Library Guides: Dissertations: Library research skills

The Library provides support for the development of your research skills while undertaking your dissertation or research project.

These extended online workshops combine a range of short sessions covering the following topics, delivered by staff from the Library and 301: Academic Skills Centre:

Planning your dissertation (301: Academic Skills Centre)
Searching for and questioning information
Referencing tips and tricks
Discovering and using images and infographics

Please note that further workshop dates may be added later in the teaching semester.

There are no sessions currently scheduled but we do offer the following complementary online tutorials, videos and guides:

Research Skills and Critical Thinking online tutorials, videos and guides

We run a variety of workshops and webinars which you may find useful when working on your dissertation or research project:

Research Skills and Critical Thinking Workshops

Here is a selection of research skills and critical thinking tutorials to support you in your dissertation:

Producing a literature review

A literature review aims to give an overview of the current scholarly understanding of a particular topic, including any competing theories or perspectives.

Discovering information

Discovering is the literacy which enables learners to develop search strategies and utilise a broad range of generic and discipline specific resource discovery tools. Information discovery might be guided, inquiry based, or serendipitous.

Referencing

Referencing is the literacy which enables learners to acknowledge the work of others, building on their own analysis of existing knowledge. It also enables learners to attribute sources by creating citations and generating accurate bibliographies.

Developing an effective system for keeping track of your references is an essential element of research: Reference management.

Evaluating information and critical thinking

Learn how to think critically about your information sources, and evaluate information that you find to ensure that it is reliable, accurate, of good quality, and relevant to your assignment.

Academic writing

Understanding more about academic writing, and the conventions of your discipline, can help you develop confidence and make improvements to your written work. Our colleagues in 301 have produced this useful resource to support you.