PRACTICAL RESEARCH 1

HANDOUT 8: SELECTING AND SYNTHESIZING INFORMATION FROM RELEVANT

LITERATURE

LESSON 1: SELECTING AND SYNTHESIZING INFORMATION FROM RELEVANT

LITERATURE

The Review of Related Literature (RRL) and Review of Related Studies are two
components often included in research projects or papers. They are slightly different but
crucial for a comprehensive research study.

Review of Related Literature refers to the examination of books, professional

journals, newspapers, magazines, and other publications that are related to the topic you
are researching.
On the other hand, Review of Related Studies usually involves the analysis of
theses, manuscripts, and dissertations that are related to your research topic.

In summary, while the Review of Related Literature provides a broader context

and theoretical foundation, the Review of Related Studies offers a more detailed and
specific understanding of the research topic. Both are essential for a comprehensive and
well-rounded research study.

A literature review follows an essay format (Introduction, Body, Conclusion), but if

the literature itself is the topic of the essay, your essay will need to consider the literature
in terms of the key topics/themes you are examining.

Example plan
Introduction
Topic sentence that states the broad topic of your thesis Following sentence/s that state
what is included/excluded (parameters) Final sentence/s that signals list of key topics that
will be used to discuss the selected sources.
Body
Divide up your text into sections/topics as indicated in the last sentence of your
introduction. Each paragraph will be a synthesis of the many texts that you have chosen for
your literature review.
Conclusion
This is summary of all the related literature and studies. It may compose of 5 to 10 sentences.

Guide in writing a literature review;

✓ Define a topic and audience.
✓ Select and Re-search the literature.
✓ Take notes while reading.
✓ Choose the type of review you wish to write.
✓ Keep the review focused but make it of broad.
✓ Be critical and consistent.
✓ Find the logical structure.
✓ Make use of feedback.
✓ Include your own relevant research.
✓ Be up to date, but do not forget older studies.

1|P R 1 -H A N D O UT 8 Prepared by: Mrs. Rose Jane B. Aves

LESSON 2: CITING RELATED LITERATURE USING STANDARD STYLES (American
Psychological Association (APA), Modern Language Association (MLA) OR CHICAGO
MANUAL STYLE)

A citation is a formal reference to a published or unpublished source that you

consulted and obtained information from while writing your research paper. The way in
which you document your sources depends on the writing style manual your professor
wants you to use for the class [e.g., (American Psychological Association (APA), Modern
Language Association (MLA), Chicago, Turabian, etc.]. The act of citing sources is also
your best defense against allegations of plagiarism (Baraceros, 2016).

According to this author, the following are the purpose of citation.

1. To give importance and respect to other people for what they know about the field
2. To give authority, validity and credibility to other people’s claim, conclusions and
arguments
4. To prove your broad and extensive reading of authentic and relevant materials about
your topic
5. To help readers find contact the sources of ideas easily
6. To permit readers to check the accuracy of your work and
7. To save yourself from plagiarism

The following are the three terms used to express your appreciation for recognition of
people’s ownership of borrowed ideas (Sharp 2012) as cited by Baraceros (2016).

1. Acknowledgment – the beginning portion of the work that identifies individuals who
have contributed something to produce the paper
2. References or Bibliography – a complete list of all reading materials including books,
journals, periodical, etc. from where the borrowed ideas came from.
3. Citation or In-Text- Citation- references within the main body of the text, especially
in Review of Related Literature

Citation is also called in-text citation. It has many purposes and style which are as
follows:

Patterns of Citation
1. Summary. The citation in this case is shortened version of the original text that is
expressed in your own language. Making the text short, you have to pick out only the most
important ideas or aspect of the text.
2. Paraphrase. This is the antithesis of the first one because, here, instead of shortening
the form of the text, you explain what the text means to you using your own words. In
doing so, it is possible that your explanations may decrease or exceed the number of words
of the original text (Baraceros, 2016).

