Inquiries, Investigation

and Immersion
Quarter 3 – Module 3:
Reading on Related Studies
Review of Related Literature has always been an important part of a research paper.
In this section, the different researches, articles, journals, and all other publications
related to the chosen research topic will be identified, summarized, and
acknowledged.

The most essential learning competencies covered in this module are:

A. Select, cite, and synthesize related literature

B. Use sources according to ethical standards (at least 4-6 local and international
sources)

Objectives:
At the end of this module, you are expected to learn the following:

 define terms related to research study

 gather and synthesize information from different sources of information
 familiarize the different citation styles and formats
 give the characteristics and mechanism of the review of related literature;
 write citations correctly on the sources used in a research study
 appreciate the importance of following ethical standards in using sources

How to learn from this module?

To achieve the objectives of this module, do the following:

• Take your time reading the lessons

• Follow the directions and/or instructions in the activity/ exercises diligently •
Answer all the given tests and exercises

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 Lesson
Selection of Related
1 Literature

What is Research?
Research is a process of systematic inquiry that entails the collection of data;
documentation of critical information; and analysis and interpretation of that
data/information, with suitable methodologies set by specific professional fields and
academic disciplines.

Review of Related Literature, as stated in the Overview, is one of the major

components of a research paper. It gives an overview of all the writings relative to a
specific topic (Prieto, N.G., Naval, V.C. & Carey, T.G. (2017). Practical research 1 for
senior high school: Qualitative. Quezon City, Metro Manila: LORIMAR Publishing,
Inc.)
Therefore, selecting the right sources for the literature review is very important in
producing a quality research paper.
After you have chosen your research topic and crafted your 1st Chapter
(Introduction), the next step for the completion of your research paper is the writing
of the Review of Related Literature. When writing your RRL, you must first consider
the sources that you are going to use as bases for the contents of this chapter. RRL
sources are commonly classified into two major types; namely:

• Primary source- publications or writings wherein a researcher reports the

results of his studies. Example: Monthly, quarterly or annual journals.

• Secondary source- publications or writings wherein a certain author describes

the work of another author. Example: Textbooks, encyclopedias, yearbooks as
much as possible, use the primary sources to avoid tampering and
miscommunications on the data.

In identifying a possible source of your RRL, you can refer to the following
characteristics below:

1. The sources that you should use must be updated and reliable.
2. It must be as fair and objective as possible.
3. It must be relevant to your topic.
4. It must provide accurately and enough information on your topic

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 Lesson
Citation of Related
2 Literature

What is It
After identifying your research title, crafting your Introduction, and finding your
possible sources of information, the next thing that must be truly considered by a
researcher is the means of citing sources used. Proper citation of a source is
important for you to avoid complications and problems with the authenticity of your
data once your paper is already published.
Citation, in research, is defined as a means of informing your readers that certain
information came from a specific source and you just borrowed it to widen the
explanation of a certain situation or data of your research. When citing sources, you
must see to it that the information borrowed from other authors are properly cited.
Citing of sources comes in two (2) manners, namely: a) in-text citation and b)
referencing list.

A. The In-text citation refers to all of the citations that can be found in all of the
chapters in your research paper. The commonly used information in this
manner of citation is the following:
1. Author’s name
2. Date of the publication of the source
3. The page number where you found the information
B. Referencing list refers to the bibliography and/or references of your research
paper. This holds the summary of the information of all of your sources.
Information needed in making the referencing list involves the following:
1. Author’s name
2. Date of the publication of the source
3. The page number where you found the information
4. Publisher
5. Place of Publishing
6. Volume
7. Edition
8. Other relevant information

In the in-text- citation of related literature, three (3) guidelines should be considered,
namely: a) by author or writer, b) by topic and c) chronological means of citation.

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1) By author or writer
a) In this method of citation, all your data and information, facts, ideas or
principles from your sources are discussed or explained separately.
b) Example:
Cruz (2002) states that research is …

Dela Torre (2005) described the research as …

c) In this example, it is evident that by using by author or writer method, the
information coming from a specific author will be discussed separately from
the others.

