You are on page 1of 19

Republic of the Philippines

UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN PHILIPPINES


University Town, Northern Samar, Philippines
Web: http://uep.edu.ph; Email: uepnsofficial@gmail.com

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
UEPLHS – Senior High School

PRACTICAL RESEARCH 1

SHSRes1 - Grade 11

Module Prepared By:


Paula Mae M. Caparic
Practical Research 1: LEARNING FROM OTHERS AND REVIEWING THE LITERATURE

LEARNING FROM OTHERS


AND REVIEWING THE LITERATURE

OVERVIEW
Hi there! Congratulations on completing the previous modules of this course. I hope your
eagerness to learn will last throughout the semester. Now that you have finished learning the
Identifying the Inquiry and Stating the Problem, let us now proceed to the next topic!

In this module, you are going to learn the select and synthesize significant research and other
information related to your research. Since you have already established the foundations of your
research, let us move on and seek relevant literature that could help you in your research. Along the
way, you are going to understand the criteria in selecting, citing, and synthesizing related literature;
and learning the ethical standards in writing related literature. Are you ready? Let’s proceed to the
expectations you must overcome after learning this module.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
The following are the learning outcomes we are expected to achieve by the students at the end of
this module:
• select, cite, and synthesize properly related literature;
• use sources according to ethical standards;
• present written review of related literature

SHSRes1 – Practical Research 1 (T/L: Paula Mae M. Caparic) Page 2 of 19


Practical Research 1: LEARNING FROM OTHERS AND REVIEWING THE LITERATURE

But wait! Before you proceed, let me test your stored knowledge about the previous topic we had.
Are you ready?

RECALL CHECK!
In the previous discussion we have discussed the Identifying the Inquiry and Stating the Problem. To
test your knowledge about the previous topic, answer each question below:

1. What is the importance of formulating proper Research Question in a Research Paper?


Answer:___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

2. What is the relevance of Thesis Statement in formulating the Research Title?


Answer:___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

3. Why do researchers need to identify the significance of the study and its limitations?
Answer:___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

After trying to answer the above questions, you may now proceed reading the full text of the lesson
to compare and validate your prior idea regarding the importance of this discussion.

SHSRes1 – Practical Research 1 (T/L: Paula Mae M. Caparic) Page 3 of 19


Practical Research 1: LEARNING FROM OTHERS AND REVIEWING THE LITERATURE

SELECTING AND SYNTHESIZING INFORMATION


FROM RELEVANT LITERATURE

REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Literature is an oral or written record of man’s significant experiences that are artistically
conveyed in a prosaic manner. Embodied in any literary work like essay, novel, journal, story,
biography, etc. are man’s best thoughts and feelings about the world. These recorded or preserved
world perceptions of man are expressed directly and indirectly. Direct expressions of man’s
knowledge of the world are in books, periodicals, and online reading materials. Indirect expressions
are his inferences or reflections of his surroundings that are not written or spoken at all. (Ridley
2012)

A review of related literature is an analysis of man’s written or spoken knowledge of the


world. You examine representations of man’s thinking about the world to determine the connection
of your research with what people already know about it. In your analysis or reading of recorded
knowledge, you just do not catalog ideas in your research paper, but also interpret them or merge
your thinking with the author’s ideas. Hence, in doing the RRL, you deal with both formal or direct
and informal or indirect expressions of man’s knowledge. Fusing your world understanding with the
authors’ world perceptions enables you to get a good analysis of existing written works that are
related to your research study. (Wallman 2014)

The review of literature is the process of compiling, classifying, and evaluating what other
researchers have written on a certain topic. It can be a partial component of a research undertaking,
but it can also stand alone as a self-contained review of writing on a subject.

Purposes of Review of Related Literature (RRL)


1. To obtain background knowledge of your research
2. To relate your study to the current condition or situation of the world
3. To show the capacity of your research work to introduce new knowledge
4. To expand, prove, or disprove the findings of previous research studies
5. To increase your understanding of the underlying theories, principles, or concepts of your
research
6. To explain technical terms involved in your research study
7. To highlight the significance of your work with the kind of evidence it gathered to support
the conclusion of your research
8. To avoid repeating previous research studies
9. To recommend the necessity of further research on a certain topic

SHSRes1 – Practical Research 1 (T/L: Paula Mae M. Caparic) Page 4 of 19


Practical Research 1: LEARNING FROM OTHERS AND REVIEWING THE LITERATURE

Steps in Reviewing Literature


The review of related literature is a systematic process composed of three steps:

