UNIT IV

LEARNING FROM
OTHERS AND
REVIEWING THE
LITERATURE
 LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the unit, the learner shall be able to:
1. Select relevant literature
2. Cite related literature using American Psychological Association
Standard

3. Synthesize information from relevant literature

4. Write coherent review of literature

5. Follow ethical standards in writing related literature

6. Present written review of literature
 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
LITERATURE REVIEW
summary of the state of existing knowledge on a
research problem or topic

analysis and synthesis of articles related to the

research topic being studied
 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
PURPOSES
 identify research problem
 determine what is known
and unknown about the
topic of inquiry
 identify suitable designs or
methods for a study
 improve research question or
hypothesis (for quantitative research)
 determine whether a study needs to
be replicated in a different setting or
different group of population
 assist researchers in interpreting
findings
 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
TYPES OF LITERATURE
1) RESEARCH LITERATURE

based on research findings

data supported by evidences

Example: journal articles,

literature reviews, research
abstracts
 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
TYPES OF LITERATURE
2) NON-RESEARCH REFERENCES
not based on research findings
provide insights and may broaden understanding regarding a
topic

have limited use and do not serve the purpose of literature

review since they are not based on research findings

Example: literary or artistic works, opinion articles,

brochures, magazines, anecdotes
 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
SOURCES OF RESEARCH LITERATURE

1) PRIMARY SOURCE 2) SECONDARY SOURCE

description of studies written by the description of studies written by someone else,
researchers themselves other than researchers who conducted them

example: researches published in should not become substitute for primary

journals, abstract prepared by the
researchers, dissertations, thesis,
undergraduate researches,
presentation done by the researcher
sources because they are less detailed and may
be subjective in nature
Example: literature review, abstract prepared by
a reviewer, presentation of research done by
someone else other than the researcher
 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
PROCESS:
1) searching relevant articles

2) reading and analyzing

research reports

3) writing the description of the

existing information on a topic in
a manner that is ethical and
based on standards
 PROCESS OF LITERATURE REVIEW
I. SEARCHING RELEVANT ARTICLES
in the past, literature search is done
manually

the expanding use of Internet results to the

effectiveness and efficiency of searching
literature using online databases which
makes manual search for printed resources
become obsolete

however, some search engines might give

interesting yet questionable data
 PROCESS OF LITERATURE REVIEW
I. SEARCHING RELEVANT ARTICLES
SEARCHING FOR PRINT RESOURCES
most top-of-the-line journals are commercially
available only and high subscription fees can
be expensive for students

when there is a need to perform a search to

include early literature on a topic

it is a wise practice to begin the search with

the most recent issue of the index or abstract
journal and then to proceed backward
 PROCESS OF LITERATURE REVIEW
I. SEARCHING RELEVANT ARTICLES

SEARCHING FOR PRINT RESOURCES

PRINT INDEXES

books that are used to locate articles in

journals and periodicals, books,
dissertations, publications of professional
organizations, and government documents

usually, you first need to identify the

subject heading. Then, you can proceed to
the subject section of the index which lists
the actual references.
 PROCESS OF LITERATURE REVIEW
I. SEARCHING RELEVANT ARTICLES

SEARCHING FOR PRINT

RESOURCES

ABSTRACT JOURNALS

summarized articles that have

appeared in other journals

more useful than indexes because

they provide a summary of a study
rather than just a title
 PROCESS OF LITERATURE REVIEW
II. READING AND ANALYZING RESEARCH REPORT
research papers may come in various
formats but the more common structure of
presenting these articles come in the form
of a research reports found in journals

journal articles often consist of an abstract

and four major sections: introduction;
method section; results section; and
discussion. This is more commonly known as
the IMRAD format which also contains the
References section.
 PROCESS OF LITERATURE REVIEW
II. READING AND ANALYZING RESEARCH REPORT
ABSTRACT
brief summary of the study placed at the
beginning of the journal article

usually composed of 150-250 words

informs the reader of the background,
methodology, results and conclusion of the
study
 PROCESS OF LITERATURE REVIEW
II. READING AND ANALYZING RESEARCH REPORT
SAMPLE ABSTRACT
QUANTITATIVE STUDY

Aim: A structured exercise programme was designed that incorporates motion-based video games to decrease
anxiety and depression among pregnant women. A pilot study determined its viability.
Methods: A 2-group pre- post-test experiment was done on 16 pregnant women who met study criteria. Eight
underwent the structured exercise programme twice a week for a month (intervention), and eight did not
(control). The State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were
adapted and used to determine participants’ anxiety and depression scores, respectively.
Results: Significant improvement in the participants’ mean anxiety 48.50 to 42.88 (p=0.029) and depression 11.50
to 7.63 (p=0.022) scores were found after the exercise programme. No changes were noted in the control group,
HADS (p=0.196) and STAI (p=0.714) confirming the strength of the scores of the experimental group.
Conclusion: The results suggest the exercise programme can be a valid approach to decrease anxiety and
depression among pregnant women. We recommend replication of this study to other geographical areas with
more samples to establish generalizability
 PROCESS OF LITERATURE REVIEW
II. READING AND ANALYZING RESEARCH REPORT
SAMPLE ABSTRACT
QUALITATIVE STUDY

