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Essay help/ advice?

I am currently in my first year of uni and i have to write a 1800 word essay. At the moment, i am reading a book by a certain author which is necessary for this essay, however, i have no idea which other sources to read. The book pretty much has everything that i need to answer the essay. Would i get marked down for just using one source? I think it would look pretty bad just having one reference in my bibliography!
A rule of thumb I was told in my first year of university was "make sure you have at least 6 sources". Of course, once you find 6, you end up finding more anyway, but the principle is that you really shouldn't use just one source, otherwise it's just a literature review. It's annoying but also great that you've found that one perfect source but you do need to find more. What I tend to do when I want to reference a point but I feel I've used that book too much already is find another source that agrees/makes the same point.
Reply 2
Original post by Infamous12
I am currently in my first year of uni and i have to write a 1800 word essay. At the moment, i am reading a book by a certain author which is necessary for this essay, however, i have no idea which other sources to read. The book pretty much has everything that i need to answer the essay. Would i get marked down for just using one source? I think it would look pretty bad just having one reference in my bibliography!


You definitley can't use only one source. As for other sources to read you either need to consult your module reading list or do a search in your library search engine for your essay topic. If your really stuck consult your tutor.
Type in the book in Google Books, usually underneath it, it will say 'cited by', click on this and it will show you everyone that has cited this book (obviously). You will most likely find some useful sources either supporting or arguing against what the book you have to write about is saying.
You could use Google Scholar, it's free if you log in through your uni. You can google other reviews of the book and see what kind of sources they used. My uni has readings, and we're usually asked to use those in our essays.
Original post by Infamous12
I am currently in my first year of uni and i have to write a 1800 word essay. At the moment, i am reading a book by a certain author which is necessary for this essay, however, i have no idea which other sources to read. The book pretty much has everything that i need to answer the essay. Would i get marked down for just using one source? I think it would look pretty bad just having one reference in my bibliography!


Yes, you will need other sources. For an 1800 word essay I would be aiming for 8-10 references as a minimum in first year. I would imagine if you just used one source you would basically just be rehashing the relevant sections of that source which doesn't really show anything.

Does the book reference other sources you can access? Are there other similar books available in the library? Can you find any journal articles that back up/disagree with what the book says?

What subject is this? If people know the subject they may be able to advise a little better.
Reply 6
Original post by jelly1000
You definitley can't use only one source. As for other sources to read you either need to consult your module reading list or do a search in your library search engine for your essay topic. If your really stuck consult your tutor.


Original post by sliceofcake
A rule of thumb I was told in my first year of university was "make sure you have at least 6 sources". Of course, once you find 6, you end up finding more anyway, but the principle is that you really shouldn't use just one source, otherwise it's just a literature review. It's annoying but also great that you've found that one perfect source but you do need to find more. What I tend to do when I want to reference a point but I feel I've used that book too much already is find another source that agrees/makes the same point.


Thanks guys! I have around 4 or 5 sources at the moment, will aim to find a few more and then start planning / writing the essay.
Reply 7
Original post by Clementine101
You could use Google Scholar, it's free if you log in through your uni. You can google other reviews of the book and see what kind of sources they used. My uni has readings, and we're usually asked to use those in our essays.


Original post by nottspolitics
Type in the book in Google Books, usually underneath it, it will say 'cited by', click on this and it will show you everyone that has cited this book (obviously). You will most likely find some useful sources either supporting or arguing against what the book you have to write about is saying.


Thanks for the tips! Need to find a few more sources and i should be good to go.
Reply 8
Original post by Infamous12
Thanks for the tips! Need to find a few more sources and i should be good to go.


Also google books can be helpful as well as sometimes they have large sections of or whole books for free online. And don't forget journals- jstor.com should be in your bookmarks if your a humanities student - you log in via your institution using your uni log in details.
Reply 9
Original post by SlowlorisIncognito
Yes, you will need other sources. For an 1800 word essay I would be aiming for 8-10 references as a minimum in first year. I would imagine if you just used one source you would basically just be rehashing the relevant sections of that source which doesn't really show anything.

Does the book reference other sources you can access? Are there other similar books available in the library? Can you find any journal articles that back up/disagree with what the book says?

What subject is this? If people know the subject they may be able to advise a little better.


It is for Sociology. So far i have found like 4 sources so i think i should try to find a few more. The deadline isn't too far away now :s-smilie:
Reply 10
Original post by jelly1000
Also google books can be helpful as well as sometimes they have large sections of or whole books for free online. And don't forget journals- jstor.com should be in your bookmarks if your a humanities student - you log in via your institution using your uni log in details.


Our university has a really good library and online resources so i have been able to find most of my stuff through there. Maybe google books might have stuff that the library doesn't.
Original post by Infamous12
Our university has a really good library and online resources so i have been able to find most of my stuff through there. Maybe google books might have stuff that the library doesn't.


That's good then but it always looks good when you've read journals as well.
Reply 12
On my bibliography list, do i write the references of all the sources i have read (and therefore got my ideas from) or do i only put what i have used in my actual essay?
Original post by Infamous12
On my bibliography list, do i write the references of all the sources i have read (and therefore got my ideas from) or do i only put what i have used in my actual essay?


All the ones you've read
Reply 14
Original post by jelly1000
All the ones you've read


Thanks! :smile:

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