1. Finding relevant materials. It is the researcher’s priority to enrich his or her work by reading
literatures containing important data relative to his problem in order to fully comprehend
the variables being studied. The library is a good source for reference materials such as
journals, textbooks, reference books, abstract of theses, dissertations, and computers with
internet access.
2. Actual reading. After the preselection process, the researcher must thoroughly critique the
contents of the materials. Critiquing involves asking questions which at this stage should
focus on the variables.
Some examples of questions to ask are as follows:
a. What variables are mentioned?
b. What are the characteristics or descriptions of the variables?
c. What relationship exists between the variables based on the information given?
d. How can the information provided in this material be of use to my research?
3. Note-taking. One of the characteristics of a good researcher is being systematic. He or she
must establish a system of note-taking to save time and effort. The researcher must take
notes, putting only the important data in his or her own words. It is suggested that the
researcher prepare index cards on which he or she can take down notes before gathering or
searching for reference materials for the review of literature. The note-taking process is
useful, especially when the researcher is already synthesizing and compiling ideas from the
different references. Note-taking also facilitates consolidation of the literature gathered. The
titles of the journals read should also be indicated in the index cards.

Strategies in Reading Literature


There are three strategies in reading literature. These are as follows:

1. Previewing. It is the process of reading to get a general idea of the things to look for in the
text. Systematic skimming is done here.
2. Highlighting. It is done by physically marking the text to identify key details and to note the
relationships among ideas.
In using highlighting symbols, one should take note of the following:
a. The important ideas are underlined.
b. Words, phrases, or images that need further analysis should be boxed.
c. Question marks are written beside confusing passages, unfamiliar references, or
words that need to be defined.
d. Related words, ideas, or images are encircled. Lines can be drawn to show their
connection.
e. Incidents that occur in sequence are numbered.
f. Key portions of the text should be set off with a vertical line in the margin.
g. Stars are placed beside particularly important ideas.

SHSRes1 – Practical Research 1 (T/L: Paula Mae M. Caparic) Page 5 of 19


Practical Research 1: LEARNING FROM OTHERS AND REVIEWING THE LITERATURE

3. Annotating. It is the recording of the reader’s reactions as marginal notes. In these notes,
one defines new words, identify allusions and patterns of language or imagery, summarize
plot relationships, list a work’s possible themes, suggest a character’s motivation, examine
the possible significance of particular images or symbols, or record questions that occur in
reading. Ideally, annotations will help one find ideas to write about.

The following are guidelines on how to annotate while and after reading (New Hampshire
School Administrative Unit #53, n.d.):

SHSRes1 – Practical Research 1 (T/L: Paula Mae M. Caparic) Page 6 of 19


Practical Research 1: LEARNING FROM OTHERS AND REVIEWING THE LITERATURE

While reading:
a. Ask questions. Items which are confusing or unclear must be noted. The answers to
these should be found while reading.
b. React to what you read. Contents that elicited a reaction from you should be noted.
One’s reaction to the text should be recorded for future reference.
c. Give an opinion. Ideas that one liked or disagreed with should be noted.
d. Locate important passages. Important quotes, ideas worth remembering, or “big
ideas” which will serve as foundations to one’s writing should be noted.
e. Make connections. Information that reminds one of a past experience or important
events in his or her own life should record. These connections can help a reader find
meaning and relevance with the reading material.
f. Define new words. When confronted with an unfamiliar word, consult a dictionary
or search for its meaning online.
g. Track themes. Recurring themes in the text should be noted. Doing so will help one
understand the message that the text is trying to express.

After reading:
a. Give a title to the chapters or article sections. Some books and articles already have
chapter titles. If they do not, they should be given relevant titles after finishing the
reading on that section. This helps in remembering what was discussed in that part.
It also aids in organizing the main idea of that particular section.
b. Summarize the material read. In the empty space at the end of a page, the article
should be rewritten, noting the essential points and using only a couple of
sentences.
c. Respond to the reading itself. Sometimes, a summary is not enough. One might
want to comment on what he or she just read, give an opinion about a concept, or
complain about the author’s insight or viewpoint.
d. Make a prediction. Predicting is a great thinking exercise and the best time to do so
is immediately after finishing one section and before beginning the next one.
Correctly predicting the following information or events can show that one has
improved his or her reading proficiency, or his or her knowledge on the topic.

