The RRL:

Revisiting the
Fundamentals
EFREN JOHN P. SABADO
FACULTY, SOCIOLOGY DEPARTMENT
WHAT DO WE WANT TO
ACCOMPLISH IN THIS SESSION?
Re-familiarize ourselves with the RRL by
having a cursory look at mainstream
definitions of an RRL.
Discuss the common themes of the
different definitions.
Locate the role (and value) of the RRL in
the overall research process.
Review basic steps in composing an RRL.
The Review of Related
Literature
➢“A literature review is an account of what has been
published on a topic by accredited scholars and
researchers… your purpose is to convey to your reader what
knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic, and
what their strengths and weaknesses are” (Crocker, 2015).
➢“A literature review is an evaluative report of information
found in the literature related to your selected area of
study. The review should describe, summarize, evaluate
and clarify this literature. It should give a theoretical base
for the research and help you (the author) determine the
nature of your research. Works which are irrelevant should
be discarded and those which are peripheral should be
looked at critically” (Librarians, 2015) .
The RRL
➢“A literature review is designed to identify related research, to
set the current research project within a conceptual and
theoretical context. When looked at that way, almost no topic is
so new or unique that you can't locate relevant and informative
related research” (Ludwig.missouri.edu, 2015).
➢“A literature review is not an annotated bibliography in which
you summarize briefly each article that you have reviewed. While
a summary of the what you have read is contained within the
literature review, it goes well beyond merely summarizing
professional literature. It focuses on a specific topic of interest to
you and includes a critical analysis of the relationship among
different works, and relating this research to your work”
(Duluth.umn.edu, 2015).
What are the core ideas from
the definitions?
The RRL allows us to share similar knowledge and ideas about the topic of
interest.

The RRL does not only enumerate similar studies, but provides an
appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of these studies.

Irrelevant studies are not reviewed.

The RRL helps us locate the topic in appropriate conceptual and

theoretical contexts.

It is not an annotated bibliography where we simply enumerate and

summarize related studies.
Specifically, the RRL helps us to
(Reosura, Reosura & profile, 2010)…
Identify and define a
Justify the need for Prevents unnecessary
research problem (that
studying a problem duplication of a study
there’s a PROBLEM)

Enables the researcher to

learn how to conceptualize
A source of a theoretical a research problem and Helps formulate and refine
basis for the study properly identify and research instruments
operationally define study
variables

Provides lesson for data

analysis and interpretation
When to do the RRL?
One can do rapid reviews of related studies while making decisions
about the research topic whether to adopt it or not as the final research
topic.
A rapid review allows the researcher to make judgements about a
research problem especially if the researcher needs to choose among
possible research topics.
 The rapid RRL is appropriate in developing the capsule proposal.
Once the researcher has decided on the topic, a more in-depth review
of literatures can be done. An in-depth RRL includes sifting through
different general, primary and secondary materials.
The RRL in Quantitative
Studies
❖One is expected to conduct a thorough review of related studies in
quantitative research since earlier research findings or claims guide the
problem.
❖Typically, a separate chapter is allocated for the RRL (Chapter 2) where
one is expected to compare the research results to the reviewed
studies.
❖The logic of presentation is deductive where the literatures set the
overarching framework or context where the research problem was
conceptualized.
The RRL in Qualitative Studies
A qualitative research has unfolding literature reviews given the
exploratory nature of this type of study.
At the beginning, one can review generic studies in the absence
of subject specific literatures. A more specific literature can
be identified from the emergent findings of the study.
Unlike quantitative studies where a separate section is used to present
the RRL given that the RRL justifies the problem, there is no exact
placement of the RRL in qualitative studies.
The preliminary reviews can be presented in the introduction to frame
the problem while subject specific reviews can be integrated in the
discussion of results.
Criteria and method type for using
literature in a qualitative study (Creswell,
1994)

Identify a research topic(s)
Conduct a subject specific
review of related studies
about the research problem
Note important
bibliographical information
(author, title, name of
publication, date-place of
publication, pages of the
article)
Conduct a rapid review of
related studies using Identify the final research
keywords from the topic (e.g. topic with a ‘justifiable’
using internet search research problem
engines)
Decide whether to conduct Review relevant materials
an integrative, theoretical or from general, secondary and
methodological review primary sources
Note the problem being
addressed, state info about
sampling and locale, review Prepare note cards for easy
key issues that are related to classification and retrieval
the study, point out
limitations of the study
When writing the reviews, always
include the following
(158.132.155.107, 2015):
"In-text" reference in
accord with the APA
Review of the central
(American Psychological
purpose of the study.
Association) style
manual.

