APPLIED IMMERSION/PRACTICAL RESEARCH

ABM C 12 and ICT 12

Prepared by: Mr. Rumell E. Engbino

Writing a Literature Review

What is a literature review?

A literature review is a critical analysis of published sources, or literature, on a particular

topic. It is an assessment of the literature and provides a summary, classification, comparison and
evaluation.

Why do we write literature reviews?

You may be asked to write a literature review in order to demonstrate your understanding of
the literature on a particular topic. You show your understanding by analyzing and then
synthesizing the information to:
• Determine what has already been written on a topic
• Provide an overview of key concepts
• Identify major relationships or patterns
• Identify strengths and weaknesses
• Identify any gaps in the research
• Identify any conflicting evidence
• Provide a solid background to a research paper’s investigation

How to write a literature review?

A. Determine your purpose
Work out what you need to address in the literature review. What are you being asked to do
in your literature review? What are you searching the literature to discover?

B. Do an extensive search of the literature.

Find out what has been written on the topic.

What kind of literature?

Select appropriate source material: Use a variety of academic or scholarly sources that are
relevant, current and authoritative. An extensive review of relevant material will include – books,
journal articles, reports, government documents, conference proceedings and web sources. The
library would be the best place to search for your sources.

How many resources?

The number of resources that you will be required to review will depend on what the
literature review is for and how advanced you are in your studies. It could be from five sources at
first year undergraduate level to more than fifty for a thesis.

Note the bibliographical details of your sources.

Keep a note of the publication title, date, authors’ names, page number, and publishers.

Read the literature.

• Critically read each source, look for the arguments presented rather than for facts.
• Take notes as you read and start to organize your review around themes and ideas.
• Consider using a table, matrix or concept map to identify how the different sources relate to
each other

VISION: Immaculate Heart of Mary Academy envisions of a life giving and innovating Educational ministry committed to
transforming community of learners into Christ-Centered Augustinian Recollect Stewards.
Analyse the literature you have found.
In order for your writing to reflect strong critical analysis, you need to evaluate the sources.
For each source you are reviewing ask yourself these questions:
• What are the key terms and concepts?
• How relevant is this article to my specific topic?
• What are the major relationships, trends and patterns?
• How has the author structured the arguments?
• How authoritative and credible is this source?
• What are the differences and similarities between the sources?
• Are there any gaps in the literature that require further study?

Write the review

• Start by writing your thesis statement. This is an important introductory sentence that will
tell your reader what the topic is and the overall perspective or argument you will be presenting.
• Like essays, a literature review must have an introduction, a body and a conclusion.

Structure of a literature review

Introduction
Your introduction should give an outline of
• why you are writing a review, and why the topic is important
• the scope of the review – what aspects of the topic will be discussed
• the criteria used for your literature selection (e.g. type of sources used, data range)
• the organizational pattern of the review

Body paragraphs
Each body paragraph should deal with a different theme that is relevant to your topic. You
will need to synthesis several of your reviewed readings into each paragraph, so that there is a clear
connection between the various sources. You will need to critically analyse each source for how they
contribute to the themes you are researching.

The body could include paragraphs on:

• historical background
• methodologies
• previous studies on the topic
• mainstream versus alternative viewpoints
• principal questions being asked
• general conclusions that are being drawn.

Conclusion
Your conclusion should give a summary of:
• the main agreements and disagreements in the literature
• any gaps or areas for further research
• your overall perspective on the topic.

Checklist for a literature review

Have I:
• outlined the purpose and scope?
• identified appropriate and credible (academic/scholarly) literature?
• recorded the bibliographical details of the sources?
• analysed and critiqued your readings?
• identified gaps in the literature and research?
• explored methodologies/theories/hypotheses/models?
• discussed the varying viewpoints?
• written an introduction, body and conclusion?
• checked punctuation and spelling?

VISION: Immaculate Heart of Mary Academy envisions of a life giving and innovating Educational ministry committed to
transforming community of learners into Christ-Centered Augustinian Recollect Stewards.
 IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY ACADEMY
Congregation of the Augustinian Recollect Sister
Minglanilla, Metro Cebu 6046
Tel. No. (032) 272-88-62
Fax No. (032) 520-24-26
Email: ihma1964@yahoo.com

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

CULMINATING ACTIVITY/APPLIED IMMERSION

Prepared by: Mr. Rumell E. Engbino

Name: __________________________________________ Section: ________________________ Total Score: _____________

