Methods of Research
“Review of Related
Literatures”
ENGR. CHARMAINE C. PAGLINAWAN
Re-view
To look again what others have done in the past, that are similar,
though not necessarily identical to one’s own area of
investigation.
Benefits of a literature review
1. It can help you ascertain whether other researchers have already
addressed and answered your research problem or at least some of
its subproblems.
2. It can offer new ideas, perspectives, and approaches that may
not have occurred to you.
3. It can inform you about other individuals who conduct work in this
area—individuals whom you may wish to contact for advice or
feedback.
Benefits (cont…)
4. It can alert you to controversial issues and gaps in understanding
that have not yet been resolved—issues and gaps you might
address in your own work.
5. It can show you how others have handled methodological and
design issues in studies similar to your own.
6. It can reveal sources of data you may not have known existed.
Benefits (cont…)
7. It can introduce you to measurement tools that other researchers
have developed and effectively used.
8. It can help you interpret and make sense of your findings and,
ultimately, help you tie your results to the work of those who have
preceded you.
9. It can bolster your confidence that your topic is one worth
studying, because you will find that others have invested
considerable time, effort, and resources in studying it.
Strategies for Locating Related Literature
Major starting points:
Library catalog
Indexes and abstracts in the library’s reference section
Online databases
Using the Library Catalog
A good textbook can give you a good general overview of a
topic, including important concepts, theoretical perspectives,
and critical references.
Use only books with recent copyright dates.
The most effective way to locate helpful books is through the
library catalog.
Other strategies:
Looking at government publications
Surfing the net
Using the citations and reference lists of those who have gone
before you
Synthesizing the Literature
In a good literature review, the researcher doesn’t merely report
the related literature. He/She evaluates, organizes, synthesizes
what others have done.
As you read about others’ work and evaluate their methods and
conclusions, never take other people’s conclusions at face
value; determine whether their conclusions are justified based on
the data presented.
Synthesizing the Literature
In addition to evaluating what you read, organized the ideas
you’ve encountered during your review.
The most important thing is to synthesize what you’ve learned
from review. Pull together the diverse perspectives and research
results you’ve read into cohesive whole.
Techniques for Writing a Cohesive Review
1. Be clear in your thinking.
2. Develop a plan.
3. Emphasize relatedness.
4. Give credit where credit is due.
5. Review the literature. Don’t reproduce it.
Techniques (cont…)
6. Summarize what you said.
7. Remember that your first draft will almost certainly NOT be your
last draft.
8. Ask others for advice and feedback.
Works cited samples
Scholarly Project
• The Avalon Project: Articles of Confederation, 1781. Co-Directors William C. Fray and Lisa A. Spar. 1996.
Yale Law School. 2 Dec. 2003
<[Link]/lawweb/avalon/[Link]>.
• Kim, J. M., Hong, J. H., Kim, N. J., & E. J. Cha, T.-S. L. (1970, January 1). Two Algorithms for Detecting
Respiratory Rate from ECG Signal. Retrieved September 28, 2019, from
[Link]
• Karlen, W., Garde, A., Myers, D., Scheffer, C., Ansermino, J. M., & Dumont, G. A. (2015). Estimation of
Respiratory Rate From Photoplethysmographic Imaging Videos Compared to Pulse Oximetry. IEEE Journal
of Biomedical and Health Informatics, 19(4), 1331–1338. doi: 10.1109/jbhi.2015.2429746
• Prochazka, A., Kukal, J., & Vysata, O. (2008). Wavelet Transform Use for Feature Extraction and EEG
Signal Segments Classification. 2008 3rd International Symposium on Communications, Control and
Signal Processing. doi: 10.1109/isccsp.2008.4537317
Works cited samples
Professional Site
• Guide to Grammar and Writing. Capital Community College. 4 April 2004
<[Link]/grammar/>.
Personal Site
• Jascot, John. Home page. 1 Dec. 1997. 38 Jan. 2004
<[Link]..[Link]/faculty/~jascot/[Link]>.
Course Website
• Darling, Charles. Introduction to Literature. Course Website. Jan. 2004–May 2004. Dept. of Humanities,
Capital Community College. 20 May 2004
<[Link]>.