Planning your research
- Define the research problem.
- Develop research questions.
- Identify appropriate literature.
- Understand relevant methodologies.
- Develop a realistic research plan.
Literature review
A strong literature review demonstrates understanding of previous scholarship and establishes the context for the research problem.
- Search systematically.
- Identify major themes.
- Compare scholarly arguments.
- Identify gaps and limitations.
- Connect previous research to the current study.
Managing references
- Create a reference library from the beginning.
- Record complete bibliographic information.
- Use a reference manager.
- Apply the required citation style consistently.
- Check citations against the reference list.
Preparing the final dissertation
- Check institutional formatting requirements.
- Verify citations and references.
- Review tables and figures.
- Check appendices.
- Review academic integrity requirements.
- Prepare the final submission according to University procedures.
Preservation and institutional repository
Where University policies and permissions allow, eligible postgraduate research can become part of the institutional scholarly record and contribute to future research discovery.
Worked example
A postgraduate researcher in Computer Science preparing a dissertation on AI-assisted learning could use the Library to identify scholarly databases, develop a literature-search strategy, manage references with Zotero or another reference manager, verify citations, understand academic integrity requirements and prepare the final work for eligible repository preservation.
Advantages
Improves postgraduate research efficiency.
Strengthens literature reviews.
Reduces citation errors.
Supports academic integrity.
Improves preservation of University scholarship.
Helps researchers build long-term scholarly visibility.
Consequences of neglect
- Poor literature searching can weaken the research foundation.
- Inconsistent referencing can create academic integrity concerns.
- Poor research organisation can delay completion.
- Failure to preserve eligible research can reduce future discoverability.
How the Library can help
- Postgraduate research consultations.
- Literature-search assistance.
- Reference-management training.
- Citation and referencing guidance.
- Academic integrity awareness.
- Repository submission guidance.