dissertations session 2

How to begin your research:Methods and materials

Aims and objectives

Methods = HOW am I going to do this?

• 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– Not out of date work– Not basic textbooks– Not general web pages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?

• 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?)

QUALITY NOT

QUANTITY

• Library catalogue- search subjects and YorSearch

http://www.york.ac.uk/services/library/

• 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 votefeminism suffrage

right

• Consider differences in spelling for different nationalities

• The terms used to describe the concept in other disciplines

Identifying Search Problems / Widening your search

• 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

• Library catalogue- search subjectshttp://www.york.ac.uk/services/library/

• Subject resources on the internet (via library pages)http://www.york.ac.uk/library/subjectresources

• Google Scholar and Bookswww.google.com/scholarwww.google.com/books

• Bibliographic databases*British Humanities Index (see METALIB, under

‘English’ or ‘Philosophy’ or similar).

*Web of knowledge http://wok.mimas.ac.uk/

• 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.

• BRITARCHwww.britarch.ac.uk

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.

• 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!

• Interlending http://www.york.ac.uk/library/servicesandfacilities/interlendinganddocumentsupply/

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

• 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 Webhttp://www.endnoteweb.com

http://www.york.ac.uk/library/howdoi/organisemyinformation/

• 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

• 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

• 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 proposalhttp://www.york.ac.uk/archaeology/ugrad/

courses.yrk/diss/menu.html