How to research

How to research

If you know where to start university libraries hold no end of hidden treasure.

The tour

You’re usually given the option of a library tour for your department at the beginning of the academic year. Make sure you go, it only takes a little bit of your time and saves on much confusion at a later date.

The books

Use to your advantage that your library will have a computerised catalogue system that allows you to search by title, subject or author for the books you need.  This saves you so much time. You can also reserve books that are out on loan with this system.

You may miss a whole group of related books by typing in the wrong search terms, so have a browse around the bookshelves for your subject as well.

The journals and periodicals

Research papers and studies are compiled into journals. There are hundreds upon thousands of these, and your best bet for looking through is to use a major journal database specific to your degree subject. For example Psychology papers can all be found using PsycLit, and these are often found online as a branch of the university website or on CD-ROM. Ask at the help desk either in your library or department to find out which database is relevant to you.

Recent and new journals for the past 12 months are often kept in another area with the newspapers and magazines (periodicals). It is good practise to take time to flick through those relevant to you, and mention studies and recent news in your essays and presentations to show you have your finger on the pulse and to boost your grades.

Past exam papers and students’ work

Past exam papers and students work may be available in your department, but they are often kept in your library. Photocopying the last couple of years exams papers will give you an idea of the questions you’ll be getting asked and the key areas on the course. In your second year old dissertations and final projects will prove useful to look at, to help plan what to do and how. Will also help to know how much is expected of you.

Videos and video rooms

You may borrow films and documentaries or simply watch them in a small room within the library. This can prove invaluable for your course, but also a fantastic way to spend rainy days between lectures.

The internet

The internet is an invaluable resource for research. Find out any websites that your tutors and lecturers may recommend and generally browse around. You can find yourself browsing the web for hours without actually finding anything useful so, skim-read sites and try to refine your subject choice as much as possible to avoid getting distracted.

Good technique:

• Keep a record of where you find useful information; you will need to quote it at the end of your essay or dissertation.
• Skim-read books to see if they’re relevant: look at headings, sub headings and chapter summaries. Read ones you have selected in depth, taking notes as you go. Re-read anything you haven’t totally understood.
• Its library staffs job to help you to find things you can’t find or don’t know how to. So don’t be afraid to ask.

Buying books

You may find it’s worthwhile to part with some cash and invest in the most important books as it’s likely that a must-read book for a particular essay is in demand from the library as deadline day approaches. University libraries don’t contain enough books for every student on your course.

A good start to finding your must-read books would be in the university bookshop. Housed on your campus there are often high street stores, they are likely to specialise in subjects that your university offers.

Your local Student Union may also offer a book exchange service. The idea is that once you have finished with a book, you can sell it via the Student Union who will take a small cut.

Major online sites such as Amazon or ebay allow you to buy second-hand books.