1. DISSERTATION RESEARCH
Final Year Dissertation Research
Final year students 2011 -2012
Scope:-
Role of Library in your dissertation, good library
research advice, collections of information available,
research tools, selected sources highlighted
Specialist services for students undertaking final year
dissertation research

2. STUART SMITH
 Academic Librarian (FBL)
 0113-8121107
 s.smith@leedsmet.ac.uk
 Office LS314 (ask at Library desk
to see me)

3. What do we need to cover ? What
are you hoping to get from the
session?
Chance to raise issues, concerns,
questions about Library dissertation
research:-
?
?
?
?
?

4. PROGRAMME
 Refresher and update on selected important Library
services and facilities
 Logins, Usernames and Passwords
 Dissertation ‘rationale’ and the Library role(s)
 Collections of material available to you
 Research tools
 Inter library loans
 Harvard Referencing
 Selected services mentioned and demonstrated as we
go along

5. Libraries – Amazon
Catalogues + Leeds + Yorks area
BLDSC
ILLs
Print Indexes SCONUL
eg ZETOC, BHI Other
Formats
Bookshops
Identify what Obtain what you
Formulate –
you want that want +
what are you looking for
is relevant Feedback to formulate
Books Dissertations TV/ Radio Co. data
You Tube
Example services Journals –
WARC, Mad, T1BA, ExHR…. Print
E-journals Harvard Reports
single titles market / industry
E many titles
format Newspapers
Nexis / PD Gov pubns eg CC
Search engines
Statistics Intute, Bized

6. REFRESHER ON BASIC LIBRARY
SERVICES
- Knowing your way around the Library is good – books,
journals, rooms, printing, copiers, STL, HIP
- Library catalogue + shelves = your first research tool
- Leeds Met email - benefits of using this in research
- Get the basics of using the Library sorted and the
advanced stuff will be that much easier later on
- Good awareness of the new Library Online structure
http://libraryonline.leedsmet.ac.uk/

7. Dissertation – process driven
Academic / professional piece of work
Application and demonstration of the useful business
skills you have learned:-
Academic research skills
Information finding and handling skills
Secondary or desk research skills
Market research skills
Corporate research skills
Project management skills
Presentational skills eg good writing style
Use a ‘Library’ or ‘the’ Library to demonstrate your skills
AND to develop your skills in all of the above areas

8. You are required to show use of
‘Library’……
 Via your dissertation Bibliography
 In your Literature review (overview of what is already known)
’The first task in doing a literature review is to find some literature’
Fisher Researching and writing a dissertation 2nd ed
 Via a ‘Further and recommended readings’ section in your
dissertation
 Referring to course / module readings from the past
 Following good library dissertation structure and appearance
advice
 Showing evidence of Library use is popular with supervisors and
markers.
 Poor use of information and using dated / sloppy references will
mark you down… as will any unsupported statements you make

9. Using the Library in finding out
‘things’
 Facts, statistics, dates, people, events
 explanations, definitions, advantages and
disadvantages, case studies, examples
 views / opinions of others on an issue
 the arguments for / against your issue or topic
 providing a briefing on the subject for the reader

10. Dissertation topic description or title
– exercise to do now
 On the small sheet you have been given
 1) Print your name – for attendance
 2) Write a title for a dissertation* using a minimum of
20 words on the back – make sense and use good
grammar please!
 3) Hand in at the end of the session please
* Why? - Challenge for you / Purchase ideas /
Warning! / Gets me on side

11. Some ‘sexy’ dissertation title word to
consider using…..
 ‘Report on’, ‘investigation into’, ‘survey of’
 ‘Overview’, ‘review’, ‘implications’
 Trends, future prospects, practice of, way
 ‘Analysis of’, ‘background to’ ’effects of’
 2009-2012, next decade, future, vision
 Global, World , European, UK, regional
 Case study, comparison, strategy, action (s),
 Market, industry, sector, ‘next generation’
 ‘E’, enterprise, business, economy, corporate
 Retail, manufacturing service, economics, explanation
 Review, Why? What? When? How? Who?
 Recommendations for, description of
 What words would make someone want to pick up and read
your dissertation and that would inform them what it is about
without having to read it first?

12. Stuart’s example dissertation
working title/draft/w.i.p.
‘ Transports of Delight? A report on the marketing, promotion and
delivery of local bus services in the UK between 1985-2010 with a
critical review of how the current major market players (eg First,
Arriva, Stagecoach) are seeking to meet the national, local and
general societal aims of future sustainable transport strategies,
whilst at the same time making a profit for themselves through
meeting and delivering the varied travel needs of the different
segments of the current and future bus passenger / consumer
market . Illustrated by a case study of First bus operations in the
UK and Leeds 2009-2011.

