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The Basic Steps in Doing an Assignment

Skills for Success / Academic Skills / The Basic Steps in Doing an Assignment

3. Finding Sources

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Academic assignments usually need you to do research into what other people have discovered about your topic. So, in this third step, you will need to know:

  1. How to find potential sources, and also
  2. How to assess whether a source is right for your assignment or not.

 

1. Finding Sources

Each subject has its own Subject Guide to help you do your research. These Guides have resources for researching your assignments, referencing, training and how to get help from a librarian.

You can find the link to your Guide on the Subject Guides homepage.

The Library also has a very complete guide showing you how to find and use sources, here: Literature Searching

 

2. Assessing Sources

Some sources are better than others, so you should try to use the best ones. When you are trying to decide which sources you should use, consider these points:

  • Relevance: Does the source directly relate to your topic?
  • Credibility: Does the author / organisation have a good reputation? Is the journal peer reviewed? Is the text from an academic source?
  • Up to date: How long ago was it published?
  • Bias: Is the source fair and balanced, or does it favour a particular agenda?
  • Depth: Does the source go into enough detail?
  • Full text available: Can you access the full text (e.g. not behind a paywall)?

The Library has a guide to help you select sources here: Evaluating Resources