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Posted Sept. 3, 2014

How to Start Work on a Great Postgrad Bibliography

One of the keys to writing a quality paper or dissertation is to have a good bibliography. Finding the best researched and most relevant books or journals, will let you keep focus on the topic and avoid having to scrap hours of work later on. The following list should help you get started creating your bibliography, with a clear vision of where your paper is going from the start.
 

Settle on a Topic Having a clear idea of where your research needs to go can help you avoid going on too many tangents. It is easy to get distracted when gathering information, and you soon find yourself including research outside the scope the paper. While you can't be sure where your research will take you, having a broad question or statement in mind will avoid distractions.

Visit the Library A good place to begin research is, of course, the library. Browsing the shelves in the relevant sections can get you started, but making use of the library catalogue will allow you to work quickly and efficiently. A quality library may have journals or papers that you cannot source online, and these can often form the basis of your research. If you speak to the librarian, you may find they have previously assisted a student with a similar topic and can point you in the right direction.

Search Online There is a vast amount of information and research online, but finding reputable sources can be the hurdle you face.

As discussed here , Google Scholar is a fantastic resource for browsing an array of academic articles, books and more, from respected universities and publishers. You can also search for blogs and websites using the standard search engine, focusing on broad terms related to your research. Make sure to check for citations though, as you need to have a way to distinguish the reliability of the information.

Consult Bibliographies While you are researching online and at the library, make sure to use the bibliography from any quality resource you come across. If you find a good book, for example, make a note of the sources the author used and try to locate them yourself. While it is easy to assume the author has researched the most useful information from these books already, you may come across things that are far more relevant to your individual topic.

Watch Academic Videos Video may seem an unlikely source of information for your bibliography, but there is plenty of quality available if you search for it. Using websites like YouTube, search for the name of an expert in the field or a particular lecture subject, and there will often be university lectures, documentaries or academic conferences. Many videos have transcripts or the option to increase video speed, so you can avoid having to watch hours of videos that are not beneficial to you.

Keep Your Discipline With all this research at your fingertips, it is easy to get drowned in information and distracted by unrelated topics. Aim to be as disciplined as possible with your bibliography, so when it comes to writing your dissertation you are focused and organised. To do this, accept that you can't read everything and sometimes you are better off moving on when you are veering outside the scope of your topic. Also, organise your bibliography using software like EndNote . Having all your research organised in one place will save you a lot of time later on.

When you have completed these steps, you should be fully prepared to begin your first draft. Having the best quality research, organised and focused, will put you in the best place to complete your postgrad assignment.

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1 comment

Leonardo Feb. 18, 2017, 3:54 p.m.

Thanks a lot for the article post.Much thanks again. Awesome.

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