San Mateo Vocational and Industrial High School

Senior High School Department

Practical Research 2
Module #2
Prepared by: Miss Rio Maripearl B. Blas

CHAPTER 2. THE REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

TYPES OF SOURCES OF INFORMATION

1.Primary - Publications or writings wherein a researcher reports the results of his studies
(Example: Monthly, quarterly or annual journals)
2.Secondary - Publications or writings wherein a certain author describes the work of another
author. (Examples: Textbooks, encyclopedias)

CATEGORIES OF SOURCES OF INFORMATION

1.DOCUMENTS - these sources include those materials that are written or printed such as books,
newspaper reports, research articles, scholarly journals, dissertations, thesis, policy reports,
periodicals, etc. This source can come in a published or non- published state.

a. Books convey many forms of information. The needed information here is from the books
containing a collection of research materials and articles. You can find citation information on them
such as the title, author, date, and publisher in the catalog system.

b. Scholarly Journals may also be referred to as academic journals or peer-reviewed journals.

They are filled with peer-reviewed information of research. Articles are written by a scholar in the
field and the researcher is always identified. List of the sources of the information like footnotes,
endnotes, and bibliography is always included. Typically, they contain an advanced terminologies
since the researcher uses technical language in their field of study. The researcher assumes that
the reader has a background and basic understanding in the field of research.

c. Dissertation is a final requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in which the
student or researcher has to complete a work of original research. Some dissertations are eventually
published as books or articles which consider their findings and contribution to the academic
discipline. Since dissertations are original research, they can be a source of valuable information.

d. Government Documents
Most of the government agencies around the world support research undertakings and publish the
findings of the study. Government documents are usually kept at the government and some school
libraries. These documents are rarely found in the catalog system. Assistance from the librarian is
needed for you to be able to locate these documents since it is considered as specialized
publications.

e. Policy Reports and Presented Papers - are not like the typical research papers. Usually, they
are discussed to non-academic readers. They may initiate by identifying an issue or phenomenon
that usually claim an answer and they are focused on being persuasive. Moreover, policy papers
are written proficiently and most of the readers do not want to read a book due to limited time.
Generally, they are supplemented by policy briefs which summarize the papers.

f. Periodicals - are findings of the study which can be seen in newspapers, in popular magazines,
on television or radio broadcasts, and in Internet news summaries. They are the chosen edited
summaries done by journalists for the general readers. They are deficient in numerous vital details
that are required to critically evaluate the study. Therefore, it is essential to supplement these
information with other sources.

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2.NUMBERICAL RECORDS - This source is considered a subcategory of documents. This source
includes numerical data in written form such as census reports, school budgets, etc.

3. ORAL STATEMENTS - Stories, myths, legends, songs and other forms of oral data composes
this type of source.

4. RELICS - this source commonly composes information about the past.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS WHEN CHOOSING A SOURCE OR REFERENCE

1. The sources that you should use must be updated and reliable
2. It must be as fair and objective as possible
3. It must be relevant to your topic
4. It must provide accurately and enough information on your topic

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

It gives an overview of all the writings relative to a specific topic

Purposes of Literature Review

1. To discover the connection of your research to the existing body of knowledge and to the real-
life situations.
2. To identify more theories or concepts as the foundation of your research study and to learn from
them.
3. To determine the relationship of your research with previous research studies to prevent
duplication and to acknowledge other researchers.
4. To acquire knowledge on the accuracy and significance of your research questions.
5. To acquaint yourself with the technical terminologies relevant to your study.
6. To determine possible gaps, conflicts, and open questions left from other research which might
help you in formulating and justifying your research ideas.
7. To clarify misconceptions on previous research and help refocus, polish, and contribute to the
development of the body of knowledge.

TYPES OF LITERATURE REVIEW

1.Context Literature Review is primarily focused on the content or contextual aspect of research.
Usually, it is a type of review in which the researcher relates his or her study to a larger body of
knowledge. It presents the current research by merging it into a wider framework and determine its
contribution and impact to the specific field of study.

