handle.
Example:
@TheOnion. "Experts Warn Number of Retirees Will
Completely Overwhelm Scenic Railway Industry by
2030." Twitter, 9 Oct. 2017, 9:50 a.m.,
twitter.com/TheOnion/status/917386689500340225.
No author listed? If there isn't an author, start the
citation with the title and skip the author section
completely.
Citations do not need to always start with the name
of the author. When your research focuses on a
specific individual that is someone other than the
author, it is appropriate for readers to see that
individual's name at the beginning of the citation.
Directors, actors, translators, editors, and illustrators
are common individuals to have at the beginning.
Again, only include their name in place of the author
if your research focuses on that specific individual.
To include someone other than the author at the
beginning of the citation, place their name in reverse
order, add a comma afterwards, and then the role of
that individual followed by a period.
Examples:
Fimmel, Travis, performer. Vikings. Created by
Michael Hirst, History Channel, 2013-2016.
Gage, John T., editor. The Promise of Reason:
Studies in the New Rhetoric. SIU Press, 2011.
How to Cite Books
Book Examples:
Article from a Typical Reference Book
 Dinwiddie, Gniesha Y. "Education, USA." Eaves, Morris, Robert Essick, and Joseph Viscomi, eds.
International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. The William Blake Archive. Lib. Of Cong., 28 Sep. 2007.
Ed. William A.
Web. 20 Nov. 2008.
Darity. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, <http://www.blakearchive.org/blake/>.
2008. Print.
A Typical Book
The Onion on Twitter
Friedman, Thomas. The World Is Flat: A Brief
“Experts Warn Number Of Retirees Will Completely
History of the Twenty-first Century. New York:
Overwhelm Scenic Railway Industry By 2030
Farrar, 2005. Print
https://t.co/xFpHGjjWfo”
twitter.com
A Typical eBook
Reiman, Alan, and Roy Edelfelt. Careers in
Education. 4th ed. Chicago: VGM Career, 2004.
VGM Professional
Careers Ser. NetLibrary. Web. 31 Oct. 2009.

How to Cite Web Pages

Examples
Typical Web Page
Karper, Erin. "Creating a Thesis Statement." The
OWL at Purdue. Purdue University, 28 Sept. 2006.
Web
.
31 Mar. 2007.
Web Page with No Author

"Alzheimer's Disease." MedlinePlus. U.S National

Library of Medicine, 2007. Web. 2 Apr. 2007

No Author and No Date Given

"Cars, Trucks, & Air Pollution." Clean Vehicles.

Union of Concerned Scientists, n.d. Web. 3 Aug.
2009.

Web Site Would be Difficult to Find Without URL