Sample Annotation:

(Source: https://www.softwaretestinghelp.com/wp-content/qa/uploads/2021/08/Annotated-Article-Does-Science-Make-You-Moral.png)

SHSRes1 – Practical Research 1 (T/L: Paula Mae M. Caparic) Page 7 of 19


Practical Research 1: LEARNING FROM OTHERS AND REVIEWING THE LITERATURE

Guide in Writing a Literature Review;


1. Choose a topic. Your literature review should be guided by a central research question.
Remember, it is not a collection of loosely related studies in a field but instead represents
background and research developments related to a specific research question, interpreted
and analyzed by you in a synthesized way.
2. Decide on the scope of review. How many studies do you need to look at? How
comprehensive should it be? How many years should it cover?
3. Select the databases you will use to conduct your searches. Make a list of the databases
you will search.
4. Conduct your search and find the literature. Review the abstracts of research studies
carefully. This will save you time. Write down the searches you conduct in each database so
that you may duplicate them if you need to later (or avoid dead-end searches that you'd
forgotten you'd already tried). Use the bibliographies and references of research studies you
find to locate others.
5. Review the literature. What was the research question of the study you are reviewing?
What were the authors trying to discover? Was the research funded by a source that could
influence the findings? What were the research methodologies? Analyze its literature
review, the samples and variables used, the results, and the conclusions. Does the research
seem to be complete? Could it have been conducted more soundly? What further questions
does it raise? If there are conflicting studies, why do you think that is? How are the authors
viewed in the field? Has this study been cited? if so, how has it been analyzed?

A literature review follows an essay format (Introduction, Body, Conclusion), but if the literature
itself is the topic of the essay, your essay will need to consider the literature in terms of the key
topics/themes you are examining.

Example Plan
Introduction
Topic sentence that states the broad topic of your thesis Following sentence/s that state what is included/excluded
(parameters) Final sentence/s that signals list of key topics that will be used to discuss the selected sources
Body
Divide up your text into sections/topics as indicated in the last sentence of your introduction. Each paragraph will be
a synthesis of the many texts that you have chosen for your literature review.
Conclusion
This is summary of all the related literature and studies. It may compose of 5 to 10 sentences.

Structure of the RRL

The structure of the whole literature review indicates the organizational pattern or order of
the components of the summary of the RRL results. For the traditional review, the structure of the
summary resembles that of an essay where series of united sentences presents the RRL results.
However, this structure of traditional review varies based on your subject and area of specialization.
For the systematic review, the structure is based on the research questions; so much so, that, if your
RRL does not adhere to a certain method to make you begin your RRL with research questions, your
RRL is headed toward a traditional literature review structure.
Regardless of what RRL structure you opt to use, you must see to it that the organizational
pattern of the results of your review contains these three elements: an introduction to explain the
organizational method of your literature review; headings and subheadings to indicate the right
placement of your supporting statements and a summary to concisely restate your main point.
(Ridley 2013)

SHSRes1 – Practical Research 1 (T/L: Paula Mae M. Caparic) Page 8 of 19


Practical Research 1: LEARNING FROM OTHERS AND REVIEWING THE LITERATURE

LEARNING EXERCISE 1

Let us pause for a while and test what we have learned so far. Fill in the circles synthesizing your
idea on writing the Review of Related Literature.

SHSRes1 – Practical Research 1 (T/L: Paula Mae M. Caparic) Page 9 of 19


Practical Research 1: LEARNING FROM OTHERS AND REVIEWING THE LITERATURE

CITATON

A citation is a formal reference to a published or unpublished source that you consulted and
obtained information from while writing your research paper. The way in which you document your
sources depends on the writing style manual your professor wants you to use for the class [e.g.,
(American Psychological Association (APA), Modern Language Association (MLA). The act of citing
sources is also your best defense against allegations of plagiarism (Baraceros, 2016).

According to this author, the following are the purpose of citation.

1. To give importance and respect to other people for what they know about the field
2. To give authority, validity and credibility to other people’s claim, conclusions and arguments
3. To prove your broad and extensive reading of authentic and relevant materials about your
topic
4. To help readers find contact the sources of ideas easily
5. To permit readers to check the accuracy of your work and
6. To save yourself from plagiarism

Ballenger in 2012 also added more important reasons why citation is important. The following
reasons are:

1. Citing other people's words and ideas indicates that you have conducted a thorough review
of the literature on your topic and therefore, you are reporting your research form an
informed and critically engaged perspective. This increases your credibility as the author of
the work.
2. Other researcher's ideas can be used to reinforce your arguments. In many cases, another
researchers’ argument can act as the primary context from which you can emphasize the
significance of your study and to provide supporting evidence about how you addressed the
“So What?” question.
3. The ideas of other researchers can be used to explain reasons for alternative approaches. If
you disagree with researcher’s ideas or you believe there is a gap in understanding the
research problem, your citations can serve as sources from which to argue an alternative
viewpoint or the need to pursue a different course of actions.
4. Just as the ideas of other researchers can bolster your arguments, they can also detract from
your credibility if their research is challenged. Properly citing sources prevents your
reputation from being tarnished if the facts or ideas of those cited are proven to be
inaccurate or off-base. It prevents readers from concluding that you ignored or dismissed
the findings of others, even if they are disputed.
5. Ideas are considered intellectual property and there can be serious repercussions if you fail
to cite where you got an idea from. In the professional world, failure to cite other people’s
intellectual property ruins careers and reputations and can result in legal action. Citing
sources during college will help get you in the habit of acknowledging and properly citing the
work of others.