2. Historical Literature Review is a specialized type of literature review in which the researcher
organizes the related research according to the period of time it was conducted. It focuses on
probing research in a specified field throughout a chronological order, which usually starts from the
oldest period of time going to the most recent studies. The goal of this type of research is to gain
knowledge on the advancement of technology and to identify developments on certain areas, which
progress through time. It can be integrated with a theoretical or methodological review to illustrate
how a concept, theory, or research method developed through time.

3. Integrative Literature Review is a common type of literature review in which the researcher
introduces and summarizes the recent knowledge of the study. It emphasizes the agreements and
disagreements of knowledge among various previous research. It also considers reviews, critiques,
and synthesizes representative literature in an integrated way in order to generate new structure
and viewpoint on the topic. This is the most common form of literature review in the social sciences.
This review is usually merged with a context review.

4. Methodological Literature Review is a specialized type of literature review in which the

researcher gathers, compares and contrasts other studies to the current research. It basically

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summarizes and evaluates the strengths and gaps in methodological aspects of various studies and
illustrates the effects of different methodologies (research designs, samples, process) to different
outcomes. This approach also emphasizes ethical issues, when necessary, which you should
consider and be conscious of as you go through your current research.

5. Self-Study Literature Review is a literature review in which the researcher demonstrates his or
her understanding of a specific body of knowledge. It contains existing proof associated to a clearly
stated research questions and uses standardized methods to determine and evaluate relevant
research. However, it can also produce problems of prejudice especially when it is used to
summarize claims or statements linking his or her findings to a system of knowledge. Typically, it is
a practice in the educational program or course requirement.

6. Theoretical Literature Review It aids in establishing the theories already existed, the
relationships of theories among various studies, the degree of its investigation, and the development
of new hypotheses.

CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD LITERATURE REVIEW

a) FOCUSED- your RRL must be composed of information that is related to your research topic.
b) CONCISE- ideas must be presented economically.
c) LOGICAL- the flow of ideas and information must be based on logic. It should be smooth-flowing.
d) DEVELOPED- your RRL must be composed of complete information.
e) INTEGRATIVE- in instances of combining information, links between these ideas must be
evident. The contribution of the reviewed materials on the topic must also be shown.
f) CURRENT- researchers must only use the new and trendy information about a research topic.

REVIEW OF RELATED STUDIES

• is a compilation of studies related to a specific area of research (Fraenkel & Wallen, 2020).
• It evaluates, classifies and summarizes all the relevant previous studies conducted on a
specified topic.
• It is also designed to justify your research by exposing the gaps of the previous studies.

STRUCTURE OF LITERATURE AND STUDIES REVIEW

This is how you are going to structure your review of related literature and studies. The main goal
for doing this is to make the reader understand easily the different studies and how they are relevant
to your study.

1. Introduction - It somehow presents the fundamental idea of the particular study of the literature
review.
2. Main Body – It consists of the organized discussion of sources. This is where you summarize
and synthesize your literature review and reflect how they related to your study.
3. Conclusions/Recommendations – It emphasize what you have learned from reviewing the
literature and where your study leads to.

STEPS IN WRITING LITERATURE AND STUDIES REVIEW

Transcribed from the video presentation: https://bit.ly/3b12Q4b
1. Find/Search for the Relevant Literature
There are many ways on how to find relevant research studies. You may use the following:
a. Search engines to facilitate your information inquiry. Make sure that they are reliable.
b. University online library
c. Snowballing
d. Related dissertations

2. Log, Catalogue and Synthesize

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After searching and gathering the different relevant studies, you need to arrange them in order for
you to organize them easily.
a. Log the reference information. You may use reference management software.
b. Catalogue all relevant articles. You may use excel so that it will be organize and systematic. You
can make your own template so that you will be efficient.
c. Digest and synthesize. Organize the different ideas from different sources. Arrange them
according to the criteria that you made in your excel template. This would make the connections of
the different studies easier to identify.

