WRITING THE

LITERATURE REVIEW
LECTURE NO. 7 IN PR1 QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
Prepared by:
MICHAEL U. HENSON, LPT, MAEd
Modified by:
PRINCESS T. SANGALANG, LPT, MAEd
Point of Clarification
IT IS NOT A REVIEW OF RELATED
LITERATURE. ONLY A REVIEW OF
LITERATURE OR LITERATURE REVIEW.

YOU DON’T NEED TO STATE THE

OBVIOUS. IN THIS CASE, IT IS
OBVIOUS THAT THE LITERATURE YOU
INCLUDE IS RELATED TO YOUR
STUDY. BESIDES, DOES THAT MEAN
THERE IS ALSO A REVIEW OF
UNRELATED LITERATURE?
LITERATURE REVIEW
• An important
aspect of
research. The
researcher
needs to select
materials
relevant to the
study.
Types of Literature Review
• An initial collection to build a study
bank of previously conducted studies
to help you consider the kinds,
methods and sources of evidence for
a new study.
• The selective review that selectively
targets other studies that appear to
cover the same topic and helps you
define your study in a new manner.
• A comprehensive review conducted
with the desire to summarize what is
known in a given topic and guides
you to select relevant literature.
WHAT IS A LITERATURE REVIEW?
• Provides an overview of what
has been written about a
specific topic. It includes all
the information and data
which are authoritative and
relevant to the topic of the
study.
Sources of Literature Review:
• Journal articles

• Monographs

• Computerized databases

• Conference proceedings

• Theses and dissertations

• Empirical studies

• Government reports and reports from other

studies

• Historical records

• Statistical handbooks
Questions to consider:
• Have you clearly indicated the scope and
purpose of the review?

• Have you included a balanced coverage of

what is available?

• Have you included enough materials to show

the development and limitations in this area?

• Have you included the most recent and

relevant studies?

• Have you indicated the source of literature by

referencing accurately (in-text and reference-
list citations)?

• Have you used primary sources and

appropriate secondary sources?
Why do a Literature Review?
(Dempster and Hannah, 2016)
• To indicate research that has
been conducted in the area
before, to ensure that you are
not “reinventing the wheel”

• To demonstrate you’re aware of

the important and recent
studies in your study area.
(Ensures you haven’t missed
important studies that make
your research idea seem less
brilliant that you first imagined)
• To ensure you haven’t missed literature
detailing a novel way for you to conduct
your study, or pointing you to a data-
collection tool that is appropriate to your
study

• Explain theoretical background to your

proposed research

• Demonstrate the ability to critically

analyze the literature in your study area.
(Your research is based on a good
understanding of previous research in the
area, demonstrates the ability to highlight
existing gap of any disagreements in the
area of your study).
Kinds of Literature Review
• Traditional/Narrative Literature
Review: provides a quick
overview of current studies. It
explains why your study is
important in the context of
literature, and helps you identify
the areas that need further
research.

• Integrative: Synthesizes findings

from other researches. Allows
integration of qualitative and
quantitative researches.
• Syntactic: Synthesizes high quality
empirical information to answer a
given research question. Involves
following rigorous, predefined
protocols “that minimize biza and
ensures transparency.”

• Scoping: Involves a broad research

question that explores the current
evidence base. It helps inform the
areas that are appropriate for a
systematic review.
Characteristics of a Good Literature
Review
• Materials must be as recent
as possible
• Materials must be objective
and unbiased as possible
• Materials must be relevant to
the study
• Materials must not be too few
but not too many.
Types of Sources
• PRIMARY SOURCES: Publications
in which researches report the
results of their studies. Findings
are reported directly by the
authors to the readers.
Examples: Researches in
Journals

• Secondary Sources: Publications

in which authors describe the
works of others. Examples:
Textbooks, encyclopedias,
research reviews
Preparing a Literature Review
Involves:
• Searching for reliable, up-to-date materials on the topic or
subject
• Reading and summarizing key points in the literature
• Synthesizing key ideas, theories and concepts into a summary
• Discussing and evaluating these
• Identifying particular areas of debate or controversy
• Preparing the ground for application of these ideas
APA CITATION BASICS
• The author-date method must be followed in the in-text citation
• The author's last name and the year of publication of the source
should appear in the text, for example, (Pacelli, 2008)
• A complete reference should appear in the reference list at the
end of the paper.
• If an idea is from another work but is NOT directly quoted from
the material, make reference to the author and year of
publication but do not include the page number.
• All sources that are cited in the text must appear in the
reference list at the end of the paper.
Source: https://libguides.library.usyd.edu.au/c.php?g=508212&p=3476096
Reference List: Author/Authors
• Single Author
Last name first, followed by the author's initial/s.

