conducting academic research oct 2009
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Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
RationaleUnderstanding the importance of
effective research Why write a Bibliography?How to conduct effective researchHow to organise the research
processHow to optimise time spent readingHow to Construct a Bibliography
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
Undertaking any kind of academic research will at some point involve the use of relevant literature.
The analysis and summary of the relevant literature should be used to support your argument or theory.
Your Argument will probably require the use of literature from a diverse range of sources.
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
• The process begins with you being given a brief
• You will then need to narrow down the area within that brief that you intend to discuss
• You now need to identify the relevant literature to that topic
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
The most obvious places to begin are the Internet and the University Library.
The Library is where you will find reliable literature and sources. Later you may wish to access your local library.
The internet will have reliable and unreliable material
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
Reliable Sources
Unreliable Sources
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
• Internet Research - Apply the same methods
• Vast array of information• Delicious
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
Shelf Mark Search• Identify reference numbers of
books/journals from the reading list• Locate these books in the library and
look around at others in the same area
• Look at the book titles and jacket summary
• Search inside the books
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
Online Library Catalogue - Keyword Search
Think of two or three words or
phrases that may appear in a book relevant to your topic and enter them into the search box
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
The number of results of this type of search will vary, you can widen or narrow these results by adding or removing key words
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
Once you have the books that may be relevant to your topic
• Look at the contents page• Look at the index for ranges of
relevant pages
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
Once you have applied these methods you
will discard the books that seem to have little
relevance and be left with books that you
need to read.
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
Other sources of research and information• Journals - paper/electronic• Newspaper Articles - paper/electronic• Exhibition Catalogues• Music/Audio• Film/Television• Direct conversations - telephone, face
to face, e-mail• Internet, Podcasts etc• Lectures
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
UWN uses the Harvard System of Referencing. The Library has
produced a complete guide which details exactly how to reference all of these sources. This is available in hard copy direct from the library or it can be downloaded from their
website.
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
• Do not read ad infinitum• Stay Focused• Stick to your topic• Keep referring to your essay
title/question• Irrelevant content in essays affects
grades• Always make notes
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
It is possible that in light of the reading you have done your
question/argument or title needs to be adjusted, it is fine to change the ‘spin’ or approach or ‘tweak’ your
title, but think very carefully before completely changing your question, you may find yourself having to start
again from scratch.
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
Why Make Notes?• Focus your attention• Making Sense of material• Symbol of Progress• Essential part of constructing
essay• Pulls all the ideas and facts
together
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
Bibliography - BookAuthor/EditorYear of PublicationTitleEdition (if not the first)Place of PublicationName of Publisher
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
Example
ZUKAV, G. 1979. The Dancing Wu Li Masters – An Overview of the
New Physics. Rider & Company/Hutchinson & Co.
(Publishers) Ltd: London.
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
We will discuss how the referencing should be included within the body
of the text in a later session
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
It is necessary to begin your bibliography when you begin reading not when you have
finished writing.
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
In order to read effectively ensure that you
• Have a good study environment• Make a time commitment• Review previous reading sessions• Create questions and write them down• Read to answer questions• Think about what you are reading• Make notes
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
Different Reading Strategies
• Skimming• Scanning• Close/Critical/Active
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
Skimming - Fast Reading to ‘get the gist’
• Read titles and subtitles• Look at Diagrams, illustrations and
charts• Read first and last sentence of paragraph• Pick out key words
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
Scanning - Specific Information gathering
by topic or phrase• Decide and write down the questions
you want answered• Focus on the task of finding
information• Don’t read every word, scan the page
until you find what you are looking for• Use headlines and titles to help
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
Close Reading - careful reading (more than once if necessary) and understanding of elements you have decided are interesting and relevant to your subject matter, and will be included in your argument.
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
What if I don’t understand?
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
Elaborately cautious language
Everything said in academic texts tends to be cushioned in very cautious language
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
This is a necessary part of Academic Writing. The writers are trying to be as exact as they can in their analysis, so they are careful to say only what they think can be justified.
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
“In everyday life we cheerfully use language as a blunt instrument for cudgelling our way through the cut and thrust of events around us.”
Andrew Northedge,1990.
The Good Study Guide
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
In academic writing language is meant to be used more like a scalpel, cutting precisely between closely related arguments so that they can be prised apart and analysed in detail. An academic writer aims to say exactly and only what they mean, even if it takes a lot of extra words.
Andrew Northedge,1990.
The Good Study Guide
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
Words I don’t understand?
Glossary
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
• Rationale - statement of the reasoning that underlies a course of action
• Bibliography - list of materials consulted, appearing at the end of a text
• Unreliable - not able to be trusted• ‘Ad Infinitum’ - for so long as to seem
endless• Analysis - separate, examine
individual parts
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
Study Advice Service
First Floor of Library, Caerleon CampusTel: 01633 432109
Harvard Referencing Guidehttp://www3.newport.ac.uk/docstore/b/aevans03/Bibliographies.pdf
Conducting Academic Research
Jayne Hall October 2009
fini
Conducting Academic ResearchWhen reading the article think about: • What are your feelings as you read the article?• Are you experiencing any difficulties or
problems as you read?• Are there parts of the text you find unclear?• Is the article useful or interesting?• How long has it taken?• Where and at what time of day are you
reading?
Jayne Hall October 2009
Conducting Academic Research
Once you have read it:• Can you sum up what the article was about
in one sentence?• What can you remember? What two or
three points stuck in your mind as worth noting?
• Do you think you will find it easy to remember what was in the article in a few days time?
• Did you mark words as you read (highlighter or underlining)?
• Did you make any notes? Jayne Hall October 2009