Sometimes, it feels as if your lecturers set you impossible assignments; assignments that you are supposed to complete with a total lack of resources at your disposal. But if you know where to look, the hours you used to spend researching can be cut in half and you can find material that will set you apart from every other student in the class.
Most students spend their time in the library, reading the material provided by the lecturer in his ‘suggested readings’. But guess what, nine out of ten students are doing the same thing! One place you will never find students is in your library’s audio/visual department. If your library has a good audio/visual department, you are bound to find some material that will set you apart from the crowd.
Databases are another seldom used research tool. The great thing about databases is that you can find practically anything if you choose the right one. There are databases that specialise in journal articles, scientific theses, news articles – the list is endless. Some of the best databases are JSTOR, Project Muse, Questia and Cambridge Journals Online but in order to find the material relevant to your assignment you might have to spend some time looking around.
If for some reason you do not have access to a university’s collection of online databases, there is another research tool that is available to everyone with internet access. Google Scholar and Google Books provide very helpful information on a wide range of topics. If you are lucky you can find some material for free, but most of the information is available only in preview. Nevertheless, if you have hit a roadblock in your research, always give Google Books and Google Scholar a try.
With these research tools in your hands, your grades will jump to a higher level. Never again will you have to rely on the lecturer’s ‘suggested readings’ and that means your essay’s and assignment’s are bound to stand out from the rest.
