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Review of Related Literature

Overview I. Review of literature A. Purpose of literature review B. Literature review in a quantitative study C. Forms of literature review

II. Steps in conducting a literature review III. Priority of resources in literature IV. Creating Literature Map V. Abstracting Studies A. Empirical B. Non-empirical

VI. Style Manuals VII.Model for Writing Literature Review

Review of the Literature • A collation, integration and critique of similar investigations done in the past • Incorporates basic principles or theories related to the topic “…the literature review is not about providing ‘window dressing’ in the form of a few citations. Rather, it’s about digging into the body of knowledge that previous researchers have generated – and taking advantage of that knowledge as you design your inquiry.”

Purpose of Literature Review • It shares with the reader the results of other studies that are closely related to the study being reported. • It relates a study to the larger ongoing dialogue in the literature about a topic, filling in gaps and extending prior studies. • It provides a framework for establishing the importance of the study as well as a benchmark for comparing the results of a study with other findings.

Literature Review in a Quantitative Study • A quantitative research has a substantial amount of literature at the beginning of the study to provide direction for research questions and hypothesis. • Literature is also included at the end of the study to compare the results of the study with the existing findings in the literature. • Separate section entitled “Review of Literature” or “Review of Related Literature.”

Forms of Literature Review (Cooper 1984)

• Integrative review – The researcher summarizes broad themes in literature

• Theoretical review – The researcher focuses on extant theory that relates to the problem under study.

• Methodological review – The researcher focuses on methods and definitions – Does not only provide summaries but also strength and weaknesses of the method sections

Steps in Conducting a Literature Review 1. Identify key words that can be used in searching for materials in the library. 2. Begin searching at the library catalog for holdings (i.e. journals or books). 3. Initially, try to locate at least 50 reports of articles or books. 4. Look over the abstract and skim through the article or chapter. 5. Design a literature map.* 6. Draft summaries of the most relevant articles. 7. Assemble the literature review.

UPLB iLib (Online Catalog)

Google Scholar • Google automatically places AND in between words. • “Quotation marks” around phrases or titles. • Use OR for alternate

or “ Quantitative ethnobotany “

Search Results

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Q?

A Priority for Resources in Literature 1. Broad syntheses of the literature 2. Journal articles in respected, national journals. a) Primary research articles b) Review articles

3. Books related to the topic a) Research monographs b) Entire books on a single topic or with chapters written by different authors

4. Recent conference papers 5. Abstracts of dissertations *internet materials?

Questions to consider when evaluating the quality of internet materials

• Who/what is the author of the website? • Is the site advocating a particular kind of view? • Does the website give accurate and complete references? • Are the data up-to-date? • Are the data official? • Is it a university research site? • Do the data seem consistent with data from other sites?

Literature Map • A tool to organize the literature about the topic • A visual summary of the topic usually represented by a figure – Hierarchical structure – Flow chart – Circles

Abstracting Studies • Mention the problem being addressed. • State the central purpose or focus of the study. • Briefly state about the sample, population, or participants. • Review the results related to the study. • For methodological reviews, point out methodological and technical flaws in the study.

Abstracting Nonempirical Studies • Mention the problem being addressed by the article or book. • Identify the central theme of the study. • State the major conclusions related to this theme. • Mention flaws in reasoning, logic, force of argument, and so forth if the review type is methodological.

Style Manuals • American Psychological Association (APA) • Modern Language Association (MLA) • University of Chicago

Style Manuals

Tips • Take notes as you read through the articles, including your observations and questions. • Write to communicate rather than to impress. • Be mindful of your audience and purpose of writing the report. • Avoid plagiarism. Cite sources properly. Be consistent with your style.

A Model for Writing the Literature Review • Introduction – Primarily a statement on how the whole chapter is organized

• Topic 1 – Addresses the scholarly literature about the independent variable/s

• Topic 2 – Addresses the scholarly literature about the dependent variable/s

A Model for Writing the Literature Review • Topic 3 – Includes the scholarly literature that relates the independent variable/s to the dependent variable/s

• Summary of the review – Most important studies, major themes, as well as suggestions why more research is needed

References • •

Babbie, E. (2013). The Practice of Social Research (13th ed). Cengage Learning. Cresswell, J. W. (2003). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Method Approaches (2nd ed). Sage Publications.