MyUni Library Essentials includes a section on Researching. Follow the link below to learn how to plan a search strategy and conduct your search. (You need to log in to Canvas to access the link.)
Please follow the link to self-enrol on MyUni Library Essentials if you have not accessed the course before.
Keywords
Getting more results
Getting fewer results
Critically appraising your sources is a crucial element of any literature search. You need to consider is your sources are:
Ask yourself the following questions about the information you have found.
Who?
When?
What sort of information?
Google can be a useful tool for finding information online. However, it can be difficult to find the most relevant and reliable sources of information from a list of thousands or millions of results. Don't assume the results at the top are the best ones! The following strategies will help you search Google more effectively.
Use your keywords and the command site:url to find results from one website or from a group of websites. For instance, a search for foundation phase site:gov.wales will find information about the Foundation Phase from the Welsh Government website. You could use site:ac.uk to search academic websites.
Use the command filetype: to limit your search to a particular type of document. This can be useful if you are looking for a certain type of information. For example, if you government documents are likely to be published in PDF form, so you could use filetype:pdf to limit your results to PDFs and make it easier to find what you need. Numerical data is likely to appear in a spreadsheet, so you could use filetype:xls to look for Excel documents.
Google Scholar searches scholarly literature such as journal articles and abstracts, but you may have difficulty accessing the full-text of the material you find. Linking your Google Scholar account to Swansea University will help with this. Just go to the settings cog from the menu
and then go to Library Links to find Swansea University.
Although Google Scholar can be useful, iFind and subject databases such as Science Direct have certain key advantages:-
Centre for Academic Success
From help with structuring and writing assignments, to support with maths and stats, the Centre for Academic Success can help you. Click on the link below to find out more about their services:
Use Sage Research Methods to learn about different research methods, find case studies and use statistical resources.
Content
Access to hundreds of ebooks on research methods and methodology. There are also podcasts and videos to explain some concepts.
Tools
There are a number of tools to help you with your research project or dissertation:
There are AI tools that can help you with your research. You will need to use your judgement to review the information they find as these tools are not always reliable. They should be used alongside more traditional literature searching techniques.
Remember you must use AI tools responsibly. As a general rule, you should say if you have used AI to help with your research and how you have used it. You should not use AI to write any parts of your assignment; submitted work should be original. Check for guidance on AI use in your module handbooks and assignment briefs. Please read the University's policy on AI use and Academic Misconduct.