Aim: The study aimed to gain a greater understanding of the lived experiences of single males married to single
mothers and investigate on the adjustments and coping strategies in terms of their life transitions from single into
an instant father.
Methods: Five participants were selected from the local community in NCR and Rizal. Unstructured audiotape
interviews were conducted either in their home or workplace. The data collected underwent stages of bracketing
and interpretation derived from Burnard’s (1991) stages of organizing data and data was analyzed using
extraction of natural meaning units.
Results: A Step parenting Transitional Model was formed in the study such as – Searching Stage, Demanding
Stage, Merging Stage, Stabilizing Stage, and Implicating Stage – which consists of the overall processes that occurs
in the stepfamily.
Conclusion: The study clearly shows that the process on going in stepfamilies is not different than a typical family
but rather more complex. The process does not change, but the events that occur in the course of marriage
changes the adjustment process. Thus, it creates a more complex environment in the family.
 PROCESS OF LITERATURE REVIEW
II. READING AND ANALYZING RESEARCH REPORT
INTRODUCTION
explains the study problem and its context
usually contains:

main topic, concept, phenomenon,

purpose of the study
or variable under study

knowledge gap that the study will

significance of the study
fill
 PROCESS OF LITERATURE REVIEW
II. READING AND ANALYZING RESEARCH REPORT
METHOD SECTION
mentions the strategies used to answer the
research question
there are several ways to answer a research
question or solve a research problem. But
the main point will be whether the chosen
strategy is the most appropriate method to
answer the question.
 PROCESS OF LITERATURE REVIEW
II. READING AND ANALYZING RESEARCH REPORT

METHOD SECTION
usually contain the following:

1. Research Design overall plan of the study

2. Subjects description of the population: who they are, their characteristics, how
many were they, how they were chosen, how they were recruited.

3. Study Locale description of the place where the study was conducted

4. Research refers to the research tool that will be employed in data collection
Instrument
may be in the form of a survey questionnaire, interview guide, etc

the manner on how it was validated will also be discussed

 PROCESS OF LITERATURE REVIEW
II. READING AND ANALYZING RESEARCH REPORT

METHOD SECTION
usually contain the following:

5. Data Collection step-by-step description of how the study was done

for studies involving human participants, ways on how their rights were
protected are also described

6. Data Analysis states how collected data will be analyzed

quantitative researches: researcher will usually employ statistical tests

qualitative researches: several data analysis techniques are also

available
 PROCESS OF LITERATURE REVIEW
II. READING AND ANALYZING RESEARCH REPORT
RESULTS SECTION
actual findings of the quantitative researches:
study are presented calculated numerical values

usually contains tables or qualitative studies:

figures highlighting themes or categories that
important results were identified from
 PROCESS OF LITERATURE REVIEW
II. READING AND ANALYZING RESEARCH REPORT
DISCUSSION SECTION
the researcher interprets the findings presented in the result section

researcher explains what the results mean or what are the plausible
reason why the results are the way they are

How are findings can be used practically may also be added

researcher is also in the best position to enumerate the weaknesses or

limitations that the study may have and how he considers them in
interpreting the findings
 PROCESS OF LITERATURE REVIEW
II. READING AND ANALYZING RESEARCH REPORT
REFERENCE SECTION

list of journal articles, books and other

documents that were referenced in the
written research manuscript

follows a certain standard format (e.g. APA,

Chicago, etc.)
 PROCESS OF LITERATURE REVIEW
II. READING AND ANALYZING RESEARCH REPORT
TIPS ON READING RESEARCH REPORTS
 Make research reading a habit  Ensure that you understand what you read

 Highlight significant information  Do not be discouraged by technical terms

and do not hesitate to write notes or statistical data
on photocopies of research  Translate research jargons into more
reports.
familiar terms

 Initially scan the report then read  do not underestimate the

them more slowly next time value of your sense while reading
 PROCESS OF LITERATURE REVIEW
III. WRITING THE DESCRIPTION
no fixed systems not a compilation of copied and
pasted passages from several journals
it is important to organize nor a string of quotes or abstracts
materials in a logical and
coherent manner highlights what is known and
unknown about a topic
some researchers advise the use
of summary charts to combine points out existing gaps in the
findings from studies literature that needs to be filled
 STANDARDS STYLES LITERATURE REVIEW
CITATION
a signpost and an acknowledgement can appear in different formats

as a signpost: signals the location of within the text (in-text citation)

a source
bottom of the page (footnotes)
as an acknowledgement: reveals
end of the paper (endnotes)
that you are indebted to that source

provides evidence that scholarly

writing is done and your position is
well-researched
 STANDARDS STYLES LITERATURE REVIEW
CITATION
How to paraphrase effectively?

when one borrows other people’s ideas for his assignment or research
project, he must put these ideas into his own words
GUIDELINES
Read the text several times until
you understand it Re-write the passage in your own words

Set the work aside to avoid Record the bibliographic information with
copying your paraphrased version of the original
 STANDARDS STYLES LITERATURE REVIEW
CITATION
PROPERLY CITING SOURCES

1) IMPLICIT STATEMENT 3) INTRODUCTORY PHRASE with VERB

STATEMENT_(AUTHORS, YEAR) INTRODUCTION_AUTHOR_(YEAR)_STATEM

ENT
2) EXPLICIT

AUTHOR_(YEAR)_VERB_STATEMENT
 PLAGIARISM
wrongful use of idea or language of another author and representing them
as if they are your original work

there must be adequate citing of sources in one' s manuscript

taking credit for other people's work is stealing

In the academe, plagiarism is considered a form of dishonesty. Those who

are found guilty of the offense are usually subjected to sanctions like
suspension and even expulsion from the institution.

there are available online tools which help identify plagiarism