Essay Writing: Research

Good essay writing requires a considerable amount of reading. Reading is important to:

1. Understand the issue(s) referred to in the essay topic
2. Develop a view (an answer to the question) 
3. Gather examples and evidence to support the view that you will put forward

Your examples and evidence must be referenced using the referencing format required by your department.

This page covers:

• Practical guidance on how to effectively identify relevant sources 
• How to critically evaluate the sources

We recommend that you undertake reading and researching in two stages: first, reading broadly and generally about your topic, and next narrowing down to what exactly you want to say in your essay. 

Start from general and basic texts 

• You can start from general introductions to understand fundamental concepts relating to your research topic.
• Use your reading lists: which of the readings relate to the topic? Also check the "Further Reading" sections. 
• In the initial phases of research, keep an open mind. In fact, you can score in originality by looking into aspects of your topic that have been overlooked by others, or making connections that haven't been made.

Narrow down your topic and be selective 

Eventually, you should narrow down your research and only use sources which are relevant for your essay plan. 

• Take control of the literature, and do not let the literature control you! 
• Don't try to fit into your assignment all the literature you find! 

The literature is a means to your end, that is, finding information and evidence to discuss the specific issues you have identified as relevant for your assignment.

Try different search tools:

Library search: this will give you only academic, peer-reviewed sources. All these resources are accessible to you online and/or in the library. See the guide on Library Search.

Library subject guides: these provide subject-specific research support, including access to subject-specific books, journals, databases, legal materials, archives etc. They also provide guidance on citing and referencing. Check your Library subject guide here. 

Google Scholar: this provides scholarly results as well as technical reports from governments and other organisations, and other academically valuable sources like patents, theses etc. Google Scholar allows the useful feat of forward citation tracking (finding newest sources that cite a given source) that can help you find what other literature comments on a certain source. It has to be noted, however, that not all resources on Google Scholar are peer-reviewed and reliable. See the library guide on using Google Scholar.

Internet (for example, Google): will give you the largest number of results, but most of the results will not be peer-reviewed and may not be reliable. You can use it to have a general overview of your research topic.

Contact your Academic Engagement Librarian: the Academic Engagement Librarian will be able to suggest resources, search tools and search techniques that can help you get a head start on your research. You can find details of your Librarian here. 

When you're reading any source, it's important to approach your reading as an active and critical thinker. The sources should not be passively absorbed as 'undisputed fact'.

• How have the authors structured their arguments? How did they state their aim? How did they move from point to point?
• For every claim you encounter, ask 'how' and 'why'.
• What evidence has been offered?
• How has the author reasoned about this evidence?
• Could there be alternative explanations or interpretations of the evidence?
• How does this argument compare to the arguments of others? 
• What school of thought is the author working in? Are they approaching the issue from a certain perspective?

If you think carefully about the claims you encounter in your reading, you will be able to develop your own view on the issue, and discuss the views of others in a considered and convincing way. When lecturers tell you to use your reading rather than simply repeat the ideas in your reading, this is what they mean.

Check the guide on Critical Thinking for more information on Effective Reading and Critical Reading. The video below also offers helpful advice on approaching texts critically. 

As you read, make notes, keep track of your references and start building your bibliography. Check the guide on Citation and Referencing for guidance on referencing and plagiarism.