Understand how to plan a strategy for finding information as part of the research process.
Planning and preparation includes skillsets that relate to the phases of the research process which define the scope of the project, identify the information required, and formulate a strategy to acquire it. Although planning will always take place at the beginning of a project, it is likely that plans will be refined and reformulated throughout the research lifecycle as more information is acquired and the scope of a project changes.
Teaching this skill? Read on to see the learning objectives associated with each level or click here to skip straight to our teaching case studies.
Select the boxes below to view the learning objectives for each level.
Learning objectives
Define the focus of the search by analysing the assignment question and identifying the information required, including its Scope, context, and key concepts.
Plan to use the library’s trusted sources as the starting point for research, including the module Reading list and recognising when to go beyond it to develop independence as a researcher.
Divide the topic into clear Keywords, using brief background reading to refine search terms, generate synonyms, and develop an initial search strategy that can be refined over time.
Identify which kinds of source are needed for an assignment or project and select library tools or databases based on the kinds of information they provide.
Consider whether AI tools are appropriate for the task, taking account of Academic integrity requirements, departmental guidance, and assessment criteria.
Resources and activities
Look through the Plan Your Search page of the Search and Explore topic guide.
Take the Understanding Information Moodle course to understand the differences between source types and how these might play different roles in an assignment plan.
Look through the variety of databases for your subject area on your Subject Guide. Look at how their coverage differs and why you might use different databases to fulfil different search needs.
Think of a topic that you feel you know a lot about. This can be anything and not necessarily an academic topic - a hobby, for example. Imagine you needed to explain the topic to someone who doesn't know anything about this. Create a concept map to break it down and organise it into its main themes. List the important concepts under each relevant theme – these could be parts, actions, equipment, roles, etc. Use alternative and related names for these where they exist. For example, if you were explaining football, under 'Positions' you might include: Defence - Defenders, Full-back, Left-back, Right-back, Wing-back, Central defender, Centre-half, Sweeper.
Learning objectives
Draw on disciplinary knowledge to define the focus of a search and understand how different scholarly debates relate to the research topic.
Identify a clear focus for the research by recognising gaps or unanswered questions in the field.
Define the project’s key topics and develop a Search strategy which uses different keyword combinations to cover the scope of the research.
Plan to use Non-academic sources selectively, applying appropriate evaluation criteria and ensuring they fulfil a clearly defined information need.
Search using diverse library tools and databases, seeking a variety of source types, recognising how each type contributes differently to scholarly understanding.
Begin to adopt a systematic approach to searching and reviewing literature, defining an appropriate scope and documenting search decisions.
Make informed and justified decisions about the role, if any, of AI tools within a project, weighing academic integrity requirements, disciplinary expectations, assessment criteria, and project goals.
Look at SAGE Research Methods and look for resources on research planning, literature reviewing, and research design.
Browse the Library databases page and select your subject area. Think about which databases might be useful for your project.
Check back here soon for more resources and activities!
Try this now!
Find a recent publication in the area of your project. This could be a journal article or a book. Read the conclusion or recommendations for future research. Consider how the observations made here might help you to plan the scope of your project to fill a gap in the current scholarship:
What questions have already been answered?
What gaps or limitations do the authors identify?
Which gap interests you most?
How could you turn that gap into a focused and achievable research question?
Learning objectives
Draw on extensive engagement with the literature, scholarly debates, scoping activities, and prior research to identify gaps in current knowledge and define a feasible research focus.
Develop a detailed strategy for searching, retrieving and storing research material that aligns with the project’s scope and objectives.
Deploy technical and disciplinary terminology as part of a comprehensive and systematic search strategy. Set limits to searches and define inclusion and Exclusion criteria where appropriate.
Establish robust routines and systems to maintain current awareness of developments in the field by setting up alerts, tracking citations, and re-running searches.
Revisit and refine the research plan regularly as new information is acquired.
Critically evaluate the implications of AI use when planning research, including its potential impact on research integrity, methodological rigour, transparency, and authorship.
Understand how different database types allow the incorporation of diverse kinds of information (such as in grey literature, proceedings, open datasets, etc.). Include these in search strategies.
Understand that some information required may be unavailable to libraries, and plan when and how to access it (visiting an archive, for example).
Plan for safe and compliant data storage, in line with institutional policies and legal frameworks. Prepare a robust data management plan, where required.
Plan a thorough strategy for communicating the research, understanding that presenting at conferences and collaborating on publications are also ways to stay informed about the field’s latest developments.
Know the open access requirements you need to meet and use these to inform the publication strategy.
Resources and activities
Attend the Library’s Researcher training sessions. Literature Searching for Researchers, Research Data Management Essentials, and Publishing Essentials will be most useful for the planning phase.