In any academic writing, you are required to identify for your reader which ideas, facts,
theories, concepts, etc., are yours and which are derived from the research and thoughts of
others. Whether you summarize, paraphrase, or use direct quotes, if it's not your original idea,

SHSRes1 – Practical Research 1 (T/L: Paula Mae M. Caparic) Page 10 of 19


Practical Research 1: LEARNING FROM OTHERS AND REVIEWING THE LITERATURE

the source must be acknowledged. The only possible exception to this rule is information that is
considered to be a commonly known fact [e.g., President Duterte is the president of the
Philippines]. Appreciate, however, that any "commonly known fact" is culturally constructed and
shaped by social and aesthetical biases. If you are in doubt about whether a fact is common
knowledge or not, protect yourself from an allegation of plagiarism and provide a supporting
citation, or ask your teacher for clarification.

Styles in Related Literature Citations or References


In reviewing related literature, you come to read varieties of reading materials containing
knowledge related to your research. It is a fact that these ideas, including the language or structures
to express these ideas belong to other people. They are not yours. Copying the ideas of other
authors and citing them in your research is the good practice of being a researcher. Doing this
practice signals not just honesty and courtesy to learn people whose ideas lend information to your
paper, but also indicates your appreciation for their contribution to the field (Harmmersely,2013).

1. Integral Citation
This is one way of citing or referring to the author whose ideas appear in your work. You
do this by using active verbs like claim, assert, state, etc. to report the author’s ideas. Using
these types of verbs somehow expresses the author’s mental position, attitude, stand, or
opinion in relation to the information referred to. This is the reason integral citation is often
used in social sciences or any subjects belonging to the soft sciences.

Examples of Integral Citation:

2. Non-integral Citation
In contrast to integral citation that reflects the author’s personal inclinations to a certain
extent, this second citation style downplays any strength of the writer’s personal
characteristics. The stress is given to the piece of information rather than to the owner of
the ideas.

Examples of Non-integral Citation:


a. The Code of Ethics for Intercultural Competence give four ways by which people from different
cultural background can harmoniously relate themselves with one another. (De la Cruz, 2015)
b. Knowledge is one component of not only Systemic Functional Grammar but Intercultural
competence as well. It is the driving force beyond any successful collaborative activities to develop
interpersonal relationships and communicative competence. (Smith 2015)
c. The other components of Intercultural Competence which are also present in SFG are: context
(Harold, 2015), appropriateness (Villar, Marcos, Atienza, 2016; Santos, and Daez, 2016), and
emotions (Flores, 2016).

SHSRes1 – Practical Research 1 (T/L: Paula Mae M. Caparic) Page 11 of 19


Practical Research 1: LEARNING FROM OTHERS AND REVIEWING THE LITERATURE

Patterns of Citation
Citing authors, websites and other research materials have its own styles or patterns. Read the
styles/ patterns of citation below and understand how they are distinct from each other. This is
needed in order for you to know what styles/ patterns of citation are used by the researchers in
writing their research and in order for you to decide what styles /patterns you will adopt/ use in
your review of related literature.

1. Summary. The citation in this case is shortened version of the original text that is expressed
in your own language. Making the text short, you have to pick out only the most important
ideas or aspect of the text.

2. Paraphrase. This is the antithesis of the first one because, here, instead of shortening the
form of the text, you explain what the text means to you using your own words. In doing so,
it is possible that your explanations may decrease or exceed the number of words of the
original text (Baraceros, 2016).
Strategies in Paraphrasing:
a. Read the original text or abstract. Understand it as a whole, then, set aside.
b. Using your own memory, write down the main points or concepts.
c. In your own words, summarize the text/ abstract that helps make your point
(University of Texas, 2016)

3. Short Direct Quotation. Only a part of the author’s sentence, the whole sentence, or several
sentences, not exceeding 40 words, is what you can quote or repeat in writing through this
citation pattern. Since this makes you copy the exact words of the writer, it is necessary that
you give the number of the page where the readers can find the copied words.

4. Long Direct Quotation or Block Quotation or Extract. Named in many ways, this citation
pattern mane you copy the author’s exact words numbering from 40 to 100 words. Under
APAA, the limit is eight (8) lines. Placed at the center of the page with no indentation, the
copied lines look like they compose a stanza of a poem.

