How to Conduct Desk

Research

1 Session 3 - Academic Writing - Research Technique - 10 October 2019

Literature Sources

2 Session 3 - Academic Writing - Research Technique - 10 October 2019

 Literature Sources

• When conducting academic research, you are expected

to use credible sources.


• You are primarily expected to utilize‘peer reviewed

resources’ (although other sources are acceptable)


• A ‘peer reviewed resource’, such as a journal article,

text book or e-book, is a source that has been
evaluated professionally by experts and colleagues in
the field before it has been published.

3 Session 3 - Academic Writing - Research Technique - 10 October 2019

 Literature Sources

• Use up-to-date refereed journal articles.

• Try to get the most up-to-date sources available e.g.
2000 on-wards


• As a general rule, magazine, newspaper articles,

anything written by ‘anonymous’, is usually not
acceptable.


• Lectures should not be used as sources

4 Session 3 - Academic Writing - Research Technique - 10 October 2019

 Literature Sources

• Endeavour to minimise the use of textbooks (except to

get started with ideas)

• Use a variety of sources from a variety of journals 


• Tip: You can look at the reference list at the end of any
your good articles to get ideas

5 Session 3 - Academic Writing - Research Technique - 10 October 2019

 How to Judge a 

Good Quality Article
• Written by lecturers / academics from universities


• Look at submission procedures in front of journals

(blind peer refereed)


• Large Paragraph as an Abstract


• General Sections: Intro, Literature Review, Method,

Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Implications &
Future Research

6 Session 3 - Academic Writing - Research Technique - 10 October 2019

 How to Judge a 

Good Quality Article

• Is it from a Journal? (not a Monthly, Review,

Weekly)


• Approx 8-15 pages (average 8-12)


• Articles have substantial reference list (e.g. 3

pages)

7 Session 3 - Academic Writing - Research Technique - 10 October 2019

Conducting your Search for
Literature

8 Session 3 - Academic Writing - Research Technique - 10 October 2019

 Getting Started with your
SEARCH

1.Think about your topic carefully, and determine the different

aspects of it that you may wish to focus on


• e.g. How do employee wellness programs impact

employee productivity?


9 Session 3 - Academic Writing - Research Technique - 10 October 2019

 Search Terms

2. First Search


• Generate search terms; e.g. employee wellness programs,

wellness programs, wellness programs and productivity….
• Search engines are very powerful now, so you can be
very specific with your search terms.


• Conduct first search to obtain works published on the

subject area
• Use multiple sources; e.g. Science Direct, Google
Scholar

10 Session 3 - Academic Writing - Research Technique - 10 October 2019

 Skimming your Results
2. First Search cont…


• Skim and evaluate the articles you find that look as though
they might be relevant - you need to determine their
relevance / usefulness:


• First look at the Title, then

• the Abstract, then
• the various headings and subheadings, then
• focus on the first & last 2 or 3 pages (key sections like the
Introduction, Literature Review, Conclusion)
• Read the first couple of sentences in the paragraphs in these sections
(read on if they are on target)
• Keep in mind the purpose for which you require the information

11 Session 3 - Academic Writing - Research Technique - 10 October 2019

 Second Search
3.Second Search
• Generate further search terms
• this may be because the articles you came up with in the
first search are inadequate in content, or insufficient in
number, or
• it may be because you are drilling down deeper into your
topic, based on your preliminary reading in your first set of
articles
• Conduct further literature search
• You can also use the reference lists from articles already
found
• Read and evaluate
• Repeat as necessary….

12 Session 3 - Academic Writing - Research Technique - 10 October 2019

 Save and Print your Best

4. SAVE ALL relevant articles


• Save them in relevant folders, according to what their

emphasis is


• From your saved articles, print your preferred / most

relevant ones
• This is necessary for the next stage, which is your pre-
writing stage….

13 Session 3 - Academic Writing - Research Technique - 10 October 2019