2) By topic
a) This method of citation is used when several authors or sources give the same
information about a certain topic. The citation of the information will be
granted to all of the authors.
b) Example:

Accordingly, research is … (Rio, 2000; Luna & Magsaysay, 2005)

c) In this example, the authors (Rio, Luna & Magsaysay) shared the same idea
about research. When you are going to use this information, make sure to cite
ALL of the authors that published this said information.

3) Chronological
a) Citing sources using the chronological method involves sequencing the
information based on the year it was published.
b) Example:
Yu (2005) states that …
And (2007) discussed about…
Chu (2010) deliberated regarding …

c) In this example, the sources are arranged chronologically from the earliest to
the latest.
In citing sources, you must see to it that citations of your sources are done correctly.
Citation styles are referred to as the format of the information needed during the
citation. There are three (3) most common citation styles that are used to cite sources,
namely: a) American Psychological Association (APA), b) Modern Language
Association (MLA) and c) Chicago Manual of Style (CMS). These three citation styles
will be thoroughly discussed in the proceeding discussions.

1. American Psychological Association (APA)

This citation is commonly used when a researcher works in social science-related
researches. APA follows an author-date format, wherein, the needed information for
its in-text citation is the author’s surname and the year of publishing. APA follows
different formats for varying authors and their number. Citing in APA format is shown
on the next page.

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 I. APA Citation for works with one (1) author
In working with APA citation style for one author source, you will need the
author’s surname and the year of its publication.
Example:
By author: Lee (2005) states that the earth is …
By topic: The composition of Earth is … (Lee, 2005)

II. APA Citation for works with two (2) authors

Citing sources with two authors using APA style still needs the authors’
surnames and the year of publication. The format varies whether you want to
use a by author or by the topic manner of citation.

Examples:
By author: Kim and Lee (2009) state that …
By topic: Accordingly, (Kim & Lee, 2009)

In the by topic manner, the word “and” will be replaced by a symbol “&” which
is known as the ampersand. The authors’ surname and the year of publishing
are separated by comma (,).

III. APA Citation for works with three (3) to five (5) authors
The information needed in this number of authors is still the authors’ surname
and the year of publication. The format varies on the manner of citation used
and the frequency of its usage.

Examples:
By author: Kim, Lee, Young, and Yu (2015) discussed …
By topic: Today’s generation … (Kim, Lee, Young & Yu, 2015).

In the by topic manner, the replacement of the word “and” to “&” is still
applicable. Still, the author’s surname and the year of publication will be
separated using a comma. If you wish to use the same source for many times,
another the format will be followed.

Examples:
By author: Kim et al. (2015) discussed that …
By topic: Today’s generation … (Kim et al., 2015).

In this format, the citation will be shortened by sustaining the first author and
replacing the others with the word “et al.” which means “and others”. In “et
al.”, the period will be placed only after the “al.”.

IV. APA Citation for works with six (6) to ten (10) authors
Citing literature with this number of authors follows the following format:
Examples:
By author: Lee et al. (2015) discussed that …
By topic: Today’s generation … (Lee et al., 2015). This format will be
used in all of the citations made

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 V. APA Citation for works with associations, corporations, government
agencies, etc., as the author
In this case, the associations, corporations, government agencies will serve as
the author. The year of publication is still needed.

Examples:
By author: According to the Department of Education (2012) …
By topic: The education is … (Department of Education, 2012)

However, if the associations, corporations, government agencies have a

wellknown abbreviation, the abbreviations can be added in the first citation and
will be used in proceeding citations to follow. Abbreviations shall be enclosed in
a bracket [ ].

Examples:
First Citation: Department of Education [DepEd] (2012)…
Second Citation: DepEd (2012) discussed …

VI. APA Citation for works with indirect sources

Indirect sources refer to sources that were mentioned in another source. In
this case, the primary author is needed, the year it was published, and its
page number.

Example:
Brown discussed that … (as cited by Smith, 2002, p. 92).

The primary authors’ last name, year of publication, and page are separated
by commas.

VII. APA Citation for electronic sources

Electronic sources refer to materials that are in an electronic form, i.e. pdf
files. For this type of source, the citation follows the author-date format,
varying from its number of authors.

Examples:
By author: Perry (2006) states that the … By
topic: The … (Perry, 2006).

