Please read our guidance on this page to help you research and write your dissertation. You can also book an appointment with your Academic Librarians who can help you find resources including journal articles, statistics and more.
Use the Skills for Learning website for step by step guidance on how to plan and manage your workload, and how to structure your dissertation:
Before deciding upon a topic, it is a good idea to conduct a 'scoping' or formative search in Discover, just to make sure that there is enough relevant material for you to consider, read and analyse.
Also, remember that conducting a literature review is your opportunity to find out more about a topic that interests you. If you cannot think of a topic:
A literature review is a review of the existing literature, journal articles, books and evidence published on a given topic. It is a critical and evaluative account of any published work around your research field, including a description and analysis of existing knowledge of the topic, the identification of any gaps in the existing body of knowledge, and an explanation of how your research might contribute to and further develop current understanding of the subject.
A literature review is not simply a description or summary of each individual paper. It should instead be organised around the findings of the articles considered, and is therefore an opportunity to identify common themes and issues as well as highlighting opposing arguments.
You should consult your Tutor or module handbook regarding exactly how to organise your literature review. However, a literature review would normally have the following basic structure:
Introduction. This is where you introduce your research topic: what it is, why it is important and how it fills any gaps in the available knowledge. The introduction should outline any main themes or chronological developments and also outline the organisational structure of the review.
Body. This is where you discuss the sources and articles used, as well as any controversies and points of debate. The body of your review can be arranged chronologically if you want to illustrate how arguments and views have changed over a given time period, or it can be arranged thematically by themes and subtopics. Another way in which your review can be organised is by theoretical arguments e.g. positivist, anti-positivst, and sociocultural evolutionists, or rational choice theory vs social learning theory.
Conclusion. This is where you summarise what you have learnt from your literature review and highlight any suggested areas for further research.
Discover is an excellent starting point when conducting a literature review as it searches through the vast majority of our electronic resources. However, it is also a good idea to search relevant individual databases for a more subject-specific perspective.
When you find a relevant article, you should then follow the trails from it to other useful information:
Remember that searching is not a linear process. The more reading that you do, the more additional keywords, authors, topics and questions you are likely to encounter with which you can expand or refine your original list of search terms. This is a positive sign, as it shows you are expanding your knowledge of your subject and it is a key part of the process of conducting a comprehensive literature review.
A Reference Librarian at Kishwaukee College Library has produced this helpful video on how to read a scholarly article:
Your search strategy is your plan of action for searching. It is important to ensure that your searching is systematic, and does not omit any potentially useful results. To achieve this, you should consider the following points when forming a search strategy and devising a list of terms to search for:
Then, when conducting searches, remember that:
Finally, record the databases you have searched, the search terms you have used and any limits applied - you will need this information to ensure that your searching is systematic and methodical, and then also for writing up your methodology!
Remember, a crucial stage of any research is evaluating the quality. If you are evaluating free resources you can use the REVIEW method:
Staff and students can request new academic eBooks for the Library to buy.
This eBook requesting service is only for eBooks needed for individual study/research or to diversify the Library collection.
Check out the Request an eBook page to find out more about the service.
If you would like to read a book that we don't have here at Leeds Beckett, you could try one of the following options:
1. If you are a final year undergraduate, postgraduate student, researcher or member of staff you could apply for an interlibrary loan. You can make your request online on MyBeckett (go to the Library tab and find the 'Interlibrary Loan Request Service' box). Most books will arrive for you to collect from the Library within 20 working days.
2. Search on Library Hub Discover to see if there is another university library that has the book. Library Hub Discover enables you to search over 110 UK and Irish library catalogues to help you identify resources held elsewhere.
3. Apply for SCONUL Access to borrow the book from another UK or Irish university library (full-time undergraduate students can't borrow, but can still have reference access). Apply online and register with your Leeds Beckett email address. You should contact the library you wish to visit beforehand to check opening hours, access policies, accessibility and any documentation you may need to take with you.
4. You could visit the British Library Reading Room at the Document Supply Centre, Boston Spa, near Leeds. You can't borrow from this library, but you can consult millions of items. You can pre-register for a Reading Room pass and order your material online before visiting on the Library's website.
5. You could search the Leeds Public Library Catalogue to see if they have the book you are looking for. You can also make reservations online and join if you're not already a member.