Example:
The latest study by (Hizon, 2015) reveals the social nature of language. Stressing this
nature of language, he says:
Language features result from the way people use language to meet their social
needs. In their interactions, they use language to describe, compare, agree, explain,
disagree, and so on. Each language function requires a certain set of language
features like nouns for naming, adjectives for comparing, verbs for agreeing,
prepositions for directing, and conjunctions for connecting ideas. (p. 38)

You should quote judiciously because having so many quoted words or lines in your
paper signals your lack of understanding of such part of the text. Besides, frequent copying
of the author’s words indicates your lack of originality in conducting your research work. To
avoid negative connotations about direct quotations in your paper, have in mind the
following reasons to justify your act of quoting or repeating in writing other people’s
words. (Ransome 2013)
1. The idea is quite essential.
2. The idea is refutable or arguable.
3. The sentence is ambiguous or has multiple meanings.

SHSRes1 – Practical Research 1 (T/L: Paula Mae M. Caparic) Page 12 of 19


Practical Research 1: LEARNING FROM OTHERS AND REVIEWING THE LITERATURE

4. There’s a strong possibility that questions may be raised about the citation.
5. It is an excellent idea that to make it a part of your paper will bring prestige
and credibility to your entire work.
There are two basic methods of referencing, pointing to, or identifying the exact author
referred to by your paper. These are the APA (American Psychological Association and the
MLA (Modern Language Association). Each of these two methods has its own in-text
citation style. The following shows the difference between them as regards citation format.
APA – (Ramos, 2015) or Ramos (2016)
(Manalo, 2015) or Manalo (2016)
MLA – (Bautista 183), Flores et.al. 150-158)
(Acosta, Hizon, Lopez 235-240)
(Velarde 4: 389-403) – for periodicals

5. Tense of verbs for reporting


Active verbs are effective words to use in reporting authors’ ideas. Present their ideas in any
of these tenses: present, simple past, or present perfect tense. The APA system, however,
prefers the use of present perfect tense.
Examples:
Present tense – Marcos explains...
Past tense – Marcos explained...
Present perfect tense – Marcos has explained...

Plagiarism
Plagiarism is an act of quoting or copying the exact words of the writer and passing the
quoted words off as your own words. The leading act of plagiarism is using the words of the original
text in expressing your understanding of the reading material. The right way to avoid plagiarism is to
express the borrowed ideas in your own words. (Ransome 2013)
Taking ownership of what do not belong to you is a criminal act that is punishable by
imprisonment and indemnity or payment of money to compensate for any losses incurred by the
owners of expressions that you copied without their permission. The safest way to avoid plagiarism
is to be aware of the fact that the copied words are not yours. If you want these words to appear in
your paper, you must reveal the name of the author in your paper, including the pieces of
information (title, date, place of publication, publisher, etc.) about the book from where you copied
the words. (Hammersely 2013)
Nowadays, due to the proliferation of “Grey Literature” or unpublished reading materials or
of non-peer reviewed online publications, many reading materials as sources of information for
research studies appear questionable as to how qualitative, credible, and authoritative they are.
Notwithstanding the doubtful reputation of these grey literature, to free yourself from any guilt of
plagiarism, you must identify in your paper the owners of any idea, word, symbol that you quoted or
copied verbatim, summarized, or paraphrased. (Sharp 2012; Gray 2013)

SHSRes1 – Practical Research 1 (T/L: Paula Mae M. Caparic) Page 13 of 19


Practical Research 1: LEARNING FROM OTHERS AND REVIEWING THE LITERATURE

DIFFERENT STYLES OF RESEARCH WRITING


In research writing, there are many different style guides that are followed by researchers.
However, the three most common styles followed at present are the Modern Language Association
(MLA) Style, American Psychological Association (APA) Style, and Chicago Style or Turabian. Modern
Language Association

The Modern Language Association (MLA) is an American professional organization for scholars
of literature and language based in New York City. It publishes the MLA stylebook titled MLA Style
Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing with its first edition printed in 1985 and its third edition in
2008. The MLA began in 1883 at Purdue University as a discussion group for literature and modern
language. Today, several regional associations compose the MLA.