3. Outlining and Writing Up

In-depth planning and enough time should be given importance during this period since you will
need to concentrate and have focus in writing up your paper.
a. Draw up your outline. You need to make an outline first for the structuring of your literature review.
Thorough reading and understanding should be done for you to be able to plan and structure the
ideas from your different sources. You can use the different approaches like chronological, thematic,
theoretical, etc.
b. Write it up. After formulating the outline, you can now begin writing your first draft. It is expected
that your first draft is still rough. Your second draft involves tightening up and improving the flow.
There would be several drafts needed for your paper to be polished.
c. Recap. When you are finish with your paper, have it read by others who are qualified (expert in
the field) for further improvements. Comprehend and incorporate their corrections and suggestions
for the betterment of your study. It is so much better if there will be more qualified people that can
proof-read your paper.

STANDARD CITATION STYLES

CITATION is defined as a means of informing your readers that certain information came from a
specific source and you just borrowed it to widen the explanation of a certain situation or data of
your research. When citing sources, you must see to it that the information borrowed from other
authors are properly cited.

Citing of sources comes in two (2) manners, namely: a) in-text citation and b) referencing list.
A. THE IN-TEXT CITATION refers to all of the citations that can be found in all of the chapters in
your research paper. The commonly used information in this manner of citation is the following:
1. Author’s name
2. Date of the publication of the source
3. The page number where you found the information

In the in-text- citation of related literature, three (3) guidelines should be considered, namely: a) by
author or writer, b) by topic and c) chronological means of citation.
1) BY AUTHOR OR WRITER
In this method of citation, all your data and information, facts, ideas or principles from your sources
are discussed or explained separately.

Example:
Cruz (2002) states that research is …
Dela Torre (2005) described the research as …

In this example, it is evident that by using by author or writer method, the information coming from
a specific author will be discussed separately from the others.

2) BY TOPIC
This method of citation is used when several authors or sources give the same information about a
certain topic. The citation of the information will be granted to all of the authors.

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Example:
Accordingly, research is … (Rio, 2000; Luna & Magsaysay, 2005)

In this example, the authors (Rio, Luna & Magsaysay) shared the same idea about research. When
you are going to use this information, make sure to cite ALL of the authors that published this said
information.

3) BY DATE / CHRONOLOGICAL
Citing sources using the chronological method involves sequencing the information based on the
year it was published.

Example:
Yu (2005) states that …
And (2007) discussed about…
Chu (2010) deliberated regarding …
In this example, the sources are arranged chronologically from the earliest to the latest.

B. REFERENCING LIST refers to the bibliography and/or references of your research paper. This
holds the summary of the information of all of your sources. Information needed in making the
referencing list involves the following:
1. Author’s name
2. Date of the publication of the source
3. The page number where you found the information
4. Publisher
5. Place of Publishing
6. Volume
7. Edition
8. Other relevant information

In citing sources, you must see to it that citations of your sources are done correctly. Citation styles
are referred to as the format of the information needed during the citation. There are three (3) most
common citation styles that are used to cite sources, namely: a) American Psychological Association
(APA), b) Modern Language Association (MLA) and c) Chicago Manual of Style (CMS). These three
citation styles will be thoroughly discussed in the proceeding discussions.

1. AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (APA)

This citation is commonly used when a researcher works in social science-related researches. APA
follows an author-date format, wherein, the needed information for its in-text citation is the author’s
surname and the year of publishing. APA follows different formats for varying authors and their
number.

I. APA Citation for works with one (1) author

In working with APA citation style for one author source, you will need the author’s surname and the
year of its publication.
Example:
By author: Lee (2005) states that the earth is …
By topic: The composition of Earth is … (Lee, 2005)

II. APA Citation for works with two (2) authors

Citing sources with two authors using APA style still needs the authors’ surnames and the year of
publication. The format varies whether you want to use a by author or by the topic manner of citation.
Examples:
By author: Kim and Lee (2009) state that …

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By topic: Accordingly, (Kim & Lee, 2009)

In the by topic manner, the word “and” will be replaced by a symbol “&” which is known as the
ampersand. The authors’ surname and the year of publishing are separated by comma (,).