Here are some suggestions to help with writing your literature review:
All of the sources you use in your work have to be referenced using the Leeds Beckett Harvard style. For example, a book you use needs to have a citation in the text:
(Badiou, 2019)
and a corresponding reference at the end of your work:
Badiou, A. (2019) Happiness. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
You can find guidelines and lots of examples on the Skills for Learning website:
Within Leeds Beckett
You can search the University repository for past Leeds Beckett research.
The Library also has some hard copies of old dissertations and theses. You can consult these to see how previous students conducted and presented their work. To search for a dissertation or thesis on the Library Catalogue:
Doing a literature review The ultimate guide to the 'what', 'how' and 'why' of literature reviewing, the second edition of theclassic text shows how the literature review will unlock the full potential of one′s research with: A thorough exploration of the literature review process from start to finish Two brand new chapters explaining the different types of review and evidence and evaluation Extended examples that show you how to apply key techniques and procedures A new 'core skills' framework to help you turn your research experience into employability A critical thinking focus that will help you construct convincing arguments and improve your research decisions In combining a critical, philosophical approach with an expertly selected body of practical examples, the Second Edition of Chris Hart′s landmark text provides both the intellectual understanding and the technical skills required to produce sophisticated, robust literature reviews of the very highest standard. SAGE Study Skillsare essential study guides for students of all levels. From how to write great essays and succeeding at university, to writing your undergraduate dissertation and doing postgraduate research, SAGE Study Skills help you get the best from your time at university. Visit the SAGE Study Skills hub for tips, resources and videos on study success!
The literature review: six steps to success 3 edition. From daunting to doable in six steps The process of literature search and composing a formal literature review can be intimidating. But masters and doctoral candidates in Education and related fields have found academic argumentation to be seamlessly intuitive with the six-step process pioneered by this book. This updated third edition features a wealth of all-new content including: A flowchart that graphically illustrates Machi and McEvoy's process. Reflective Oversight boxes in each chapter, prompting readers to direct metacognitive activities. Links to online guides and resources. Expanded examples illustrating theoretical concepts.
Media and communication research methods This essential textbook provides a clear and authoritative introduction to qualitative and quantitative methods for studying media and communication. Written by two highly experienced researchers, the book draws on a wide range of media and communication research to introduce students to the relative strengths of the different research approaches. Beginning with an overview of the changing contexts and trends in media and communication research approaches, the book demystifies 'research' and the 'research process' by offering practical and accessible guidance on how to design, plan and carry out successful research projects in media and communication. This is an indispensable text for all students of media and communication studies, particularly those undertaking their own research projects or taking modules in research methods.
Media Research Methods: Audiences, Institutions, Texts This indispensable textbook provides student researchers with extensive guidance and methods from across the social sciences and humanities, showing them how to make informed choices and consider the many alternatives available throughout the research process. Unique in approach, the text focus on how to do media research across three key strands - audiences, institutions and texts -and critically assesses a wide range of methods, addressing why they are appropriate or useful in certain scenarios. Written by two experts with a wealth of experience between them in teaching research methods and skills, this excellent resource explains complex methods in a clear and accessible way, offering practical guidance on how to use different methodologies, while situating the methods in the context of critical evaluations of previously published research. Providing a complete overview of media research methods while encouraging students to develop their own intellectual frameworks, this book is invaluable for undergraduates, postgraduates, novice and more experienced researchers of media, communication and journalism. 
Qualitative research methods for media studies, 2nd ed. [eBook] This work provides students and researchers with the tools they need to perform critically engaged, theoretically informed research using methods that include interviewing, focus groups, historical research, oral histories, ethnography and participant observation, textual analysis and online research. With new case studies throughout, this new edition includes updated material on digital technologies, including discussion of doing online research and using data to give students the tools they need to work in today's convergent media environment.
Research Methods for English Studies Introduces readers to a wide range of research methods for use in English Studies. With a revised Introduction and with all chapters revised to bring them completely up-to date, this new edition remains the leading guide to research methods for final-year undergraduates, postgraduates takingMasters degrees and PhDs students of 19th- and 20th-century Literary Studies.Written by a range of distinguished contributors, each chapter centres on one particular method, offering both concrete practical advice on how to utilise it and exploring some of the methodological issues that are involvedin the use of the particular method. The chapters cover research methods familiar to English scholars such as textual analysis, as well as those less commonly explored such as visual and quantitative methods, which also contribute significantly to research in English Studies. Other approaches discussed include auto/biographicalmethods, discourse analysis, interviewing, archival methods, ethnographic methods, oral histSearch the Library Catalogue for other books to help you write your dissertation:
