{"id":38,"date":"2018-07-22T11:01:32","date_gmt":"2018-07-22T11:01:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/socp3.epgpbooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/?post_type=chapter&p=38"},"modified":"2019-05-03T10:30:15","modified_gmt":"2019-05-03T10:30:15","slug":"taking-stock-of-what-is-known-the-use-of-library","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/socp3\/chapter\/taking-stock-of-what-is-known-the-use-of-library\/","title":{"rendered":"Taking stock of what is known: The use of library"},"content":{"raw":"
\"epgp<\/a>\r\n<\/span><\/div>\r\n\r\n
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Contents<\/strong><\/p>\r\n \r\n

1. Objective<\/p>\r\n

2. Introduction<\/p>\r\n

3. Learning Outcome<\/p>\r\n

4. Searching Relevant Literature<\/p>\r\n

5. Using the Library<\/p>\r\n

Self Check Exercise 1:<\/p>\r\n

6. Sources of Literature<\/p>\r\n

6.1. Reference Books<\/p>\r\n

6.2. Journals<\/p>\r\n

6.3. Encyclopaedia and Dictionaries<\/p>\r\n

6.4. Official Document<\/p>\r\n

6.5. Mass Media Output<\/p>\r\n

6.6. Doctoral Disertation<\/p>\r\n

6.7.Indexes, Abstracts and Reviews in Social Sciences<\/p>\r\n

6.8. Electronic Database<\/p>\r\n

6 9. Avoid Plagiarism<\/p>\r\n

Self-check Exercise 2:<\/p>\r\n

7. Issues Concerning Use of Secondary Literature<\/p>\r\n

Self-check Exercise 3:<\/p>\r\n

8. Referencing the Work of Others<\/p>\r\n

10.\u00a0 Summary<\/p>\r\n

11.\u00a0 Bibliography<\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Objective<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n

In this module you will learn about the uses of library and other sources of literature required for conducting any sociological research. As review of existing literature is a vital aspect of building one\u2019s own argument about the need and objective of research, you will be introduced to different printed, documentary and electronic resources for taking stock of what is already known on a particular research topic.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\r\n \r\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 All research begins with a review of existing literature.<\/p>\r\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Such review suggests not only the need for current research but guides the contours of such research.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

As the term \u2018research\u2019 literally signifies searching for new insights or take note of new developments in the field of enquiry, the essential task for any researcher is to take stock of what is already known. Research is not \u2018reproduction\u2019 of opinions of other scholars, it is rather use of such literature to develop an argument or to develop a distinctive position on the subject. The basic objective of any research endeavour is to a) reject an established explanation\/theory, b) modify them, and\/or c) strengthen them. A social research must also have relevance, a depth of concern for social issues. How would one prove the relevance of any research or the uniqueness of its objectives? It is mainly done by relating the research questions with the broad body of existing literature in the field. Hence, any research automatically involves a review of existing literature to find out what is known about the topic. It then becomes possible to critically examine the published and unpublished materials and raise significant questions about any gap in research. The researcher in question may then proceed to find answers to new queries. A review of existing literature is also helpful to clarify concepts and their measurements. It also frames the orientation of the scholar and removes the possibility of any unnecessary \u2018duplication of efforts\u2019 (Goode and Hatt 1981: 103). Such review, therefore, suggests not only the need and significance of current research but guides the contours of that research by raising relevant questions. Form such a point of view, the literature review is not only a \u2018vehicle\u2019 for learning to increase knowledge and understanding, it is also a \u2018facilitator\u2019 for identification of topic, support a methodology, provide a context or change research direction (Bruce 1994: 223)<\/p>\r\n \r\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Literature review involves skills and deep thinking, and it is ongoing.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

Literature review involves a great deal of time and energy at the early stage of research. Hence, it is expected that the scholar use maximum use of her\/his ability to read actively and critically (Bryman 2008:<\/p>\r\n

82). In order to do so, she\/he should do the following:<\/p>\r\n \r\n

\u25cf\u00a0\u00a0 Take notes including the details of what is being read as these references are also to be listed in Bibliography.<\/p>\r\n

\u25cf As any review is more than just summary of the material, use of critical reading skills will be helpful to move beyond mere description and identify the significance and contribution of the work. In other words, the literature is to be used to develop and sustain an argument.<\/p>\r\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

\u25cf\u00a0 The scholar should be careful to relate the findings of a literature with his\/her research queries. It would then be possible to locate his\/her particular research questions within the tradition of research.<\/p>\r\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

\u25cf\u00a0 The scholar should bear in mind that she\/he will have to return to the points raised in the literature review while examining his\/her own findings. If the arguments of any literature are finally found to be not connected to these findings, then one might argue that this literature is irreverent for this research.<\/p>\r\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

\u25cf\u00a0\u00a0 The review must assist the scholar to develop arguments. Hence, he\/she should not review any irrelevant material.<\/p>\r\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

\u25cf\u00a0 \u00a0The review should continue till the end of research as the initial review might have to be revised in view of some new findings. This would also be helpful to allow a full and exhaustive coverage of the literature from published and unpublished sources in the report.<\/p>\r\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Learning Outcome<\/strong><\/p>\r\n \r\n