III. APA Citation for works with three (3) to five (5) authors
The information needed in this number of authors is still the authors’ surname and the year of
publication. The format varies on the manner of citation used and the frequency of its usage.
Examples:
By author: Kim, Lee, Young, and Yu (2015) discussed …
By topic: Today’s generation … (Kim, Lee, Young & Yu, 2015).

In the by topic manner, the replacement of the word “and” to “&” is still applicable. Still, the author’s
surname and the year of publication will be separated using a comma. If you wish to use the same
source for many times, another the format will be followed.

Examples:
By author: Kim et al. (2015) discussed that …
By topic: Today’s generation … (Kim et al., 2015).

In this format, the citation will be shortened by sustaining the first author and replacing the others
with the word “et al.” which means “and others”. In “et al.”, the period will be placed only after the
“al.”.

IV. APA Citation for works with six (6) to ten (10) authors
Citing literature with this number of authors follows the following format:
Examples:
By author: Lee et al. (2015) discussed that …
By topic: Today’s generation … (Lee et al., 2015). This format will be used in all of the citations
made

V. APA Citation for works with associations, corporations, government agencies, etc., as the
author
In this case, the associations, corporations, government agencies will serve as the author. The year
of publication is still needed.

Examples:
By author: According to the Department of Education (2012) …
By topic: The education is … (Department of Education, 2012)

However, if the associations, corporations, government agencies have a well-known abbreviation,

the abbreviations can be added in the first citation and will be used in proceeding citations to follow.
Abbreviations shall be enclosed in a bracket [ ].

Examples:
First Citation: Department of Education [DepEd] (2012)…
Second Citation: DepEd (2012) discussed …

VI. APA Citation for works with indirect sources

Indirect sources refer to sources that were mentioned in another source. In this case, the primary
author is needed, the year it was published, and its page number.

Example:
Brown discussed that … (as cited by Smith, 2002, p. 92).

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The primary authors’ last name, year of publication, and page are separated by commas.

VII. APA Citation for electronic sources

Electronic sources refer to materials that are in an electronic form, i.e. pdf files. For this type of
source, the citation follows the author-date format, varying from its number of authors.

Examples:
By author: Perry (2006) states that the …
By topic: The … (Perry, 2006).

VIII. APA Citation for websites with author and year published
In the review of related literature from this source, the author-date format is still used.

Examples:
By author: John (2010) states that the …
By topic: The … (John, 2010).

IX. APA Citation for websites without author but with the year published
In this style of citation, the title will replace the author and will follow the author-date format. The title
will be enclosed in quotation marks (“).

Examples:
By author: “The Solar System” (2012) ….
By topic: It is said that … (“The Solar System”, 2012)

X. APA Citation for websites with an author but without year published
To cite these sources, dates will be abbreviated by “n.d.”, which means “no date”.

Examples:
By author: Green (n.d.) stated that …
By topic: Accordingly, … (Green, n.d.)

XI. APA Citation for websites without author and year published
To cite these sources, use the title of the enclosed with quotation marks (“) in lieu of the author,
and write “n.d.” to specify no date.

Examples:
By author: “The Hydrosphere” (n.d.) …
By topic: Accordingly … (“The Hydrosphere, n.d.)

2. MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION (MLA)

MLA is one commonly used citation style in research papers usually used in liberal arts and
humanities. Unlike APA, MLA follows an author- page format, wherein authors’ surname and the
page number where it could be found is needed. Formats for the MLA style are shown below.

I. Citing Print Sources

II. In the MLA format, the page number is always enclosed in parenthesis and can be found at the
ending of each statement. The authors’ surname and the page number are NOT separated by a
comma.

Examples:
Grey stated that …. (50).
Accordingly, (Grey 50).

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3. CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE (CMS)
CMA is a citation style that presents two basic documentation systems:
A. notes and bibliography and
B. author-date.
The use of the two documentation systems differs from the subject matter and the sources cited.

