Review of Related Literature

CONCEPTS IN WRITING CHAPTER-TWO

ir. PANCHITO M. LABAY

FORD Fellow, Professor 5

Part 3
WINTER TIME IN THE WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY
What is a review of literature?

----“account of what has been

published on a topic by accredited
scholars and researchers” (Taylor,
n.d.)
---- “means of demonstrating
authors’ knowledge about a
particular study / problem”
(Randolph, 2009)
---- “serves as framework for
relating new findings to previous
findings
---- “it is a legitimate and publishable
scholarly document” (LeCompte, et
al., 2003)
What’s its purpose?
----help in identifying the research problem
----help in identifying and refining the research problem
----help in avoiding unnecessary duplication of previous
works
----help in searching for a range of theoretical and
conceptual frameworks and issues
----help in providing more information about the variables to
be looked into
----allow the researcher to foresee significant issues, and
----suggest how the planned research work can contribute to
knowledge

Source: Philippine Social Science Council (PSSC, 2005)

How to come up with effective
research review?
Copper (1988) suggests that a good research review must have the
following characteristics:

1. Focus—concentrate on four foci: research theories, methods, outcomes,

and practices and applications
-- theories helps in looking at the relationships between the variables and
concepts being studied with than of the present ones
-- methods help in finding the best methodology and the variables looked
into
-- outcomes help in identifying the gaps of information
-- application and practices is more on the implication of the findings to
policy, people, knowledge, education, etc.
2. Goal--useful in integrating, resolving, bridging and generalising the
theories and concepts under study. Explicate the arguments
3. Coverage—looks on how wide the study must be by looking at sample
/population (central and representative), how exhaustive the
sampling was and how they were selected
4. Organisation or format—helps in designing the presentation of the
literature review, which this can be historical in format (development
of related concepts, theories or findings), conceptual in format—that
is about the relationship about the concepts that the researcher is
looking into, and methodological in format—that is the presentation
more focus on the research methods applied
5. Audience—always consider that your research work is intended to fellow
researchers, academicians and professionals, thus avoid writing it
for general public or for laymen.
Body of review of literature
Under the APA format, the structure of the literature review must be
“continuous in the flow of thought”—that is the different paragraphs or
sections must be linked to one another. They may reinforce the previous
entries or contradict them. Do not categorise the entries into local,
national or international.

It can be composed of the following: introduction, body and conclusion or

if it is composed of different sections, the same introduction, body and
conclusion arrangement must be followed. Under the conclusion part,
establish your reason or point of view about the literature or study, compare
and contrast them first and come up with your own point of view why you
have included the concept, theory or findings of the reviewed literature.
Consider the 5C’s in reviewing and
writing.
1.CITE by keeping on the primary focus on the literature
2.COMPARE the various arguments, theories, methodologies, approaches
and or findings expressed in the literature. What the authors agree on?
Who employ similar approaches? What are their findings?
3.CONTRAST the various arguments, themes, methodologies, approaches
and controversies expressed in the literature. What are the areas of major
disagreement, controversy or debate?
4.CRITIQUE the literature. Which argument is more persuasive and why?
Which approach, finding or methodology seem the most reliable, valid or
appropriate and why? Pay attention to the verbs you use to describe on
what the author says or does?
5.CONNECT the literature to your own research area. How does your own
work draw on or depart from the reviewed literature?

BOTTOM LINE: Review of related literature is a discursive prose

and not simply describing and summarising what has been read
and written.
Some important points to consider.
GOLDEN RULE

TAKE A READER’S Write for your audience not for your self.
VIEW
TELL A STORY Direct your research, but keep a clear focus in
the paper and present results related to it
BE YOURSELF Write like you are speaking, then revise and
polish
MAKE IT SIMPLE Use simple examples to explain complex
methodology
MAKE IT CONCRETE Use concrete words and strong verbs. Avoid
ambiguous words
MAKE IT SHORT Avoid redundancy and over-explanation
TAKE RESPONSIBILITY Make clear distinction between your work and
that of others
MAKE STRONG Ex. We concluded…instead of –It can be
STATEMENTS concluded….
BE SELF-CRITICAL Consider uncertainty of conclusions and their
implications. Acknowledge others’ work.
Rules in using quotes:

1.If less than 40 words are borrowed verbatimly, put the

borrowed words under quotation marks and as part of the text.
2.If more than 40 words are used, separate the copied sentences
in the main paragraph of the text and flush it 0.5 to 1 inch and
never enclosed it in quotation marks.
3.Always indicate the source or apply in-text citation and indicate
also the page of the source where the verbatimly words or
sentences or paragraph was lifted.
4.After each quoted sentences or paragraph, follow it up with the
author’s or researcher’s interpretation.
 Less than 40 words verbatimly copied
Bogdan & Biklen (1998) cited that, “When the intent is to capture one
person’s interpretation of his or her life, the study is called a life history”
(p.3). They believe that life history is the meaning that a person is giving
to his/her past experiences. Note the page
number
Note: The introduce quote was given with
interpretation by the researcher.
Or
“When the intent is to capture one person’s interpretation of his or her life,
the study is called a life history” (Bogdan & Biklen, 1998:3). The authors
believe that life history is the meaning that a person is giving to his/her
past experiences.
More than 40 words verbatimly copied
Armstrong (1987) explains:

The life history method had its early development in Chicago at

indented approximately the same time that interactionism was being
given its initial impetus, and this is no accident (p. 54).

