Using your university reading list effectively

1. Using your university reading list effectively How to recognise different types of text and assess their value for you as a reader

2. Different types of text • textbooks • monographs • journal articles • edited collections • electronic information

3. Textbooks • provide a standard introduction to the subject • give an overview of a subject by covering key topics • may be relatively cheap to buy, and available in the library in multiple copies or as e-books • may be revised to ensure the text is up-to-date • may be presented with diagrams, boxes of key information, and revision questions

4. An example of a textbook • Bryman, A. (2008) Social Research Methods. 3rd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

5. Monographs • in-depth research into a particular topic or issue • specialist in content • new or different perspectives, arguments or evidence • often available in hardback • dense and demanding as texts

6. An example of a monograph • Blackledge, A. (2002) Literacy, Power and Social Justice. Stoke-on-Trent: Trentham Books.

7. Journal articles • located in issues in numbered volumes, either in hard copies or e-journals • give a short account (c. 5000 words) of research into or analysis of a topic • abstracts (paragraph length summaries) are usually provided • new research often appears first as a journal article • review articles offer an assessment of new books

8. An example of a journal article • Lister, R., Smith, N., Middleton, S. and Cox, L. (2003) ‘Young people talk about citizenship: empirical perspectives on theoretical and political debates’, Citizenship Studies 7 (2) 235-53.

9. Edited collections • A collection of articles on a topic, compiled by an editor or editors, usually with an introduction • A range of viewpoints or perspectives • may provide a critical assessment of an issue, concept or theory.

10. Examples of edited collections • Baron, S., Field, J. and Schuller, T. (eds.) (2000) Social Capital: critical perspectives. Oxford: Oxford University Press. • Paterson, L. (2000) ‘Civil Society and Democratic Renewal’ in Baron, S., Field, J. and Schuller, T. (eds.) Social Capital: critical perspectives. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

11. Electronic Information • accessed via a computer • can be found as web pages on your reading list at an address or site on the World Wide Web – www. • e-books and e-journals (in journal collections) can be accessed via the Library • information from websites needs to be assessed critically

12. Examples of electronic information • Bright, M. (1985) ‘The poetry of art’, Journal of the History of Ideas, 46 (2), pp.259-277 JSTOR [Online]. Available at: http://uk.jstor.org/ (Accessed: 16 June 2008) • Forman, A. (2010) ‘Using web resources to create tasks with real outcomes’, http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles-using-web-resources-create-tasks-real-outcomes (Accessed: 6 September 2011)

13. Using your reading list for your assignments • first check the question to see what information and ideas you need • use your reading list to select a range of relevant material • Note the full bibliographic details of all items you consult in electronic form or on record cards.

14. Some considerations that will affect your reading • a good place to start reading for an essay • mentioned by your lecturer • up-to-date or key text • accessible • readable • a good model for academic analysis and writing