13. Dissertation research should
challenge your….
ideas - test the value of your thoughts
beliefs - are you in touch with the reality of
the situation? Reality check!
prejudices - awareness of these in yourself
and others
Your knowledge level of the issues
your humility - ‘If have seen further than
other men it is because I stand on the
shoulders of giants’ Isaac Newton …..and
http://scholar.google.com/

14. ‘masterpiece’ demonstration of your
skills and knowledge in….
 time management skills
 research and information handling skills
 analysis and selection skills
 presentational skills
 debating skills – present both sides of an
argument. Sees the whole picture. Balance
 An informed and entertaining writer?
 A widely read professional?
 Able to researcher of other things?

15. Learning from using the Library
 integral part of your course to demonstrate your
ability to use complex information and complete a
complex task on time
 Library as an organisation - handling people (eg
me, your supervisor) processes and systems.
 learn from what you do during the research
process . The actual topic of your research is
(almost) immaterial to the research process (?)

16. You might even enjoy the research!
Your dissertation should be…..
the hardest thing you’ve done
but also the most enjoyable / challenging piece of
work you do
Plus - Think about its ‘shelf-life’ and as your
personal USP in your future career
Dissertation may ‘define’ you as a person

17. LOGINS USERNAMES AND
PASSWORDS
 Username and Password
 Library catalogue personal use
- Library number
- Library PIN
For reservations (holds)

18. Selected services and logins – non
standard logins
Thomson 1 Banker Analytics
taylor@lmu.ac.uk + john
(finance, company data)
NB there are a few other non-standard services
you may come across

19. Search Strategy Tips
 Start simple – get the background filled in first,
set the scene, explain and describe the
problem or issue first – ie earlier exercise
 Refine and re-focus as you go along
 Record your steps eg keep a research diary or
research log (refer to it in your dissertation)
 Retrace your steps every now – things change
 Key words – use and abuse eg email vs e-
mail, CRM, Call centres vs Contact centers,
PR vs public relations http://zetoc.mimas.ac.uk

20. Collections you can access and use
 What is physically there that I can
access ?
 Where are they and what are the
access arrangements?
 What things can I get my hands on? –
for ‘free’ and easily (always the main
limiters imposed by students – and
many staff - on their research!)

21. Information formats to use in your
research……
Books - old books, new books, chapters
Journals - journal articles
Newspapers and news articles
Reports - Market? Business? Government?
Company? Research body reports eg CIPR?

22. Information formats….continued
Dissertations - at Leeds Met and elsewhere
Statistical sources – official and non-official
Web sites – Leeds Met selected services + ‘others’
Broadcast – TV and radio
Blogs, Wikipedia, YouTube
 more formats that you demonstrate you’ve used in the
dissertation the better - it shows evidence of wide
reading, resourcefulness and imagination

23. Collection 1 – Leeds Met
CC + HY Libraries
 Ensure you know about every relevant thing
that is near to hand
 Use sessions such as this to get some ideas
 Include this session as part of your Research
Methodology section, gain credit for work and
attendance
 BUT…. We can’t (shouldn’t) supply
everything for everyone’s dissertation from
what we have at Leeds Met!

24. Collection 2
SCONUL Access Scheme members eg
• Leeds
• Sheffield University
• Bradford University
• York University
NB Reference use only scheme for FT students*
Borrowing scheme for PT students and postgraduate
students –
http://www.access.sconul.ac.uk
*Apply at Information desk for ‘SCONUL Access
Reference Card’ (UG) Borrower Card (PG)

25. Collection 3
 SCONUL VACATION ONLY SCHEME
• vacation access scheme only
• Ie Christmas, Easter and Summer
• no loans allowed
• Restricted access to IT facilities and
databases
• Just need your Leeds Met card to
gain entry

26. Online Library catalogues – some
generic access
1) COPAC
http://www.copac.ac.uk
2) ‘Wolverhamption map’
http://www.scit.wlv.ac.uk/ukinfo/index.php
3) Public libraries on the web
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/square/ac940/weblibs.html
All library catalogues are different in
detail but the same in purpose and
function. Think driving a car analogy!

