Learning Outcomes

For some assignments, particularly a literature review, you may be asked to include a section about how you carried out your search for literature. This could be by submitting a written explanation, a visual representation such as a table or even both. Communicating your search process in this way demonstrates:

  • if you understood how to find and retrieve sources appropriate to your task
  • whether you carried out a thorough search for evidence on which to base your arguments
  • whether there is any bias in your choice of sources
  • that you can share your work with the wider research community

This module will help you identify what information you need to capture when you record a search, discuss ways to capture your search actions and communicate how you carried out your search. 

  • Understand the benefits of recording and sharing your search process
  • Identify the elements of a search that need to be recorded and
  • Select or modify a standard recording tool to suit personal/academic requirements

Find out more on the next page: What are the benefits of recording your search process?

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Author(s): Kate Davies

Last updated: March 2022

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