VIII. APA Citation for websites with author and year published
In the review of related literature from this source, the author-date format is
still used.

Examples:
By author: John (2010) states that the … By
topic: The … (John, 2010).

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 IX. APA Citation for websites without author but with the year
published
In this style of citation, the title will replace the author and will follow the
author-date format. The title will be enclosed in quotation marks (“).

Examples:
By author: “The Solar System” (2012) ….
By topic: It is said that … (“The Solar System”, 2012)

X. APA Citation for websites with an author but without year

published
To cite these sources, dates will be abbreviated by “n.d.”, which means “no
date”.

Examples:
By author: Green (n.d.) stated that …
By topic: Accordingly, … (Green, n.d.)

XI. APA Citation for websites without author and year published
To cite these sources, use the title of the enclosed with quotation marks (“) in
lieu of the author, and write “n.d.” to specify no date.

Examples:
By author: “The Hydrosphere” (n.d.) …
By topic: Accordingly … (“The Hydrosphere, n.d.)

2. Modern Language Association (MLA)

MLA is one commonly used citation style in research papers usually used in liberal
arts and humanities. Unlike APA, MLA follows an author- page format, wherein
authors’ surname and the page number where it could be found is needed. Formats
for the MLA style are shown below.

I. Citing Print Sources

II. In the MLA format, the page number is always enclosed in parenthesis and
can be found at the ending of each statement. The authors’ surname and the
page number are NOT separated by a comma.
Examples:
Grey stated that …. (50).
Accordingly, (Grey 50).

3. Chicago Manual of Style (CMS)

CMA is a citation style that presents two basic documentation systems:

A. notes and bibliography and

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B. author-date. The use of the two documentation systems differs from the
subject matter and the sources cited.
3.1 Notes and Bibliography System
This documentation system is preferred in researches concerning the field
of humanities such as literature, arts, and history. In this system,
bibliographic information such as notes and bibliography is needed.
Footnotes or endnotes are placed in the bottom part of the paper and
provide all information relative to the source.
i. CMS - Notes and Bibliography system citation for works with one
author. Example:
In-text Citation:
Levi discussed that today’s tap water is not suitable for
drinking anymore. 1 Endnote:
John Levi, Our water of today, (New York, LMR Publishing,
2016), 305
In the example above, the information to be included in the in- text
citation is the author and the number in the endnote that is
categorized by the superscript. The endnote follows the format:
Author’s first name, author’s last name, Title, (Place of Publication,
Publisher, year published) reference page.

ii. CMS- Notes and Bibliography system citation for works with two
authors The format for this system is the same as those with one
author. Example:
In-text Citation:
Levi and Charles discussed that today’s tap water is not suitable
for drinking anymore. 1 Endnote:
John Levi and Thomas Charles, Our water of today, (New York,
LMR Publishing, 2016), 305
iii. CMS- Notes and Bibliography system citation for works with
four or more authors. This system follows the same format like the
preceding. This system follows the same format as that of the preceding
two. Only one name of the author will be presented, followed by et al. to
represent the remaining authors. Example:
In-text Citation:
Levi et al. discussed that today’s tap water is not suitable for
drinking anymore. 1 Endnote:
John Levi et al., Our water of today, (New York, LMR Publishing,
2016), 305

3.2 Author-Date System

The CMS author-date system is commonly used when a researcher will
pursue studies in line with physical, natural, and social sciences. Unlike
the notes and bibliography system, this system uses the author’s surname
and date of publication. The complete information of the source will be
given in the bibliography section.
a) CMS- Author-Date system citation for works with one author Example:

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 In-text: It is stated that … (Cruz 2003, 378).
This is the format for this system: (Author’s last name year, page.

b) CMS- Author-Date system citation for works with two authors.

Example:
In-text: It is stated that … (Cruz and Torres
2003, 378). The format is the same as with the works with
one author

c) CMS- Author-Date system citation for works with four authors

Example:
In-text: It is stated that … (Cruz et al. 2003, 378).
In this case, reflect only the first author and replace the remaining with et al.

