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Dissertations Session 2

Dissertations Session 2. How to begin your research: Methods and materials. Methods and materials. Aims and objectives Methods = HOW am I going to do this?. Methods of organising the literature How do you go about finding the literature or sources that you need to read?.

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Dissertations Session 2

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  1. DissertationsSession 2 How to begin your research: Methods and materials

  2. Methods and materials • Aims and objectives • Methods = HOW am I going to do this?

  3. Methods of organising the literatureHow do you go about finding the literature or sources that you need to read? • Key: finding up to date peer-reviewed/well regarded literature, preferably primary sources • E.g. journals • Not out of date work • Not basic textbooks • Not general web pages What methods would you use?

  4. Starting to put together a bibliography • Use bibliographies in the sources you have (perhaps start with a key text) • Use lecture notes and your supervisor • Use searches on online resources (what kind of pages would be reliable?)

  5. QUALITY NOT QUANTITY

  6. Other key places to look • Library catalogue- search subjects and YorSearch http://www.york.ac.uk/services/library/

  7. Devise a search strategy • Think about the topic and ask yourself questions to clarify your ideas • Define your topic into one phrase, e.g. women’s suffrage • Split your phrase into concepts: women suffrage • For each concept make a list of alternatives gender vote feminismsuffrage right

  8. Identifying Search Problems / Widening your search • Consider differences in spelling for different nationalities • The terms used to describe the concept in other disciplines

  9. Other key places to look • Library catalogue- search subjects (http://www.york.ac.uk/services/library/) • Subject resources on the internet (via library pages) http://www.york.ac.uk/library/subjectresources

  10. Other key places to look • Library catalogue- search subjects http://www.york.ac.uk/services/library/ • Subject resources on the internet (via library pages) http://www.york.ac.uk/library/subjectresources • Google Scholar and Books www.google.com/scholar www.google.com/books • Bibliographic databases *British Humanities Index (see METALIB, under ‘English’ or ‘Philosophy’ or similar). *Web of knowledge http://wok.mimas.ac.uk/

  11. Other key places to look • British and Irish Archaeological Bibliography www.biab.ac.uk • METALIB – e.g. International Medieval Bibliography http://www.york.ac.uk/library/ See METALIB on right-hand menu. • BRITARCH www.britarch.ac.uk

  12. We now have Shibbeloth This uses your existing computing name and password. So it should be straightforward. If you can’t get access, it’s probably because: • You are trying to access from off-campus (see http://www.york.ac.uk/library/electroniclibrary/howtoconnect/ ) • The particular journal (or volume of the journal) you are after is not available online.

  13. How do I access ejournals and ebooks? • http://www.york.ac.uk/library/See METALIB and e-journals on right-hand menu • Don’t forget that not all journals are accessible electronically so you still have to go to the library sometimes!

  14. What happens if the thing I need isn’t in the library? • Interlending http://www.york.ac.uk/library/servicesandfacilities/interlendinganddocumentsupply/

  15. How do I find out about other resources and databases? • JISC - The Joint Information Systems Committee http://www.jisc.ac.uk/ • This will lead you to all sorts of databases, including AHDS: http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/ • www.researchblogging.org

  16. How do I manage all of these references? • Be organised from the start! You should be using far more references than you have ever used before!! • Use some sort of system- e.g. card files, book • MS Word • MS Access/Excel • Endnote /Endnote Web http://www.endnoteweb.com http://www.york.ac.uk/library/howdoi/organisemyinformation/

  17. How do I keep track of all my notes? • Again think about using a notebook or file • Be sure to note down all the necessary details- author, year, title etc etc • Include info on shelf mark in library and whether you have a photocopy • Make sure you track the page numbers as you make notes

  18. How do I keep track of all my notes? • Again think about using a notebook or file • Be sure to note down all the necessary details- author, year, title etc etc • Include info on shelf mark in library and whether you have a photocopy • Make sure you track the page numbers as you make notes

  19. Tasks for next week • Explore subject resources on the internet, and identify some useful ones for you • Look on the Dissertation Workshop pages, and start to familiarise yourself with the detailed outline you need to submit in Week 8 • Prepare your Research grant proposal http://www.york.ac.uk/archaeology/ugrad/courses.yrk/diss/menu.html

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