Review of Related Literature

Chapter 2
Literature Review
• Refers to other previous researches related to the
study currently conducted by a researcher should be
put into consideration
Purposes of Literature Review
[Link] helps the researcher look for possible theories, concepts
or principles to support his investigation.
[Link] can reveal investigations similar to your own, and it can
show you how the collateral researchers handled these
situations.
[Link] is essential in formulating a sound research problem or
research title, hypotheses or assumptions.
4. It can reveal to you sources of data that you may not have
known existed.
Purposes of Literature Review
[Link] enlightens the researcher as to the direction of
the study.
[Link] proves that the study is researchable and posses
novelty.
[Link] helps to identify the statistical instruments to be
used in the study.
8. It serves as a guide to writing the findings,
conclusions and recommendations.
Selecting the Literature for a Study
• In selecting the literature for a study, the following questions
should be considered:
• Can this literature give me insights to present properly essential
variables of my study?
• Is this literature up-to-date?
• Does this literature provide perceptive and accurate results and
conclusions?
• Does this literature present contrasting ideas which can be used in
identifying research gaps?
Characteristics of the Materials Cited
• The materials must be as recent as possible, may be 10 years
back.
• Materials must be as objective and unbiased as possible.
• Materials must be relevant to the study.
• Coherence principle must be observed in writing literature
review.
Conducting a Review of Literature
1. Decide on the area of research
• The first step always begins with the clear problem in
mind of the researcher.
• He/she must clearly know the topic as well as the
rationale of the study to be conducted.
• This will allow the researcher to focus on articles and
books that are relevant and can help him/her substantiate
the work.
Conducting a Review of Literature
2. Search for the literature.
• In searching for the literature which can be used for a study, the
researcher may utilize printed materials and references which can
normally be found in the libraries.
• On the other hand, online sources, which also offer scholarly articles
and books, must likewise be considered for these can make the
researcher saves more time.
Conducting a Review of Literature
3. Find relevant excerpts in books and articles.
• Reading the abstract of a scholarly work will help the researcher
determine whether it is relevant or not to the study under
investigation.
• other sections of a scholarly source as in articles and books can also
be skimmed in order to get the excerpts of important data which can
be used as bases of the study.
Conducting a Review of Literature
3. Find relevant excerpts in books and articles.
• Wilson (1990) identified four types of reading. These are as follows:
• Elementary reading.
• This type of reading pertains to word-recognition type of reading wherein sentences are
literally comprehended.
• Systematic reading.
• This type of reading employs skimming strategy wherein the researcher-reader may focus on
the highlighted terms in the sample source manuscript
• Analytic reading.
• This type of reading requires the researcher-reader to break the whole scholarly work into
parts for better understanding.
• Comparative reading.
• This type of reading considers two or more scholarly works which will be analyzed for
comparing-contrasting purposes
Conducting a Review of Literature
4. Code the literature.

• Categorizing the themes of the concepts found in

different literature must be done for better analysis
and evaluation.
• Themes can be categorized from the similarities to the
differences found among those relevant works
Conducting a Review of Literature
4. Code the literature.
• Two of the commonly used tools for reading and review purposes are
as follows:
• Highlighting
• This tool uses marks and symbols that will help the researcher to easily
revisit the important ideas found in a scholarly work. This can also aid the
researcher to easily distinguish the similarities and differences found in
various sources.
• Annotation
• This tool uses words, phrases, and sentences which serve as written
remarks of the researcher reflecting his/her understanding and questions
regarding the scholarly work.
Conducting a Review of Literature
5. Create conceptual schema.
• After coding the concepts perceived to be important by the
researcher in the conduct of the study, he/she may then organize
them in order to see in a wider perspective the relevance, including
their similarities and differences, to the current work.
• The researcher may utilize a literature review synthesis matrix to better see
how the gathered data from literature review will be presented in the study.
Literature
Review
Synthesis
Matrix
Sample
Literature
Review
Synthesis
Matrix
Sample
Literature
Review
Synthesis
Matrix
Sample
Conducting a Review of Literature

6. Begin writing literature review.

• With a complete vision of necessary data that came from reading and
reviewing literature, the researcher may now begin the draft of the
manuscript for review of the related literature section.
• He/she must not forget to cite the author of any data that will be
used for the study.
• The use of transitional words will also be helpful in order to arrange
ideas accordingly (e.g., the use of “similarly” to present that ideas
have in common).