Dissertations Session 2
description
Transcript of 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– Not out of date work– Not basic textbooks– Not general web pages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