Finding good quality information for your Accounting & Finance dissertation
[read more=”Click here to Read More” less=”Read Less”]
Introduction
This guide is designed to help you to get started with searching for information for your dissertation. It contains tips on how to plan your research and find academic articles for your literature review.
Use the following web page as your starting point to get access to all the resources that could be useful to you: http://www.northampton.ac.uk/library
If you need any help or would like to book a one-to-one dissertation appointment, please get in touch:
See also the Skills Hub for a range of videos and guides: http://skillshub.northampton.ac.uk
Planning your research
In the same way that you prepare for an assignment, you will need to plan for your dissertation.
Consider all the different keywords and phrases that describe what you are looking for. Remember to be flexible with your search terms and consider alternative words.
TIP: As you search the resources, you will come across other words and phrases that you can use. Note down the keywords listed within the results as these can be useful.
Where to start
You will find all of the databases that the library subscribes to, as well as other useful sources for your subject, on NELSON (Northampton’s Electronic Library Search Online). NELSON is an intuitive tool that enables quick and easy searching of library resources.
Searching NELSON is simple – follow these steps:
- Go to http://nelson.northampton.ac.uk and click on ‘Sign in’ at the top right of the web page.
Note: you can also access NELSON from the main library pages of the University website.
- Decide where you wish to search – choose from Everything, Journal Articles, Library Catalogue or NECTAR.
- Enter keywords in the search box and ‘search’.
- Use the options on the left to refine your results by resource type, by topic, by date etc.
TIP: Search each database individually for a better result. To do this go to the ‘Databases’ tab within NELSON and begin with the main journal databases listed later in this guide.
Finding academic literature
When you begin your research, you should concentrate on looking for academic material. You will be expected to refer to academic articles and books in your literature review – your dissertation supervisor should be able to advise you on how may to include.
The main differences are identified below:
| Academic | Practitioner |
| e.g. Journal of Business Finance and Accounting | e.g. Financial Management |
| Written by academics for academics | Written by practitioners for practitioners |
| Often peer-reviewed | Not usually peer-reviewed |
| Emphasis on theory | Emphasis on current practice and trends |
| Typically over 5 pages in length | Typically under 5 pages long |
| Contains references | Contain little or no references |
TIP: It is better to find 1 academic article than 10 trade articles. You may be able to identify additional material in the reference lists at the end.
Which databases to use
The main journal databases for accounting and finance are:
| Database | Information |
| ABI Global | Contains both scholarly and trade journals |
| Emerald | Academic business journals (books not available on here) |
| Sage | Academic journal source |
| ScienceDirect | Covers a range of topics including business |
| Taylor & Francis | Journals on a wide range of topic areas *new for 2013 |
| Wiley | Some business coverage. Items that are display an open padlock may be accessed. |
Extending your research
Following trails
If you have found a good academic article that is relevant to your research, this could lead you to other material. Search the databases by author (or use Google) to see if the writer of your article has written anything else related to your research topic.
You can also look through the reference list at the end to see if there is anything else you can use. If there is a particular journal you are looking for, search Find My Reference to see if it is available.
Finding books
Don’t forget to check the Library Catalogue (or via NELSON) for books/ebooks on your topic. If you wish to extend your reading further, use COPAC from the databases menu. This is the Catalogue of the major research universities libraries and will give you book references.
Example dissertations
You may wish to look at previous dissertations to get an idea of structure/layout. Example dissertations may be available to view in the Business School.
Obtaining the material
If the material is not available in the library, the following options may be useful:
- Interlibrary Loan http://www.northampton.ac.uk/students/services-and-facilities-for-students/library/information-skills-tutorials
- Visiting another UK library – SCONUL Access scheme http://access.sconul.ac.uk
JF 08/13
[/read]
[wpadm-chat]
