dissertationresearch2012

CATHERINE FUNNELLSENIOR LIAISON LIBRARIAN LAW AND

MARKETINGSHEPPARD LIBRARY

MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITYMARCH 2012

DISSERTATION RESEARCHLEX4160

Why Do a Dissertation?

Take 5-10 minutes and write down why you are doing a dissertation. What is the purpose of undertaking a dissertation?

What are the/your objectives?

What elements are involved in the process?

Why Do a Dissertation?

...................A Job/Personal Satisfaction

Objectives

To be able to undertake a substantial piece of academic study

To be able to develop a personal specialism

To put a personal stamp on a piece of work

To be able to explore the literature on a chosen topic

Objectives

To be able to refine and extend skills in finding,selecting and critically analysing information

To be able to refine skills in decision –making,task management and problem solving

To be able to refine skills in summarising and presenting findings

Cottrell, The Study Skills Handbook

Processes Involved

Planning/OrganisingLiterature ReviewResearchWriting

Literature Review

Signifies the systematic study of a topicDefines, describes and explains what

the topic isRequires the ability to access and

critically assess the various debates and issues the topic has generated

Salter M and Mason

Planning /Organising

Undertaking a Literature Reviewhttp://www.mondofacto.com/study-skills/writing/h

ow-to-write-your-literature-review/06.html

Useful Checklist

Some Useful Titles-1st Floor Sheppard Library

For Undertaking Literature Reviews

Researching and Writing Dissertations

Try using legal writing, legal composition and /or legal research as search keywords

Legal Writing on the Catalogue-27 Results

Some Really Useful TitlesMcConville is Available as an E Book

Have Developed policies to promote the research process in higher education

Within these policies they have identified the skills that a research student should be mastering whilst undertaking the research and writing of a dissertation

SCONUL(Society of College, National and University Libraries)

The Skills

Ability to distinguish the gap between what you already know and what you need to know to complete a dissertation

Distinguishing the ways in which this information gap may be addressed(awareness of different ways of meeting your information needs-variety of sources and channels, eg books, journals, reports etc)

Constructing strategies to locate information (getting the best out of your sources for effective results)

The Skills

Locating and accessing information(knowledge and skills to extract the information-using Boolean Logic

Comparing and evaluating information from different sources(comparing different perspectives, evaluating the information critically and carefully)

Organising, applying and communicating the information to others(bibliographic management tools, citing appropraitely)

The Skills

Finally, synthesising and building upon existing information with the creation of new knowledge,new content,new perspective

Recap

Ok, some of you may be enrolled in LEX4110, Issues in EU Law and you recently undertook a Research Proposal for your paper on an EU topic

So basically what you will be doing with your dissertation is a similar but substantively more comprehensive and longer version of the LEX 4110 assignment

But you will already have worked through the rudiments of what will be involved in a dissertation

Evaluating Information

Remember one of the objectives in undertaking a dissertation is developing your ‘talent’ for evaluating information-critically assessing the quality of the information you are gathering

You will need to evaluate for for both quality and relevance

Determine if what you are finding is both what you need and trustworthy

Considerations When Evaluating

Authority: Who is the author? What is their knowledge base/qualifications?Is the article published in a scholarly/peer reviewed journal?

Relevance: Is it ‘pitched’ at the appropriate level? Is it what I really need?

Objectivity: Balanced view? Are opposing views presented? Supporting Information?

Considerations When Evaluating

Intent: What is the purpose of the information-eg financial gain,propaganda, academic etc?

Currency: How old is the information? When was it last updated and by whom?

Evaluating Websites

Considerations are very similar to those evaluating

Information

Authority: Who is responsible for the page/site? A reliable organisation or subject expert(s)? Can you trust them?

Accuracy/Reliability: is the information correct? Grammar and spelling correct? Just one point of view? Agenda-is it their own? Fact/opinion?

Evaluating Websites

Audience: Is the information at the right levelto be quoted in your work?(general, public higher education)

Currency: Can you tell how upto date it is? Is it regularly updated?

Feel: Is the site well structured and easy to navigate? Links up to date and working?

