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REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

RRL or literature review is a summary of the state of existing knowledge on a research problem or topic. It is an analysis and synthesis of a articles related to the research topic being studied. The process involved are searching relevant articles, reading and analyzing research reports, and writing the description of the existing information on a topic in a manner that is ethical and based on standards.

Purposes of Literature Review

  • To identify a research problem
  • To improve a research question or hypothesis (for quantitative research)
  • To determine what is known and unknown about the topic of inquiry
  • To determine whether a study needs to be replicated in a different setting or different group of population.
  • To identify suitable designs or methods for a specific study.
  • To assist researchers in interpreting findings.

Types of Literature

  1. Research Literature - these are literature based on research findings. These are data supported by evidences.
    • Ex: Journal articles, literature review, abstracts of research studies.
  2. Non-research references - these are literature which aren’t based on research findings. These literatures can provide insights and may broaden understanding regarding a topic. However, since they aren’t based on research findings, they have limited use and they do not serve the purpose of review of related literature.
    • Ex: literary or artistic works, opinion articles, brochures, magazines and anecdotes.

Sources of research Literature

  1. Primary Source - refer to description of studies written by the researchers themselves.
    • Ex: researchers published in a journal, abstract prepared by the researcher/s, dissertations, thesis, undergraduate researches, presentation done by the researcher.
  2. Secondary Source - refer to description of studies written by someone else, other than the researchers who conducted them. These description or interpretation of studies by other researchers shouldn’t become substitute for primary sources because they’re less detailed and may be subjective in nature.
    • Ex: literature review, abstract prepared by a reviewer, presentation of research done by someone else other than the researcher

Process of Literature Review

  1. ==Searching relevant articles==

In the past, searching for literature is done manually. A researcher needed to go to libraries and manually look for relevant documents that he can use in his research study. With the advent of technology comes the expanding use of Internet. The effectiveness and efficiency of searching literature using online databases are starting to make manual search for printed resources obsolete. However, one must understand that there are certain accessible search engines that might give you interesting yet questionable data. A researcher must learn the skill of investigating which data are research-based or not.

  • @@Searching for Print Resources@@

Presently, manual searches are being overshadowed by electronic searches. However, most top-of-the-line journals are commercially available only and there are high subscription fees which can be very expensive for students. Another reason to do manual search for printed materials is when a researcher needs to perform a search to include early literature on a topic. For example, published articles before the 1970s may not be available in some online databases

Print indexes are books that are used to locate articles in journals and periodicals, books, dissertations, publications professional organizations, of government documents. When using a and print index, you usually first need to identify the appropriate subject heading. Once the proper subject heading is determined, you can proceed to the subject section of the index, which lists the actual references. Abstract journals are summarize articles that have appeared in other journals. Abstracting services are more useful than indexes because they provide a summary of a study rather than just a title.

  1. ==Reading and analyzing research reports==

The most common format of presenting research articles come in the form of a research reports as found in journals. Journal articles often consist of an abstract and four major sections. The four major sections are the introduction, method section, results section, and discussion. Most common known as the IMRAD format (Introduction, Methodology, Results and Discussion). This format also contains the References section.

ABSTRACT - a brief summary of the study placed at the beginning of the journal article. It is usually composed of 150-250 words. In that limited number of words, the abstract will inform you of the background, the methodology, the results and the conclusion of the study.

INTRODUCTION - it explains the study problem and its context. It sets the stage of the study for the readers. This section usually contains;

  • Main topic, concept, phenomenon, or variable under study.
  • The purpose of the study.
  • The significance of the study

METHOD SECTION - mentions the strategies used to answer the research question. There are usually several ways to answer a research question or to solve a research problem. But the main point of discussion will be whether the chosen strategy of the researcher is the most appropriate method to answer the question. Different researches from different disciplines usually have differences with regard to the subsections under this portion. But most of them usually contain the following:

  • Research design - this refers to the overall plan of the study
  • Subjects - a description of the population under study
  • Study locale - this is a description of the place where the study was conducted.
  • Research instrument - the instrument refers to the research tool that will be employed in the collection of data. It may be in the form of a survey questionnaire, an interview guide, etc. The manner on how it was validated or checked by experts will also be discussed here.
  • Data collection - this is the step-by-step description of how the study was done. For studies involving human participants, ways on how their rights were protected are also described here.
  • Data Analysis - this section states how collected data will be analyzed. For quantitative researches, the researcher will usually employ statistical tests. For qualitative researches, several data analysis techniques are also available.

RESULTS SECTION - actual findings of the study are presented here. This section usually contains tables or figures highlighting important results. In quantitative researches, one will usually see calculated numerical

DISCUSSION SECTION - the researcher interprets the findings presented in the result section. The researcher explains what the results mean or what are the plausible reason why the results are the way they are. How are findings can be used practically may also be added here. The researcher is also in the best position to enumerate the weaknesses or limitations that the study may have and how he considers them in interpreting the findings.

REFERENCE SECTION - includes a list of journal articles, books and other documents that were referenced in the written research manuscript. It follows a certain standard format (e.g. APA, Chicago, etc.).

Tips on Reading Research Reports

  • Make research reading a habit. With this, you will become familiar with its style of writing.
  • Highlight significant information and do not hesitate to write marginal notes on photocopies of research reports.
  • Initially scan the report then read them more slowly next time.
  • Ensure that you understand what you read. This must be a constant effort on the part of the reader. Asking one's self whether comprehension of the material is taking place.
  • Do not be discouraged by technical terms or even statistical data. Try to understand the general idea of the report.
  • Translate research jargons into more familiar terms. Glossary or Terminologies sections of research textbooks may guide you in this activity.
  • For beginning student researchers, critical evaluation of research reports may be challenging. But do not underestimate the value of your sense while reading
  1. ==Writing the description of the existing information on a topic in a manner that is ethical and based on standards.==

There are no fixed systems in preparing a written review. What is important is to organize your materials in a logical, coherent manner. Some researchers advise the use of outline or summary charts to be able to combine findings from several studies.
A written review is not a compilation of copied and pasted passages from several journals nor is it a string of quotes or abstracts. The researcher must be able to highlight in this section of the paper what is known and unknown about a certain topic. He must be able to point out if there are existing gaps in the literature that needs to be filled. He must also be able to state the contribution that these findings can offer to increase knowledge in a certain discipline.