Statement of the major

results of the study and
Information about the
the practical
data examined.
implications of these
results
Prioritizing what to review
Journal
Articles
Books related
to the topic
Conference papers
(major, national)
Thesis-Dissertation
Abstracts
The Literature Map
The literature map outlines the topics and sub-topics of
the written reviews.
Information such as name of the author, year of
publication and research keywords can be included in the
map.
The map helps the researcher in structuring the written
reviews and can be used as a quick reference when
analyzing and interpreting the research findings in the
context of previous studies.
The mapping happens when one has reviewed all the
relevant literatures.
References
158.132.155.107,. (2015). Literature Review. Retrieved 27 October 2015, from
http://158.132.155.107/posh97/private/Dissertation_resources/Use_of_literature.html#q
uantitative
Crocker, J. (2015). The Literature Review: A Few Tips On Conducting It.
Writing.utoronto.ca. Retrieved 26 October 2015, from
http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific-types-of-writing/literature-review
Duluth.umn.edu,. (2015). Guidelines for writing a literature review. Retrieved 26 October
2015, from http://www.duluth.umn.edu/~hrallis/guides/researching/litreview.html
Librarians, R. (2015). What is a literature review? - Literature Review Tutorial - Library
Guides at CQUniversity. Libguides.library.cqu.edu.au. Retrieved 26 October 2015, from
http://libguides.library.cqu.edu.au/litreview
Ludwig.missouri.edu,. (2015). Review of Literature. Retrieved 26 October 2015, from
http://ludwig.missouri.edu/405/review.html
Reosura, A., Reosura, A., & profile, V. (2010). Research: Review of Related Literature.
Researchchmsc.blogspot.com. Retrieved 27 October 2015, from
http://researchchmsc.blogspot.com/2010/05/review-of-related-literature.html
Citations and Bibliography
Proper citation and bibliography information is
necessary in research papers and other written
assignments. It is required that you use proper
references whenever necessary, i.e., when you use
the ideas of other people.
Failure to properly give credit to your source of
information comprises plagiarism i.e., taking the
ideas of another person and using them as if they
were your own ideas. Plagiarizing can subject you
to administrative action or disciplinary penalty.
You must cite your source:
(1) When you use the 3 or more exact words of
other authors. Indicate the direct quote “by the use
of quotation marks” (Messinger, 2003, p. 12).
◦ Do not use direct quotes as a crutch.
(2) When you paraphrase the words of someone
else, i.e., when you use the idea, but not the exact
words, of another person (Messinger, 2003).
How to cite the source.
After a quotation or a paraphrase, place in
parentheses the author's name and date of
publication. If you are citing an exact quotation,
include the page number after the date.
◦ “seven-year-olds, with their newly developed sense of
individuality and independence, view death as a remote
possibility, at least as far as they themselves are
concerned” (Bluebond-Langer, 1977, p. 61).
◦ seven-year-olds, with their newly developed sense of
individuality and independence, don’t view death as real
(Bluebond-Langer, 1977).
Bibliography:
While citations are listed in the
order in which they occur, entries in
the bibliography are alphabetized.
The form of the bibliography entry
is also different from the citation.
References
◦Arnold, L.E. (1977). The significance of life
events as etiologic factors in the diseases
of children. Journal of Psychosomatic
Research, 16, 7-18.
◦Fogel, A., Melson, G.F., & Mistry, J. (1985).
Conceptualizing the determinants of
nurturance. In A. Fogel & G. F. Melson
(Eds.), Origins of nurturance (pp. 53-68).
Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Source of the ppt presentation
Google.com.ph,. (2015). Retrieved 27 October 2015, from
https://www.google.com.ph/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&c
d=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCEQFjABahUKEwimu_671eHIAhWBJKYKH
eEMBec&url=http%3A%2F%2Fportalsso.vansd.org%2Fportal%2Fpage%
2Fportal%2FMedia_Pages%2FHS_Media_Pages%2FHS_Media_Research
_Papers%2FMLA7.ppt&usg=AFQjCNEr6V2Gaa3pVBwCcvxkvZWJCmkS1
w