Multiple Choice Questions. Write the letter of the correct answer. Write your answers on the boxes after the last item.
1. Why do you need to review the existing literature?
A. To make sure you have a long list of references.
B. Because without it, you could never reach the required word-count.
C. To find out what is already known about your area of interest.
D. To help yin your general studying.
2. To read critically means:
A. Taking an opposing point of view to the ideas and opinions expressed
B. Skimming through the material because most of it is just padding.
C. Evaluating what you read in terms of your own research questions.
D. Being negative about something before you read it.
3. Which two of the following are legitimate frameworks for setting out a literature review:
1. Constructing inter-textual coherence
2. Deconstruction of textual coherence
3. Problematizing the situation
4. Resolving discovered problems

A. 1 and 2 C. 1 and 3
B. 2 and 3 D. 2 and 4

4. A systematic literature review is:

A. One which starts in your own library, then goes to on-line databases and finally to the internet
B. A replicable, scientific and transparent process
C. One which gives equal attention to the principal contributors to the area
D. A responsible, professional process of time-management for research
5. What is self-plagiarism?
A. When a person lifts material that they have previously written and pass it off as their own work.
B. Taking about yourself too much.
C. Using somebody else’s work and passing it off as your own
D. An epistemological stance.
6. What is the first stage of a systematic review?
A. Assess the relevance of each study to the research question(s)
B. Define the purpose and scope of the review
C. Appraise the quality of studies from previous stem
D. Survey all of the literature contained within a single library.
7. What is a narrative literature review?
A. An historically-based review, starting with the earliest contributions to the field.
B. A review based exclusively on stories about companies, in book and case-study form
C. A paraphrase style of reviewing which does not require referencing.
D. An initial impression of the topic which you will understand more fully as you conduct your research
8. When assessing the internet, which of these steps is the most essential?
A. Recording the full URL. is
B. Noting the access dates
C. Downloading material to be referenced.
D. They are all equally important.

VISION: Immaculate Heart of Mary Academy envisions of a life giving and innovating Educational ministry committed to
transforming community of learners into Christ-Centered Augustinian Recollect Stewards.
9. According to the Harvard referencing convention, which is the correct reference?
A. Bryman, A. (2012, 4e) Social Research Methods, Oxford; Oxford University Press
B. Bryman (2012, fourth edition), Oxford University Press
C. Bryman, Alan, Social Research Methods (2012:OUP)
D. Bryman, A. Social Research Methods (2012)
10. Which of the following statements about plagiarism is most accurate?
A. It is easy to “copy and paste” from the internet that everyone does it nowadays. If a proper reference is given, where is the
harm in that?
B. How can we say for sure where our own ideas come from exactly? If we tried to give a reference for everything we could
never hope to succeed.
C. Any suggestion that we have written what another actually wrote is morally wrong. Anyway, the whole point of a literature
review is to show what we have read and what we thought about it.
D. Plagiarism is such an awful crime that those found guilty should be obliged to wear a scarlet “P” on their clothing.
11. A literature review is best described as:
A. A list of relevant articles and other published material you have rad about your topic, describing the content of each source.
B. An internet search for articles describing research relevant to your topic criticizing the methodology and reliability of the
findings.
C. An evaluate overview of what is know about a topic, based on published research and theoretical accounts, which serves
as a basis for future research or policy decisions
D. An essay looking at the theoretical background to your research study.
12. A literature review is
A. Conducted after you have decided upon your research question
B. Helps in the formulation of your research aim and research question
C. Is the last thing to be written in your research report
D. Is not part of a research proposal
13. Which is the most reliable source of information for your literature review?
A. A TV documentary
B. A newspaper article
C. A peer reviewed research article
D. A relevant chapter from a textbook
14. Critical analysis means
A. Subjecting the literature to a process of interrogation in order to assess the relevance, authenticity and reliability of the
literature together with the summarizing of common thematic areas of discussion
B. An evaluation of past research being critical of the methodology used and describing how your methodology will be an
improvement.
C. An analysis of the theoretical approaches showing how they are no longer valid according to our current state of
knowledge.
D. Looking at the way articles are structured, pointing out logical inconsistencies.
15. Which is not a reason for accurate referencing in your literature review?
A. Accurate referencing is needed so that tutors can follow up your sources and check that you have reported them
accurately.
B. Accurate referencing is needed so that researchers who read your work are alerted to source that might be helpful for them.
C. Referencing shows that you go to the library when not in lectures.
D. Accurate referencing is required because it is an academic convention .

ANSWERS: USE CAPITAL LETTER. STRICTLY NO ERASURES.

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VISION: Immaculate Heart of Mary Academy envisions of a life giving and innovating Educational ministry committed to
transforming community of learners into Christ-Centered Augustinian Recollect Stewards.