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online one-stop for:graduate Students

Introduction

Need library research help? You have come to the right place!  Don't see a connection to what you are looking for and need, email us so we can add resources for you.

Situation Needs

For graduate students, the Marriott Library provides both refresher as well as advanced level support for library research. In addition we provide support for research methods, qualitative research tools, and funding research. Visit the Graduate School Links to an external site. site for a collection of valuable resources such as Grammarly Links to an external site. and a professional development tool for the Humanities and Social Science ImaginePhD Links to an external site.as well as professional development tool for science graduate students called the IDP for planning for science careers after the PhD Links to an external site..

Strategies & Skills

 

General Research

General Research

Library Research Refresher

Advanced Searching Skills

 

Dissertation & Thesis Help

Dissertation & Thesis Help

Doing a thesis or dissertation is a time consuming process. Here are some resources and tips to help you get started and stay on track until your defense.

Getting Organized to Do Research

 

Preliminary Exploration

Jump in and Do Research

 

Writing Strategies

 

Tools & Tutorials

Tools & Tutorials 

          Zotero tutorial by Rebekah Cummings, Digital Matters Librarian (rebekah.cummings@utah.edu )

 

 

TA Teaching Support

TA Teaching Support 

  • If you are teaching as a TA and your course has a research assignment we can help with designing and teaching library research assignments 
  • We can also come into your class (through zoom or in person) and provide an introduction to library research for your students 
  • We can create Canvas page tutorials that can be uploaded into your course
  • We can also be enrolled in your Canvas course as a TA and monitor a Library Research FAQ discussion board 

Support & People

We're here to help!

Planning Research

Planning Research 

Don't Know where to Start?

 

Getting Organized

Getting Organized 

Gathering Sources

Accessing Software & Tools

Developing a Plan & Stay Organized

  • Develop a plan for doing research that includes how you will track resources you find, how you can manage your time, and how you can stay organized 
    • Create a calendar for deadlines 
    • Use an Excel spreadsheet to track articles

Doing Research

Doing Research 

 

Disseminating Research

Disseminating Research

SELF

Surviving the Dissertation

 

Surviving the Dissertation

Some challenges identified in the literature for graduate students are time management, isolation, feelings of imposter syndrome and managing the dissertation committee - relationships, communication, and expectations. Need help? Contact the UofU Counseling Center Links to an external site.

Time Management of the Process

Once you have developed a research topic and done some preliminary searching to explore literature related to your topic, the next step is to make a rough timeline for your dissertation or thesis. Even if this timeline changes dramatically, having a plan in mind can help you set goals to make sure you are on track. Here are some key points to remember:

  1. Make reasonable estimates of how long you expect each phase of the plan to take: Although it would be wonderful if you could write your dissertation proposal in two weeks, this probably is not realistic. If you aren't sure what is realistic, try talking to your advisor or other students about how much time they allot.
  2. Be prepared to make changes: Shifts in timing happen for a variety of reasons; request for revisions, delays in data analysis, or just ordinary life getting in the way. Instead of getting upset, try to be flexible about your timeline. If you are stuck and aren't sure what to do, connect with your advisor to get some advice.
  3. Keep a journal of your progress: Although keeping a journal may sound like extra work, keeping brief notes of your progress and your decisions and choices can help you see and remember the progress you have made. It also keeps you from forgetting good ideas you may have for different phases of the process.

Here are some additional resources that may be useful to you when developing a research plan:

Counting Down to #Thesis Completion Links to an external site.: This blog post by Professor Pat Thomson provides suggestions on approximately how much time each portion of your thesis or dissertation process will take. 

Rally Your Resources Links to an external site.: Check out this Gradhacker post by Grady Krien about how to think through the resources you will need to finish your writing.

Keeping a Reading Journal Links to an external site.: This blog post by Professor Pat Thomson provides advice on how to create a reading journal throughout your thesis or dissertation to keep track of the literature you will read and review

Anticipating Tasks and Timings Links to an external site.: This blog post by Professor Pat Thomson offers some suggestions for key elements in the writing process that should be considered when developing a research plan.

Reverse-Planning (Backcasting) a Paper Links to an external site.: This post by Professor Raul Pacheco-Vega describes his strategies for working backward to plan how much time he will need for a research project. 

My Yearly Planning Process Through the Everything Notebook Links to an external site.: In this post, Professor Raul-Pacheco Vega explains how he organizes his time and schedule as an academic. Some of his strategies may be useful to you as you make your plan for writing and research.

Four Strategies to Help Build an Academic Writing Routine Links to an external site.: One important element in developing a research plan is thinking through how you will write. This blog post by Professor Raul Pacheco-Vega offers some suggestions on how to develop a daily writing practice. 

Isolation

  • Need help? Contact the UofU Counseling Center
  • Graduate school prepared me to self-quarantine (Chronicle Vitae article Links to an external site.)
  • One possible solution (post-COVID) 2Xs a year: Join other grad students at the Marriott Library for Dissertation and Thesis Boot Camp. Over fall and spring break you get free breakfast and conversation and you can dedicate time to writing, or analyzing data, or formatting your dissertation. Stay tuned for registration announcement this fall!

Impostor Syndrome

Stress and Committee Relationships

 

Career Prep

Career Prep

Academia vs non-academic Jobs 

 

Work-Life Balance

Work-Life Balance

Health

 

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