Before research

Begin by defining your research, what are you researching and why?

You might consider the following in defining your research scope:

• Subject: Relevant to a module topic or area of interest.

• Period: A specific time e.g., the Victorian era.

• Purpose: Are you writing a literature review or exploring a specific argument?

During research

Key steps in conducting research and gathering data may involve identifying your database.

• Choose the appropriate source which might be an online database, a library, or an archive.

• University libraries often produce guides on a variety of subject-specific databases. See this example from the University of Sheffield.

You may also need to search the database. Start by identifying specific key terms for your research and their alternatives (e.g., kitten for cat).

• Add terms to focus your search by adding AND, OR to the search bar, this will narrow the search field to references that fit your criteria e.g., cats AND kittens, cats OR kittens.

• You can also refine your results by subject, publication, material type, and date.

After research

After research, it is helpful to organise your results. This means that your research is accessible and helps to identify any gaps. You might use one of the following to do this:

• Reference managers (see Tools for referencing)

• Folders on your desktop

• Word document

Preliminary reading

Not all the results of your research will be useful. Following these steps will help determine whether a piece of research is relevant for your purposes. The next step is to narrow down these results to the most relevant material. You can do this by:

• Reading the abstract. The abstract will offer a summary of the argument made in the paper.

• Reading the introduction and conclusion. These will outline the argument, the evidence, and the contributions of the research.

Critical and close reading

Engage deeply with the research, this means not only reading to understand the research but reflecting on and evaluating it.

• Read thoroughly, one section at a time.

• Take notes on your understanding, thoughts and reflections.

• Re-read if you need to solidify your understanding and allow ample time for this.

Consider the following questions while reading:

• What is the argument?

• What is the evidence that supports it?

• Do you agree? Why or why not?

• How does this piece fit into my research?

These tips should help you develop successful strategies and approaches to your research and reading.