01 / Literature
Literature search and review
Every good piece of research starts with reading the right things in the right order. This section covers search strategies and databases, how to structure a literature review, how to spot a gap that is worth filling and how to phrase a research question your supervisor will accept.
4 pages
In this section
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01
How to write a literature review: structure and steps
How to write a literature review that argues rather than lists: choose a structure, synthesise sources, evaluate them critically and lead to your research gap.
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02
Literature search: a step-by-step method that works
A practical method for a systematic literature search: define concepts, pick databases, build search strings, screen results and document every step.
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03
Research gap: how to find one and justify it
What a research gap is, the main types, where to look for one in the literature and how to check that your gap is real, relevant and doable.
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04
Research question: how to write one, with examples
How to turn a broad topic into a focused research question: types of questions, criteria such as FINER, frameworks like PICO and examples from weak to strong.
Other sections
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02
Research tools compared
Reference managers, AI research assistants, plagiarism checkers and writing assistants compared on features, price, data protection and what your university allows.
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03
Academic writing
Research methodology, research proposals, citation styles, thesis structure and the practical last step of printing and binding, explained clearly.
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04
Publishing your research
How to choose a journal, prepare and submit a paper, what open access really costs, how peer review works and how to recognise predatory journals.
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05
Presenting your research
How to design a scientific poster that people stop for, submit an abstract to a conference and give a talk that fits the time slot.
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06
Research careers
How to apply for a PhD, how scholarships and research grants work, and what researchers need to know about patents before they publish.
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07
Deep tech explained
Research-heavy technologies explained for non-specialists, starting with emerging memory: MRAM, ReRAM and phase-change memory.