Researching a topic for education.

You need to make a plan to make sure you know what you are doing.

A research based assignment may invoke a range of feelings before you begin the assignment because:

• it may be the largest word count you have written to.
• it may be a new style of assessment.
• you may have to learn about a research method.
• you may have to do research.

Due to all of the above, you need to know what you are doing, when you are doing it and when you need to have met your objectives to make sure you make the assignment deadline.

Here are two resources to help you think about the steps you need to make a plan!

Background and overview.

Education is an interdisciplinary field, so whatever your experience you will learn about new ideas and theories. 

• Encyclopedias and textbooks will give you a structured introduction and overview of new topics. You can find text books on your reading lists or within Library Search.
• Review articles summarise the current understanding on a topic by considering previously published studies in the field. They can be found in Information databases, Google Scholar and Library Search.

Current research.

Use journal articles and conference papers for the latest research, analysis and theoretical developments in education.

• Journal articles are generally short papers on specific topics that are published in academic journals. These articles provide up-to-date research in your subject and can be found in Library Search, Google Scholar and the Information databases. Where possible look for peer reviewed articles. Peer reviewed articles that have been checked by experts in the field before publication.
• Conference Proceedings are a major source of cutting edge research. You can find conference papers in Information databases.  Conference papers may not be peer reviewed so if a paper is not very recent it is a good idea to see if the author has written a journal article on a similar topic.

News

Keep up to date with the very latest developments in professional practice and policy.

• Newspapers - full text access to a number of local and international newspapers is available via the Nexus database. You can find Nexus in the A-Z of databases on Library Online - the library homepage.
• Blogs or Social media - researchers often use social media to promote their work and are a good way of getting finding latest developments in your field.  Policy makers also promote new initiatives and statements on social media.
• Professional practice publications - these may or may not be peer reviewed but are likely to be written by people with expertise and experience in the education.
• Government websites and publications.
• Television and radio not only report the news developments but have regular documentaries on education.

Statistics.

You may need to find statistics produced by government, independent bodies and international organisations. 

Grey literature.

You may need harder to source information like grey literature. Grey literature describes a wide range of material including, government publications, policy documents and protocols, reports, statistical publications, newsletters, fact sheets, working papers, technical reports, conference proceedings and bibliographies.  

If you need to access a resource that the library doesn't have use our Document Supply Service.

You can use the Document Supply Service to request journal articles, books, book chapters, or other resources not available at Sheffield Hallam. The Document Supply Service will then apply to borrow these resources from other libraries, both from within the UK and from around the world. This is a free service for students and staff.

Congratulations you have completed this section! 

Time to take a break - maybe find a book on one of the curated reading lists to unwind with!