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LS097 Guide To Researching Your Dissertation

The document provides guidance on researching for a dissertation. It recommends beginning by focusing on primary sources to directly address the research question, and having a clear search strategy that includes keywords, truncation, and limiting searches by date and language. Several sources of information are outlined, including the library catalog, subject databases, reading lists, specialist libraries, journals, and theses databases. It stresses the importance of evaluating all information sources for accuracy, reliability, and validity.

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Peter Tendai Makara
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36 views2 pages

LS097 Guide To Researching Your Dissertation

The document provides guidance on researching for a dissertation. It recommends beginning by focusing on primary sources to directly address the research question, and having a clear search strategy that includes keywords, truncation, and limiting searches by date and language. Several sources of information are outlined, including the library catalog, subject databases, reading lists, specialist libraries, journals, and theses databases. It stresses the importance of evaluating all information sources for accuracy, reliability, and validity.

Uploaded by

Peter Tendai Makara
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SKILLS FOR LEARNING

GUIDE TO RESEARCHING YOUR DISSERTATION


BEGINNING YOUR RESEARCH

When it comes to finding relevant sources of information for your dissertation, the primary question to ask is
‘will this piece of information help me to answer my research question?’ Wherever possible, try to read primary
sources (original material that no other person has subsequently analysed or summarised) as this will give you
an understanding of the first-hand experiences of the original researcher than secondary sources would allow.

It is important to have a search strategy before you begin to conduct research into your chosen topic. It might be
useful to follow this process:
1. Write down your research question.
2. Identify the keywords in your topic. If you’re struggling to generate keywords, have a look at subject
dictionaries to see the type of terms used in your subject. Also think of synonyms (words that have
similar meanings) e.g. Internet/World Wide Web.
3. Try truncation. Adding a * to words or part of words widens your search and picks up alternative
spellings. For example, librar* will find all words starting with that particular stem e.g. library, librarians,
libraries. Inserting the * symbol into a word also takes care of alternative spellings and word endings.
For example, Organi*ation will find organisation and organization.
4. Try attaching AND/OR/NOT to keywords. OR makes your search broader, AND and NOT makes it
narrower. For example, obesity AND children would narrow your search by selecting records that
contain both terms. Lifts OR elevators would widen your search by selecting records that contain either
or both terms. Teenagers NOT children would eliminate the term children.
5. Try limiting your results by publication date and language.

If you are struggling to find relevant literature pertinent to your research question, it could be that the topic is
too recent for high quality research to be published yet or too vague or broad in present form. You may need to
work on your question to make it more focused and researchable.

Remember to keep a note of all the relevant literature, including full reference details and page numbers as you
conduct your research. Using bibliographic management software such as RefWorks is an easy way to do this.
Our Guide to RefWorks takes you through the process of setting up a RefWorks account. There is also a
Referencing with RefWorks workshop.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

The best place to start looking for information is through LibrarySearch (our online catalogue) and the databases
in your subject area. If your searches reveal material not available at the library either electronically or in print, it
may be possible to obtain items via an inter-library loan. In order to use this service, you will need to complete a
form and hand it into the helpdesk at one of our libraries.
There are many other places to find information. Here are a few ideas:

 Make the most of any relevant reading lists that you’ve been given for your taught courses. Reading
lists can usually be found in your module guide.
 Make use of the university library or other academic libraries. You can apply for a Sconul Card which
will enable you to visit other academic libraries which are members of the Sconul scheme. For more
information, visit one of our library helpdesks or go to http://www.sconul.ac.uk/sconul-access

Ref: LS097 | Skills for Learning | March 2018


 Look into gaining access to specialist libraries, other information services such as government
departments, and museums and galleries within your field of interest.
 Try using both the internet and intranets. The latter often provides course materials, lecture notes and
other specialist information.
 Try seeking out members of university staff or local experts such as local historians, who may have the
particular knowledge you’re seeking.
 Identify the most relevant journals in your subject and have a look through recent publications. Pay
particular attention to recent articles, book reviews and letters to the editor for any mention of your
subject that may be useful to your own research.
 Conduct a search into prominent writers and theorists within your subject via search engines such as
Google. You may be able to find reference to a forthcoming conference appearance or recent
publication that would be worth following up.
 EThOS is a database from the British Library offering full-text access to PhD theses from the majority of
British universities. Theses not immediately available for download can be digitised to order. You will
need to register with the site to view content. To find out more information visit
http://ethos.bl.uk/Home.do

EVALUATING INFORMATION

It’s important to evaluate any information you are thinking of using for your dissertation. Look for research that
has been tested and validated by experts in the field such as research published in peer-reviewed journals, or
research reports produced by recognisable organisations such as research institutes. The Internet can also be a
valuable source of information but any websites used for academic work must be critically evaluated in terms of
accuracy, reliability and validity as the contents of many websites goes through no formal publishing process. For
further information on this topic, see our Guide to Evaluating Information.

To request this document in an alternative format please contact skills@wlv.ac.uk

Ref: LS097 | Skills for Learning | March 2018

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