If the site is well designed and maintained then you can feel

more confident about the information it provides

Have a Look at...........INTERNET DETECTIVE TUTORIAL

(http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/detective/index/htm)

(http://www.sosig.ac.uk/vts/lawyers/index.htm)

Really useful site!

.................................And Also

Internet Lawyer

(http://www.sosig.ac.uk/vts/lawyers/index.htm)

Terrific Help!

Authoritative ?

Take 10 minutes

and evaluate

http://www.worldlii.org

Dissertations/Theses

Middlesex Dissertations

Search the library catalogue for Middlesex Dissertations. Use the default General Keyword option and type dissertation law

Click on the title to view details

Complete Request FormTake to Help Desk-Ground Floor

DISSERTATION REQUEST

(Please complete all sections)Please note this is a 2 hour

service Borrower Surname: ________________________ Date: ________________ Time: ______________ ID Number: _________________________ Author: __________________________________ Title: ____________________________________ Barcode: _________________ Year: __________

ETHOS-British Library

Where theses are digitised they are usually available as a free download. Register at ethos.bl.uk. See the ETHoS FAQ page for more information OR USE THE LINK ON MY Subject Guide

Index to Theses

Can access link from my Subject Guide

Getting Started

Step 1

Step 2

Abstract and Access to Thesis

Step 3

Step 4

Current Awareness

BLOGS!PODCASTS!

ALERTS!RSS FEEDS!

International Law-International Criminal Court

Important to keep up to date with developments, eg cases. Look at Press Releases

Access this site via link on my Subject Guide

Press Releases

Keep yourself informed about the status of a

case

Blogs

I have a number of key BLOGs on my Subject Guide but there are numerous other useful ones-see next slide

More Useful Blogs

Inner Temple Libraryhttp://www.innertemplelibrary.com/

Law Professor Blogshttp://www.lawprofessorblogs.com/

UK Lawyers Blog of Blawgshttp://www.ukblawgroundup.co.uk/

Martin Partington-Key Developments in Justice Systemhttp://martinpartington.com/

Podcasts

Legal Currenthttp://legalcurrent.libsyn.com/

Oxford Transitional Justice Research Podcasts(Recordings of selected seminars, workshops

and conferences)http://www.csls.ox.ac.uk/otjr.php?show=podcasts

Law Society Gazette Newsfeedshttp://www.lawgazette.co.uk/node/rssfeed

Other Libraries/Catalogues

Copac

Testing a Beta Version Try it out

Free access to merged online catalogues of many major university, specialist and national libraries in UK and Ireland(BL)

Choose Advanced Search

Step 1

Step 2

Searching for Theses on a Topic

Results

Published 3

Click On this 2

1

Availability

Availability eg .-BlackwellsIf You Wish to Purchase

Summary of Book

British Library’s Holdings

Interlibrary Loan

Interlibrary Loan

Access From Library Services >Visiting Other Libraries

IALS(Institute of Advanced Legal Studies)

Access for full time taught postgraduate and PhD students only –with letter from Director of LLM Programme and MDX student card

Bibliographic Management Software

Save Citations and Format a Bibliography!

REFWORKS AND LEXIS

New way of displaying results

Search statement is lamfalussy w/p “european union”

Saving Your Results

Export to Refworks

It’s a good idea to save your results in a Bibliographic Management System

Click on Refworks Icon

Step 1

Step 2

Create a Folder

Register in Refworks and then create a New Folder

Step 1

Folders already created

MY MAIN REFWORKS PAGE-I HAVE ALREADY CREATED FOLDERS

Give the Folder a Name

Folder appears on

Quick Access

Set up Your Search on Lexis

Export to Refworks

Click on Export

Journal Citation Has Been Exported to Refworks

Click on Last Imported

Add to My List

You can create a LIST of citations that will then be converted into a BIBLIOGRAPHY

Once added to your list it will say COMPLETED in green

Create a Bibliography

Create a Bibliography

1

2

3

4

Bibliography Completed

Formatted Saved Bibliography

Barnard, Catherine, 'The EU constitution-dealing with the deficit - 156 NLJ 173' (2006) The New Law Journal.

Duina, Francesco, 'Book Review: National Parliaments and European Democracy: A Bottom-up Approach to European Constitutionalism - Eur J Int Law (2008) 19 (2): 454' (2008) European Journal of International Law.

