writing the review of related literature and studies

8/6/2019 Writing the Review of Related Literature and Studies

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Writing the Review of RelatedLiterature and Studies


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Differences between

Related Literature andStudies


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Related Literature Related Studies

Composed of:Discussions of facts and

principles to which your studyis related

Composed of:studies, inquiries or investigationsalready conducted to which yourstudy is related

Usually printed or published:Ex. Books, encyclopedias,

journals, magazines, newspaper

Usually unpublished:Ex. Thesis, dissertations,manuscripts


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Both are classified as:

Local- if printed or

conducted inPhilippines

Foreign

- if printed orconducted in otherlands/country


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Review of Related Literatureand Study is Not

A study-by-study, orarticle-by-article,description of studies

previously done A re-statement of the

studies previously done

A brief overview of articles

An annotated bibliographyin which you summarizebriefly each article thatyou have reviewed.


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Importance of RelatedLiterature and Studies


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They help or guide theresearcher :

In understanding his topicbetter

In ensuring that there will beno duplication of otherstudies

In locating more sources ofrelated information.

In searching or selecting abetter research problemor topic.

In making his research design

comparison between his


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Purposes of Review ofLiterature and Studies


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To Find out how much research has

been done on the same area To Justify the need for more studies

on the topic

To Fill in existing gaps, clarifyinconsistencies, substantiateexisting facts

To Help with procedures and processes

To Get new idea and approaches


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There are Scientific Reasonsfor conducting a literature

review


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In the book ofGall, Borg,and Gall (1996),they argue that the literature review plays

a role in:

Delimiting the research problem

Seeking new lines of inquiry/investigation

Avoiding fruitless approaches

Gaining methodological insights

Identifying recommendations for furtherresearch

Seeking support for grounded theory.


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Hart (1998) contributes additional reasons for

reviewing the literature, including: Distinguishing what has been done from what needs to be

done

Discovering important variables relevant to the topic

Synthesizing and gaining a new perspective

Identifying relationships between ideas and practices Establishing the context of the topic or problem

Rationalizing the significance of the problem

Enhancing and acquiring the subject vocabulary

Understanding the structure of the subject

Relating ideas and theory to applications of the mainmethodologies and research techniques that have beenused

Placin the research in a historical context to show


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Characteristics ofRelated Literature and

Studies


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What makes a goodliterature review?

Criteria: Clearly written

Recent

Relevant Objective and Unbiased

Comprehensive

Accurately referenced

Valid and reliable


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uidelines oneffective writing of the

Literature Review


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Research papers must be written in aformal style, which is in the thirdperson, not the first person

Avoid highly descriptive writing style,not approriate for a scholarly

research

Use the active voice for direct impactand easy understanding

Avoid the use of jargon : use familiarterms in place of terminologies


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Language should be neutral gender,no sexy language like his

Make the conclusions andcontradictions found in theliterature clear in the report

Use short sentences: avoid elongatedand run-on expressions

Use proper grammar and proofread

the work Never plagiarize ; give credit to the

original author of ideas


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Pay attention to the structure and form ofpublished articles, which are good

examples of how literature reviews canwritten

Examples :Jose (2007) claims that job-related stress can

enhance productivity up to a certain point.There is, however, a threshold point beyondwhich stress becomes a harmful factor in

ones productivity. On the other hand, Luisito(2008) averred that, in his experience as aclinical psycologist, stresses always producea negative effect on ones productivity.


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riting a LiteratureReview


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Research review tend to be written ina particular style and typicallyinclude specific types of information.


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A written research should providereaders with an objective and

thorough summary of the currentstate of evidence on a topic. Aliterature review should be neither a

series of quotes nor a series ofabstracts. The key tasks are tosummarize and evaluate theevidence so as to reveal the state-of-the-art knowledge of a topic-notsimply to describe what researchershave done.