This module would acquaint you with the types of resources available and the sources of such resources to carry out a literature survey before carrying out any research. It will also introduce the ethical aspect of research by inducing the researcher to avoid the crime of plagiarism through proper citation.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Searching Relevant Literature<\/strong><\/p>\r\n \r\n

Before beginning any search for existing literature, the researcher should make sure what she\/he should look for. There might be a huge body of literature on any particular theme of social research on say tribes in India. The question is whether all those materials are \u2018relevant\u2019 for any particular research or not. Frankly speaking, any and every literature on \u2018tribes in India\u2019 may not be relevant for a research on say \u2018tribal development in India\u2019. In other words, the particular focus of any research decides the relevancy of any literary material. Hence, the researcher must keep the central question(s) guiding her\/his research in mind before searching for the literature. It should be kept in mind that all research is a time bound exercise and a researcher is not expected to read each and everything under the Sun to carry out a particular work.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

Searching for \u2018relevant literature\u2019 would then require the students to decide about the goal and objectives of the research so that irrelevant literature may be avoided. It begins with a list of some recommended text by the supervisor(s) and other academics in the field. Using the bibliographies of these texts, other resources may be located. Search for articles in journals is also very easy these days given the use of\u00a0Internet. Trend reports of research published by agencies like the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) also become very handy for searching relevant documents. It must be kept in mind that the inter-disciplinary context of any literature is also considered for justifying whether a literature is relevant or not. These justifications would help the student to save time, energy and money.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nThe purpose of exploring the existing literature, argues Bryman (2008: 81), should be to identify the following issues:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\u25cf\u00a0 What is already known about this area?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\u25cf\u00a0 What concepts and theories are relevant to this area?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\u25cf\u00a0 What research methods and research strategies have been employed in studying this area?\r\n\r\n\u00a0<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\u25cf\u00a0 Are there significant controversies?\r\n\r\n\u00a0<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\u25cf\u00a0 Are there any inconsistencies in finding relating to this area?\r\n\r\n\u00a0<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\u25cf\u00a0 Are there any unanswered research questions in this area?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nIdentification of these issues in the process of reviewing the literature would allow the researcher to revise and refine his\/her research questions and develop hypothesis. A hypothesis tries to explain relation between two or more variables.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Using the Library<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n

As research usually involves use of the books, journals, records and other documents kept in libraries, it is important to learn how to make best use of resources available in libraries. It is true that due to digitalization of library resources these days and availability of many of such resources on line, one may download materials on the electronic device sitting down at home and use them. Yet, modern libraries also offer these facilities to their students and scholars at a faster speed with larger coverage to access materials that are normally not available to individuals on the net. Ability to do library research begins with some understanding of the way libraries organize their resources. Interestingly, all libraries follow the same system for organizing their collections. Hence, they all have a system of subject classification, a card catalogue and certain reference and bibliographic materials. The search for relevant literature may begin with books listed under a particular subject say caste or tribe. Such search becomes easier if a library is digitalised and resources are displayed through computers. In such a case, a student interested in literature on a particular topic, should start the search by typing the subject on the computer and the screen will display the list of books available on the theme. If the student is aware of a particular reference book, the search shifts from subject to author or title of the book.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

The use of resources like periodicals in a library may take much time if the student is not aware of the aims of objectives of journals publishing articles. All journals have specific aims and objectives and they publish articles related to that theme only. Hence, knowledge about social science journals (see the list later) may become handy for any Sociology students looking for materials on the subject or a theme. The\u00a0task however becomes easy if a journal is available on line. The contents of all digitalized journals may be seen in the net to locate an issue in which a particular article is published.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

\r\n\r\n \r\n

Libraries also contain valuable documents like Census reports, official records, doctoral thesis and all libraries preserve these in particular sections. Many a time, a scholar has to sit down in a library to read and take note of these resources as a thesis cannot be photo copied. But, it is equally true that there are limits to photo copy pages of even a book or journal under the copyright law without permission of the author or publisher. It is illegal to reproduce any article or part of it without prior permission. There are also rules regarding citing a reference from which the idea is taken to give credit to the original author. A student using secondary sources of data must be aware of these rules and ethics.<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\nSelf Check Exercise 1:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n1. Why does research begins with review of literature?\r\n\r\n \r\n

All research begins with the task of review of literature because such reviews allow the student to develop an argument or to develop a distinctive position on the subject. The relevance of any particular research or its uniqueness is mainly done by relating the research questions with the broad body of existing literature in the field.<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n2. Why is literature review ongoing?\r\n\r\n \r\n

The review is an ongoing process as the initial review might have to be revised in view of some new findings. This also makes the review exhaustive from different published and unpublished sources and their inclusion in the final report.<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n3. How would one decide whether any material is relevant or not?\r\n\r\n \r\n

A literature is relevant if it comes close to the goal and objectives of the research in question. The particular focus of any research decides the relevancy of any literary material. Hence, the researcher must keep the central question(s) guiding her\/his research in mind before searching for the literature.<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n6.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sources of Literature<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n