The life history method assigns significance and value to the

person’s ‘own story,’ or to interpretations that people place on
their own experiences as an explanation for their own behaviour
(p. 8). This must be followed by the researcher’s idea
Example
This part of Literature Review was lifted from:
Labay, P.M. (2005). The social history of a hobby that turned into a livelihood
strategy: The case of butterfly livelihood in rural Philippines (Master’s thesis:
Wageningen University & Research Centrum, The Netherlands).

3.1 The rural livelihood approach

Since the main theme of my research is on the workings of

agency, specifically on actors involved in the development of
butterfly livelihood in rural Philippines, it is worth mentioning
the principles and frameworks of rural livelihood from where I
derived some concepts and ideas in drawing up the theoretical Introduction
framework.

A lot of discussions on issues of livelihoods, e.g. approaches,

have been discussed in various texts, especially on the issues of
sustainable development (Chambers & Conway, 1992).

Drawing on Chambers’ & Conway’s (1992) definition and as Body

cited by Carney (1998) and Scoones (1998): “A livelihood
comprises the capabilities, assets [both material and social Cite the
resources] and activities required for a means of living. A concept or
livelihood is sustainable when it can cope with and recover from theory
stresses and shocks maintain or enhance its capabilities and
assets, while not undermining the natural resource base.”
The IDS sustainable rural livelihoods’ framework cited in the paper of
Scoones (1998) and Carney (1998), they mention the following key
terms: … “Given with particular context [e.g. policy setting, politics,
history, agro ecology and socio-economic conditions], what
combination of livelihood resources result in the ability to follow what Cite
combination of livelihood strategies [e.g. agricultural intensification / other
extensification and livelihood diversification] with what outcomes [e.g. concepts
income, security, well-being, sustainable use of resources and other
productive and reproductive goals].? Of particular interest in this
framework are the institutional processes [embedded in a matrix of
formal and informal institutions and organizations] which mediate the
ability to carry out such strategies and achieve (or not) such
outcomes.”

Therefore, it can be noted that the context, which includes the Critique
structures and processes (laws, policies, institutions, norms and the
values) constitute also the trends, shocks and stresses that affect concepts
individuals’ decisions and actions, positively and negatively.

In addition, Ellis (1998) says that, “A livelihood encompasses the

income generating activities pursued by individuals and their
households, and the social institutions, intra-household relations, and
mechanisms of access to resources through the livelihood’s life cycle.”

In contrast, the Wageningen approach to rural development focuses Contrast

on the actors’ ability and skills as important dimensions for livelihood the
development—the human ingenuity to adapt to stress and shock concepts
refers to his ‘agency’.
This approach is known as the actor-oriented approach of
Norman Long. Central to this approach is ‘agency’, which refers
to “attributes of individual actor, his capacity to process social
experiences and to devise ways of coping with life, even under
the most extreme forms of coercion” (Long & Long (1992). Contrast the
concepts
Furthermore, Long (2002) states that, “values and meanings
are culturally constructed by actors as they follow and practice
their individual choices [vis-a-vis chosen livelihood activities],
thereby generating ‘new cultural standards’.

It is emphasized therefore that whatever the case is, it is the Come-up with
‘agency’ that serves as the hinge between actors, within a your stand
group, household, community, market and structure.

Haan (2000) further defines structure as “the shell in which the

five capitals (human, social, natural, physical and financial
capital) are embedded. The structure has three parts: A social
that consists of the rules that govern common norms and Cite further
values, an economic that is defined by the forces of supply and in support to
demand, and a political part that is expressed by power your stand
relations.” He further states that “though structure often
determines the direction of the outcome, structure may also
change through agency.”
As such, Long’s actor-oriented approach for rural livelihood
development is more useful in the analysis of this study. Based
from previous information, though optimistic, the butterfly
livelihood in Marinduque was told as an outcome of actors’ Connect the
interests and ingenuity [e.g. Romeo Lumawig’s interest to concepts to
discover new specimens named after him, Angelito and your research
Grelando’s perseverance to improve the breeding techniques work
introduced to them by Nishiyama], despite the limits of capital
assets [e.g. financial, physical, human (preferably education), Conclusion
etc.], uncertainty [e.g. market, social relations, etc.] and other
constraints [e.g. village people’s pressure, state intervention,
etc.]. The actors, like the Layron brothers are not stopped by
these limitations, they are continuously strategizing to solve
problems, intervene in social events and observe how others
react to their actions.
 Conceptual Framework or Research Paradigm
Note that after writing all the concepts and variables in the Literature
Review, draw and explain the conceptual paradigm of the study
depicting and connecting the concepts and the variables to be
measured.
Interface

Conflicts & negotiations

Interlocking relationships
Different lifeworlds

Actors
•Key actors
Livelihood •Triggering actors Commodity Chain
•Outsiders
•Direct
environment

This will be followed by Knowledges

Experiences / outlooks Why those arrows, the
an explanation why such
Social relations / network actors in the centre?
kind of drawing or design
Why they overlapped?
by showing their
relationship
 To make Chapter II, follow the
rules and examples. Thank you!