Example:
Benoit, P. (2015). Relativism in the modern history of man. Present
Realities that Affect our Humanity, 7, 2-11.
• Single Author
Last name first, followed by the author's initial/s. Title of the article
(capital letter for the first word ONLY). Title of the book (italicize).
Page/s.

Example:
Benoit, P. (2015). Relativism in the modern history of man. Present Realities
that Affect our Humanity, 7, 2-11.
Let’s try!
• Princess T. Sangalang
• Attitudes of Students towards Research
• March 2019
• Pages 12-16
Let’s try!
• Princess T. Sangalang
• Attitudes of Students towards Research
• March 2019
• Pages 12-16

Sangalang, P. (2019). Attitudes of students towards

research, 12-16.
 Two Authors
Write their last names and initials. Use the ampersand instead of
the conjunction, "and."

Example:
Martin, M. T., & Wojtyla, K. J. (2015). Relativist ideologies. Journal of
Theology and Philosophy, 33, 10-11.
Let’s try!
• Princess T. Sangalang and Cess R. Tiamzon
• Attitudes of Students towards Research (article)
• All about Research (Book)
• March 2019
• Pages 12-16
Let’s try!
• Princess T. Sangalang and Cess R. Tiamzon
• Attitudes of Students towards Research (article)
• All about Research (Book)
• March 2019
• Pages 12-16

Sangalang, P. T.,& Tiamzon, C. R. (2019). Attitudes of

students towards research. All about
Research,12-16.
 Three to Seven Authors
List by last names and initials; use commas to separate the
authors' names, the seventh author's name is preceded by an
ampersand (&).
Example:
Benoit, P. E., Crux, F. C., Martin, M. T., Bergoglio, A., Wojtyla, K., &
Tagle, L. A. (2013). Crossing the threshold of mediocrity. Journal
of Philosophy and Theology, 20, 11-12.
Reference List
• Organization as Author

American Psychological
Association (2007).

According to the Department of

Education (2011), students have....

Unknown Author

Merriam-Webster's collegiate
dictionary (11th ed.). (2014).
Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.
Reference List: Articles in Periodicals
• A. Basic Form
• Authors' last name followed by initials; publication year in parentheses,
period.
• The title of the article is in sentence-case: only the first word. Only
proper nouns in the title are capitalized.
• The title of the periodical is in title case, and is followed by the volume
number which is italicized.
• If there is a Digital Object Identifier (DOI), include this after the page
numbers for the article.
• If there is no DOI, use the URL of the website from which you have
read.
• Example:
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article.
Title of Periodical, volume number (issue number), pages.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyyy
Let’s try!
• Princess T. Sangalang
• April 30, 2021
• The Scriptorium
• Volume 2 Issue No. 4
• Page 4
• doi:12.0430/b)1209345
• Facing the Challenges of the Pandemic
Let’s try!
• Princess T. Sangalang

• April 30, 2021

• The Scriptorium

• Volume 2 Issue No. 4

• Page 4

• doi:12.0430/b)1209345

• Facing the Challenges of the Pandemic

Sangalang, P. (2021). Facing the challenges of the

pandemic. The Scriptorium, 2 (4),4.
doi:12.0430/b)1209345
Reference List: Books
• Basic Format for Books
• Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter
also for subtitle. Location: Publisher.
• Note: For "Location," you should always list the city and the state
using the two letter postal abbreviation without periods (New
York, NY).
Example:
Burgos, Z. M., & Valencia, S. C. (2013). European Languages. Los
Angeles, CA: American Hispanic Institute.
• B. Edited Book, No Author
Example:
Pacelli, A., & Roncalli, A. (Eds.). (2012). Poverty alleviation. Los
Angeles, CA: Humane Animal Welfare Foundation.
Reference List: Other Print Sources
An Entry in an Encyclopedia
• Perugia. B. (2015). Curriculum. The New
Encyclopedia Americana. (Vol. 13, pp. 51-58). Chicago, IL:
Encyclopedia Americana.

