The Graduate Student Toolbox: Getting Started

1. Journals2. Databases 3. Note-taking

Matt FryENV 210Fmfry@unt.edu

Questions this brief session will help you get started with:

• How do I come up with a thesis/dissertation topic?

• How do I get started searching for literature or articles on this topic?

• What does ‘body of literature’ or ‘theoretical framework’ mean?

• What journals should I be reading?• What are ‘Geography’ journals?• How do I know which articles are the most

influential?

Getting started:

• Talk to the professors in your department about your ideas

ALWAYS bring a notebook and pen/pencil

(or other note-taking devise)

Getting started:• Use and book mark UNT library page:

http://www.library.unt.edu/

Getting started:• Three useful databases:

Web of Knowledge/Web of ScienceJSTORGoogle Scholar

• Also, the UNT library page

Geography Journals?• Journal Citation Reports:

http://admin-apps.webofknowledge.com/JCR/JCR

Relevant Journals?

• But there are more discipline oriented journals out there!

• Talk to professors.

ALWAYS bring a notebook and pen/pencil

(or other note-taking devise)

Getting started steps:

1. Use your notes to identify topics and key words

2. Use databases to search key words3. Refine key words as you go4. Start building folders of article pdfs based on

topics/themes/key words5. Some of these will become the ‘bodies of

literature’ or ‘theoretical frameworks’ you use in your thesis