27. Collection 4
 BLDSC - British Library Document Supply
Centre – BLDSC
• 17 miles north-east of Leeds
• Very large REFERENCE only collection of
books and journals and conference papers
• BLDSC Reading Room for researchers

28. BLDSC checklist
 Open 9.00 - 4.30 Monday - Friday
 Reading Room request forms and stickers
 8 items on the day of the visit +
 16 items if ordered in advance - 5 working
days notice required
 http://catalogue.bl.uk
 catalogue + links to the main BL web site
eg……
 http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/inrrooms/bspa/order/bostonspaorder.html
 http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/inrrooms/bspa/needtoknow/bspavisit.html

29. Collection 5
Public libraries
Leeds Public Library
http://prism.talis.com/leeds/
Your local library at home (UK) at
vacations
Always worth a check, just in case? Why
not?

30. Collection 6
Professional bodies you can access?
Chartered Management Institute (CMI)
http://www.managers.org.uk/institute/home_3.asp
student membership
CIPD http://www.cipd.co.uk/
CIPR http://www.cipr.co.uk
Others you know of?

31. Collection 7
Bookshops + buying books
- Waterstones – high street bookshop in Leeds etc
- Blackwells – academic bookshop opposite Parkinson Building in
Leeds
http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk/
- Amazon – http://www.amazon.co.uk – online bookshop
Book order form – hand out available today
(If there is a book we do not have, you can suggest that I buy it for Library
stock – ensure you include your name and contact email so as to be notified
by me as and when it arrives)

32. Research tools for books
 Library catalogues – covered earlier
 + netLibrary – c100 e-books mostly business, HRM, PR or
marketing titles
 + Academic Library – political economy, media
 + SAFARI Tech c800 titles
 Oxford Reference Online –includes several business
related dictionaries
 See Library Online for e-books
 Publishers’ catalogue lists – but too many and
disorganised to be used much or in a structured way ?
 References found in other publications – depends if they
are accurate and the material readily available to you

33. Journals and journals research tools
Physical browsing – A-Z physical arrangement in Library (1st
floor City Campus Library) + serendipity factor + ‘neck top’ or
‘eyeball computing’. Browsing – values of doing
Useful for generating ideas and finding links by ‘just looking’ at
stuff
A-Z list of e-journal titles on Library Online, see -
http://libraryonline.leedsmet.ac.uk/
Multi journal indexes – ‘tertiary sources’
Some are generic + some subject specific indexes

34. Multi-journal research indexes
 ZETOC http://zetoc.mimas.ac.uk/
Simple searching. Article title words, journal
title words, author names, journal names. No
Abstracts provided. Alerts service is useful.
Link to BLDSC holdings.
 ISI Web of Knowledge – Web of Science
- Social Science Citation Index
- Arts and Humanities Citation Index
- Science Citation Index
- Citation searching* for the clever, others just use keywords etc
• Search for who has cited who or what after original publication
• http://libraryonline.leedsmet.ac.uk/

35. Multi-journal research indexes
 IBSS – International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (web only)
 British Humanities Index – print and e versions. Politics, law,
economics, business, society journals indexed
 International Abstracts of Human Resources (1995-2007)
http://www.humanresourcesabstracts.com/ (also some print version only)
Any others? – see Library Online for more ideas
http://www.lmu.ac.uk/lis/lss/search_tools
NB these are indexes only and NOT fulltext linked ie
sort of electronic reading list creators. Find the full articles from
‘somewhere else’ (unspecified)
NB need to be able to ‘interpret’ the references as well eg tell a book
reference from a journal article reference.
Think about the past quality of your module reading list information and
your skills in interpreting the references given you. Not that great
sometimes! A researcher’s skill.

36. E-journals
 Collections of all, or selected, articles taken
from a range of journals over longer or
shorter periods. Never 100% complete
 Bibliographic vs full text - difference
 Abstracts – can be informative or
indicative
 Different formats of text – html and pdf

37. Major commercial E-Journals
collections
 EBSCO Academic Search Complete
c8000 journals, not all in fulltext, some publisher embargoes
 EBSCO Business Source Premier
c2800 journals, not all fulltext, some publisher embargoes. Best and
biggest for business journals but T and Cs apply at times.
 Emerald Fulltext
145 titles but some good ones*.
* eg ‘Corporate Communication: an International Journal’, ‘European
Business Review’, ‘International Marketing Review’, ‘Personnel
Review’, ‘Journal of Business Strategy’

38. EBSCO BSP – SELECTED TITLES
Harvard Business Review Academy of Management Executive
California Business Review Academy of Management Journal
Accounting Horizons
Accounting and Business Research Academy of Management Review
Business Horizons Management Today
Euromoney British Journal of Management
Global finance Journal PR Tactics
Institutional Investor Accounting Review
Journal of Accounting Research
Journal of Accounting Operations Management
Management Accounting Quarterly Marketing Management
International Journal of Marketing Marketing Research
British Journal of Marketing Marketing Review
European Journal of Marketing California Management Review
Chartered Accountants Journal
Asiamoney Asian Economic Journal