The sources of literature for any research in sociology in contemporary times are extremely varied and numerous. Even twenty years ago, students of sociology did not enjoy the opportunity to use materials published from different parts of the country, not to speak of international publications. Research was then confined to only literature available at a particular library or a set of libraries at a city or a town. But today, with the onset of ICT enabled learning and publication, both the volume and intensity of publication has gone up many times. One reason for this is the international audience for any published document. Modern electronic technology has also made the task of publication a global endeavour. It is very easy these days to open and maintain an online website or link for the purpose of publication. As a result of these changes, searching for literature often appears to be just a mouse click on the computer screen. But, at the same time, it is also a big challenge to the researcher to review a huge number of\u00a0relevant literature from multiple sources. From ethical point of view also, use of documents and their proper citation is a matter of public scrutiny. Keeping these challenges in mind, the following major sources of literature may be identified:<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

\r\n\r\n \r\n

6.1. Reference Books:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n \r\n

Libraries normally differentiate between text and reference books. Though such difference is also always clear, basic books prescribed for a particular course are called \u2018text\u2019 books and those prescribed for additional reading are called \u2018reference\u2019 books. Though a researcher might need to consult a text book like Emile Durkheim\u2019s The Division of Labour in Society<\/em>, reference books published on a particular issue or subject matter on say \u2018violence against women\u2019 or \u2018rural development in India\u2019 would be of much use to those working on these issues. Consequently, reviewing reference books is seen as a primary task for any literature reviewer. Interestingly a list of subject wise classified reference books published by major international and Indian publishing houses are available on line. A student has to just type the name of the publishing house and seek a list of Sociology books published by it. Another source for reference books is online catalogue of libraries. These catalogues are also arranged subject and theme wise so that a student of sociology may find a book of her\/his choice very easily. But, it often becomes difficult to learn about the content and coverage of a book by reading its title only. Hence, a better source of reference books is book reviews published by most of social science journals. These reviews not only tell us about the major arguments of the book, but also identify the major achievements and limitations of a published document. Apart from book reviews, subject bibliographies and book of abstracts like sociological abstracts <\/em>from many online sources are available to guide scholars.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

6.2. Journals:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n \r\n

Articles published in periodicals tries to inform their readers about recent development in any field. Some peer reviewed social science journals have specific aims and objectives to publish on particular subjects. For instance, journals like Contribution to Indian Sociology<\/em> or Sociological<\/em> Bulletin<\/em>, published from India, mainly give importance to sociological issues. As compared to that Economic and Political Weekly <\/em>is an interdisciplinary journal. As the coverage of these interdisciplinary journals is very large, they often publish special numbers to stress on issues like gender, industry or politics. Scholars looking for a particular variety of articles may also search these special volumes. One very useful source of social science journals in Social Sciences Citation<\/em> Index <\/em>and different web pages from different sources do display such list(s) in Google. Many other reliable sources like Scopus<\/em> (www.scopus.com\/scopus\/home.url), Google Scholar<\/em> (scholar.google.co.in) do provide information about published documents. In these sources, one may search articles by topic or by author. On the whole, journals publish a whole range of valuable articles from time to time and also display the content of any issue in its website. Hence, it is very easy now to search journal articles online and also look for references cited in them. A student may also use computer programme (place control f) to know whether any PDF document has used the key word s\/he is searching. The following list shows the alphabetically arranged names of reputed international and national periodicals in the social science fields:<\/p>\r\n \r\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Action Research<\/p>\r\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ageing and Society<\/p>\r\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Aggression and Violent Behavior: A Review Journal<\/p>\r\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 American Sociological Review<\/p>\r\n

5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Annual Review of Sociology<\/p>\r\n

6.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Artha Vijnana<\/p>\r\n

7.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Asian Studies<\/p>\r\n

8.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Body & Society<\/p>\r\n

9.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 British Journal of Sociology<\/p>\r\n

10.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Canadian Journal of Sociology<\/p>\r\n

11.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Contemporary Sociology<\/p>\r\n

12.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Contemporary Sociology-A Journal Of Reviews<\/p>\r\n

13.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Continuity and Change<\/p>\r\n

14.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Contributions to Indian Sociology<\/p>\r\n

15.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Crime Media Culture<\/p>\r\n

16.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Critical Social Policy<\/p>\r\n

17.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Critical Sociology<\/p>\r\n

18.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cross-Cultural Research<\/p>\r\n

19.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cultural Anthropology<\/p>\r\n

20.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cultural Studies<\/p>\r\n

21.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Current Sociology<\/p>\r\n

22.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Development and Change<\/p>\r\n

23.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Discourse & Society<\/p>\r\n

24.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Eastern Anthropologists<\/p>\r\n

25.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Economy and Society<\/p>\r\n

26.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Economic and Political Weekly<\/p>\r\n

27.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Economic Development and Cultural Change<\/p>\r\n

