Researching your dissertation:finding material and making connections

ric Licence

Chris Bradford and Sam Johnson (Academic Support Librarians)

I’m confident finding material for my dissertation

12

0%

0%

0% 1. Yes2. No3. Up-to-a-point

What is a literature review?

• Fink (2005) “systematic, explicit and reproducible method for identifying, evaluating and synthesising the existing body or completed work produced by researchers, scholars and practitioners”

• Hart (1998) “the selection of available documents…on the topic…written from a particular standpoint to fulfill certain aims or express certain views on the topic and how it is to be investigated, and the effective evaluation of these documents in the relation to the research being proposed”

Analyse your question• Be clear what it is you are researching

– What different concepts are involved?– What terms may describe these concepts?– List your terms (keywords) by concept

• Dictionaries/Encyclopedias/Philosophers Index – International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioural

Sciences– Encyclopedia of Political Theory – Oxford Reference Online – Cambridge Histories Online

Identify your literature• Varies according to information you require

– Original documentation MRC• e.g. minutes, reports, correspondence

– Scholarly analysis and research catalogues, databases• e.g. books, journal articles, conference papers

– Facts and figures UK Data Service/National Statistics/DataStream

• e.g. official publications and statistics

– Popular commentary and analysis Factiva• e.g. news reports, political magazines, weblogs, twitter

The LiteratureJournal articles

Books

Reports

NewspapersWorking papers

Books on a topic

Database

Articles on a topic

• Abstracting and full-text journal databases• Broader and more focused subject coverage than

full-text services (and Google Scholar)– Key abstracting databases organised by subject

on the Library web pages– Or, via links from the catalogue or Encore

Indexing/abstracting databases

• Specialist subject focus• Broad coverage of scholarly materials in

discipline• High search flexibility and control• Transferable search principles/techniques• Similar functionality

– Search Select Save/print/email

Worldwide Political Science Abstracts

Web of Knowledge

http://screencast.com/t/n6KfxFloe4Ehttp://screencast.com/t/n6KfxFloe4E

Citation data

How many words does the average user put in a search statement?

1 2 3

0%0%0%

1. 22. 33. 14

Nicholas (1998:p131) “Typically one –third of users enter one word in their search statements, about the same proportion two words and the remaining third three words or more. Just under half of all users employ just a single search during a session or visit and just under a quarter undertake two”

Looking at Science Direct – 35% 2-4 Searches being undertaken9% 5-10 searches being undertaken1% Over 10 searches

12

keywords

Catalogue record

Journal IndexJournal article - record

Search planning

• Pre-planning makes for better searching– Look at database help and search tips– Identify and list your conceptual keywords– Use these keywords to build and refine search– Refine your search incorporating

descriptors/key-words/limiters from the database

Limiting your search horizons

Picture by CaptPiper, reproduced under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic Licence.

Too many results?

Too many results...?

1 2 3 4

0% 0%0%0%

1. Limit to title field2. Restrict the year3. Restrict the type of

publication4. Increase precision of

search terms

15

Too few results?

• To increase recall of search:– Use broader terms to express concepts– Add alternative search terms (OR)

– Try another database

Statistics on a topic

• Ask: who would produce the data you want?– National statistical agencies? International

organisations? Trade bodies? Other?• ESDS database (http://www.esds.ac.uk/)

• Extensive UK, IMF, OECD and World Bank datasets• Registration (free!) required

• See Statistics subject page for access

Output – EndNote Web

• Keep records of your searches and results– Database alerts and saved searches

• Organise and manage resources you read– Bibliographic reference management software

• EndNote or EndNoteWeb

Staying up-to-dateDatabase search alerts

http://zetoc.ac.uk

Staying up-to-date with Zetoc

What do I do a journal article I want is not in stock?

1 2 3 4

0% 0%0%0%

1. Give up and look for something else.

2. See if the article is available in another format

3. Use Article Reach4. Use Document

Supply

12

Article Reach

Note –average request takes 27hours

Document Supply

SCONUL Access Scheme

Question your research needs

• Review your progress periodically• New ideas, concepts, events, people,

countries and authors to (re)search• Trace material from book/journal references

Questions?

Questions?

Picture by g - s - h, reproduced under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.0 Generic Licence

Further help

• One-to-one support from Academic Support Librarian

• EndNote Web Training

References• BIGGAM, J. (2011). Succeeding with your master's dissertation a step-by-step handbook.

Maidenhead, Open University Press.

• BOOTH, A., PAPAIOANNOU, D., & SUTTON, A. (2012). Systematic approaches to a successful literature review. London, Sage.

• HART, C. (1998). Doing a literature review: releasing the social science research imagination. London, Sage Publications.

• NICHOLAS, D. (2009). Digital consumers: reshaping the information professions. London, Facet Publishing.

• OLIVER, P. (2012). Succeeding with your literature review: a handbook for students. Maidenhead, Open University Press.

• RIDLEY, D. (2012). The literature review: a step-by-step guide for students. London, SAGE.