CTS - Dissertation Research Methods Lecture

Focus - focussing your topic makes a stronger dissertation

- don't generalise

Dissertation title - focussed and clear

e.g. 'The role of costume within the film "A Taste of Honey"'

spider diagram of title - highlight key points and subheadings to take notes on

Types of research.

Primary & Secondary research.

- visual practice, experiments, interest & enquiry (research & critical diaries)

- questionnaires - plan them, pilot them, think about the information you want to receive, mix up the type of question (tick box, written, multiple choice), send them to a range of people, send them to the right people

Interviews

- professionals

- companies

- tutors

- students

- people involved in your topic 

- give them waring of the kind of questions you're going to be asking so they can prepare efficient answers

Case Studies

Site visits - document the place and the visit

Literature Search 1

- books - academic books and image based books

- journals - academic journals and image based journals

- websites, blogs and online forums

- videos and DVDs - extras/behind the scenes documentaries

- CD, tape cassettes, vinyl recordings

- TV and radio

- Newspapers, maps, reports

- printed ephemera - flyers, posters, beer mats, anything that isn't meant to last

Literature Search 2

- knowing where to look most effectively

- effective use of catalogues - narrowing and broadening search terms - using related terms - browsing using Dewey Decimal Classification

- use of contents page and index - chapter heading relevance

- reading the introduction or abstract (used with journals)

- using a books own bibliography to inform further reading

Book search

LCA library - library.leeds-art.ac.uk

LMU library - www.leedsmet.ac.uk/lis

UoL library - need to apply to SCONUL to get access - www.leeds.ac.uk/library

The British Library in Boston Spa - www.bl.uk

copac.ac.uk

use quotation marks when searching specifically.

Journal search 1

infotrac - store of online magazines

Journal search 2

JSTOR - www.jtor.org (only available in college)

Internet Search 1

- Athens - www.athens.ac.uk - store of password protected sites - need to get password from library

Internet Search 2

WGSN

Tips.

Don't bite off more than you can chew - keep in focused and make it manageable

Create a sense of momentum - start a bibliography immediately