Why do I need to read books and journals? To get to know more about your topic you must read about it. A good place to start are your textbooks because you know them. At the end of each chapter in many of these textbooks there is a list of books and journals which have been used by the authors. These books and academic journals are sources you can read after you have re-red the relevant chapters in your textbook. Newspapers often have interesting articles which may be relevant even if they are not always reliable.

Do not forget that there are several internet sources available, and that the Arcada library homepage has links to journals and other sources. For more information consult the homepage of the library or ask the librarians. You can benefit from articles in Wikipedia, they may help you to understand your topic better, but Wikipedia is not a source you can use directly, even if some of the articles are very good.

Reading relevant literature will help you to find new research done on your topic, and a discussion on that research. Enables you to put your research into context. It is important that your topic has a context, that it is part of ongoing research or discussion. If it does not have a context, the theoretical framework may be missing, and you may not have any terms or concepts in terms of which to explain your findings.

Reading the literature should also help you to understand your topic better, and may lead you to change or modify it. It may also help you to find and formulate your main research question. May give you an idea of how you would best go about collecting your own primary data. Should you interview relevant people or should you use a survey, or maybe both? Should use focus groups, etc? It may show you how data must be analysed, how to test survey data, how to summarise interview data, how to record, analyse and summarise data gathered in focus groups, etc.

Do not forget that you can use other theses as a source, but be careful! Reading theses on your topic can also help you understand better how you should do your own project, and what structure a thesis should normally have.

Databases you can access via the internet: Business Source Complete Blackwell Reference Online You can find direct links to academic journals in Google Scholar, but the journals may be locked.

How can I know if an article is relevant and reliable? Is the journal where it is published an academic journal? When was it published? Is it on my topic or a close topic? Is this article cited or mentioned in other articles, and in other articles in other journals? Are other articles by the same author cited in articles by other authors? Is the article well written, coherent and logical? Is it clear from the article what methods (how) the author or authors used in the research they are describing?

Is the author writing anything which is relevant to my research topic? What use can I make of this book or article in my own research? In the beginning of your thesis work, before you have finalised your research plan, it is a good idea to read on your topic. Start by reading general literature like textbooks and Wikipedia, and skim some academic articles. This may help you to understand better what you are about to embark upon.