Public Administration

For quick access to high quality information for your assignments, try the links on these pages.

Set up the University VPN system to access these resources any time, anywhere!

New in Sept 2024: Watch this short video about using our new Discovery service effectively.

Reading Lists

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Got an assignment? Have you looked at the reading list to see lecturer recommendations?

After looking at your online reading list, try these to help with your assignments

  • Think about what you need to find.
  • Look at your topic and identify keywords and phrases which will help you find relevant information.
  • Ask yourself whether other words are often used to describe parts of the topic e.g. teenagers, youths, adolescents and note these down for your search too.
  • Decide what type of information you need and where you are going to search. The details below and the other sections on this subject page will help you with this.

It is important to understand the type of information you need when researching for your assignment.  For example you may want to start by finding definitions or background information. You may have been asked to find journal articles. Alternatively you may be seeking professional information, statistics or research findings. Once you have decided what type of information you need, you can use the Ocean of Information to help you understand the value of different sources and how to access them. When using the Library's Discovery Service to search, you will find that you can get a list of sources to choose from by clicking Add filters under the search box, then moving down to Source Types in the column which pops out on the right.

Evaluating your sources is also crucial when writing a piece of academic work - the Evaluating information section on the library website will guide you through this process.

• When you need more depth, use these

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Particularly good for final year undergrad work, research projects, dissertations and all postgrad work

Referencing

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Guidance and support for referencing in APA 7, including advice about reference generators

Your Subject Team

 Anne Worden

Faculty Librarian

email Anne.Worden@port.ac.uk

 Sharon Bittner

Assistant Faculty Librarian

email sharon.bittner@port.ac.uk