3.1 NOTES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY SYSTEM

This documentation system is preferred in researches concerning the field of humanities such as
literature, arts, and history. In this system, bibliographic information such as notes and bibliography
is needed. Footnotes or endnotes are placed in the bottom part of the paper and provide all
information relative to the source.

i. CMS - Notes and Bibliography system citation for works with one author. Example:
In-text Citation:
Levi discussed that today’s tap water is not suitable for drinking anymore. 1
Endnote:
John Levi, Our water of today, (New York, LMR Publishing, 2016), 305

In the example above, the information to be included in the in- text citation is the author and the
number in the endnote that is categorized by the superscript.
The endnote follows the format:
Author’s first name, author’s last name, Title, (Place of Publication, Publisher, year published)
reference page.

ii. CMS- Notes and Bibliography system citation for works with two
authors The format for this system is the same as those with one author. Example:
In-text Citation:
Levi and Charles discussed that today’s tap water is not suitable for drinking anymore. 1
Endnote:
John Levi and Thomas Charles, Our water of today, (New York, LMR Publishing, 2016), 305

iii. CMS- Notes and Bibliography system citation for works with four or more authors.
This system follows the same format like the preceding. This system follows the same format as
that of the preceding two. Only one name of the author will be presented, followed by et al. to
represent the remaining authors. Example:
In-text Citation:
Levi et al. discussed that today’s tap water is not suitable for drinking anymore. 1
Endnote:
John Levi et al., Our water of today, (New York, LMR Publishing, 2016), 305

3.2 Author-Date System

The CMS author-date system is commonly used when a researcher will pursue studies in line with
physical, natural, and social sciences. Unlike the notes and bibliography system, this system uses
the author’s surname and date of publication. The complete information of the source will be given
in the bibliography section.

a) CMS- Author-Date system citation for works with one author

Example:
In-text: It is stated that … (Cruz 2003, 378).
This is the format for this system: (Author’s last name year, page.

b) CMS- Author-Date system citation for works with two authors.

Example:
In-text: It is stated that … (Cruz and Torres 2003, 378).

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The format is the same as with the works with one author

c) CMS- Author-Date system citation for works with four authors

Example:
In-text: It is stated that … (Cruz et al. 2003, 378).

In this case, reflect only the first author and replace the remaining with et al.

A REFERENCING LIST is the other means of citing sources. Commonly, this list is noted in the
references/bibliography section of the paper. Each citation style follows a different format in making
a referencing list. The format of the citation styles as discussed by Torneo and Clamor-Torneo
(2017) are as follows:

1. APA Citation Style

When using the APA Citation style, REFERENCING LIST is found at the end of the paper. It
commonly contains all information of the literature that are cited in the paper. When following the
APA format, all references are listed alphabetically according to their surnames. Some reminders
when using the APA format is given below:

a) You should use a hanging indention. All lines, except the first one, must be indented by 0.5 from
the left.
b) When writing the author’s name, the last name must come first before the given name. The given
name must be represented by initials. When there are two or more authors, ellipses must be used
to separate them.
c) The first word of the title must be capitalized. Other necessary publication information and proper
noun should follow the same format.

Here are the guidelines for making a referencing list using the APA format from different sources.

BOOKS
Format: Author’s last name, given name, and middle name initials, (Year of publication). Title of
work: Subtitle. Location: Publisher.
Example: James, B.N. (2009). The history of the universe: Knowing the truth out of our existence.
Los Angeles, California: LMS Publishing.

JOURNAL ARTICLES
Format: Author, A.A., Author, B.B., & Author C.C. (Year). Title of the article. Title of Periodical,
volume number (issue number), pages.
Example: Gonzales, P. (2010). Chemistry and life: A study on the functions and importance of
chemistry in daily life. Chemistry Trivia. Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 887-893.

ONLINE NEWS ARTICLES

Format: Author, A.A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Title of Newspaper. Retrieved from
http://www.address.com/full/url/
Example: Cruz, K.L. (2019, January 23). The election mania. KBS News. Retrieved from
http://www.kbs.com/the_election_mania_2019

ONLINE LECTURE NOTES AND PRESENTATION SLIDES

Format: Author, A.A. (Year). Title of article [file format]. Retrieved from
http://www.address.com/full/url
Example: Dela Cruz, A.N. (2019). The big bang theory [ppt].
Retrieved from http://www.drive.google.com/file/6thgrkvlw5%bgmh/

2. MLA Citation Style

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The MLA citation style commonly needs a WORKS CITED page on a different page at the end of
the research. All cited sources in the body of the research must be cited in the Works Cited. The list
of the authors must be arranged alphabetically by their surnames.

