Review

of
Related
Literature
 What is review of related literature?

A review of related literature is the process of

collecting, selecting, and reading books, journal
articles, reports, abstracts, and other reference
materials, including electronic sources (CD-ROM)
and the world wide web (www/http) to get
relevant information about the problem under
investigation.
A literature review is a summary of research that
has been published about a particular subject. It
provides the reader with an idea about the
current situation in terms of what has been done,
and what we know. Sometimes it includes
suggestions about what needs to be done to
increase the knowledge and understanding of a
particular problem.
The articles used must be from professional
journals, which means we can trust that the
authors are trained professionals, and others have
examined their work. Some studies are more
easily read and summarized than others. Be sure
you feel comfortable with your choices, since it is
difficult to summarize ideas you don't understand.
When writing a literature review, your objective is
to provide an overview of the current state of
knowledge about your topic. Throughout the
research process, you will identify a variety of
resources that reveal what is known, and what is
not known, about the issue described in your
research question. 
 Purpose of the Literature Review
 Provide foundation of knowledge on
topic.
 It ensures that researchers do not
duplicate work that has already been
done.
 It provides a constructive analysis of the
methodologies and approaches of other
researchers.
 Identify inconstancies: gaps in research,
conflicts in previous studies, open
questions left from other research

 Identify need for additional research

(justifying your research)

 Place your own research within the

context of existing literature making a
case for why further study is needed.
 It can provide clues as to where future
research is heading or recommend
areas on which to focus.
Why Review Literature?

 A review of literature is a must in research.

Related literature can help a researcher
identify and develop a research problem,
formulate a research framework, and identify
and use appropriate research methodologies
and tools.
What to Review
and
Where to Get the
Materials
Researchers should be familiar with the different
sources of information related to the research
problem. The most common types of sources of
information for a research problem are:

 General References
 Primary Sources
 Secondary Sources
General References
General references show where to locate other
sources of information related to a certain topic.
Examples of general references available in most
libraries are indexes, reviews and abstracts.
Examples:
For education
Indexes - Education Index and the Dictionary of
Education
Abstracts - Psychological Abstracts
Primary Sources

Results of many research studies are published in

journals or monographs. These articles or reports
are generally written by those who actually
conducted the study, thus, they are called primary
sources.

Many research journals are published monthly,

quarterly or yearly.
Some of the most commonly used journals in
various areas are:

 Philippine Nursing Journal

 Business Journal
 Philippine Sociological Review
 Journal of the Philippine Public
Administration
 Social Psychology Journal
 Education Research Journal
Secondary Sources
Secondary Sources refers to publications where
authors cite the work of others.

Most common secondary sources are:

 Books
 Reviews
 Yearbooks
 Encyclopedias
 Steps in
Literature
Review
Determining which literature is relevant to your
research is challenging. Once you have found the
articles, read them and take notes. Write the
literature review from your notes. In reviewing
related literature, the following steps may be
followed:

 A useful first step when starting your

dissertation literature review is to identify
relevant "key words" to help navigate your way
through the existing literature. 
Example: “Adolescents’ Perceptions on
the Effect of Punishment on Self
Esteem and Academic
Performance”
Possible “search terms” could be:

• “Punishment and learning”

• “self-esteem and performance”
• “self-worth”
As you complete your reading, you'll come across a
number of ideas presented by different authors.
You are expected to critically evaluate this
information, then synthesize what you have learned
to provide your reader with a better understanding
of the literature related to your topic. Because
you'll be working with a large number of resources,
you may find it challenging to organize the
information in a meaningful way.  To help with this,
you may want to create a synthesis matrix to record
the main points of each information resource and
document how they relate to each other.
TOPIC:
  Source #1 Source #2 Source #3 Source #4
Main Idea #1
       
 
Main Idea #2
       
 
Main Idea #3
       
 
Main Idea #4
       
 

To use the matrix, label each Source column with an author name or brief title.  Use
the area on the left to note the key points you identify in your reading.  As you read
each source, make notes in the appropriate Source column whenever you come
across additional information that relates to each of the main ideas.  When you
have completed the chart, review your notes to identify common themes, areas of
disagreement, or gaps in the literature.
Writing the
Literature
Review
After taking notes from the different sources
reviewed, the researcher prepares the final
review. Most literature reviews consist of the
following parts:
a. Introduction
b. Body/Summary of Articles
c. Conclusion
d. References
1. Introduction. The introduction explains
the focus and establishes the
importance of the subject. Introduce
your topic and briefly explain why this is
a significant or important area for study.
Define terms if necessary.
2. Body/Summary of Articles. The body of
the review briefly reports what experts
think or what other researchers have
found about the research problem. Often
divided by headings/subheadings, the
body summarizes and evaluates the
current state of knowledge in the field.
 In a paragraph or two for each study, briefly
explain the purpose, how it was conducted
(how information was gathered), and the major
findings. When referring to an article, use the
last name of author or authors and date of
publication in the text.
 Example: Calvin and Brommel (1996) believe
family communication or Communication
serves two primary functions in families--
cohesion and adaptability (Galvin and Brommel,
1996).
3. Conclusion. The conclusion summarizes
all the evidence presented and shows its
significance. Briefly summarize the
major findings of the studies chosen.
Comments about what questions need
to still be answered may be included.
4. References. List the studies used on a
separate page according to APA style
format.