1. Research skills 1 How to find reliable sources
How to use them meaningfully
Read

2. Reliable sources This advice is limited to A Level.
At university, you will have access to more sources, e.g. published theses and journals
Slides 2-9 = 10 minutes

3. What is a reliable source?
Books from library or EN4 (academic books within the relevant discipline), e.g. Cambridge Companion
Google Scholar
Google Books
specialist magazines or newspapers of agreed high repute, e.g. emagazine

4. recorded TV or radio programmes to which reputable figures within the discipline have contributed, e.g. In Our Time (Radio 4)
primary sources such as original letters, diaries, novels, plays or poetry
Based on

5. Rules for sources:
Check to see whether the author has written other reputable academic publications
Omit the source altogether if you have real doubts about its authenticity or validity
If you are in any doubt whatsoever, ask your teacher before you use a source

6. 4 most pertinent sources for A Level
Books from library or EN4 (reliable, as rigorously peer-reviewed and edited)
Google Scholar (reliable, as full text or metadata of scholarly literature)
Google Books (reliable, because sources are provided by publishers, libraries and authors)
emagazine (reliable, as rigorously peer-reviewed and edited)

7. Tips Books from library or EN4
Read selectively across books (not all books are useful for your coursework: a small number used well is best)
Read selectively within a book (Cambridge Companions are good, as are books with clearly delineated chapters)

8. Tips Google Scholar and Google Books
Select search terms with care (see example)
Read source with a critical eye
Cite it properly if you use it
Beware: whilst these are both reliable, they are not perfect

9. Tips
emagazine
search both for your text(s) and other useful articles, e.g. on genre, theme or topic, or general comparison advice
look at who wrote the article (professional academic? Teacher? Student?)
TIMECHECK: 10 minutes

10. Navigation of emagazine
username: alcestergrammar
password: english
NB These login details must not be shared with any other person, as we pay a subscription to access
Slides take 15 minutes to go through these slides, then to explore what’s available for a coursework text on the website (e.g. 1984) and have a skim read of a couple of the articles to see the range of sources available. This is one of the most popular sources for coursework criticism

11. Left hand side narrows results
Right hand gives more options

12. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED KEEP AN OPEN MIND
Hold on…
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
KEEP AN OPEN MIND
Two 1984 results from search term ‘dystopia’
An example of being observant with search results and looking carefully for alternative sources
TIMECHECK 25 minutes

13. Navigation of Google Scholar and Google Books
Slides take 5 minutes to explore what’s available for a coursework text (e.g. 1984) and the limited amount of information available, depending on results – case study Harold Bloom

14. No preview = no use
Google Books example

15. Scroll down a little – a useful result
Harold Bloom = renowned literary critic
Follow link to explore

16. Google Scholar can be very hard to navigate: you don’t have to use it!
NB As can be seen here, Google Scholar can be VERY HARD to navigate. Google Books may serve students better
TIMECHECK 30 MINUTES

17. 2. How to use them meaningfully
Worked example using emagazine article as critical source, and two coursework texts not yet covered
The Kite Runner
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Slides 17 to end = 30 minutes, much of which is independent work

18. The Task…
By the end of your final session of week 4, you will need to have produced a mini coursework task in which you clearly compare and contrast two texts based on the key themes and ideas within them.
Comparison of your chosen coursework texts begins in crafting the title itself. With this in mind, at the centre of your question must be a thematic focus. You should use the theories discussed to make analytical readings of the text.
Questions must also allow scope to explore different perspectives and interpretations.
Finally, they should be evaluative e.g. ‘how far do you agree…’, ‘to what extent...’

19. emagazine article on narrative viewpoint:
For future reference:
Hand out article to students
Read and absorb. Discuss carefully how generic article might be applied to coursework texts (5 minutes?)
Hand out both novel openings to students
Read and absorb. Discuss carefully relevance of article to each (10 minutes?)
Student make brief notes on connections between articles and novel openings, perhaps highlighting pertinent quotes, writing questions or annotating techniques used to convey particular viewpoints (15 minutes?)

20. Next session: emagazine article on the opening of The Kite Runner:
Further discussion points, such as:
Is this article useful?
How would it work with the first article?
What points of comparison are there between
the articles and the novel openings?
Independent work