Formatting a Paper Using the MLA Style


by Peter Gallagher and Brian Scott
1. Alignment. Align the text flush left. If your word processor, such as Microsoft Word, has
a “full justify” setting, which spreads the text and aligns it both left and right, do not use
it. Leave the text ragged on the right side.
2. Binding. MLA Style calls for binding the pages with a simple paper clip or spring clip. Do
not use a staple or other permanent binding system, unless your instructor requests it.
3. Endnotes and footnotes. You may use endnotes or footnotes with MLA Style, but they
should only be used to further explain a term or a complex idea beyond what you are
able to include in the main text. Endnotes and footnotes should not be used to cite
sources. Save those for the “Works Cited” page.
4. Font. MLA Style calls for a 12-point font size, along with an easily readable font such as
Times New Roman.
5. Headings. In MLA Style, headings and subheads that break up the text are optional.
Check with your instructor before using them.
6. Indentions. You will need to indent the first line of any paragraph by one-half inch from
the left margin. If you are not using word processing software, indent by five spaces.
7. Italics. You should use italics for titles of longer works. MLA Style also allows the use of
italics within the body of the text for emphasis of a particular word or phrase, but use
such items sparingly.
8. Margins. All four sides of the MLA paper—top, bottom, right, and left—require a margin
of 1 inch. The only items that should appear outside the margins are the page numbers.
9. Page numbering. Place the page number in the upper right corner of every page. Use
Arabic numerals for the page numbers. The page number should appear one-half inch
from the top of the paper and even with the right margin (1 inch from the edge of the
paper). If you choose to use an optional title page, you should not number it. If you
choose not to create a separate title page, instead including the title and other relevant
information on the first page of the main text, you must use “1” as the number of that
page.
10. Paper type. Use standard, 20-pound white paper that measures 8.5 by 11 inches.
11. Punctuation. Follow all standard punctuation marks with just one space, including
colons, commas, periods, and semicolons. Some instructors still prefer the old rule of
using two spaces after periods that end sentences. MLA Style does allow some flexibility
in punctuation when the instructor requests a change from the standard MLA Style.

SHSRes1 – Practical Research 1 (T/L: Paula Mae M. Caparic) Page 14 of 19


Practical Research 1: LEARNING FROM OTHERS AND REVIEWING THE LITERATURE

Formatting a Paper Using the MLA Style


by Peter Gallagher and Brian Scott
12. Quotation blocks. Whenever using a quotation that will be longer than four typed lines,
set the entire quotation block apart by indenting it from the left margin 1 inch (or 10
spaces). Double-space within the quotation block. You do not need to use quotation
marks with a quotation block.
13. Spacing. You will need to double-space all of the text within the paper, except in special
circumstances as directed by your instructor. All quotations, notes, and lists of works
cited should be double-spaced.
14. Title. MLA Style does not require a separate title page. You can include the information
used for the title on the first page of the paper, and begin the paper’s main text on the
same page. All text should be double-spaced on the first page. You can place the page
number in the upper right corner. In the upper left corner, flush left, and beginning at
the margins, include your name, the instructor’s name, the course, and the date. Then,
center the text for the title, mixing uppercase and lowercase letters. If you choose to skip
the separate title page, you can begin the main text immediately after the title text.
15. Underlining. With the third edition of the MLA Style Manual, the new guidelines have
eliminated the use of underlining. Now, italicize all published works, rather than
underlining.

American Psychological Association (APA) developed its own uniform style of formatting
written works. Originally, the resulting style book was provided to their associates as a guide for
composing scientific publications, articles, handbooks, journals, and the like for the organization. It
was in 1929 when the original APA style guidelines were featured in a magazine write-up. The
American Psychological Association or APA developed its own uniform style of formatting written
works. Originally, the resulting style book was provided to their associates as a guide for composing
scientific publications, articles, handbooks, journals, and the like for the organization. It was in 1929
when the original APA style guidelines were featured in a magazine write-up.

Formatting a Paper Using the APA Style


by Peter Gallagher and Brian Scott
1. Abbreviations. Avoid using abbreviations in your paper. However, if you need to use an
abbreviation or acronym that is recognized in your language and you can find it in the
dictionary, then you can use it.
2. Hyphenations. Do not separate and hyphenate words at the end of a line. Rather, leave
one line slightly short and put the complete word on the next line; otherwise, proceed a
couple of characters past the right margin to adjust the complete word on the line.
3. Indentions. Indent paragraphs within the primary text of the paper one-half inch if using
a word processing program or indent five to seven spaces in if typing on a typewriter.
However, do not indent in these unique circumstances: the abstract, block quotations,
figure captions, notes, reference list entries, table titles, and titles or headings.
4. Margins. Use 1-inch margins on all four sides of the paper: top, bottom, right, and left.
Old rules required 1.5-inch margins, but these rules are now obsolete.
5. Page numbering. Number nearly every page in the paper, including the title page. Put
the number in the upper-right corner of the page, and use only Arabic numbers. Put the
number “1” on the title page and the number “2” on the abstract page. Begin the main
body of the text on page number “3.” Do not number pages that consist of only statistics
or illustrations.