Here are some considerations that you must look into when using the MLA Citation Style.

a) Hanging indention format must also be followed. Subsequent lines of each entry must be indented
by 0.5 from the left.
b) In using the MLA format, the author’s last name will be followed by the author’s complete given
name. If the middle name is given, it should also be written after the given name. if the author has
name suffixes, it should be written on the last part.
c) All words in the title must be capitalized. Prepositions or conjunctions are excluded by this rule,
except if it is the first word of the title.

To understand more of the MLA Citation, here are formats to be used:

BOOKS
Format: Last name, First name. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.
Medium of Publication.
Example: James, Brian. The history of the Universe: Knowing the Truth out of Our Existence. Los
Angeles, California: LMS Publishing, 2009. Print.

ONLINE JOURNAL ARTICLES

Format: Last name, First name. “Title of Article”. Title of Publication, volume number, and issue
number, (year of publication). Date of access.

[Note: (1) If the journal is exclusively available online, write “n.pag.” to denote that there is no
pagination of the publication. (2) If there is a print copy, provide a copy of the page number and
the medium of publication used.]
Example: Gonzales, Pedro. Chemistry and Life: A Study on the Functions and Importance of
Chemistry in Daily Life. Chemistry Trivia. Vol. 3, No. 2, (2010): n.pag. 3 March 2011.

ONLINE NEWS ARTICLES

Format: Last name, First name. “Title of the article”. Title of News Article. Date of Publication.
Medium of publication. Date of access
Example: Cruz, Kyrie. “The Election Mania”. KBS News. (13 Dec. 2018). Web. 23 January 2019

ONLINE LECTURE NOTES AND PRESENTATION SLIDES

Format: Last name, First name. “Title of Presentation”. Date file was created. Medium
Example: Dela Cruz, Angelo. “The Big Bang Theory”. 1 February 1998. Power Point Presentation

3. CMS Citation Style

In using the CMS Citation Style in making references, the sources will be arranged alphabetically,
through the author’s last name. Referencing lists in CMS is termed as “BIBLIOGRAPHY”. A
bibliography must include all the cited related literature in the research body.

Here are some guidelines for making a bibliography.

BOOKS
Format: Last name, First name. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.
Example: James, Brian. The history of the universe: Knowing the truth out of our existence. Los
Angeles, California: LMS Publishing, 2009.

ONLINE JOURNAL ARTICLES

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Format: Last name, First name. “Title of the article”. Title of Publication, volume number, and issue
number, (year of publication). Pages. Date when accessed. URL.
Example: Gonzales, Pedro. “Chemistry and Life: A Study on the Functions and Importance of
Chemistry in Daily Life”. Chemistry Trivia. Vol. 3, No. 2, (2010): 887-893. March 3, 2011.
http://www.chemistry.org/journal_on_chemistry_and_life/

ONLINE NEWS ARTICLES

Format: Last name, First name. “Title of the article”. Title of News Article, Date of publication.URL.
Date of access (if necessary)
Example: Cruz, Kyrie. “The Election Mania”. KBS News. (Dec. 13, 2018).
http://www.kbsnews.com/the_election_mania. January 23, 2019

ONLINE LECTURE NOTES AND PRESENTATION SLIDES

Format: Last name. First name. “Title of Presentation”. Date of access or if available, date last
modified. URL:
Example: Dela Cruz, Angelo. “The Big Bang Theory”. February 15, 1998.
http://www.powerpointslides.com/the_big_bang_theory/

Activity #3: “Concise Info”

Directions: Research for three (3) relevant information to your present study. Cite the sources using
the three commonly used citation styles. Present your answers using this table: write your answers
in your drawing book.