Dissertation Abstract
• Yolanda, Y. (2014). An Evaluation of Student Publications in
Pampanga. Dissertation Abstracts International, 62, 7741A.
Dissertation, Published
• Last Name, F. N. (Year). Title of dissertation. (Doctoral
dissertation). Retrieved from: Name of database. (Accession or
Order Number)

Dissertation, Unpublished
• Last Name, F. N. (Year). Title of dissertation. (Unpublished
doctoral dissertation). Name of Institution, Location.
Government Document
• Commission on Higher Education. (2010). Guidelines in the BEEd
Curriculum. (CMO 30). Quezon City: CHEd Main Office.
Reference List: Electronic Sources
(Web Publications)
Online Scholarly Journal Article: Citing DOIs
• Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article.
Title of Journal, volume number, page range.
http://dx.doi.org/11.1111/1111

Article From an Online Periodical with no DOI Assigned

• Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article.
Title of Journal, volume number. Retrieved from
http://www.journalhomepage.com/full/url/
Abstract
• Author, A.A. (year). Title of the article [Abstract]. Journal of
Science Education, 36(1), 54-58.

Newspaper Article
• Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Title of
Newspaper. Retrieved from
http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/
Online Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
• Cannibalism. (n.d.). Encyclopædia Americana online. Retrieved
from
http://www.americana.com/EBchecked/topic/724633/cannibali
sm

E-mail
• E-mails are not included in the list of references, though you
parenthetically cite them in your main text: (S. Oder, personal
communication, December 8, 2011).
Important
• Wikis
• APA does NOT recommend
the use of Wikis for use in
researches. There is no
guarantee to the correctness
of entries in wikis and there is
no guarantee to the expertise
of those who have
contributed to the entries in
Wikis.
SYNTHESIZING INFORMATION FROM
RELEVANT LITERATURE
• To synthesize is to draw conclusions about the
findings in related literature reviewed so that you
can identify how the literature addresses your
research question.
• To synthesize an article means that in your
literature review, you examine a number of
studies on a shared topic and note aspects that
are of interest to your own work.
• To synthesize means to draw and state a
conclusion about the similarities and differences
in the studies that you review.
• A synthesis is a discussion that draws on one or
more sources.
• Your purpose enables you to determine not only
what parts of your resources you will include but
also how you will relate them with one anbother.
• Synthesis means the bringing
together of materials from different
resources and the creation of an
integrated whole.
Types of Synthesis
• Explanatory Synthesis: Helps readers understand
a topic. It presents facts in a reasonably
objective manner. Explanations entail:
descriptions, sequence of events, and state of
affairs.
• Argument Synthesis: Enables you to present your
own point-of-view supported by relevant facts
from sources and presented in a logical manner.
Categories of Sources
(Fraenkel, 2015)
✓Documents
✓Numerical records
✓Oral statements
✓Relics
How to Write a Synthesis
• Consider your purpose in writing
• Select, read carefully
• Formulate a thesis (made up of main ideas you want to present)
• Decide how to use your materials, take notes
• Develop an organizational plan
• Write the draft following your organizational plan
• Revise for improvement
Techniques in Writing a Synthesis
✓Summary
✓Example/Illustration
✓Two or more reasons
✓Comparison and contrast
GUIDELINES IN WRITING A COHERENT
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
• Define the topic and the audience (consider
interest, importance, and recency)
• Search and re-search reference lists
• Prepare a conceptual paradigm (concept map
will do) on the different types of literature
• Take notes while reading
• Choose the type of review you wish to write
• Keep the review focused and keep it
interesting
• Be critical and consistent
• Find a logical structure
• Make use of feedback
• DO NOT FORGET IN-TEXT CITATIONS!!!!