SHSRes1 – Practical Research 1 (T/L: Paula Mae M. Caparic) Page 15 of 19


Practical Research 1: LEARNING FROM OTHERS AND REVIEWING THE LITERATURE

Formatting a Paper Using the APA Style


by Peter Gallagher and Brian Scott

7. Parentheses. Aim to restrict parentheses to separate or divide items that are structurally
independent, such as listing a number or illustration that is associated with a sentence. If
you are enclosing a full sentence in parentheses, position the punctuation inside the
parentheses. If you are enclosing only a piece of a sentence inside parentheses, then
place the punctuation outside the parentheses.
8. Punctuation. In most cases, use single space after all common punctuation marks, such
as periods, commas, colons, and semicolons. There are three exceptions to this norm: (1)
do not use a space after periods inside an abbreviation, such as when writing U.S. for
United States; (2) do not use a space after a colon in a ratio, such as 4:7; and (3) some
professors like the outdated rule of using two spaces after periods that end sentences. If
you are using Courier or another mono-space font, APA Style does permit two spaces
between sentences, although one space is recommended.
9. Short title. A short title is a two- or three-word introduction of the main title. Put it on
every page in the top right corner, except for pages that consist of only numbers or
illustrations. The short title should appear slightly to the left of the page number.
10. Slash mark. Do not use slash marks in your paper. For instance, rather than writing “blue
and/or purple,” it is better to write, “blue, purple, or both.”
11. Spacing. Use double spacing throughout the whole paper, unless your professor
expressly asks for single spacing in specific situations, such as with block quotations.
12. Text alignment. Always format the text flush left. Do not use the “full justify” feature on
your word processor’s toolbar because this will spread the text fully across the paper and
align sentences both left and right.
13. Title. Center the title on the title page, creating a combination of uppercase and
lowercase letters. If the title is long enough to warrant a second line, double space
between the lines. After the title, include your name, followed by the college that you
attend. If you do not belong to a college, you can substitute the city and state. Double
space between each line on the title page. Put the number “1” in the upper right corner
of the title page.
14. Typeface. If using a word processor like MS-Word, opt for a Serif font, such as Times New
Roman. Use text in a 10- or 12-point size.

Chicago Style and Turabian Style. The University of Chicago Press manages the standards and
rules for the Chicago style. The principal handbook entitled The Chicago Manual of Style, is
sometimes shortened to “CMS” or “CMOS.” The University of Chicago Press produced the original
Chicago Style Manual in 1906.

Chicago Style also has a second handbook entitled A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and
Dissertations, which is written by Kate Turabian, a senior disquisition assistant at the University of
Chicago. She developed the Turabian manual as a supplement to the Chicago Style manual.

One will often hear that the Turabian Style and Chicago Style are of the same style because they
have identical but slightly refined rules. The two styles are nearly similar that professors often refer
to them in combination. Turabian Style permits the use of footnotes for citing sources, which splits it
from other styles on writing formal papers. Papers that adhere to Chicago Style typically are less
formal papers and not designed for publication. However, Chicago Style is versatile enough to deal
with any style of paper, including research papers, essays, reports, theses, or dissertations.

SHSRes1 – Practical Research 1 (T/L: Paula Mae M. Caparic) Page 16 of 19


Practical Research 1: LEARNING FROM OTHERS AND REVIEWING THE LITERATURE

Formatting a Paper Using the Chicago Style or Turabian


by Peter Gallagher and Brian Scott
1. Abbreviating. Abbreviations are more acceptable in academic papers than they were ten
years ago. If you need to abbreviate, use the customary, well-known ones such as “AIDS”
or “ADHD.” One exception is not to abbreviate phrases of ranges, such as “yards” or
“miles.” If your abbreviation contains two periods, such as “U.K.” or “N.J.,” do not
include a space after the first period.
2. Text alignment. Justify all text to the left (excluding indentions), but you may also use
ragged right justification or use full (block) justification. If you opt for full justification,
you must make sure that you space minimally between words and you hyphenate text
properly and moderately. Your word processing software should allow you to comply
with these two guidelines for full justification, except if you have many multi-syllable big
words in your paper.
3. Capitalizing. Use “headline-style” capitalization to capitalize all words aside from articles,
some prepositions, and conjunctions. Use “sentence-style” capitalization to capitalize
only the first word, a word following a colon, and proper nouns.
4. White out. You can apply white correcting fluid to mask black dots and stray spots on the
final paper.
5. Date format. You can use either one of two date formats: “23 April 2012” (day, month,
year) or “April 23, 2012” (month, day, year). When you choose one format, you must
stick with the same one throughout your paper. Do not use a combination of the two.
6. Font style. Always use a Serif font, such as Times New Roman, for the primary text of
your paper. Use a font size between 10- and 12-point sizes. A computer-generated font is
exceedingly better than any mechanical type because it creates perfect italicized and
solid boldface text.
7. When to hyphenate. You can hyphenate words at the end of a line in your primary text,
but you should avoid hyphenating words at the end of two successive lines.
8. When to indent text. Indent paragraphs within the primary text of your paper by one
and a half inch or approximately 5 to 8 spaces. Chicago Style does not mandate a precise
measure of indention, but you must use the same space of indention in your entire
paper.
9. Margin sizes. Use the standard 1-inch margin on all four sides of your paper. However, if
you are going to bind your paper on the left side, then you can use a wider left margin.
10. Numbers. Always spell out and use words for each number, one through one hundred.
For numbers exceeding 100, use basic numerals. Adhere to these exceptions: (1) spell
out every number that begins a sentence; (2) use numerals for every percentage and
decimal number; and (3) use numerals for every number within a set of amounts.
11. Numbering your pages. Use Arabic numerals to number every page in your paper,
except for pages that introduce the body text, such as (1) the copyright page; (2) the
dedication page; and (3) the table of contents page. Chicago Style dubs these pages as
“display” pages, and you must number these pages with lowercase Roman numerals. Do
not put a number on the title page, but you MUST count the title page as part of the
“display” pages. The next page is left blank unless you use a copyright page. You do not
number the copyright page (or the blank page) either. Number the next page (after the
copyright or blank page) “iii” in Roman numerals, centered at the bottom of the page.
When you begin the main (body) text, change from Roman numerals to Arabic numbers.
Put the number “1” in the upper-right corner of the page. If your page has a chapter
heading or a main heading, you can center the Arabic numeral at the bottom of the
page. Number all blank pages, including any other pages. Your page number must run
consecutively. Position all page numbers about three-quarters of an inch from the side of
the paper.

