LESSON 6

WRITING THE
REVIEW OF
RELATED
LITERATURE
LITERATURE REVIEW
It is a process of studying what was already been
written on a particular topic. The process involves
identifying, locating, and analyzing documents that
contain information related to a researcher’s research
topic.

The literature review can serve multiple purposes at

diff erent stages of the research process. One of its
major purpose is to determine what has already been
done or studied about your topic. This knowledge does
not only prevent you from unintentionally duplicating
another person’s research, it also gives you a wider
been done and what needs to be done about your topic.
Previous studies can provide the rationale for research
hypothesis and can help you justify the signifi cance of
your study.

The role of literature review in qualitative researches is

not entirely defi ned. Some qualitative researchers argue
that reviewing the literature is used to determine the
direction of the research and thus should be avoided at
the early stages of the research process. Other suggest
that the review of related literature is important early in
qualitative research process because it serves functions.
Functions of Review of Related Literature

• The literature review demonstrates the underlying

assumptions (propositions) behind the research
questions that are central to the research proposal.
• The literature review provides a way for the novice
researcher to convince the proposal reviewers that he
or she is knowledgeable about the related research and
the “intellectual traditions” that support the proposed
study.
• The literature review provides the researcher with an
opportunity to identify any gaps that may exist in the
body of literature and to provide a rationale for how the
proposed study may contribute to the existing body of
• The literature review helps the researcher to refi ne
the research questions and embed them in guiding
hypothesis that provide possible directions the
researcher may follow.
 KEY IDEA !
“The review of related
literature can serve diff erent
purposes at diff erent stages of
the research process”.
The review of related literature involves the skill of
identifying documents to be reviewed. The documents
are not limited to books and research journals. It can
include articles, abstracts, reviews, monographs,
dissertations, other research reports, and electronic
media. Thus, you also have to develop the skill of
identifying or selecting materials for review before
doing the actual review. The following are some tips on
how to select materials for literature review:

1. The material should be relevant or related to the

topic or problem that you are studying.
 2. The material should be recent as much as possible.
However, old materials that are pioneer in the topic may
sometimes be included.

3. Gather materials from varied sources such as

previous studies, journals, books, monographs, and even
magazines. Additionally, you may take advantage of the
information available online; however, you must be extra
careful when using online sources. Make sure that you
only use credible Web sites.
LET’S APPLY!
You are a qualitative researcher and you are
interested in conducting a research on the topic,
“Computer literacy among adult learners. “ Identify
materials from your school library and online that can
help you identify the problems that adults encounter
when using or learning computers. List atleast fi ve
materials from each type of source.
1. Books :
2. Journal articles:
3. Magazine articles:
4. Online articles:
 WRITING
THE
LITERATUR
E REVIEW
After gathering materials for review, the
next step is writing the literature review
section of the research. One important skill
that you need to learn when writing the
literature review is proper citation. This is
to avoid plagiarism in your research work.
EXAMPLE !

Avilla (2009) found out that learning theories such as

constructivism, experiential learning or learning by
doing, and cognitive theory of learning are
embedded in the students’ images on chemistry.
Valderama (2006) said that drawings have been
utilized extensively by psychologists for a range of
purposes such as assessing children’s motor and
cognitive development, examining the content of
children’s drawings in relation to culture content, and
helping children deal with social and emotional
trauma such as abuse. These drawings are
considered to be students’ images. They are images
of action. These views represent what students say
about what they do (Ryder, Leach & Driver, 1997).

