This 19 minute recorded webinar provides tips on finding sources. It covers an introduction to different source types, tips on preparing search terms, effective searching techniques and advice on finding sources using the University of Lincoln Library Open Access Gateway.
You'll use a variety of books at university many of which will be available in electronic format. Some key textbooks will be identified as essential reading for your subject and it is possible that you will use the whole of the book throughout your course. Other resources will also be recommended that expand on topics and themes found in your essential reading and allow you to further develop your critical thinking around a subject.
The following section provides an overview of the different types of resources that you'll encounter at university:
Monographs
Monographs are books that are written on a specialist subject or aspect of a subject, usually by a single author.
Gender Trouble by
One of the most talked-about scholarly works of the past fifty years, Judith Butler's Gender Trouble is as celebrated as it is controversial. Arguing that traditional feminism is wrong to look to a natural, 'essential' notion of the female, or indeed of sex or gender, Butler starts by questioning the category 'woman' and continues in this vein with examinations of 'the masculine' and 'the feminine'. Best known however, but also most often misinterpreted, is Butler's concept of gender as a reiterated social performance rather than the expression of a prior reality. Thrilling and provocative, few other academic works have roused passions to the same extent.
Chapters in edited books are part of a collection of essays/chapters by various authors on a particular subject area, There is usually a specific author or authors for each individual chapter and also an editor or editors who have put the collection together.
The Cambridge Companion to Creative Writing by
Creative writing has become a highly professionalized academic discipline, with popular courses and prestigious degree programs worldwide. This book is a must for all students and teachers of creative writing, indeed for anyone who aspires to be a published writer. It engages with a complex art in an accessible manner, addressing concepts important to the rapidly growing field of creative writing, while maintaining a strong craft emphasis, analyzing exemplary models of writing and providing related writing exercises. Written by professional writers and teachers of writing, the chapters deal with specific genres or forms - ranging from the novel to new media - or with significant topics that explore the cutting edge state of creative writing internationally (including creative writing and science, contemporary publishing and new workshop approaches).
Journals
Journals contain research which is often 'peer-reviewed' which means that other experts in the discipline have approved the content as a form of quality control. Journals are specialised and are published on a regular basis. Each journal contains articles by individual researchers or groups of researchers, who themselves have researched their topic and cited other experts in their work.
Journal articles
Journal articles are easily recognised as they usually have details that, in addition to the author(s), include a volume and issue number, the title of the article and the title of the journal itself. For example:
Bhatia, M. (2021) Racial surveillance and the mental health impacts of electronic monitoring on migrants. Race & Class, 62(3) 18-36.
Newspaper articles
Newspaper archives can be valuable sources of information for current awareness of topics and also for historical content. Reference to a newspaper article usually includes the specific date of publication. For example:
Pakey, J. (2015) Sir Bradley Wiggins team tweets line-up for National Championships Time Trial at Cadwell Park. Lincolnshire Echo, 22 June.