A referencing list is the other means of citing sources. Commonly, this list is noted
in the references/bibliography section of the paper. Each citation style follows a
different format in making a referencing list. The format of the citation styles as
discussed by Torneo and Clamor-Torneo (2017) are as follows:

1. APA Citation Style

When using the APA Citation style, referencing list is found at the end of the paper.
It commonly contains all information of the literature that are cited in the paper.
When following the APA format, all references are listed alphabetically according to
their surnames. Some reminders when using the APA format is given below:

a) You should use a hanging indention. All lines, except the first one, must be
indented by 0.5 from the left.
b) When writing the author’s name, the last name must come first before the
given name. The given name must be represented by initials. When there are
two or more authors, ellipses must be used to separate them.
c) The first word of the title must be capitalized. Other necessary publication
information and proper noun should follow the same format.
Here are the guidelines for making a referencing list using the APA format from
different sources.
BOOKS
Format: Author’s last name, given name, and middle name initials, (Year of
publication). Title of work: Subtitle. Location: Publisher.
Example: James, B.N. (2009). The history of the universe: Knowing the truth
out of our existence. Los Angeles, California: LMS Publishing.
JOURNAL ARTICLES
Format: Author, A.A., Author, B.B., & Author C.C. (Year). Title of the article.
Title of Periodical, volume number (issue number), pages.

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 Example: Gonzales, P. (2010). Chemistry and life: A study on the functions
and importance of chemistry in daily life. Chemistry Trivia. Vol. 3, No. 2, pp.
887-893.
ONLINE NEWS ARTICLES
Format: Author, A.A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Title of Newspaper. Retrieved
from [Link]
Example: Cruz, K.L. (2019, January 23). The election mania. KBS
News. Retrieved from [Link]
ONLINE LECTURE NOTES AND PRESENTATION SLIDES
Format: Author, A.A. (Year). Title of article [file format].
Retrieved from [Link]
Example: Dela Cruz, A.N. (2019). The big bang theory [ppt].
Retrieved from [Link]

2. MLA Citation Style

The MLA citation style commonly needs a Works Cited page on a different page at
the end of the research. All cited sources in the body of the research must be cited
in the Works Cited. The list of the authors must be arranged alphabetically by their
surnames. Here are some considerations that you must look into when using the
MLA Citation Style.

a) Hanging indention format must also be followed. Subsequent lines of each

entry must be indented by 0.5 from the left.
b) In using the MLA format, the author’s last name will be followed by the
author’s complete given name. If the middle name is given, it should also be
written after the given name. if the author has name suffixes, it should be
written on the last part.
c) All words in the title must be capitalized. Prepositions or conjunctions are
excluded by this rule, except if it is the first word of the title.

To understand more of the MLA Citation, here are formats to be used:

BOOKS
Format: Last name, First name. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher,
Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.
Example: James, Brian. The history of the Universe: Knowing the Truth out of
Our Existence. Los Angeles, California: LMS Publishing, 2009. Print.
ONLINE JOURNAL ARTICLES
Format: Last name, First name. “Title of Article”. Title of Publication, volume
number, and issue number, (year of publication). Date of access.

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 [Note: (1) If the journal is exclusively available online, write “[Link].” to denote
that there is no pagination of the publication. (2) If there is a print copy,
provide a copy of the page number and the medium of publication used.]
Example: Gonzales, Pedro. Chemistry and Life: A Study on the Functions and
Importance of Chemistry in Daily Life. Chemistry Trivia. Vol. 3, No. 2, (2010):
[Link]. 3 March 2011.

ONLINE NEWS ARTICLES

Format: Last name, First name. “Title of the article”. Title of News Article. Date
of Publication. Medium of publication. Date of access
Example: Cruz, Kyrie. “The Election Mania”. KBS News. (13 Dec. 2018). Web.
23 January 2019

ONLINE LECTURE NOTES AND PRESENTATION SLIDES

Format: Last name, First name. “Title of Presentation”. Date file was created.
Medium
Example: Dela Cruz, Angelo. “The Big Bang Theory”. 1 February 1998. Power
Point Presentation

3. CMS Citation Style

In using the CMS Citation Style in making references, the sources will be arranged
alphabetically, through the author’s last name. Referencing lists in CMS is termed
as “Bibliography”. A bibliography must include all the cited related literature in the
research body.
Here are some guidelines for making a bibliography.
BOOKS
Format: Last name, First name. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher,
Year of Publication.
Example: James, Brian. The history of the universe: Knowing the truth out of
our existence. Los Angeles, California: LMS Publishing, 2009.