This is an example of a literature review from a

study of Avilla in 2009. Notice how it is written. The
name of the author and the year of publication of the
material cited is included in the paragraph. This is
called parenthetical citation. As you can see in the
example, the name of the author and the year of
publication may be written at the beginning or at the
end of a sentence.
There are diff erent styles of citing
information in a literature review. The two
most commonly used are the American
Psychological Association (APA) citation
style and Modern Language Association
(MLA) citation style.
 APA Citation Style

The APA style is commonly used within the social

sciences discipline. It follows the author-date system of
citation. This means that the last name of the author
and the date of publication of the work must appear in
the text (e.g., Avilla, 2009), and the complete
bibliographic information should appear on the
“Reference List” page. Note that in APA citation style,
the page number is used only if you are directly quoting
the material, or making reference to an entire book,
article or other book.
The following are the basic guidelines when using APA style
of citation which is adapted from Purdue University Online
Writing Lab:
• Work by a Single Author: The last name of the author
and the year of publication are placed in the text. When
the name of the author is part of the narrative, only the
date is placed in the parenthesis. When both information
are in the parenthesis, the year is separated from the
surname with a comma.

Examples: Santos (2014) asserted that education alleviates

poverty.
....... education alleviates poverty (Santos, 2014).
 • Work by Two Authors: Name both authors in the single
phrase or in the parenthesis each time you cite the
work. Use the word “and” between the authors’ names
within text and use the ampersand in the parenthesis.

Examples: Santos and Reyes (2014) explained that...

...as has been shown (Santos & Reyes, 2014)

• Work by Three to Five Authors: List all the authors in the

signal phrase or in the parenthesis each time you cite
the work. Use the word “and” between the authors’
names within text and use the ampersand in the
parenthesis.
Examples: David, Garcia, and Isabelo (2014)
(David, Garcia, & Isabelo, 2014)

In subsequent citations, only use the fi rst author’s last

name followed by “et al.” in the signal phrase or in
parenthesis.
(David et at., 2014)

• Six or more Authors: Use the fi rst author’s name

followed by “et al.” in the signal phrase or in
parenthesis.

Examples: David et al. (2014) argued.....

 • Unknown Author: If the work does not have an author,
cite the source by its title in the signal phrase or use the
fi rst word in the parenthesis. Titles of books and reports
are italicized or underlined; titles of articles, chapters,
and Web pages are in quotation marks.

Examples: A similar study was done of students learning to

format papers (“Using APA,” 2001).

Note: In the rare case the “Anonymous” is used for the

author, treat it is as the author’s name (Anonymous, 2001).
In the reference list, use the name “Anonymous” as the
author.
 • Organization as an Author: If the author is an
organization or government agency, mention the
organization in the signal phrase or in the parenthetical
citation the fi rst time you cite the source.

Examples: First citation: According to the National Institute

of Chemistry (2013)...
(National Institute of Chemistry, 2013)
Second citation: (NIC, 2013)
 MLA Citation Style
Commonly used within the liberal arts and
humanities disciplines, the MLA format follows the
author-page method of in-text citation. Instead of
author’s surname and year of publication, this style uses
the author’s last name and the page number(s) from
which the quotation or paraphrase in the citation was
lifted, and the complete bibliographic information
appears on the “Works Cited” page. The author’s name
may appear either in the sentence itself or in the
parenthesis following the quotation or paraphrase, but
the page number(s) shouls always appear in the
Examples: Author’s name in text:
Palomar emphasized that (20-21)

Author’s name in parenthesis:

This is given an emphasis (Palomar 20-
21)

Multiple authors:
This formula (Avilla and Santos 9)
proved
.... to be tested (Garcia and Reyes 24)

Organization as author:
You have to take note that whatever style is
used, you have to make sure that all the
sources cited, not in the literature review
but throughout the research paper, should
appear in the “Reference” list for APA or
“Works Cited” list for MLA.
 KEY IDEA !
“APA and MLA are the two most
commonly citation styles. The APA
style is used within the social
sciences while the MLA style is
used within the liberal arts and
humanities.”
LET’S APPLY !

