Literature Reviews And Publishing For PhD Candidates
Ph.D. -course
- ECTS credits
- 5
- Teaching semesters Autumn, Spring
- Course code
- PHDOF903
- Number of semesters
- 1
- Teaching language
- English
- Resources
- Schedule
Course description
Objectives and Content
The starting point of this course is the «overview of research in the field», the literature review. Through the course the PhD candidate will write a literature review for her/his dissertation. The goal of the course is that each candidate, early in the research process, gains a confident overview of existing research fields, of crucial literature and of different information resources. The course will offer a review of basic reference management functionality and show how this can be used efficiently in research. The candidates are required to use a reference management system in the written assignment for this course. Furthermore, the course aims to enable the candidate to keep an active dialogue with relevant literature throughout the research process and to introduce him/her to problems of communication of research results such as publishing procedures and channels, research networks, copyright and open science issues.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of the course the student has expertise in searching literature for aims of research, in relating his/her own work to actual fields of research and in communicating own results by publishing in different channels. In detail, the student
- is acquainted with standard tools and methods of literature search
- is able to develop a search strategy for his/her project and is familiar with the use of the most important specialist databases for his/her subject
- has a confident overview of existing fields of research related to his/her own project and of different information resources and research networks
- knows how to cite, how to evaluate sources and how to relate to research discourse in an ethically proper way
- is able to write a literature review for his/her own research project and to keep an active dialogue with relevant literature through the research process
- is able to use a reference management system when referencing in a text and to generate literature lists in different referencing styles
- is acquainted with different formal and informal channels of publication on his/her field of research, and with different procedures of peer review, criteria for ranking and other forms of research evaluation
- is able to identify publishers for his/her articles or monographs, and online venues for networkingis aware of copyright issues and has gained basic knowledge about the fundamental principles of open science
ECTS Credits
5 ECTS points
Level of Study
PhD
Semester of Instruction
Autumn
Required Previous Knowledge
Not applicable
Recommended Previous Knowledge
Basic knowledge of a reference management tool
Before the course we recommend that the candidates
- find and read a dissertation, identify strengths and weaknesses regarding literature review and structure of thesis
- prepare a brief presentation of his/her PHD-project. The presentation should be concise (about 2 to 3 minutes) and give an account of the thesis topic and the aims and challenges concerning the literature review of the project.
Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap
Not relevant
Access to the Course
The course is open to PhD candidates at the Faculty of Humanities and is best suited for candidates at an early stage of their PhD. The capacity is limited to 18 participants. Admission is based on a first-come, first-served principle.
Registration for the course is handled through Studentweb, but does not follow the standard timeframe. The course is announced directly to candidates in the programme.
Teaching and learning methods
The course consists of introductory lectures, seminar discussions, tutorials and exercises.
Joint sessions: 4 days of full-time seminar (3+1 days with approx. 5 weeks in-between). The organized teaching in the course has an extent of approximately 25 hours.
Compulsory Assignments and Attendance
During the course the candidates must
- write a draft of their assignment, share it with two designated peers, and read and provide feedback on the drafts of two other peers
- Attendance at the seminar is mandatory.
Forms of Assessment
A written assignment of 2000 words must be submitted approximately 4 weeks after the course is finished. The assignment should consist of a literature review that can be used as a stand-alone part (chapter or article) of the individual dissertation. In addition, a separate reflection of the writing process (literature search, reference management, reviewing) must be included, with a length of approximately 500 words. The assignment must be written in English, German or a Scandinavian Language. At least 500 pages of research literature from at least 10 different sources must be reviewed. A reference management system must be used in the assignment.
Grading Scale
approved / not approved
Assessment Semester
Autumn
Reading List
A list of required readings and links to learning resources will be provided on MittUiB prior to the start of the course.
Course Evaluation
The teaching is evaluated according to the quality assurance system of the University of Bergen.
Examination Support Material
not applicable
Programme Committee
Programme Board for the PhD programme at Faculty of Humanities
Course Coordinator
Course Administrator
Faculty of Humanities, Section for Student Affairs and Doctoral Education