Once you have established your search strategy, you’ll need to find a variety of sources relating to your dissertation topic.
To start searching Library Search, the Library's search systems, select the Search for ebooks and journals button on the Library homepage page (online guides to using both of these search systems are available under Help on the search widget).
Use our Subject guides page to find specific resources and databases for your area of study. It is important to use subject specific and subject relevant multi-disciplinary resources in addition to Library Search, especially when undertaking a piece of extended research such as a dissertation.
Citation searching (or cited reference searching) is a powerful method for finding research in your subject area in addition to using conventional search strategies. It involves looking at how an article has been referenced since publication and the references made in an article. To learn more take a look at this online training session from the Library at the University of Southampton.
Keeping up-to-date with developments in your field is very important. The Open University provides a useful guide.
You may need to go beyond the Library collection at the University of Southampton in order to find resources relevant to your dissertation topic. Take a look at our Using Other Research Libraries page for guidance.
Credits: some of this page was based on content created by the University of Nottingham, the Open University and the University of Kent.