ONLINE JOURNAL ARTICLES

Format: Last name, First name. “Title of the article”. Title of Publication,
volume number, and issue number, (year of publication). Pages. Date when
accessed. URL.
Example: Gonzales, Pedro. “Chemistry and Life: A Study on the Functions and
Importance of Chemistry in Daily Life”. Chemistry Trivia. Vol. 3, No. 2, (2010):
887-893. March 3, 2011.

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 [Link]

ONLINE NEWS ARTICLES

Format: Last name, First name. “Title of the article”. Title of News Article,
Date of [Link]. Date of access (if necessary)
Example: Cruz, Kyrie. “The Election Mania”. KBS News. (Dec. 13, 2018).
[Link] January 23, 2019
ONLINE LECTURE NOTES AND PRESENTATION SLIDES
Format: Last name. First name. “Title of Presentation”. Date of access or if
available, date last modified. URL:
Example: Dela Cruz, Angelo. “The Big Bang Theory”. February 15, 1998.
[Link]

Lesson
Synthesizing Information
3 from Relevant Literature

Now that you have already gathered your sources for the review of related literature,
the next step to accomplish Chapter II is to extract the important and relevant
information that you can use to compose this chapter.
This lesson focuses on discussing the ways of how you are going to write your
synthesis based on the related literature that you have gathered for the activities in
the 1st and 2nd lessons of this module. This lesson will teach you how to segregate
relevant and non-relevant information, extract main ideas from your sources and
know-how to prepare a synthesis matrix.

LESSON 3.1. DEFINITION AND TYPES OF SYNTHESIS

Synthesis is defined as a combination of information and discussion from one or
more relevant sources of information. When doing a synthesis, you need to extract
the important information coming from all your sources. You have to find the
similarities and differences from one source to the other and you must instill the
importance of this information in your research study.

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When doing your synthesis, you can present your information in two (2) ways: a.)
Explanatory or b) Argument synthesis. Explanatory synthesis deals with
presenting the information through explanations and presents it objectively.
Argument synthesis, on the other hand, enables a researcher to present his/her
point of view from a certain topic in a logical manner. Information that is written
using an argument synthesis is usually debatable.
Example:
Explanatory Synthesis:
According to the Divine Creation Theory, the world was created by the Almighty. All
creatures are made into life through his power. He crafted the universe in just 6 days.
He made the human beings from sand and blessed them with life through his breath.
Argument Synthesis:
The world is made through evolution and scientific reactions, wherein all living
creatures undergo different mutations and reactions to become what it is right now.
This statement is supported by the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection which
is published by Charles Darwin.

LESSON 3.2. CATEGORIES OF SOURCES

The sources for the data and information for the crafting of your Review of Related
Literature are categorized into four (4).

1. Documents- these sources include those materials that are written or printed
such as books, newspaper reports, research articles, etc. This source can
come in a published or non- published state.
2. Numerical records- This source is considered a subcategory of documents.
This source includes numerical data in written form such as census reports,
school budgets, etc.
3. Oral statements- Stories, myths, legends, songs and other forms of oral data
composes this type of source.
4. Relics- this source commonly composes information about the past.

LESSON 3.3. WRITING A SYNTHESIS

After defining what is synthesis, knowing the types and categories of its sources, you
are now leading to making your synthesis for your Review of Related Literature
Chapter. To write your synthesis, Prieto et al. (2017) suggested ways that you must
follow.

1. You must consider your purpose in writing.

2. You must select and read carefully your sources, according to your purpose.
3. Formulate a thesis. It is the main idea that you want to present in your
synthesis.
4. Decide how will you use your source materials and take down notes.
5. Develop an organizational plan according to your thesis.
6. Write the first draft of your synthesis, following your organizational plan.

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 7. Revise your synthesis

When you are going to write your synthesis, you can use the following techniques as
your guide.

