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'RESEARCHING FOR YOUR
DISSERTATION - A CHECKLIST
FOR SUCCESS'
Nathan Rush ([email protected])
library.dmu.ac.uk
What is a “Literature review”?
‘The comprehensive study and interpretation of literature that relates
to a particular topic’(Aveyard, 2007)
AVEYARD, H. (2007): Doing a literature review in health and social care: a practical guide. Maidenhead: McGraw Hill.
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Literature search and practitioner research
• Identify published material relevant to your research– Identify primary and secondary sources– Provide academic basis for your research– Clarify your ideas and findings– Find research methods– Communication process - demonstrate your
understanding and the work you have done in a wider context
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What is a “Literature review”?
A literature review is a select analysis of existing research which is relevant to your dissertation or assignment, showing how it relates to your investigation.
A literature review is not a straightforward summary of everything you have read on the topic and it is not a chronological description of what was discovered in your field.
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Dead-end number 1:I can’t find any articles. I know they exist but I just don’t know where they are.
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Choose your keywords carefully
• Magic little words (not abracadabra)
• Think about:– Singulars, plurals, phrases– How terms are combined– Alternative terminology and variation in
language– Major influence on search effectiveness
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Dead-end number 2:Arrrrggghhhh!!! I’ve found too many articles. How do I filter out what I don’t need?
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Working backwards ...
Quality resources will be properly referenced – use these to find the original sources
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Evaluation Checklist
Scope – who is it aimed at?Authority – is the author qualified to give an
opinion on the topic?Objectivity – any evidence of bias?Accuracy – any evidence of errors?Currency – how up to date is it?
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Dead-end number 3:My supervisor has asked me to find more academic resources. What do they mean by that? And where do I look?
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Academic sources - books
• Books at DMU– Library catalogue
• Outside DMU– Local library
catalogues– Internet booksellers– COPAC (for UK)– Other academic or
specialist libraries• Interlibrary loans
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Finding a journal articles on a given subject: Library Search
Library Search scans a wide range of the library’s subscribed content to give you academic and practitioner-orientated research.
Access from:Subject Guides > Journal Articles tab > Library Search
Or from:www.library.dmu.ac.uk
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Use the refining options to get a suitable number of results, limit the results by date, content type or subject area.
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Finding a journal articles on a given subject: Subject Specific
DatabasesYou may find the results in Library Search overwhelming in which case you should consider subject specific databases
Find subject specific databases in:Subject Guides > Journal articles > Starting points for research
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Internet
Google Scholar is an alternative to Google Web giving better quality results
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Dead-end number 5:My supervisor advised me to be more critical in my literature review. I am not confident enough to criticise the academic literature. Help!
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Citation Searching
• Another way of exploring the literature
• Looks at the links between articles: who has cited who
• Allows us to see how many times a paper has been cited
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• Citation searching allows us see who has influenced who
• It allows you to see the evolution of ideas
• It allows you to demonstrate the history & originality of your own research
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Current awareness
• Many databases and services allow you to set up alerts based on:– Keywords– Subject terms– Authors
– Citations of a key article
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Dead-end number 6:I got marked down for my referencing. There’s got to be a short-cut, right?
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4 Steps to Good referencing
1. Always record all the books and articles you find as you find them (start creating your reference list/bibliography from the beginning).
Why? Because you can’t remember everything and this will save time trying to find it again later on.
1. Always give yourself plenty of time to research and write your work
Why? Because this will avoid the temptation for last-minute ‘panic plagiarism’
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4 Steps to Good referencing
3. When writing, always acknowledge ideas you’ve picked up from your reading – both direct quotes and ideas you have paraphrased
Why? Because this is the basis of ‘good academic practice’.
3. When in doubt, always seek assistance or clarification
Why? Because it can take a little while to get the ‘knack’ of academic writing – and there are people who can help!