28.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Educational Research<\/p>\r\n29.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ethnic and Racial Studies\r\n\r\n30.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ethnography\r\n\r\n31.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 European Journal of Social Theory\r\n\r\n32.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 European Journal of Sociology\r\n\r\n33.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 European Sociological Review\r\n\r\n34.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Gender and Development\r\n\r\n35.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Gender & Society\r\n\r\n36.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Gender, Technology & Development\r\n\r\n37.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ICSSR Journal Of Abstracts & Review: Sociology\r\n\r\n38.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Indian Economic and Social History Review\r\n\r\n39.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Indian Journal of Gender Studies\r\n\r\n40.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Indian Journal of Gerontology\r\n\r\n41.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Indian Journal of Human Development\r\n\r\n42.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Indian Journal of Industrial Relations\r\n\r\n43.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Indian Journal of Labour Economic\r\n\r\n44.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Indian Journal of Social Development\r\n\r\n45.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Indian Labour Journal\r\n\r\n46.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 International Journal of Comparative Sociology\r\n\r\n47.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 International Journal of Human Rights\r\n\r\n48.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 International Journal of Politics, Culture and Society\r\n\r\n49.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 International Journal of Sociology\r\n\r\n50.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy\r\n\r\n51.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 International Review for the Sociology of Sport\r\n\r\n52.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 International Sociology\r\n\r\n53.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Journal of Consumer Culture\r\n\r\n54.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Journal of Contemporary Ethnography\r\n\r\n55.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Journal of Developing Societies\r\n\r\n56.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Journal of Development Studies\r\n\r\n57.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Journal of Family Issues\r\n\r\n58.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Journal of Family Violence\r\n\r\n59.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Journal of Interpersonal Violence\r\n\r\n60.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Journal of Law and Society\r\n\r\n61.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Journal of Marriage and Family\r\n\r\n62.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Journal of Politics & Society\r\n\r\n63.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Journal of Population Research\r\n\r\n64.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Journal of Rural Development\r\n\r\n65.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Journal of Social and Economic Development\r\n\r\n66.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Journal of Social Issue\r\n\r\n67.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Journal of Social Work\r\n\r\n68.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Journal of Sociology\r\n\r\n69.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology\r\n\r\n70.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Journal of South Asia Women Studies\r\n\r\n71.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Journal of Sport & Social Issues\r\n\r\n72.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency\r\n\r\n73.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Law & Society Review\r\n\r\n74.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Man and Development\r\n\r\n75.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Man in India\r\n\r\n76.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Media Culture & Society\r\n\r\n77.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Men And Masculinities\r\n\r\n78.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Nonprofit And Voluntary Sector Quarterly\r\n\r\n79.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Politics & Society\r\n\r\n80.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Population and Development Review\r\n\r\n81.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Population and Environment\r\n\r\n82.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Qualitative Research\r\n\r\n83.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Qualitative Sociology\r\n\r\n84.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Quantitative Sociology\r\n\r\n85.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Race & Class\r\n\r\n86.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rationality And Society\r\n\r\n87.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rural Sociology\r\n\r\n88.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Science and Society\r\n\r\n89.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Seminar<\/span>\r\n\r\n90.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sexualities<\/span>\r\n\r\n91.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society<\/span>\r\n\r\n92.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Social Action<\/span>\r\n\r\n93.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Social & Legal Studies<\/span>\r\n\r\n94.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Social Currents<\/span>\r\n\r\n95.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Social Networks<\/span>\r\n\r\n96.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Social Problems<\/span>\r\n\r\n97.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Social Research<\/span>\r\n\r\n98.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Social Science Research<\/span>\r\n\r\n99.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Social Scientists<\/span>\r\n\r\n100.\u00a0 Society<\/span>\r\n\r\n101.\u00a0 Sociological Forum<\/span>\r\n\r\n102.\u00a0 Sociological Methodology<\/span>\r\n\r\n103.\u00a0 Sociological Methods and Research<\/span>\r\n\r\n104.\u00a0 Sociology-The Journal Of The British Sociological Association<\/span>\r\n\r\n105.\u00a0 Sociology<\/span>\r\n\r\n106.\u00a0 Sociological Bulletin<\/span>\r\n\r\n107.\u00a0 Sociological Perspectives<\/span>\r\n\r\n108.\u00a0 Sociological Theory<\/span>\r\n\r\n109.\u00a0 Sociology of Education<\/span>\r\n\r\n110.\u00a0 Sociology of Health & Illness<\/span>\r\n\r\n111.\u00a0 Sociology of Religion<\/span>\r\n\r\n112.\u00a0 Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State and Society<\/span>\r\n\r\n113.\u00a0 Space And Culture<\/span>\r\n\r\n114.\u00a0 The Indian Journal of Social Work<\/span>\r\n\r\n115.\u00a0 The Journal of Asian Studies<\/span>\r\n\r\n116.\u00a0 The Journal of Development Studies<\/span>\r\n\r\n117.\u00a0 Urban Policy and Research Work And Occupations<\/span>\r\n\r\n118.\u00a0 Urban Studies<\/span>\r\n\r\n119.\u00a0 Work, Employment & Society<\/span>\r\n\r\n120.\u00a0\u00a0 Youth & Society<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n6.3. Encyclopaedia and Dictionaries:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n

Encyclopaedias define a field\u2019s key concepts and provide information on the major leaders in that field. Encyclopaedia Britannica<\/em>,<\/strong> for instance, publishes a whole range of articles on themes of general interests though subject-wise themes are also discussed. It has the reputation of summarising knowledge and its publication runs into several volumes and editions. There are many other types of Encyclopaedias like Encyclopaedia of the Social Sciences<\/em> and Encyclopaedia of<\/em> Sociology <\/em>publishing subject oriented article. In several of their volumes, these encyclopaedias contain long articles, written by specialists, which can be useful for quick orientation to a subject and for specific items of information. More importantly, they contain, good bibliographies of source materials, and PDF version of many of these are now available on line. Along with these resources, there are several types of Dictionary of Sociology<\/em> publishing concise information about important concepts, themes, events and sociologists. Some of the well known dictionaries are: Oxford Dictionary of Sociology<\/em>, Collins Dictionary of Sociology, The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology<\/em>, Sage Dictionary of Sociology<\/em>, and The Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology<\/em>. PDF version of these dictionaries is available on line. Information available on these dictionaries may particularly be useful to understand concepts and terms.<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n6.4. Official Documents:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n

The most obvious source for quantitative data is the government. All researchers need some basic statistical data on say rates of literacy, employment, crime, demography, rates of urbanization and\u00a0the like. These and many other statistical data are available with the official agencies. Most of\u00a0government offices or departments in India today like agriculture, education, finance, industry, labour, health, rural development or social welfare publish annual report and put them on their website. Even state governments maintain such link for dissemination of information.\u00a0 Hence, anyone looking for a particular set of data on, for example, Labour in West Bengal 2014 should directly download the report from the website. Considering the enormous character of official data, it\u00a0 is\u00a0 not\u00a0 possible\u00a0 to\u00a0 provide\u00a0 any\u00a0 exhaustive\u00a0 list.\u00a0 But,\u00a0 some\u00a0 of\u00a0 the\u00a0 prominent\u00a0 government publications providing large scale data are: Census, Statistical Year Book India, National Family Health\u00a0 Survey,\u00a0 District\u00a0 Level\u00a0 Household\u00a0 and\u00a0 facility\u00a0 Survey\u00a0 (DLHS),\u00a0 NSS\u00a0 Survey\u00a0 Report, Economic Survey, Indian Labour Year Book, and Crime in India. Along with these, the state is the source\u00a0 of\u00a0 a\u00a0 great\u00a0 deal\u00a0 of\u00a0 textual\u00a0 material\u00a0 of\u00a0 potential\u00a0 interests,\u00a0 such\u00a0 as\u00a0 Acts\u00a0 passed\u00a0 in\u00a0 the Parliament. Also special reports prepared by state agencies like 2nd\u00a0 Labour Commission Report, Readership Survey of Newspaper\u00a0Apart from government reports, international agencies like UNO, UNDP, UNESCO, World Bank, ILO\u00a0 and\u00a0 UNICEF\u00a0 provide\u00a0 comparative\u00a0 data\u00a0 through\u00a0 World\u00a0 development\u00a0 Report,\u00a0 Human Development Report, The State of the World\u2019s Children, and the like. Again, special organization like Population Reference Bureau collects demographic data across countries and world regions and these are very useful for any comparative analysis.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

Apart from official reports, there are many independent reports published by credible agencies. Under this category, we may list resources like Manorama Year book, The Hindu Survey of Indian\u00a0Industry, The Hindu Survey of Indian Agriculture, The Hindu Survey of the Environment, Indian Readership\u00a0 Survey,\u00a0 Panchayati\u00a0 Raj\u00a0 Update\u00a0 (Institute\u00a0 of\u00a0 Social\u00a0 Sciences),\u00a0 NCAER:\u00a0 Reports, Staying Alive - Lawyer\u2019s Collective. This list is far from exhaustive as there are uncountable number of reports\/datasets published by NGOs, established organizations and research agencies in India\u00a0 on\u00a0 different\u00a0 aspects\u00a0 of\u00a0 our\u00a0 society,\u00a0 culture,\u00a0 economy\u00a0 and\u00a0 polity.\u00a0 The\u00a0 task\u00a0 of\u00a0 finding information on a particular aspect of social life, therefore, becomes an easy task for any researcher.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

But, at the same time, the task of judging the credibility of various sources furnishing contrasting claims becomes very crucial and critical. The researcher needs to apply Sociological Imagination and methodological acumen to arrive at any reasonable judgement. One way to do so is to match a given\u00a0 dataset\u00a0 with\u00a0 field\u00a0 reality\u00a0 for\u00a0 developing\u00a0 logical\u00a0 arguments.\u00a0 The\u00a0 other\u00a0 way\u00a0 is\u00a0 to\u00a0 give\u00a0importance to large scale data source like Census which is based on house-to-house enumerated data than sample based selective data.<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n6.5. Mass Media Output:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n

Newspaper, magazines, television programmes, films and other mass media also provide valuable data for social science research. Newspaper reports on social issues may be used to substantiate an argument. English magazines like Frontline, India Today, Outlook, Tehelka, and The Week also publish social issues of public interests. There are however uncountable number of vernacular magazines publishing local issues. Similarly, the contents of any visual media programme or even print media may be fruitfully analysed to deduce findings. For instance, newspaper advertisements under matrimonial column offer useful data on whether caste is still a barrier for marriage in India.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

Often, media houses challenge official data on say estimate of poverty in India and begin a debate on the issue by involving scholars. These debates and discussions are very useful to make the scholar aware about the possible challenges. Also films and television programmes may try to provide insight into social aspects of living. One\u00a0 disadvantage\u00a0 of\u00a0 mass\u00a0 media\u00a0 output\u00a0 is\u00a0 authenticity\u00a0 of\u00a0 the\u00a0 news\/report\u00a0 published\u00a0 or programme\/film shown. It is often believed that all mass media houses in India have political leanings. Hence, what is published in a particular newspaper or shown in a television programme may vary from the reality. Films also might deviate from the reality in their pursuit to gain popularity. Another additional issue is the authorship of articles published in newspapers often remains unclear (for example, Editorials). Despite these challenges, research in contemporary times cannot ignore mass media output.<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n6.6. Doctoral Dissertation:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n

