Stage 1, Part 2 of the Academic Writing Guide
Beginning the Research Process
Time to read and complete activities = 2 hours
Now that you are clear about what you are expected to write about and have some ideas about what you aim to include in your essay, you are ready to begin researching to find out what other academics say about it.
Remember, a discursive piece of writing must begin with a debatable thesis or claim. In other words, the thesis must be something that people could reasonably have differing opinions on. You may already have an idea about the ‘position’ you will take (or your argument) in your essay, but if you don’t yet this should become clearer to you as you read.
If you’d like more information about how to develop an argument access this link.
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Your aim now is to find sources and collect supporting evidence for the position you aim to take in your essay. You need to find reliable and relevant academic sources.
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Academic Integrity
In the process of researching and writing a discursive essay you will need to draw on the work of other academics to support your argument. This 'standing on the shoulders of giants’ (Sir Isaac Newton) will help you support your view in a compelling way. Acknowledging the work of others is an essential part of the process and allows you to maintain academic integrity. You will learn how to reference your sources later in the Academic Writing Guide.
University Library Search Skills
TASK
Library Search is an online discovery tool used in many university libraries. It is an extremely powerful resource which provides a single interface for finding all the information you need - books, e-books, journals, articles, digital media and other types of resources. Library Search will search everything in the library: all of the books and journals, plus the content available through the library’s databases and a huge index of article-level content, from e-journals, conferences, newspapers and more.
Read these useful resources on the University of Sussex Library pages and complete the quiz to test your understanding.
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QUIZ
What word do you need to complete the gap in each sentence? Click the + sign to see if you are right.
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Telecommuting is the process of using telecommunications tools to work from home.This thesis is not debateable. It is a definition of the term telecommuting.
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Telecommuting has a positive effect on family life to a large extent, due to the flexibility of working arrangements and the ability to spend more time in the family home.This is a debatable thesis because reasonable people could disagree with it. Some people could argue that telecommuting has a negative impact on family life – if people are working in cramped conditions, or have to share computers, or are trying to manage childcare at the same time, for example.
Go back to your mind map and identify some keywords that you can put into Library Search to help you find some books, journal articles or other sources to read.
REFLECTION
Stop and reflect on what you have learned so far in this stage. How will what you have learned support your continued essay writing development? Are there any skills you have identified at this stage that you can do well or need to improve on?
Planning and Constructing a Search
Once you have identified your keywords and alternative terms, you need to think about how to put them together. Watch the video about Boolean search connectors (sometimes called Boolean operators) that will help you combine your keywords and apply search techniques to improve your search results. Boolean operators are the words "AND", "OR" and "NOT". When used in library databases (typed between your keywords) they can make each search more precise - and save you time!
QUIZ
It is very useful to add all the sources of information you find to a table. This enables you to see them at a glance and makes it easier to select the ones you intend to use.
If you are using the AWG to help you plan, research and write your own discursive essay, be sure to include any core texts that your lecturer has given you in the table.
Open the 'Information Search Skills table' or download it to your own device, and see a table for the example essay: 'Compare and contrast what H G Wells’ ‘The Island of Dr Moreau’ and the Eugenics Society pamphlet from the early 1920s tell us about ideas on genetics and race in the early twentieth century.'
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Read the table carefully and notice why some sources are suitable and others are not suitable to help inform this research process. Follow the instructions at the top of the table. The quiz below will help you.
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Complete the quiz to self-assess your understanding. You need to have the Information Search Skills table open while you do the quiz.
QUIZ
Over to you
If you are using the AWG to help you write a discursive essay of your own, take time to find at least five sources (using Library Search if possible) to build a search table. Remember to use a range of search skills to narrow your search so that you find the most appropriate texts. Once you have identified five sources that you think will be useful, open a Word document and create a table like the one below. Add the five sources to this table, making sure to write the correct bibliographic reference entry for each source using an appropriate referencing system.
Skim read the five sources you have found (book, academic journal article, chapter in a book, etc.) and take notes as you read. Your purpose for reading at this stage is to evaluate if the source is relevant to your own essay title so you do not need to read in detail. After you have done this write a short commentary showing the relevance of this source to the essay question.
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Recording and Analysing Your Sources