1. Summary- the simplest way of organizing a synthesis. When using this

technique, you are going to write the most relevant information and sources
you gathered.
2. Example or illustration- it is a technique wherein you are going to synthesize
information by giving examples and illustrations of your specific information.
3. Two (or more) Reasons- this technique includes presenting the thesis and
supporting it with reasons why it is factual.
4. Comparison and Contrast- In using this technique, you are going to show the
similarities and differences of two or more data.

Once all data and sources are already gathered, you are now ready to synthesize your
information. To make this, a synthesis matrix is suggested. This matrix will guide
you on how are you going to synthesize your data and information and will help you
easily craft your Review of Related Literature. Below is an example of a synthesis
matrix.
Topic: __________________________________________

Main Idea A Source #1 Source #2 Source #3 Source #4 Source n

Main Idea B
Main Idea n

In using this synthesis matrix, you must understand the important terminologies.
The Topic above refers to your respective research topics and must be filled up before
starting your synthesis. The Main Idea A, B, n refers to the possible sections of your
RRL. You are going to write the things that can affect your research. if your topic
would be focusing on the effectiveness of different teaching strategies towards the
learning progress of students in VNHS, you can use teaching strategies as one of the
main ideas. These main ideas can help you to find the needed and relevant
information for your RRL are. You can have as many main ideas as you can, provided
that this is related to your research topic. The Sources nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, n, on the other
hand, refers to the sources of your information. In this area, you need to take note
of all the details of your sources to be used for your citation. It would be better to
have many sources because it will give you a variety of information and can help you
elaborate more your main idea.
Now that you know the definition, types, categories, and techniques in writing a
synthesis, you are now ready to make your own!

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 Lesson
Writing a Coherent Review
4 of Related Literature

The previous lessons of this module guided you on the preparation for crafting your
RRL. Those lessons thoroughly discussed what Review of Related Literature is, how
to select relevant sources of information, how to make citations, and how to
synthesize information coming from a relevant source. At this moment, we are going
to move forward to another lesson which will focus on writing a coherent review of
related literature. In pursuing this lesson, you need to apply your learnings from the
1st activity of this module as we are now going to craft your Review of Related
Literature.

LESSON 4.1 Review of Related Literature Structure

The review of related literature is commonly composed of three major sections: a)
Introduction, b) Main Body, and c) Conclusion.
The introduction of your RRL is commonly composed of a single paragraph wherein
information about the general topic of your research is presented. It also provides
the overall statement of knowledge about your research topic. This section gives an
overview of the contents of your RRL highlighting the points (main idea) that can be
seen in this chapter.
The second section of your RRL is the body. This section focuses on presenting all
the relevant information that you have gathered. Presenting your relevant
information must follow a logical manner, addressing the order of your objectives of
the study. The contents of this section come from your synthesis matrix. The last
section of your RRL is the conclusion. As its name implies, the conclusion is a single
paragraph that functions in providing a summary of the overall state of knowledge
about your topic. This section must show how significant is your research study.
Always remember that when writing your Review of Related Literature, you must use
the correct in-text citation.

LESSON 4.2. Guidelines in Writing Literature Review

Prieto et al. (2017) crafted the following rules that you can use to produce a quality
RRL.

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Rule 1. Define the topic and the audience. When defining a topic, consider factors
such as interest, significance, and recency.
Rule 2. Search and research reference list.
Rule 3. Prepare a conceptual diagram of the need for the different types of literature
review.
Rule 4. Take notes while reading.
Rule 5. Choose the type of review you wish to write.
Rule 6. Keep the review focused and make it of broad interest.
Rule 7. Be critical and consistent.
Rule 8. Find a logical structure. Rule 9. Make use of feedback.

In presenting your review of related literature, the following states are recommended
to showcase coherency.

1. There appears to be strong evidence that …

2. The literature has shown …

3. The foregoing literature has shown …

4. The data supporting the hypothesis are …

Another pointer in crafting a coherent review of related literature is to use an index

card. It is one of the most convenient and effective research tools that will help you
in organizing your information for this chapter. Here’s how to use your index cards.

• Make a separate card for each source.

• Give each source a racking number.
• For a book, include the author, title, date & place of publication, and
publisher.
• For a periodical, also include the page numbers of the article.
• For a website, write the title, the sponsors and authors if known; the site and
date when it was created or uploaded, and the date when you access the site.

In using an index card, you must see to it that you have the following information:

• Where you found the information

• Topic
• Paraphrased information found
• The Page you found the fact on

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Below is an example of an index card:

Lesson
Use of Ethical Standards in
5 Citing Related Literature
Ethical standards have been a significant subject in the research field. Ethical
standards help researchers in maintaining their integrity. In research, it is defined
as a means of making rights decisions relating to the conduct of the study. Some
researchers consciously or unconsciously break some ethical standards leading to
some complications.
This lesson focuses on educating you, as a researcher of the different ethical
standards that each researcher must consider before doing a research study.

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LESSON 5.1. The Relationship of Ethics and Research
Ethics in research can be defined as the norms for conduct that distinguish between
acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. It can also be defined as a process of
applying moral standards and principles in any undertaking. In general, the ethical
standard in research is used so that a researcher will be able to define right from
wrong.
Ethics serve a very vital role in conducting a research study. It can keep the
researcher from committing misconduct while seeking knowledge and truth, and
respecting and protecting the rights of the respondents-humans and animals. Ethics
also promote essential values that help researchers to have a common understanding
and work on a topic harmoniously. Also, ethics bind different experts together in the
spirit of important values such as accountability, cooperation, coordination, mutual
understanding, respect, and fairness, among others.
Ethics in research follow eight (8) principles. These principles must be taken
seriously by each researcher to secure an ethical study.

1) Honesty- a researcher must secure honesty in producing his/her study.

Transparency is the key of upholding honesty in research. Researchers must see
to it that all borrowed intellectual property must be cited accurately.
2) Objectivity- Researchers must see to it that she/he is free from any form of bias
in all aspects of his/her research paper.
3) Integrity- The researcher must secure that the study holds sincerity and
consistency. The researchers must see to it that all of the parts promised and
presented during the presentation of the proposal must be kept
4) Carefulness- The researcher must see to it that the conduct of the study must be
free from any carelessness and errors of negligence. All important data must be
kept for future uses.
5) Openness- Researches must see to it that they are open-minded persons wherein
they can accept suggestions from others and they can handle constructive
criticism.
6) Respect for intellectual property- A good researcher must see to it that she/he
practices respect for intellectual property. This principle can be executed upon
proper citation of borrowed statements and giving due credit to the owner.
7) Trustworthiness- A researcher must secure that he/she is maintaining his/her
trustworthiness. The researchers must see to it that any data or information in
the research, especially those data from surveys and other data gathering
procedures, must be used according to its proper and allotted usage only. The
researchers must also keep the confidentiality of every data gathered and must
protect its privacy.
8) Social and legal responsibility- A researcher must abide by the legalities, rules,
policies, and regulations set by his/her partner institution or organization

The need for ethics is very vital in research because of these reasons:

1) Norms promote the aims of research such as knowledge, truth, understanding,

and avoidance of error.

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2) Norms promote the values that are essential to collaborative work such as trust,
accountability, mutual respect, and fairness. They also protect intellectual
property interests and encourage confidentiality even in collaboration.
3) Norms ensure that researchers can be held accountable to the public. To a certain
extent, they draw parameters on which ideas to write and how they should be
written.
4) Norms promote a variety of other important moral and social values. Ethical
lapses in research can significantly harm human and animal subjects, students,
other individuals, and the public in general.
5) Norms help build public support for research. This happens when individuals and
organizations believe in the integrity and credibility of the researcher/s, thus they
will offer support for the project.

For you to further understand the function of ethics in research, here are some
terminologies that may aid you:

1) Ethical relativism- this refers to the view that values are relative in the sense that
a person feels his/her value is better than any other person’s value.
2) Ethical principles- this term refers to values that are translated into rules or
standards of conduct.
3) Ethical dilemma- this refers to situations where there is an evident conflict
between values and principles and the choice of action needs to be decided.

Upon the absence of Ethics in conducting your research, you might be able to do
some unethical deeds commonly known as scientific misconduct. The following are
the possible scientific misconducts that can be done in research:

1) Fabrication and falsification of data- also known as “cooking of data”. This

scientific misconduct involves producing data without actual experimentation or
altering data in recording for the intention to fit them to what is expected.
2) Non-publication of data- In contrast with fabrication and falsification, non-
publication of data involves choosing not to include data because they do not
conform to the well-established body of knowledge or are unsupportive of the
research hypothesis. Only the results that do not reject the hypothesis are
reported and published.
3) Faulty data gathering procedures- It is referred to as negligence or carelessness
that leads to errors in measurement or faulty research instruments. An Error may
also be caused by inappropriate application of treatment to the subjects and poor
data recording.
4) Plagiarism- It is a fraudulent act that involves claiming another person’s ideas,
work, or publication. It is a form of intellectual property stealing and dishonesty
that usually happens in scientific publications. There are four types of Plagiarism.
a) Copy and Paste Plagiarism- this type of plagiarism involves copying
information word-by-word without giving due credit to the source. Copy
and paste plagiarism can be avoided upon enclosing the borrowed words
with quotation marks (“) and properly citing the author.
b) Mosaic Plagiarism- this is defined by changing only some words in the
copied information. The sentence structure is still maintained.

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 c) Misattribution Plagiarism- this type of plagiarism can be done if an author
wrongly cited information, maybe to the wrong authors or to the
nonexisting authors.
d) Self-Plagiarism- this type of plagiarism can be committed if an author
republishes his/her work. Self-plagiarism comes in two forms, duplication,
and replication. Duplication can be committed once a researcher copies
and submits without proper citations. Replication, on the other hand, is
multiple cases of duplication.

Lesson
Presenting Written Review
6 of Related Literature
After learning about that the definition, types, sources, methods of citations, and
even ethics in the review of related literature, it is now time for you to present your
Chapter II. The composition of your Review of Related Literature must abide by the
standards and guidelines set in the previous lessons. As a researcher, you must see
to it that your review of related literature must be functional and holds a big
significance in explaining the future results of your study.

LESSON 6.1. Literature Review Structure

The structure of your literature review greatly depends on the type of your research
and your research area. In your structure, topic areas, controversial issues, and
questions with varying themes must be considered.
When combining information coming from different authors, linking words such as
in addition, again, similarly, and also are commonly used. On contrary, when
contrasting two or more information, you must use phrases that highlight the
contrast of these data. Critical notes must be observed to deliver a good argument
synthesis.
As a researcher, you must also take note that your research paper must be presented
in formally and academically manner. Writing must be kept clear and concise.
Objectivity must be observed and respect for other’s works should be exercised. The
following are characteristics of a good literature review:

a) Focused- your RRL must be composed of information that is related to your

research topic.
b) Concise- ideas must be presented economically.
c) Logical- the flow of ideas and information must be based on logic. It should be
smooth-flowing.

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 d) Developed- your RRL must be composed of complete information.
e) Integrative- in instances of combining information, links between these ideas
must be evident. The contribution of the reviewed materials on the topic must
also be shown.
f) Current- researchers must only use the new and trendy information about a
research topic.

LESSON 6.2. Critical Evaluation of the Literature

In evaluating your Review of Related Literature, you can use the following questions:

1. Have you organized your material according to issues?

2. Is there a logic to the way you organized your material?
3. Does the amount of detail included on an issue related to its importance?
4. Have you been sufficiently critical of design and methodological issues?
5. Have you indicated when results were conflicting or inconclusive and
discussed possible reasons?
6. Have you indicated the relevance of each reference to your research?

References

Prieto, N.G., Naval, V.C. & Carey, T.G. (2017). Practical research 1 for senior high
school: Qualitative. Quezon City, Metro Manila: LORIMAR Publishing, Inc.

Prieto, N.G., Naval, V.C. & Carey, T.G. (2017). Practical research 2 for senior high
school: Quantitative. Quezon City, Metro Manila: LORIMAR Publishing, Inc.

Torneo, A.R. & Clamor-Torneo, H.S. (2017). Practical research 2: An introduction to

quantitative research. Quezon City: SIBS Publishing House, Inc.

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