No. Relevant In – Text Citation

Information
Source Details
from the APA MLA CMS
Source
1 Title:
Author:
Date:
Page Number:
Publishing Company:
Address of Publishing
Company:
Category:

WRITING THE STYNTHESIS

SYNTHESIS is defined as a combination of information and discussion from one or more relevant
sources of information. When doing a synthesis, you need to extract the important information
coming from all your sources. You have to find the similarities and differences from one source to
the other and you must instill the importance of this information in your research study.

When doing your synthesis, you can present your information in two (2) ways:
A. EXPLANATORY SYNTHESIS deals with presenting the information through explanations
and presents it objectively.

Example:
According to the Divine Creation Theory, the world was created by the Almighty. All creatures
are made into life through his power. He crafted the universe in just 6 days. He made the
human beings from sand and blessed them with life through his breath.

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 B. ARGUMENT SYNTHESIS, on the other hand, enables a researcher to present his/her point
of view from a certain topic in a logical manner. Information that is written using an argument
synthesis is usually debatable.

Example:
The world is made through evolution and scientific reactions, wherein all living creatures
undergo different mutations and reactions to become what it is right now. This statement is
supported by the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection which is published by Charles
Darwin.

TECHNIQUES IN WRITING A SYNTHESIS

When you are going to write your synthesis, you can use the following techniques as your guide.
1. SUMMARY- the simplest way of organizing a synthesis. When using this technique, you are
going to write the most relevant information and sources you gathered.
2. EXAMPLE OR ILLUSTRATION- it is a technique wherein you are going to synthesize
information by giving examples and illustrations of your specific information.
3. TWO (OR MORE) REASONS- this technique includes presenting the thesis and supporting it
with reasons why it is factual.
4. COMPARISON AND CONTRAST- In using this technique, you are going to show the
similarities and differences of two or more data.

ETHICS AND ITS PRINCIPLES

ETHICS in research can be defined as the norms for conduct that distinguish between acceptable
and unacceptable behaviors. It can also be defined as a process of applying moral standards and
principles in any undertaking. In general, the ethical standard in research is used so that a
researcher will be able to define right from wrong.

Ethics serve a very vital role in conducting a research study. It can keep the researcher from
committing misconduct while seeking knowledge and truth, and respecting and protecting the rights
of the respondents-humans and animals. Ethics also promote essential values that help researchers
to have a common understanding and work on a topic harmoniously. Also, ethics bind different
experts together in the spirit of important values such as accountability, cooperation, coordination,
mutual understanding, respect, and fairness, among others.

ETHICAL PRINCIPLES
These principles must be taken seriously by each researcher to secure an ethical study.
1) HONESTY- a researcher must secure honesty in producing his/her study. Transparency is the
key of upholding honesty in research. Researchers must see to it that all borrowed intellectual
property must be cited accurately.
2) OBJECTIVITY- Researchers must see to it that she/he is free from any form of bias in all aspects
of his/her research paper.
3) INTEGRITY- The researcher must secure that the study holds sincerity and consistency. The
researchers must see to it that all of the parts promised and presented during the presentation of
the proposal must be kept
4) CAREFULNESS- The researcher must see to it that the conduct of the study must be free from
any carelessness and errors of negligence. All important data must be kept for future uses.
5) OPENNESS- Researches must see to it that they are open-minded persons wherein they can
accept suggestions from others and they can handle constructive criticism.
6) RESPECT FOR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY- A good researcher must see to it that she/he
practices respect for intellectual property. This principle can be executed upon proper citation of
borrowed statements and giving due credit to the owner.
7) TRUSTWORTHINESS- A researcher must secure that he/she is maintaining his/her
trustworthiness. The researchers must see to it that any data or information in the research,

Practical Research 2 – R.M.B.B.

especially those data from surveys and other data gathering procedures, must be used according
to its proper and allotted usage only. The researchers must also keep the confidentiality of every
data gathered and must protect its privacy.
8) SOCIAL AND LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY- A researcher must abide by the legalities, rules,
policies, and regulations set by his/her partner institution or organization