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The review should point out bothconsistencies and contradictions inthe literature and offer possibleexplanation for inconsistencies (e.g.,different conceptualization or data

collection method).Although important studies should be

described in some detail, it is not

necessary to provide extensivecoverage for every reference. Reportwith similar findings sometimes canbe summarized together.


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The literature should be summarized

in your own words. The review shoulddemonstrate that consideration hasbeen given to the cumulativesignificance of the body of research.Stringing together quotes fromvarious documents fails to show thatprevious research on the topic has

been assimilated and understood.


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Another point to bear in mind is thatthe review should be as objective aspossible. Studies that conflict withpersonal values or hunches shouldnot be omitted. In addition, the

review should not deliberately ignorea study because its findingscontradict other studies. Inconsistent

result should be analyzed and thesupporting evidence evaluatedobjectively.


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The literature review should conclude

with a critical summary that recapskey study findings and indicates howcredible they are ; it should also

make note of gaps in the research.The summary thus requires criticaljudgment about the extensivenessand dependability of evidence on a

topic.


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As you progress through this book, you

will become increasingly proficient incritically evaluating research report.We hope you will understand themechanics of writing a research

review when you have completedthis chapter, but we do not expectthat you will be in a position to write

a state-of-the-art review until youhave acquired more skills in researchmethods.


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tyle of a ResearchReview


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Students preparing their first writtenresearch review often have trouble

adjusting to the standard style ofresearch review.

One issue is that student sometimes

accept research result without criticismor reservation, reflecting a commonmisunderstanding about the

conclusiveness of research. You shouldkeep in mind that no hypothesis ortheory can be proved or disproved byempirical testing, and no research

question can be definitely answered in


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The problem is partly a semantic one :

hypotheses are not proved, they aresupported by research findings;theories are not verified, but theymay be tentatively accepted if a

substantial body of evidencedemonstrates their legitimacy. Whendescribing study findings, you should

generally use phrases indicatingtentativeness of the results, such asthe following :


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The left hand column of table presentexamples of stylistic flaws. Theright hand column offersrecommendations for rewording the

sentences to conform to a moreacceptable form for a researchliterature review. Many alternative

wordings are possible.


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EXAMPLES OF STYLISTIC DIFFICULTIES FORRESEARCH REVIEWS

INAPPROPRIATE STYLE ORWORDING

RECOMMENDED CHANGE

1. It is known that unmetexpectations engender stress Dr.A.Cassard, an experton stressand anxiety, has found that unmetexpectations engender stress(Cassard, 2005)2. Women who do not participate

in childbirth preparation classes

tend to manifest a high degree ofstress during labor

Studies have found that womenwho participate in preparation for

childbirth classes manifest lessstress during labor than those whodo not (Klotz,2003; Weller,2004;McTygue,2005)

3. Studies have proved thatdoctors and nurses do not fullyunderstand the psychobiologic

dynamics of recovery from amyocardial infarction

Studies by Lowe (2004) andMartin (2003) suggest that doctorsand nurses do not fully understand

the psychobiologic dynamics ofrecovery from a myocardialinfarction

4. Attitudes cannot be changedquickly

Attiudes have been found to berelatively enduring attributes thatcannot be changed quickly (Geair,2003; Casey,2004)


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There are no easy formulas for how longa review should be. The length depends

on several factors, including thecomplexity of the research question,the extent of prior research, and the

purpose for which the review is beingprepared.Literature reviews prepared for proposals

(e.g.,proposals to undertake a study, totest a clinical innovation, or to make achange in practice) tend to be fairlycomprehensive. Reviews in theses and

dissertations are also lengthy.


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In these cases, the literature reviewserves both to summarize knowledge

and to document the reviewerscapability.

Because of space limitations in journal

articles, literature reviews that appearwithin research reports are concise.Literature reviews in the introduction toresearch reports demonstrate the need

for the new study and provide a contextfor the research questions. Theliterature review sections of qualitative

reports tend to be especially brief.


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However, there are stand-aloneresearch reviews in nursing journalsthat are more extensive than those

appearing in the introductions ofresearch report.

writing the review of related literature and studies

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