Doctoral dissertations are very often the result of original research. Hence, they are an important\u00a0resource for research in any discipline. It is advantageous from many points of view to look at a Ph.\u00a0D thesis. First, the methodology of research \u2013 the particular way the research was conducted including the troubles encountered \u2013 is usually discussed in some detail. Such discussion is rarely discussed in any reference book or article. The thesis also offers a brief idea about how to write a thesis or organize its chapters to any scholar. The bibliography part of the thesis provides detail information about types of resources available for research on a particular topic. Interestingly, keeping pace with advances in the electronic world, many reputed universities across the\u00a0 globe\u00a0 have\u00a0 allowed\u00a0 awarded\u00a0 doctoral\u00a0 thesis\u00a0 to\u00a0 be\u00a0 read\u00a0 and\u00a0 used\u00a0 by\u00a0 other\u00a0 researcher\u00a0 as \u201cunpublished manuscripts\u201d. In India too, in recent times, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has come up with twin projects\u00a0\u00a0 called\u00a0\u00a0 Shodhganga\u00a0\u00a0 and\u00a0\u00a0 ShodhGangotri.\u00a0\u00a0 Shodhganga\u00a0\u00a0 INFLIBNET\u00a0\u00a0 Centre (shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in) provides a platform for research students to deposit their Ph.D. theses and make it available to the entire scholarly community as open access resource. The repository has the ability to capture, index, store, disseminate and preserve Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) submitted by the researchers. Under this project, 164 universities have already joined together to make more that 15,000 theses available on line. Ph. D dissertations of many reputed universities of the country are available subject wise, title\/keyword wise, and researcher\/guidewise.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

On the other hand, ShodhGangotri (shodhgangotri.inflibnet.ac.in<\/em>) is a repository of Indian research in progress (synopses\/research proposals for PhD programme). Scholars may find out whether someone else is also working on his\/her topic and may benefit by going through the synopsis.<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n6.7. Indexes, Abstracts and Reviews in Social Sciences:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n

Indexes of social science articles and books published globally are available on several websites.\u00a0For instance, The International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS) is an essential online resource\u00a0 for\u00a0 social\u00a0 science\u00a0 and\u00a0 interdisciplinary\u00a0 research.\u00a0 IBSS\u00a0 includes\u00a0 over\u00a0 two\u00a0 million bibliographic references on journal articles, books, reviews and selected chapters dating back from 1951. CSA Sociological abstracts also provides abstract and indexes of articles, books and literature published in sociology and related disciplines in social and behavioural sciences since 1952. The abstracts of journal articles, books, dissertations, and citations to book reviews drawn from over 1,800 serials publications are useful resources.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

Use\u00a0 of\u00a0 citation\u00a0 indexes\u00a0 like\u00a0 Social\u00a0 science\u00a0 Citation\u00a0 Index\u00a0 (SSCI)\u00a0 allow\u00a0 students\u00a0 to\u00a0 look\u00a0 for\u00a0published research in an area including references to previously published papers. By locating an\u00a0early article in the field, one would also be able to identify later articles that cite that source. SSCI\u00a0contains\u00a0 four\u00a0 divisions:\u00a0 the\u00a0 Citation\u00a0 index,\u00a0 the \u00a0Source\u00a0 index,\u00a0 the\u00a0 Corporate\u00a0 index\u00a0 and\u00a0 the\u00a0Permuterm subject index. These divisions are helpful to both beginners and those with definite\u00a0knowledge about the sources of knowledge.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) has also published a trend reports on research\u00a0in\u00a0 sociology\u00a0 entitled\u00a0 ICSSR\u00a0 Research\u00a0 Surveys\u00a0 and\u00a0 Explorations:\u00a0 Indian\u00a0 Sociology\u00a0 (2013).\u00a0Published in three volumes (Oxford University Press) under the editorship of eminent sociologist\u00a0Prof.\u00a0 Yogendra\u00a0 Singh,\u00a0 the\u00a0 report\u00a0 deals\u00a0 with\u00a0 most\u00a0 of\u00a0 the\u00a0 relevant\u00a0 and\u00a0 dominant\u00a0 streams\u00a0 of researches conducted in sociology and social anthropology during the last decade. A reading of this (and many other reports of sister disciplines) is extremely helpful for researcher to identify gaps in research and suggests new emerging fields that deserve more attention.<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n6.8. Electronic Database:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n

Doing research without Internet is unthinkable today. While more and more students are relying on the net for easy and quick downloading of classified information, articles, dissertations, reference books, reports, news, bibliographical database and the like, it is to be kept in mind that Net is very different from traditional library research, and the differences can cause problems. The net is a tremendous resource, but it must be used carefully and critically.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