PURPOSE OF ETHICS IN RESEARCH

The need for ethics is very vital in research because of these reasons:
1) Norms promote the aims of research such as knowledge, truth, understanding, and avoidance of
error.
2) Norms promote the values that are essential to collaborative work such as trust, accountability,
mutual respect, and fairness. They also protect intellectual property interests and encourage
confidentiality even in collaboration.
3) Norms ensure that researchers can be held accountable to the public. To a certain extent, they
draw parameters on which ideas to write and how they should be written.
4) Norms promote a variety of other important moral and social values. Ethical lapses in research
can significantly harm human and animal subjects, students, other individuals, and the public in
general.
5) Norms help build public support for research. This happens when individuals and organizations
believe in the integrity and credibility of the researcher/s, thus they will offer support for the project.

For you to further understand the function of ethics in research, here are some terminologies that
may aid you:

1) ETHICAL RELATIVISM- this refers to the view that values are relative in the sense that a person
feels his/her value is better than any other person’s value.
2) ETHICAL PRINCIPLES- this term refers to values that are translated into rules or standards of
conduct.
3) ETHICAL DILEMMA- this refers to situations where there is an evident conflict between values
and principles and the choice of action needs to be decided. Upon the absence of Ethics in
conducting your research, you might be able to do some unethical deeds commonly known as
scientific misconduct.

The following are the possible SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCTS that can be done in research:

1) FABRICATION AND FALSIFICATION OF DATA- also known as “cooking of data”. This scientific
misconduct involves producing data without actual experimentation or altering data in recording for
the intention to fit them to what is expected.

2) NON-PUBLICATION OF DATA- In contrast with fabrication and falsification, nonpublication of

data involves choosing not to include data because they do not conform to the well-established body
of knowledge or are unsupportive of the research hypothesis. Only the results that do not reject the
hypothesis are reported and published.

3) FAULTY DATA GATHERING PROCEDURES- It is referred to as negligence or carelessness

that leads to errors in measurement or faulty research instruments. An Error may also be caused by
inappropriate application of treatment to the subjects and poor data recording.

4) PLAGIARISM- It is a fraudulent act that involves claiming another person’s ideas, work, or
publication. It is a form of intellectual property stealing and dishonesty that usually happens in
scientific publications. There are four types of Plagiarism.

A) COPY AND PASTE PLAGIARISM- this type of plagiarism involves copying information
word-by-word without giving due credit to the source. Copy and paste plagiarism can be

Practical Research 2 – R.M.B.B.

 avoided upon enclosing the borrowed words with quotation marks (“) and properly citing the
author.

B) MOSAIC PLAGIARISM- this is defined by changing only some words in the copied
information. The sentence structure is still maintained.

C) MISATTRIBUTION PLAGIARISM- this type of plagiarism can be done if an author

wrongly cited information, maybe to the wrong authors or to the non-existing authors.

D) SELF-PLAGIARISM- this type of plagiarism can be committed if an author republishes

his/her work. Self-plagiarism comes in two forms, duplication, and replication. Duplication can
be committed once a researcher copies and submits without proper citations. Replication, on
the other hand, is multiple cases of duplication.

Big Project #1: “Learning from Professionals”

Directions: Identify one (1) researcher in your local area, may it be a thesis writer, a research
assistant, a teacher teaching a research subject, etc. Interview the researcher regarding his/her
experiences in applying ethical standards in research. Ask him/her about the challenges that he/she
have experienced during the conduct of his/her study. Generalize the answers and write your
conclusion based on the information you gathered. Follow the matrix below: Afterwards, Include
Pictures of you while interviewing. Write your answers in your drawing book.

No. Name of the Occupation What are the How did you What are Interview
Researcher / ethical cope up with your Attachments
with Signature profession challenges you these Suggestions (Ex: Photo
(over printed Relevant to have challenges? to future before,
name) Research encountered researchers? during, after
during the the
conduct of your interview)
study?
1

Activity#4: “Mind Map #1”

Directions: present your learning about Chapter 2 through a creative Concept Map. Draw your map
in your drawing book. your output will be graded according to:

Content – 15
Connection of Ideas – 10
Creativity – 5
Total – 30 points

Practical Research 2 – R.M.B.B.