39. Major E-journals collections
 Ingenta Connect
c20 million articles cited from c 30000+ journal titles but not all available in fulltext. (NB
use the ‘Subscribed titles’ limiter button with caution / scepticism !) Not all material listed is
free to Leeds Met users)
InformaWorld – bit like Ingenta – Routledge, T and F, Pyschology Press titles only
 Brand Republic (eg ‘PR Week’( some content? – see also prweek.com – same
logins as below?), eg ‘Campaign’, eg ‘Marketing’, eg ‘Revolution’)
http://www.brandrepublic.com/home/
u/n = j.stirling@leedsmet.ac.uk pw = leedsmet

PR week (single journal database)
http://www.prweek.com/uk/home/

40. Major E-Journals collections
 Science Direct
 Eg ‘Futures’ , ‘Public Relations Review’, ‘Business Horizons’
‘Journal of Retailing’
Only some titles available and only some years available but useful as identification
tool
 Useful as a research tool but NOT everything available to you to e-fulltext
level
http://www.sciencedirect.com/
 http://www.doaj.org ‘Directory of Open Access Journals’ –
c7000 journal titles – 640,000 articles
JSTOR – archival store of older articles from a variety of journals
http://www.jstor.org/action/showBasicSearch
 JournalTOCS – journal tables of contents. www.journaltocs.ac.uk

41. Major E-journals collections
 Sage Journals Online
390+ titles + varying free trial issues at times
http://online.sagepub.com
 Oxford Journals Digital Archive (OJDA)
140 journals in full text
http://www.oxfordjournals.org/access_purchase/complete_archive.html
 Oxford Journals Online (includes OJDA)
Full list of Oxford journals but not all articles available to fuletxt level ie finding tool
http://www.oxfordjournals.org/
 PsycArticles database (access via EBSCO)
Articles from journals on psychology – may be of some value to some? Access via EBSCO front end
 Wiley Online Library – c 400 Wiley journals eg HRD Quarterly + Journal of Consumer Behaviour
http://libraryonline.leedsmet.ac.uk/

42. ‘Reports’ – market research reports
collections
 Mintel http://reports.mintel.com/
 Mintel Global Market Navigator – global market data
 Key Note http://www.keynote.co.uk (Includes
‘Business Ratios’ reports series collection from Oct 09)
 Snapshots – UK and overseas market reports
 Market Line (aka Datamonitor 360) – companies, countries
and industries
 http://libraryonline.leedsmet.ac.uk/

43. Reports – company annual reports or
information taken from these
 FAME database – financial information mostly. c120,000
UK companies. Standardised data. Access Via Library
Online
 FT annual reports service- see FT newspaper share
prices page for details. FT selected companies, latest
report only. Try also FT web site
 Northcote Internet – register for free. UK companies
http://www.northcote.co.uk
Eg Arriva
 http://www.irin.com (US companies)
Eg Starbucks

44. Reports – government reports
Example of one source I like….
Competition Commission
http://www.competition-commission.org.uk
Eg current investigation into Local Bus
Services - good for my research!)
Useful reading = Jellinek, D (2000) Official UK:
the essential guide to government websites. 2nd ed
http://library.leedsmet.ac.uk/uhtbin/isbn/011702446

45. Jellinek, D. Official UK: the essential
guide to government websites
 Office of Fair Trade http://www.oft.gov.uk
 Local Government
http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk
 Transport
http://www.dft.gov.uk
 Parliament
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk
 Intergovernmental Bodies
http://www.imf.org
http://www.worldbank.org

46. Newspaper articles
Read dailies and weekends – as many as you can,
more the better. Keep cuttings.
Nexis (UK + foreign) – VIP cuttings service (also
good source of company informatio
Press Display – newspapers online – digitised
images, UK, foreign, popular press
http://library.pressdisplay.com

47. Dissertations – Leeds Met ones
Use the catalogue to search for,
 - Public relations dissertations
 - Business studies dissertations
 - MBA dissertations
 - Business management dissertations
 - Personnel management dissertations
 - Economics for Business dissertations
Not usually available for loan
If we don’t have it don’t ask for it!

48. DISSERTATIONS – non Leeds Met
ones
Other Universities and their dissertations
collections policies – use other university
library catalogues to identify what they
hold. May have to visit to consult them
(Aslib) Index to Theses – web version +
print
http://www.theses.com/
NB only higher degrees eg PhD or MPhil level
dissertations are listed. Usually available from
BLDSC but in microfilm format – which can be a
pain!

