Research skills

Here you will find a range of regularly updated resources including recordings of popular seminars.

Conducting literature reviews

Maria H. Khan gives us her top tips for successfully conducting literature reviews.

Abstract

A clear and concise literature review is critical to any research project, but it can be extremely challenging to get right. From not knowing how or where to start to struggling to manage the scope and volume of what you find, conducting literature reviews can be deceptively overwhelming for any researcher, but especially for HDR students and research assistants. This workshop is designed to facilitate a discussion and identify strategies on how to effectively conduct a literature review for any research output, such as an industry report, journal article, conceptual paper or dissertation. Drawing on firsthand anecdotal experiences of undertaking literature reviews on a number of research projects, I will discuss and evaluate the different approaches I have adopted and applied over the years. I will also highlight the common challenges and pitfalls of literature reviews and things I wish I had known when I started. This workshop will create a space for peer discussion, collation of ideas and will be helpful for new research assistants
and HDR students.

You can watch the presentation by Maria online – Things I Wish I Had Known.

Seminar transcript

Resources and Q&A from the session.

Seminar spreadsheet examples


Building a good rapport with your supervisor

Dr Stephen Cox, Director of Higher Degree Research Studies, shares his thoughts on how to build rapport with HDR supervisors and explores some of the personal and contextual elements that underpin this.

You can watch the presentation by Stephen online – Building Rapport with Supervisors.

Seminar transcript


Other useful research skills

Introduction to critical reading

Academic reading from a student perspective

How to navigate in-depth interviewing

How to apply qualitative comparative analysis

About your research impact and engagement

Beware the couch! Reflections on academic reading

 

 

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