Learning From Others and Reviewing Literature: Zoila D. Espiritu, L.P.T., M.A.Ed. Stephanie P. Montero
Learning From Others and Reviewing Literature: Zoila D. Espiritu, L.P.T., M.A.Ed. Stephanie P. Montero
Learning From Others and Reviewing Literature: Zoila D. Espiritu, L.P.T., M.A.Ed. Stephanie P. Montero
MODULE 4
LEARNING FROM OTHERS AND REVIEWING LITERATURE
PREPARED BY:
This module introduces the students into rudiments of literature reviews as an important skill in
research, including proper citation and ethical principles. The module teaches students the techniques
in finding, reviewing, writing and referencing related literature. This module also gives them information
about paraphrasing or re-phrasing in writing and citing related literature in order to help them to
prevent plagiarism in practical research.
What is Literature?
A literature is any printed material used for research reference. Most common examples of
literature are journals, books, biographies, essays, official documents and reports, newspaper clippings
and feature articles, and concept papers among others. Liberally, other literature my also include
speeches, letters, presentation materials like for example Power point and PDF files.
For the sake of research integrity, the following reminders or criteria need to be considered in
selecting and citing proper literature.
1. Appropriateness of the literature – Is the literature proper or suitable for the research
topic or problem being addressed?
2. Reliability of the literature – Is the source of the literature credible and can be trusted?
3. Identifiability of the literature – Is the literature identifiable enough for proper citation?
4. Recency of the literature – Except for citing literature for classical theories and important
concepts, it is better to cite the most recent possible literature to be able to locate the
research in the latest trends in the field of discipline.
Related Studies
They serve as the basis of the analysis of results because it allows the researcher to compare
and contrast his/ her findings with those of the past studies.
They can be in the form of theses, dissertations, or journal articles.
They are related to the present study when:
- they use the same variables and concepts and
- they have same subject/topic of the study.
The following data should be included: name of author, and the date and setting as in when
and where the study was conducted, title, and the salient findings (conclusions and
recommendations).
Sources of Information
Books
Manuscripts
Theses
Periodicals
Journals
Magazines
Newspaper articles
Internet
The following are the ways of citing related literature and studies:
1. Chronologically by Events
If your review follows the chronological method, you could write about the materials according
to when they were published. This approach should only be followed if a clear path of research
building on previous research can be identified and that these trends follow a clear
chronological order of development. For example, a literature review that focuses on
continuing research about the emergence of German economic power after the fall of the
Soviet Union.
Methodologically
A methodological approach focuses on the methods utilized by the researcher. For the Internet
in American presidential politics project, one methodological approach would be to look at
cultural differences between the portrayal of American presidents on American, British, and
French websites. Or the review might focus on the fundraising impact of the Internet on a
particular political party. A methodological scope will influence either the types of documents in
the review or the way in which these documents are discussed.
(adapted from "The Literature Review" from Organizing Your Social Research Paper, University of
Southern California)
C. What to Cite
It should be emphasized that only the major findings, ideas, generalizations, principles, or
conclusions in related materials relevant to the problem under investigation should be discussed in
this chapter. Generally, such findings, ideas, generalizations, principles, or conclusions are
summarized, paraphrased, or synthesized.
Practical Research 1 – Qualitative Research
D. Quoting a Material
A material may be quoted if the idea conveyed is so perfectly stated or it is controversial and it is
not too long. It is written single spaced with wider margins at the left and right sides of the paper but
without any quotation marks.
o doi: 10.1080/02626667.2018.1560449
o https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2018.1560449
o
5. URLs are no longer preceded by “Retrieved from,” unless a retrieval date is needed.
The website name is included (unless it’s the same as the author).
o Streefkerk, R. (2019, October 11). APA 7th edition: The most notable changes [Blog
post]. Retrieved from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/apa-seventh-edition-changes/
o Streefkerk, R. (2019, October 11). APA 7th edition: The most notable
changes. Scribbr. https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/apa-seventh-edition-changes/
6. For ebooks, the format, platform, or device (e.g. Kindle) is no longer included in the
reference, and the publisher is included.
o Brück, M. (2009). Women in early British and Irish astronomy: Stars and satellites [Kindle
version]. https:/doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2473-2
Practical Research 1 – Qualitative Research
o Brück, M. (2009). Women in early British and Irish astronomy: Stars and
satellites. Springer Nature. https:/doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2473-2
7. Clear guidelines are provided for including contributors other than authors and
editors. For example, when citing a podcast episode, the host of the episode should
be included; for a TV series episode, the writer and director of that episode are cited.
8. Dozens of examples are included for online source types such as podcast
episodes, social media posts, and YouTube videos. The use of emojis and hashtags
is also explained.
The guidelines provided by APA help authors reduce bias around topics such as gender, age,
disability, racial and ethnic identity, and sexual orientation, as well as being sensitive to labels and
describing individuals at the appropriate level of specificity. Some examples include:
What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is the act of passing off somebody else’s ideas, thoughts, pictures,
theories, words, or stories as your own. If a researcher plagiarizes the work of others, they are
bringing into question the integrity, ethics, and trustworthiness of the sum total of his or her
research. Plagiarism is both an illegal act and punishable, considered to be on the same level as
stealing from the author that which he or she originally created.
ETHICAL GUIDELINES
A researcher preparing a written manuscript should cite the original source if he or she:
• “Quotes another person’s actual words, either oral or written;
• Paraphrases another person’s words, either oral or written;
• Uses another person’s idea, opinion, or theory; or
• Borrows facts, statistics, or other illustrative material, unless the information is common
knowledge.
• Cite all ideas and information that is not your own and/or is not common knowledge,
• Always use quotation marks if you are using someone else’s words,
• At the beginning of a paraphrased section, show that what comes next is someone else’s
original idea (example: these bullet points start out by saying the information originated with
Northwestern University),
B. Research for related literature of the topic that you want to work on as a research. Write one
literature and one study. Observe the correct citation format. Use separate sheet of paper for the
answer.
Amorando R.V & Talili I.N (2017) Qualitative Research A Practical Approach. Mutya Store Publications.
Matira M.D & Revuelto R.M (2016) Practical Research for the 21st Century Learners. St. Augustine Publications,
Serrano A, O.C. (2016) Practical Research 1 on Qualitative Unlimited Books Library Services & Publishing Inc.
Internet
http://www.ahc.umn.edu/img/assets/26104/Research_Ethics.pdf
How to Conduct a Literature Review: Organizing/Writing. https://guides.lib.ua.edu/c.php