49. DISSERTATIONS IN E-FULLTEXT
‘ETHOS’ service from the British Library
http://ethos.bl.uk/Home.do
http://ethos.bl.uk/Faq.do#database
Need to register – free download service for some theses
‘Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations’
http://www.ndltd.org/
Miscellaneous mix of abstracts and some full-text (PhD level)
Cranfield University’s Collection of E- Research (CERES)
An example of an individual institution’s ‘repository’ which includes some
dissertations.
http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/
Leeds Met repository? See http://libraryonline.leedsmet.ac.uk/pages/resources/leeds_met_repository

50. Dissertations in E-FULLTEXT
DART – Europe E-Theses Portal
209,000 theses from 338 universities in19 European countries
http://www.dart-europe.eu/basic-search.php/Home.do
PQDT OPEN
“PQDT Open provides the full text of open access dissertations and theses free of charge. The authors of these dissertations and
theses have opted to publish as open access and make their research available for free on the open Web. Part of ProQuest
UMI Dissertation Publishing, the content is mostly North American”
http://www.pqdtopen.proquest.com/

51. Statistics
Some popular titles of UK official sources
 - Annual Abstract of Statistics
 - Social Trends
 - Economic Trends
 - Cultural Trends
 - Census 2011
 - OECD, IMF ( via http://www.imf.org
or http://www.mimas.ac.uk )
Data and Statistics – Stats Collection shelves on first floor (CC)
http://www.statistics.gov.uk UK official statistics site
Books, journal and newspaper articles, reports will also often contain ‘statistics’ in the
body of the text so try not to just look for a statistical publication
Think about ‘Good’ and ‘bad’ sources of statistics. Are they accurate? believable?
updated? Understandable?

52. Internet directories
Refereed services:-
 My Subject pages + other staff’s subject
pages and recommendations
 Information Gateways eg BizEd
 http://www.bized.co.uk/
 Eg Intute
 http://www.intute.ac.uk/socialsciences/
 Internet search engines eg Lycos,
Google …but use with caution. If anyone
can do what you do via google then
anyone can do what you do!

53. Media as information
Radio and TV listings
‘Radio Times’ is a sort of index – to TV and
radio programmes
Business programmes documentaries
Eg http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4 - my own
favourite eg ‘In Business’ with Peter Day
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/inbusiness/inbusiness.shtml
Leeds Met Off-air recording service

54. Miscellaneous services
Xpert HR – tool for HR practitioners
Mix or articles, reports, summaries related to
HRM researchers
CIPD Case Studies Library
WARC – World Advertising Research Centre
Mix of journal articles , reports and other
advertising / marketing materials
May be others specific to you- ask tutor(s)

55. Inter Library Loans (ILLs)
 For final year students only
 Also offered by public libraries at a small
charge to you eg libraries back home
 20 for UGs / 50 for PGs requests in FINAL
year – 5 in process only at any one time
 See example form today
 Don’t confuse with BLDSC request form!
 One page article requests NOT accepted
 Supply full bibliographic information
please

56. Harvard Referencing
Standard and academic way of referring
accurately to the work of other people’s work in
books, journal articles, newspaper articles,
web sites, TV and radio programmes etc
‘Quote, unquote: the Harvard Style of
Referencing Published Material – including
electronic information’ 4th ed.
£3 from Library Information desk
Free from Skills for Learning web site
http://skillsforlearning.leedsmet.ac.uk/

57. Some examples taken from ‘Quote,
Unquote’ This is
This is
what II
what
read……
read……
Book reference:-
Mohr, L.B. (1996) Impact analysis for
program evaluation. 2nd ed London ,
Sage
Journal article reference:-
Bennett, H., Gunter, H and Reid, S
(1996) Through a glass darkly: images
of appraisal. Journal of Teacher
Development. 5(3) October, pp 39-46

58. Further Help?
Can make appointment to see me if you need
further help
Use these sources first – used by past and current
students
All sources mentioned have been ‘quality checked’
Cite them in your work whether they ‘work’ or not
– you’ll get credit for research sources accessed for
information whether you use information from them
or not in your dissertation

59. Dissertation binding?
Worth 1% - 5% extra marks if ‘decently
bound’ (?).
Hard bound
Black
Gold lettering – front and spine.
Name, course, year
Try ‘Spink and Thackray’ Ltd?
http://www.spinkandthackray.co.uk/
+ ‘Bindery’ up the road opposite
Broadcasting House for cheaper bindings?
Library spiral bound, do it yourself…..?

60. Questions?......Thanks for coming
Stuart Smith
Academic Librarian
s.smith@leedsmet.ac.uk