Library

Finding the information for your dissertation or thesis

An undergraduate / masters dissertation or Phd thesis will be one of the largest pieces of independent work you’ll ever do & the Library can help with some of the crucial stages of the research process : Review of Literature and Referencing. 

Review of Literature

The literature review is an important part of every research project & the Library should be your starting point for finding the information you need. A literature review is a systematic review of the published literature on your research question & will involve a critical analysis of the arguments and positions, not just a description of the literature. The review should place your own research within its context.

A successful review of literature involves a knowledge and familiarity with the distinctive types of literature : books, articles, publications & statistics from governments and international organisations, newspapers etc. It shows that you have an in-depth grasp of your subject, and that you understand where your own research fits into and adds to an existing body of agreed knowledge.

Before you can write your literature review, you need to find out what's out there by undertaking a series of literature searches.  Finding different types of literature may require searches using a number of different resources -  this guide is designed to help with this task. 

Finding the information you need

Every good dissertation and thesis is supported by well-researched information - which be in many different forms, from traditional academic material such as books, journal articles to websites and social media posts. Depending on your topic, you might also want to use newspaper articles, official publications and statistics and even television programmes or interviews.

You will need to find and use good quality information from a wide variety of sources in your work. It’s the first step to building knowledge of your subject.  You might be tempted to start with Google or Google Scholar and Wikipedia, but to find relevant, high quality academic information you need to use the Library! The Library can provide you with access to the books, journal articles and specialist resources for your research topic. 

For more detailed advice on the various steps required to find the information you need, download our online step by step guide to Finding information for your dissertation or thesis - a guide for Education students. [Word]

• Developing a search strategy.  
  • Identifying the key concepts in the question.  
  • Identify the information you need & types
  • How to generate keywords & phrases.   
• Select the relevant databases & resources.  
  • Searching effectively & efficiently
  • Subject Specific Education Databases 
  • Not just about books and journal articles 

What if the Library doesn't have what you need?

You might find some resources that would be useful for your dissertation which are not available from this Library. You can order books and journal articles that we don't have through our ArticleReach and Inter Library Loan services. These are free of charge to students. See the Need Something We Don't Have section on our website.

Referencing 

Referencing is an important part of academic writing. It allows you to acknowledge the ideas & words of others if you use them in your research and helps you to avoid plagiarism. It demonstrates that you've read relevant literature for your research and allows you to provide authority for statements you make in your work.

Your first step should be to find out which referencing style is used for your course. Consult your course handbook or Moodle or ask your tutor.  Once you know which referencing style you should use, there is a set of rules you must follow to create your references.  It is important to follow these rules, and you must be consistent through your work. These rules will be fully set out in a style guide/publication. For some of the most commonly used systems such as Harvard. Chicago, APA or MLA there will be excellent online guides which are easily findable from a google search or see Library referenceing helpguide.

Referencing software

You might want to consider using referenceing software such as EndNote Online (UG & Masters students) OR EndNote Desktop (Phd students) to help you keep track of your reading and creating references and bibliographies. The University provides access to EndNote and EndNote Online - see the Library's Using EndNote and EndNote Online for more information or EndNote Online Guide (Education) created for Education students.

Research methods - finding information on the different approaches, methods and skills

The Library subscribes to a specialist research methods database called SAGE Research Methods Core. It supports research by providing access to a range of materials to guide users through every step of the research process. For more information on the database, download our Sage Research Methods Guide.

Other Library Research Methods Resources

The Library has an excellent range of 'how to' books on undertaking research and on the various specific methodologies that are used in the Social Sciences (print & online). You can find these via Library Search.