Koskenniemi, Martti, ''By Their Acts You Shall Know Them ...' (And Not by Their Legal Theories) - Eur J Int Law (2004) 15 (4): 839' (2004) European Journal of International Law.

Kumm, Mattias, 'The Legitimacy of International Law: A Constitutionalist Framework of Analysis - Eur J Int Law (2004) 15 (5): 907' (2004) European Journal of International Law.

Snell, Jukka, 'European Constitutional Settlement, an Ever-Closing Union, and the Treaty of Lisbon: Democracy or Relevance' (2008) Eur Law Rev.

Thürer1, Daniel, 'Max Huber: A Portrait in Outline - Eur J Int Law (2007) 18 (1): 69' (2007) European Journal of International Law.

Export from BSC to Refworks

We’ll search the same keywords in another database and export to RefWorks

Result List

Click on the 1st result you want to look at

Export to Refworks

Step 1

Step 2

Results Exported

Click on View Last Imported

BSC Article Now in Refworks

Add to Designated Folder

Place a tick in the rectangular box, hover over downward arrow and click on ADD TO and then click on Folder you want to add to

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Create Bibliography of Merged Records(Lexis and BSC)

Choose the EU and Democratic Folder

Step 1

Step 2

Merged Bibliography

Barnard, Catherine, 'The EU constitution-dealing with the deficit - 156 NLJ 173' (2006) The New Law Journal.

Bellamy, Richard, 'Still in Deficit: Rights, Regulation, and Democracy in the EU' (2006) 12(6) European Law Journal 725.

Bellamy, Richard, 'Still in Deficit: Rights, Regulation, and Democracy in the EU' (2006) 12(6) European Law Journal 725.

Crum, Ben, 'Tailoring Representative Democracy to the European Union: Does the European Constitution Reduce the Democratic Deficit?' (2005) 11(4) European Law Journal 452.

Duina, Francesco, 'Book Review: National Parliaments and European Democracy: A Bottom-up Approach to European Constitutionalism - Eur J Int Law (2008) 19 (2): 454' (2008) European Journal of International Law.

Etzioni, Amitai, 'The Community Deficit' (2007) 45(1) Journal of Common Market Studies 23.

Fossum, John Erik and Agustín Jos Menéndez, 'The Constitution's Gift? A Deliberative Democratic Analysis of Constitution Making in the European Union' (2005) 11(4) European Law Journal 380.

Kitus, Andro, 'Europeanization, democratic deficit and the constitutional debate in Estonia' (2008) 21(2) Innovation: The European Journal of Social Sciences 111.

Koskenniemi, Martti, ''By Their Acts You Shall Know Them ...' (And Not by Their Legal Theories) - Eur J Int Law (2004) 15 (4): 839' (2004) European Journal of International Law.

Kumm, Mattias, 'The Legitimacy of International Law: A Constitutionalist Framework of Analysis - Eur J Int Law (2004) 15 (5): 907' (2004) European Journal of International Law.

Lord, Christopher, 'Still in democratic deficit' (2008) 43(6) Intereconomics 316.

Meadowcroft, John, 'The European Democratic Deficit, the Market and the Public Space: A Classical Liberal Critique' (2002) 15(3) Innovation: The European Journal of Social Sciences 181.

Snell, Jukka, 'European Constitutional Settlement, an Ever-Closing Union, and the Treaty of Lisbon: Democracy or Relevance' (2008) Eur Law Rev.

Thürer1, Daniel, 'Max Huber: A Portrait in Outline - Eur J Int Law (2007) 18 (1): 69' (2007) European Journal of International Law.

LEXIS

BSC

FLAG(Foreign Guide IALS)

Enter as Much Information

Results

Detailed Record of Holdings

United Nations Treaty Collection

http://www.treaties.un.org

Lawlinks-University of Kent

Excellent source for links to further useful resources

http://www.kent.ac.uk//lawlinks

My Subject Guide!

Dissertation Writing and Plagiarism

Book a time in one of these Workshops with staff from the LDU

Their Calendar is available via My UniHub>My Study>My Learning

Finally...................

Contact meCatherine Funnellc.funnell@mdx.ac.uk