You are a sports historian and you want to determine

the historical development of volleyball in the
Philippines. As a historian, you are required to read
articles, books, journals, and other related materials.
You have to make a time line of the events leading to
the development of volleyball in the Philippines. Your
time line should include dates and events, well
written, and presented using either the APA or MLA
citation style.
 LET’S READ !
The following is a part of a literature review from the study
of Avilla (2012) entitled “On Life, Music and Meanings: An
Ethnographic Account of a Blind Street Musician.”

Music is melodic; it moves the passion (for good or ill)

and is a fundamental human activity aff ecting our
emotions by being stirring and martial, or beautiful and
enticing. Its purpose could thus be considered as aligned
with those of the science of rhetoric, which aimed to bend
human minds and actions to the purposes of the orator. On
the other side, music, in the theories erected on the basic
of the measurement of aspects of the sounds that
embodies the natural laws of number and could thus be
viewed as refl ecting abstract and immanent of the
universe such as the principles of natural order, or the
workings of the divine (James, 1993 as cited in Cross &
Tolbert, 2008).

This is the dichotomous view of music that persisted

until the fi rst millennium. However, in the medieval world,
music can be thought of as having meaning in at least two
domains, the human and the divine. The domains now
possessed quite diff erent values than that which was
merely secular or bodily. At the extreme, it was not so
much music as the theory of music that had meaning in
allowed as having meaning in the appropriate domain
(Sparshott & Goehr, 2001 as cited in Cross & Tolbert
2008).

Music came to be seen as a foundationally human

activity with its values and its meanings requiring to be
expressed and interpreted in human rather than in divine
forms (Palisca, 1985 as cited in Cross & Tolbert, 2008).
Music’s meanings were bound to the products and
processes of human reason as well as to the music’s
eff ects oh human emotions, allowing for the possibility
that music might express of bear types of meanings that
were proper only to music as an art (Cross & Tolbert, 2008)
 WRITING THE REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Now that you have learned how to cite sources, the next
things to learn is how to write the literature review itself.
The following are some guidelines on how to write the
review of related literature as enumerated by Galvan
(cited in Mongan-Rallis, 2014):

1. Identify the broad problem.

2. Indicate why the topic is being reviewed.
[Link] between research fi ndings and other
sources of information.
4. Indicate why certain studies are important.
 5. If citing classic or landmark studies, identify it as such.
A landmark study is a pioneering study on a certain topic.
In the review, it is suggested to include this kind of study
to give emphasis on the topic being reviewed.
6. Discuss other literature reviews on your topic.
7. Avoid long lists of nonspecifi c references.
8. Cite separately inconsistent of varying results of
previous studies.
9. Cite all relevant references.
It is also suggested to make an outline of the topics and
subtopics as refl ected in the statement of the problem
before you write the review. This will help you avoid doing
unnecessary literature as you write your review.
 KEY IDEA !
“Writing the review of related
literature is an important part of
the research. Thus, this will entail
time, eff ort, and analysis. ”
LET’S APPLY !

You are a research assistant and are involved in

research team that conducts qualitative research on
Laro ng Lahi. As a research assistant, you are
required to write a review of related literature on the
topic: impact of traditional Filipino names on
children’s behavior. Your review of related literature
should be well written comprehensive, and properly
cited either using APA or MLA citation style, as it will
be presented to your research team.
GUIDELINES ON
DEVELOPING A
COHERENT
ESSAY
After you have reviewed related literature from previous
studies, you are now ready to develop a coherent essay on
related literature. Galvan (2006), a cited in the article of
Mongan-Rallis (2014), enumerated some guidelines on
developing a coherent essay. There are some of the
guidelines:

1. If your review is long, provide an overview near the

beginning of the review. The overview provides the
reader of what the author is aiming at. This also gives a
clear picture of what the literature is all about.
 2. State explicitly what will and will not be covered in the
review. There are many possible literature and studies that
might be related to your present study. However, not all
can be included in your review. To avoid getting all
unnecessary literature, it is important to make an outline
of your topics to be covered in writing your literature.

3. Specify your point of view. You have to be very specifi c

on the details and know where you are heading to. This is
important in writing the review to avoid confusion on the
part of the reader.
 4. Aim for a clear and cohesive essay that integrates the
key details of the literature and communicates your point
of view. A coherent review of related literature reinforces
and concretizes your study.

5. Use subheadings especially in a long review. Your

review is coherent on certain topic. To distinguish a topic
or theme from one another, use titles or subheadings.
EXAMPLE: PORTION OF REVIEW OF RELATED
LITERATURE CONTAINING SUBHEADINGS:
Student’s Images of the Nature of Science

Knowledge relating to science may be seen as

involving two interested areas: (1) knowledge of
science involves the laws, models, theories,
concepts, ideas, experimental techniques and
procedure of science and forms the basic of
undergraduate science curricula; and (2) knowledge
which is under the surface of scientifi c activity and
science curricula: knowledge about how scientists
decide whether or not to believe
which questions to investigate, how scientists
interpret data they have collected, how scientists
decide whether or not to believe fi ndings published
in research journals. Such knowledge refers to the
nature of science. Bringing students inside of science
involves introducing students to both areas of
knowledge such as giving students an appreciation of
the ideas which scientists work with and how
scientists work with them; helping students to
develop a range of mental images of the nature of
science which can be drawn upon in diff erent
contexts ( Ryder, Leach & Driver, 1997).
 Ryder, Leach and Driver (1997) said that these
images of science may be transitory and are not
articulated by the student at the time. They are
images of action. These views represent what
students say about what they do. Moreover, Schwartz
and Lederman (2002) in Baliton (2005) mentioned
that student views on the nature of science are
shaped by a variety of out-of-school forces.

The signifi cance of an individual’s images of

the nature of science has been considered for
students in compulsory schooling (Driver et al, 1996)
and the
population in general (Durant, 1990). From a learning
perspective there is evidence that students’
approaches to learning tasks are infl uenced by their
images of the nature of the discipline (Edmundson &
Novak, 1993; Schommer, Crouse & Rhodes, 1992;
Songer & Linn, 1991; Shapiro, 1989). For example,
Leach, Ryder and Driver (1997) described the case of
an undergraduate science student whose discussions
about science included the view that the endpoint of
experimental investigation was scientifi c knowledge
emerged from data without any requirement to work
with using theoretical insights (Ryder, et al., 1997).
 Chemistry and Student’s Drawings
Valderama (2006) cited that psychologists,
cognitive, scientists, and science education
researchers began to intensively examine children’s
drawings, scribbling, and artworks to better
understand the children’s intelligence, their
conceptions of themselves, and their relationship
with their families, and their understanding of the
world around them.

One of these was the study conducted by

Hilbing and Barke (2000) about attitudes towards
were asked to draw paintings to refl ect their point of
view of chemistry. Pupils without experience in
chemistry lessons show a broadly varied conception
of chemistry evaluate chemical education
convincingly. Furthermore, the attitudes toward
chemistry and chemical education of experienced
pupils interact slightly with each other.
 6. Use transitions to help trace your argument.

7. Consider reviewing studies from each discipline

separately.

8. Write a conclusion at the end of the review. This is

actually the synthesis of the review of the related
literature and addresses your research questions.

9. Make sure that the fl ow of the argument is coherent.

 KEY IDEA !
“A coherent review of related
literature guides the reader to
what the research problems
are all about.”
 Write the Correct Citation

1. Doroteo 2023
2. Lapidez, Silvestre 2024
3. Castil, Lacson, Martinez 2022
4. DepEd 2024
5. Anecito, Baranda, Escolin, Ikeda,Luda, Montanez
2022

Identify whether APA or MLA

[Link] 2018 3. Lauron 20-22 5. Labto 2020
2. Gaspar 2023 4. Lantoria 3-5
THANK
YOU
VERY
MUCH!