I am asked this question many times: how to find the right literature? It is not easy to track down exactly the appropriate literature in the enormous amount of books and articles available.
The short answer is: know how to search! How to figure out how to do that? Ask the University library, or follow one of their workshops. It can shed light on:
– where to search
– what search operators or search commands you need to use
– how to retrieve your search terms
– how to divide your search question in manageable chunks
– how to find the right search term
– how the snowball method works
– how to find out if a website or data bank is safe
– how to check your data
– how to use different data banks
– what characters to add to your search
– how to organise your results
– how to filter your results
– how to find images, video’s, contact details, experts, statistics
– how to avoid unnecessary typing
– how to improve or extend your search
– what is the difference between the free and the deep web
– how to search specifically for recent publications
And much, much more.
Do you know all the answers to these questions? Fantastic, you are without doubt a great help for your colleagues, who would like some extra help with searching….. In all other cases: go to your library!
Do you want to stay informed about all the handy tips, tricks and tools? Receive 244 #phd tips and get the newsletter as a bonus! Register here.
Get your free PhD tips