Strategies in Paraphrasing:
a. Read the original text or abstract. Understand it as a whole, then, set aside.
b. Using your own memory, write down the main points or concepts.
c. In your own words, summarize the text/ abstract that helps make your point (University
of Texas, 2016)
3. Short Direct quotation. Only a part of the author’s sentence, the whole sentence, or
several sentences, not exceeding 40 words, is what you can quote or repeat in writing
through this citation pattern. Since this makes you copy the exact words of the writer, it
is necessary that you give the number of the page where the readers can find the copied
words.

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4. Long Direct Quotation or Block Quotation or Extract. Named in many ways, this
citation pattern mane you copy the author’s exact words numbering from 40 to 100 words.
Under APAA, the limit is eight (8) lines. Placed at the center of the page with no
indentation, the copied lines look like they compose a stanza of a poem.

Guidelines For Making APA Citations, Broken Down By Source Type:

General APA Citation Rules:
• Author-Date System: Use the author's last name and year of publication in the text.
• Reference List: List all sources alphabetically by author's last name at the end of
your paper.
• Hanging Indent: Indent the second and subsequent lines of each reference entry.
• Italics: Use italics for titles of books, journals, and websites.
• Capitalization: Capitalize only the first word of book and article titles, as well as
proper nouns.
• Retrieval Information: Include retrieval dates for online sources.

Citation Examples:

1. Book:
In-text: (Smith, 2023) or Smith (2023)
Reference List:
Smith, J. (2023). The psychology of learning*. Oxford University Press.
2. Journal Article:
In-text: (Jones & Brown, 2022) or Jones & Brown (2022)
Reference List:
Jones, A., & Brown, K. (2022). The impact of social media on mental
health. Journal of Social Psychology, 122(3), 255-270.
3. Website:
In-text: (National Institute of Health, 2023) or
National Institute of Health, (2023)
Reference List:
National Institute of Health. (2023). Understanding obesity.
https://www.nih.gov/health-information/understanding-obesity
4. Chapter in an Edited Book:
In-text: (Garcia, 2021) or Garcia (2021)
Reference List:
Garcia, M. (2021). The role of nutrition in child development. In J. Miller
(Ed.), *Child health and well-being* (pp. 125-150). Springer.
5. Direct Quote:
In-text: “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page”
(Saint Augustine, as cited in Smith, 2023, p. 12). Or
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page” Smith
(2023)
Reference List:
Smith, J. (2023). The psychology of learning*. Oxford University Press.
6. Multiple Authors:
In-text: (Miller et al., 2020) or Miller et al. (2020)
Reference List:
Miller, J., Davis, K., & Wilson, S. (2020). The impact of climate change
on human health. Cambridge University Press.

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 7. No Author:
In-text: ("The impact of technology," 2022) or The impact of technology (2022)
Reference List:
The impact of technology on education. (2022). Journal of Educational
Technology, 12(4), 15-25.

REMEMBER: Always double-check your citations for accuracy and consult the official
APA Style Guide for the most up-to-date information.

LESSON 3: SOURCES OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

The said sources can be categorized as:
1. Primary Sources: artifacts, autobiographies, court records, diaries, Emails, speeches,
letters interviews, letters, official reports, drawings, maps, photographs, speeches,
2. Secondary Sources: biographies, critical studies of an author's work, dictionaries,
journal articles, handbooks, magazines, newspapers, reports, textbooks,

Related studies, on the other hand, are studies, inquiries, or investigations already
conducted to which the present proposed study is related or has some bearing or
similarity.
They are usually unpublished materials such as manuscripts, theses and dissertations
(Calderon& Gonzales, 2015).

They may be classified as:

1. Local, if the inquiry was conducted in the Philippines and
2. Foreign / International, if they are conducted in foreign lands.

4|P R 1 - H A N D O U T 8 Prepared by: Mrs. Rose Jane B. Aves