Academic Skills A taster

Finding information for your research

Learning Resources Centre(LRC) is in E block Library Open Access Centre

Library course in Chichester Online Online resources Subject guides Research & IT skills Library catalogue Enrol yourself on the Library course

Online College E-books Full-text journal databases Examstutor Issues Online Keynote marketing reports and others… Access resources off-campus via ChiOnline or Shibboleth link using your college login

Analysing your task Ask yourself: What? – Which subjects does this research cover? When? – Which period of time does this research cover? Where? – Which geographical area does this research cover? Who? – Which people does this research cover?

Match these directive words with their meaning 1. Compare 2. Contrast 3. Critically review 4. Evaluate 5. Interpret 6. Justify 7. Outline E C G A F D B

Planning your research Analyse your task by breaking it down into specific concepts, you can do this by making a Plan Mind map

Choose your search engine “Stand on the shoulders of giants” with Google scholar Precision searching with the Google advanced search facility

Keywords Make sure you find all relevant information by including: – Synonyms and similar terms pollution – contamination global warming – climate change – Alternative spellings colour – color favourite – favorite – Broader and narrower terms, more and less specific terms flood - water management

Planning your research (2) Analyse your task by breaking it down into specific concepts, you can do this by making a Plan Mind map

Searching online Use phrase searching – e.g. “global warming ” Use * to truncate your search term – e.g. pollut* will find pollution, pollute, pollutes

Combine search terms sea river sea AND river stream river stream OR river For a more precise search use AND/OR to combine search terms e.g. sea AND river e.g. stream OR river

Evaluating online information

Decoding web addresses It is also possible to get some idea of the web site provider from the URL, e.g..ac.uk sites are from UK colleges and universities.edusites are from US colleges and universities.govare government sites.orgare organisations.co or.comare companies

Were you right?

Which site would you use?

Or this site?

Referencing, NOT Plagiarising

Referencing - Why? Academic writing requires you to understand the ideas and writing of other people. You should always acknowledge the work of others. Referencing your source material also allows your readers to find your sources and read them for themselves. It stops you plagiarising!

What do I need to reference? BooksWebpages Journal articles Images Graphs Diagrams Photographs Interviews Television programmes Films Radio programmes Podcasts DVDs, CDs All of these and more…..

Referencing true or false 1.Information on the internet is 'free'. Anyone can use it without having to reference it. 2.As long as I use speech marks, I don't have to say where the quotation is from. 3.I can copy pictures/diagrams/photos without referencing them. 4.If I summarise other people's ideas, I still need to reference them. 5.If I paraphrase or rewrite the information, I don't need to reference it.

Referencing true or false 1.Information on the internet is 'free'. Anyone can use it without having to reference it. FALSE 2.As long as I use speech marks, I don't have to say where the quotation is from. FALSE 3.I can copy pictures/diagrams/photos without referencing them. FALSE 4.If I summarise other people's ideas, I still need to reference them. TRUE 5.If I paraphrase or rewrite the information, I don't need to reference it. FALSE

A quick guide to referencing In the main part of your essay you need to clearly detail the name of the author you are quoting from and the year their work was published – citation Tip. Remember to use speech marks around direct quotations and a page number when you copy exactly from the book The reader should then be able to cross-reference this to a more detailed list at the end Reference List

One good style to use – Harvard APA Referencing a book. Citation in your work Author (Date, page no.) Stevenson (1953, p. 23) describes one of his characters as “the usual dry apothecary,….,about as emotional as a bagpipe” Reference list at the end Who, When, What, Where & By Whom Stevenson, R.L. (1953) Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. London: Collins

Citations in your assignment 1“ As the Count leaned over me and his hands touched me, I could not repress a shudder.” Dracula. 2“If ever a face meant death – if looks could kill – we saw it at that moment.” (Stoker, 1994, p. 254). 3“There in one of the great boxes,….., on a pile of newly dug earth, lay the Count!” Stoker, Dracula (1994, p. 63). 4When she was in bed he came and himself fixed the wreath of garlic round her neck. (Stoker, 1994, p. 160).

Citations in your assignment 1“ As the Count leaned over me and his hands touched me, I could not repress a shudder.” Dracula. 2“If ever a face meant death – if looks could kill – we saw it at that moment.” (Stoker, 1994, p. 254). 3“There in one of the great boxes,….., on a pile of newly dug earth, lay the Count!” Stoker, Dracula (1994, p. 63). 4When she was in bed he came and himself fixed the wreath of garlic round her neck. (Stoker, 1994, p. 160).

Create a reference! Earl, R. (2012) My mad fat diary (2 nd edition). London : Hodder & Stoughton