Thus, whenever search query is entered on the Internet, countless websites would appear on the screen. The scholar interested on a particular issue may get distracted by abundance of material typically available. The issue of authenticity and reliability of data would also become pertinent to him. Unrecognised bias and difficulties in identifying the credentials of the writer are some of the major\u00a0 weaknesses\u00a0 of\u00a0 electronic\u00a0 database.\u00a0 As\u00a0 there\u00a0 is\u00a0 no\u00a0 review\u00a0 or\u00a0 screening\u00a0 process\u00a0 of\u00a0 the materials posted on the net, there are no standard ways to identify the subjects and verify the claims. Websites continuously change and often new website appear in place of old one (Bryman 2008: 629). It is to be noted that popular information on the net is not always most correct or representative of the breadth of knowledge and opinion on a topic. Hence, one has to pay close attention to the following criteria for doing research on-line:<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n\u25cf Who is the author?\r\n\r\n\u25cf Who is sponsoring the website?\r\n\r\n\u25cf Is that piece of article or dataset required for the research in question?\r\n\r\n\u25cf Is the website current?\r\n\r\n\u25cf Can the information be verified in print sources?\r\n\r\n\u25cf Is the source of the information clearly stated?\r\n\r\n \r\n

These queries would certainly put question marks for judging the quality of information provided on the net. It is normally advised that before logging on, the scholar should narrow down his\/her\u00a0topic of research for making the search direct and limited. Interestingly, there are several high\u00a0quality peer-reviewed and indexed journals (a list is provided in unit 6.2) publishing articles and\u00a0reviews. Even though full-text of an article in electronic format may not be downloaded free, the\u00a0abstract, available on line, is useful to learn about the main argument and its consequent usefulness\u00a0for the research purpose. A scholar looking for forthcoming articles in these journals might also fix\u00a0e-mail alert for quick access to the abstract of any published document.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

Searching and downloading books (pdf version) on line has become very easy due to free services provided by sites like Library Genesis: Scientific Articles (libgen.org\/scimag), Libgen (libgen.info). JSTOR (www.jstor.org) is another popular website for librarian and researcher. It is a digital library of more than 1500 academic journals, books and primary sources. Limited free reading online facility to individual reader is available in this site, but you shall have to register for a free MyJSTOR account.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

Interestingly,\u00a0 there\u00a0 are\u00a0 also\u00a0 reliable\u00a0 websites\u00a0 like\u00a0 ResearchGate\u00a0 (www.researchgate.net), academia.edu\u00a0 (www.academia.edu),\u00a0 knimbus\u00a0 (www.knimbus.com)\u00a0 that\u00a0 contains\u00a0 published resources of scholars from different disciplines. These websites allow free access for registration and download or post any document without any cost. Apart from these, there are a great many solid academic resources available on the Net, including hundreds of on-line journals and sites set up\u00a0 by\u00a0 universities\u00a0 and\u00a0 scholarly\u00a0 or\u00a0 scientific\u00a0 organizations.\u00a0 You\u00a0 are\u00a0 already\u00a0 introduced\u00a0 to Shodhganga and ShodhGangotri projects which allow free access to Ph. D research materials. While downloading or taking notes of published documents from an online source, the scholars have to do the following:<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Keep a detailed record including date of access of sites you use,\r\n\r\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Keep a detail record of documents including the URL\/hyperlink from which you download the matter,\r\n\r\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Double-check all URLs that you put in your paper.\r\n\r\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cite the documents in the text and in bibliography as and when these are used to avoid plagiarism.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nSelf-check Exercise- 2<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n4. How should resources on a research theme be searched?\r\n\r\n \r\n

There are different sources of information on published and unpublished documents. Till recently, it was a normal practice for students to look for books, journals and documents in libraries. But, today, many of these resources are available on line and hence internet has become the easiest and quick source of information. Online libraries, websites, portals have made it easy to search for a document and interestingly access to some of these resources is free. Even unpublished Ph. D synopsis and dissertations of different universities from India and abroad are also available on line. Students looking for resources on a particular theme should type the exact topic or related theme\/keywords on say Google or other search engines and select useful and available resources. Even if an article is not available free of charges, students may get to know about the details of a publication along with its abstract. These are useful information for wider search for specific document(s), say an issue number of a journal, in libraries.<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n5. What should a student do before using the Internet?\r\n\r\n \r\n

It is normally advised that before logging on, the scholar should narrow down his\/her topic of research for making the search direct and limited. This is because, whenever search query is entered on the Internet, countless websites appears on the screen. The scholar interested on a particular issue may get distracted by abundance of material typically available. If you retrieve too many documents on the webpage(s), you can narrow your search to a particular area say domestic<\/em> violence in India <\/em>or in Delhi<\/em>. The reverse is equally true if you do not retrieve enough articles (expand the search by writing only domestic violence or violence against women<\/em>).<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n6. What precautions should be taken for using information from the Internet?\r\n\r\n \r\n

Information available on the net might not be reliable and authentic. Anyone could set up website and post any object. Hence, students have to look for the author of a document, the website posting it, check whether the website is updated or not, check whether the source of the information is clearly stated and verify the information in print sources. In other words, a student has to be patient and apply critical judgement to arrive at any solution.<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n7.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Issues Concerning Use of Secondary Literature<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nStudents using secondary literature should be aware of the following issues concerning the use of secondary literature:\r\n\r\n \r\n

a)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Authors writing their documents may follow a distinct theoretical model to analyse their findings. A Marxist literature, for instance, may differ in interpreting events\/ developments from those using a non-Marxist framework. There also remains the fear of misinterpreting the findings of a research (Plat 1984). Students should be aware of the theoretical framework used to arrive at any conclusion and should mention this while citing the findings.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

b)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The methodological tool used to collect data might also generate a particular variety of responses. Quantitative and qualitative researches very often stress on different aspects of reality. The data source and type should be clearly mentioned while stating the findings of a research.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

c)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The time-frame of field data used and analysed in any document may become outdated. For instance, a field research done on consumer behaviour in India in the 1980s would be least appropriate in the current context. As a corollary, while citing the chronology of events on say rate of literacy in India since independence, the time-frame of Census data should also be stated.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

d)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There is also literature that expresses the personal opinion or interpretation of the author(s) instead of any broad based findings. This should be clearly stated.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

e)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The usefulness of any document for any particular research should also be determined before using it. For instance, a research done on domestic violence laws in Britain may not be very useful to relate them in the Indian context. Hence, the utility and contextuality of data cited should be carefully examined and explained.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