SHSRes1 – Practical Research 1 (T/L: Paula Mae M. Caparic) Page 17 of 19


Practical Research 1: LEARNING FROM OTHERS AND REVIEWING THE LITERATURE

Formatting a Paper Using the Chicago Style or Turabian


by Peter Gallagher and Brian Scott
12. Paper type. Use standard 20-pound regular white bond paper that is 8.5 by 11 inches.
13. Spacing. Double-space between sentences and paragraphs for your entire paper’s body
text. However, you can single-space block captions, endnotes, footnotes, headings, and
quotations.
14. Title. Center all text on the title page, using both horizontal and vertical alignment.
Uppercase all text and double-space too.

LEARNING EXERCISE 2

Let us pause for a while and test what we have learned so far. Do this task without the help of
your research group.

Directions: Identify whether the citation uses APA, MLA or Chicago Manual of Style.
________1. Majority of the students had late realization of their prepared strand as to where
they wanted to belong in preparation of their career for work, business, and college after
graduating high school (Escabal and Baco 2016).

________2. Peers and friends greatly influenced Grade 10 students in choosing career strand in
senior high school (Rodrigues, Actub, & Elumba, 2016).

________3. Those grade 10 students whose academic performance belongs to developing and
approaching proficiency usually enrolled in Technical-Vocational-Livelihood (TVL) (Sanchez,
Actub, and Bagares, 2019)

.________4. As early as Junior High School stage students must be given an early career
enlightenment, so they have a long way of thinking and preparing the best strand for them
(Escabal, Vedra, & Alavanza, 2018)

________5. Only 10 % of Parents influenced grade 10 students in choosing their career strand in
Senior High School (Amay, Banate, and Wabe, 2018)

SHSRes1 – Practical Research 1 (T/L: Paula Mae M. Caparic) Page 18 of 19


Practical Research 1: LEARNING FROM OTHERS AND REVIEWING THE LITERATURE

LEARNING TASK
Write an essay about the different research writing styles. Use the questions below as a
guide in writing your essay.
1. If given the chance to research on any topic, which style will you use?
2. Why did you choose that style?
3. Do you think that the style you have chosen is easier than the others? Why or why not?
4. Why do you think there many writing styles if it does not affect the research study itself?

RESOURCES
 Practical Research 1 – Senior High School (Quarter 1 – Module 4 ) First Edition, 2019.
Author: Mitzie Marish L. Bocayong, Korina B. Alonsabe Nadizda Pascual, Juvy T.
Importante, MATSPED, MAGC, RGC, Jay L. Caballero, Rublyn P. Fabre, Susan T. Aparejo,
PhD, Chona M. Colonia, PhD, Karen A. Serrania. Published by the Department of
Education
 RBS Practical Research 1 (First Edition) Author: Esther L. Baraceros. Published,
Copyrighted 2016, and distributed by Rex Book Store, Inc (RBSI) ISBN 978-971-23-8077-8
 Enhanced Teacher’s Manual - Practical Research 1 (For Senior High School) Authored
by: Amadeo Pangilinan Cristobal, Jr., Ed.D., and Maura Consolacion De la Cruz-Cristobal,
Ed.D. Published by C & E Publishing, Inc. (839 EDSA, South Triangle, Quezon City) 2017
 Literature Review: Conducting & Writing
libguides.uwf.edu/c.php?g=215199&p=1420520

SHSRes1 – Practical Research 1 (T/L: Paula Mae M. Caparic) Page 19 of 19

You might also like