Look at the guidance on how to set up search or citation alerts in Scopus and Web of Science.
Contact your Research and Academic Support Librarian for one-to-one support with planning your project’s search strategy and understanding the resources available.
Consider signing up to the SCONUL access scheme to make use of collections held in other academic libraries.
Read about the Library’s support for Open Access. Consider this when planning your publication strategy. Contact the Open Research team for support with identifying suitable venues for publication.
Look at the RDM guide’s planning page to understand research data management planning.
Where appropriate, explore alternative sources of primary and secondary materials, such as NGOs, archives and professional organisations.
Try this now!
Consider your current research project and document:
Your research question
Key concepts
Search terms
Databases used
Any inclusion or exclusion criteria
Identify one area where your approach could be made more systematic.
Teaching staff
The skills of planning and preparing for a research task, whether this is an individual assignment, a report, a dissertation, or a thesis, are best developed within the context of a student’s subject area. These skills can be introduced through examples and activities which incorporate disciplinary or module-based topics and expectations. The case studies below provide examples of where these skills, and library instruction, have been integrated into modular teaching and departmental skills provision.
The Research and Academic Services division can work with you to identify the searching skills most relevant to your students, design activities using subject-specific examples and resources, and embed teaching within your module or programme.
In the open training session Study Essentials: Finding Academic Resources, students are taught how to locate relevant resources for their subject area and learn about the basics of search strategy, including generating keywords and understanding the benefits of a key word approach to searching over the use of an AI assistant.
First year undergraduate History of Art students complete a skills module that develops their research skills in the subject. As part of this module, students take part in an active library research skills session designed using an object-based approach. Students are shown an image of a contemporary artwork by a major artist but with no other information about the work and asked to develop a vocabulary for searching for information to identify and understand the work. Collectively, through a visual analysis, students develop a map of related concepts and terms based on the materiality, theme and context of the artwork that could be used to find information in the Library Search or internet search engine. The resulting map can then be used as a basis for understanding how they can utilise a vocabulary in the next step of the planning process and how a search can be put together using keywords. After this exercise, students also watch a video of the artist discussing the work and the ideas involved in its development. This highlights their already developing skills in critical thinking, building confidence, and demonstrating the value of this approach in planning research on a topic.
The skills of planning and preparing for research are taught by Research and Academic Support librarians in a variety of modular contexts across the university. Sessions normally focus on exploring the different resources available for the subject area and understanding how to plan a search by generating keywords. We would be glad to offer sessions which cover any of the above learning objectives.
EN100 is a compulsory module for all students in the MA for English, World Literature, English and Drama, Environmental Humanities, Critical and Cultural Theory, and Renaissance Studies. Apart from presenting the challenges and opportunities of a very interdisciplinary cohort, it is also diverse, combining international and home students as well as recent graduates with returners to education. Students who only recently completed their undergraduate education may not be familiar with strategic searching regardless of where they completed their degree. As part of the programme, the librarian sees the cohort for two consecutive sessions spaced two weeks apart. At the end of the first session, they are set a task based on their dissertation’s research question. The task is to create a written list or mind map of keywords that would be useful in a search, including, where applicable, those that might need to be excluded. They are asked to test these using library databases and, where appropriate, the open web, and to make notes of their successes and challenges.
Students are to bring a physical copy of their keyword lists/mind maps to the second session. They feed back on their search experiences before they share their keywords by placing their papers on a communal table. They then review and contribute to each other’s keywords. Students are encouraged to ask questions about the topic’s scope and focus and suggest potential links to other subjects or related topics. There are several aims in this exercise: encourage students to pause before they start a search, to create keywords, to consider subject terminology and colloquial language, to think about where to input their keywords and in which syntax, which keywords may return different types of resources and subjects, and how that may affect their search strategy. Apart from this, they experience, sometimes for the first time, the benefits of discussing their topic in a more open forum before diving deeper into research. The interdisciplinarity of the cohort provides both the opportunity to add greater depth to research and to help students define what their topic is about and what it is not.
We deliver advanced search strategy and planning training as part of our open researcher training programme – particularly in the Literature Searching for Researchers, Data Management Essentials, and Publishing Essentials sessions.
We are happy to provide sessions on doctoral or ECR integrated skills programmes, on planning a search strategy, current awareness (including citation and search alerts), publication planning and any of the other skills set out in the learning objectives – either in isolation, or in combination with skills from any of the other skill strands.
Contact us
We are developing the teaching provision (and case studies) arising from this framework on an ongoing basis. Please get in touch if you have any feedback, or would like to propose a session as part of your programme: contact us.