These issues again bring back three major issues of social science research, namely validity, reliability and replicability (discussed in module entitled Types of Research and Designing them<\/em>). It appears that anything and everything found in the library or Internet do not constitute the subject matter of review for any research. Students should look for literature that is appropriate, contextual, and timely to make their arguments reliable and valid. If data from any old document or research findings from a different context are used, the time-frame as well as the context of the cited data should be clearly stated. Similar precautions should be taken for reviewing literature based on a particular theoretical or methodological model.<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n8.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Referencing the Works of Others<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n

As literature review involves the use of works of other scholars, the task of referencing these works is very vital. As Bryman (2008: 101) argues, \u201cReferencing the work of others is an important academic convention because it emphasizes that you are aware of the historical development of your subject \u2026 and you recognize that your own research builds on the works of others\u201d. From the beginning of searching for appropriate literature, the students should become aware of this essential responsibility. This means that she\/he should first develop skill to write down details of a reference before taking stock of what is known and strictly follow a pattern. These references would finally constitute his\/her reference or bibliography. While the term \u2018reference\u2019 is used to refer only to the list of cited literature in the text, \u2018bibliography\u2019 includes literature that informed the researcher though not cited in the text. The task of writing the reference\/bibliography, therefore, starts from the first day.<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\nThere are two major methods of writing citation in the text and at the bottom of each page or at the end of a chapter called \u2018references\u2019. These are as follows:\r\n\r\n \r\n

\u25cf Harvard or Author-date: The most common referencing style is this (also used in this write up). Under this system, whenever you use the ideas or arguments of any author(s) in your writing, you immediately put the surname of the author and the year of publication within a bracket, for example (Bryman 2008). If you are quoting the author, you put quotation marks around the quotation and add page numbers to the citation put within bracket, for example, (Bryman 2008: 101). If the document has no specific author (say editorial of a news paper), then the name of the newspaper\/journal or the URL of a website should be given in place of the author. If the source is cited more than once in the same paragraph or in subsequent paragraph, Ibid<\/em>. (same paragraph), or Op.cit<\/em>. (different paragraph) should be used along with page numbers, if required. All types of documents cited in the text are then given in a list of references at the end of your work in alphabetical order.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

\u25cf Footnote or numeric: This approach involves the use of superscript numbers in the text that refer to a note at the foot of the page or the end of the text, where the reference is stated in full along with the page number, if it is a direct quotation. If a source is cited more than once, an abbreviated version of the reference is stated in subsequent citation. This system of referencing does not require a bibliography, which is often required for assessing any dissertation of a student.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

It should be noted that bibliographic software tools are available in modern computers and they enable students to directly export references from the database. This saves time and energy and reduces possibility of error. Yet, it is better for students to learn the method of citation and referencing in details as it involves some tricky details and students are required to follow a definite style throughout the document. A good bibliography is one that integrates the references in the text systematically and gives the reader a comprehensive view about the literature being searched.<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n9.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Avoid Plagiarism<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n

Plagiarism is a serious academic offence and there are instances of academic institutions punishing their teachers, scholars and students severely for doing the crime. The act is condemned widely because original works are always praised for their high value and creativity. Plagiarism normally results when a writer\/researcher paraphrase or copy information, ideas or words from a text\/document while writing his own without acknowledging the source of the original work. According to the Oxford Advanced<\/em> Learner Dictionary of current English<\/em>, plagiarism refers to \u201ctake and use another person\u2019s ideas, words, etc as if they were one\u2019s own\u201d. Bryman (2008: 107) considers it as \u201ca form of academic cheating\u201d that is morally and ethically damned.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

As a type of academic dishonesty or fraud, plagiarism is however not a new in the academic circle. But, it is believed that use of easily available Internet resources has intensified the trend of \u2018copy and paste\u2019 without giving due credit to the original author. It is equally true that Internet has made it possible to trace cases of plagiarism as visibility of academic writings including those in Ph. D thesis has increased many folds due to increasing use of information technology now. Moreover, it is possible to detect cases\u00a0of\u00a0\u00a0 plagiarism\u00a0 very\u00a0\u00a0 easily\u00a0\u00a0 with\u00a0\u00a0 detection\u00a0\u00a0 software\u00a0 like\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Plagiarism\u00a0\u00a0 Checker<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0 (smallseotools.<\/span>com\/plagiarism-checker) or <\/span>iThenticate<\/em> and <\/span>Turnitin<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n \r\n

There is, therefore, no doubt about the fact that plagiarism should be avoided by all concerned. In order to do so, the following suggestions should be followed:<\/p>\r\n\r\n