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
0%
0%
0%
1. Yes
2. No
3. Up-to-a-point
12
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
Literature
Journal articles
Books
Reports
Working papers
Newspapers
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/n6KfxFloe4E
http://screencast.com/t/n6KfxFloe4E
Citation data
How many words does the average
user put in a search statement?
1. 2
2. 3
3. 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 undertaken
0%
9% 5-10 searches being undertaken
1% Over 10 searches
1
0%
2
0%
3
12
Catalogue record
keywords
Journal Index
Journal 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. Limit to title field
2. Restrict the year
3. Restrict the type of
publication
4. Increase precision of
search terms
0%
1
0%
2
0%
3
0%
4
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-date
Database search alerts
Staying up-to-date with Zetoc
http://zetoc.ac.uk
What do I do a journal article I want is
not in stock?
1. Give up and look for
something else.
2. See if the article is
available in another
format
3. Use Article Reach
4. Use Document
Supply
0%
1
0%
2
0%
3
0%
4
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.