Kelley Costigan, Producer
Welcome to the Wyrd Learning Podcast with your hosts, Dr Tracy Dix and Dr Alex Patel. Today’s Episode: How to Navigate Your Reading List.
Tracy Dix
Hi everyone, this is Tracy Dix here from Wyrd Learning with my good friend, Alex Patel.
Alex Patel
Alex Patel. [Laughter] In stereo.
Tracy Dix
In stereo. So, in our last episode we talked about should you go to all the events during Welcome Week or Freshers’ Week when you start university and we promised that we would kind of tie this in with how to approach your reading list. So, in terms of like selecting what to read and what not to read, you know very similarly to like should you go to everything during Freshers’ Week or can you opt out? Does that mean you will never make friends? Of course, that wasn't true if you listen to our last episode. So anyway, without further ado, let's dive in.
Alex Patel
Okay, so imagine you are about to go to university start of October and you just received some material for the course. So this includes a reading list.
Tracy Dix
Uh hm.
Alex Patel
So it might look like a document, which has maybe a bit about the purpose a bit about the topic at the top, and then a list of references.
Tracy Dix
Yep.
Alex Patel
So, we could have quite a variety of things.
Tracy Dix
Hang on Alex. What are references?
Alex Patel
Ah, [laughter] so references are the detailed information that describes a book so it will cover the author, when it was written, the title, and the publisher that type of information, but it's not just books.
Tracy Dix
What kinds of materials might you find on a reading list?
Oh! Just before we go into that in more detail, just a quick note about resource lists. Reading this may increasingly be called “resource lists” and depending on your course, your module leaders may direct you to other types of resources such as blogs, videos, TED talks, and basically things that haven't been peer reviewed. Now peer review means that the content has been looked at by another academic, and so that gives it some kind of academic credibility, like it's a good source that you can use in your work. However, like I said, depending on your discipline, depending on the subject that you're studying, you might be directed to other kinds of resources, which are not in this kind of academic canon.
Alex Patel
Okay, so you're talking about an academic canon, what types of things would you find because within that area, there are different types of reading.
Tracy Dix
Yes. Okay. So, to start off with, we've got primary texts, and it's really difficult to define exactly what the primary text is because you can't just say, “Oh, it's a book or as a research article.” A primary text will be the central focus of what you're being asked to discuss or what you're being asked to analyse for an assignment, or perhaps it could be a seminar. So, for example, if you're doing an English degree like I did, your primary texts for particular seminar might be to look at one of Shakespeare's plays, or it might be to read a Charles Dickens novel, or it might be to read something a little bit more contemporary than that. [Laughs]
Alex Patel
So, what would a secondary text be in that context?
Tracy Dix 3:03
So, in that context, a secondary text would be an opinion piece on your primary text. So, for example, I mentioned a Shakespeare play, so it would be you know, a scholarly opinion that might be titled something around like, “The representations of femininity in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra.”
Alex Patel
Wow, that sounds both interesting and complex.
Tracy Dix
[Laughs} And complex, yeah.
Alex Patel
So, in something like neuroscience, a primary text would be the research papers that talk about (is it)? Hodgkin and Huxley and the giant squid axons, that were used to work out how impulses were passed along neurons. So that would be primary research.
Tracy Dix
Okay.
Alex Patel
But when we look at it in a textbook, and it's certainly a summary, undergraduate textbook, that would be the secondary…
Tracy Dix
Okay, and I think in the social sciences, I think a lot of primary text might begin with textbooks. What do you think?
Alex Patel
Yes, I know certainly for a lot of the sciences, psychology, biology, the accepted knowledge is often taught through textbooks in the first year, but we're talking about really good quality textbooks really quite chunky.
Tracy Dix
Comprehensive.
Alex Patel
Yes, yes. And then in the second year, and third year, that's when you move from, “well, this is the accepted knowledge” to the stuff that's, you know, on the edge of what we know, which might be a bit controversial, you know, different viewpoints about it and those, that's when we start looking at prior research papers, and start evaluating them, critiquing them, looking at methods and a lot more detail.
Tracy Dix
Yeah. So, I mean, with what you said about things that might be a little bit more controversial. It's not necessarily because the ideas or the research embodied with them are like really wild or out there, but I think it's just more that there is limited research to prove that certain things work or happen or don't work.
Alex Patel
Yeah. That’s what scare me about science is that sometimes we're talking about things that are happening on an atomic and molecular scale.
Tracy Dix
Yeah.
Alex Patel
So, we can't see that. So, we're relying on experiments to imply or indicate something that we can't see.
Tracy Dix
So, an experiment is only really as good as the team that designs it, isn’t it?
Alex Patel 5:23
Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So, you know, one group might say, “Well, this experiment demonstrates this conclusion”, whereas another group may take the same type of experiment and say, “Actually, no, it doesn't it. It demonstrates this.” So that's when you start to get disagreement amongst experts, which is very exciting.
Tracy Dix
It is very exciting, but that's what it means, I suppose when it comes to you know, when we talk about developing our criticality and our critical skills, like how do you in simple terms that how do you know kind of what to believe when you're reading something? And I suppose the short answer to that is you can kind of believe everything, but you need to be aware of their limitations, and you need to be able to evaluate how accurate - how accurate the results might be, how thorough the research is, how comprehensive are the samples, how long a period has it taken place over, for example.
Alex Patel
Yeah, yeah.
Tracy Dix
So, for example, if you're researching like the effectiveness of a particular drug over 10 years versus over one year, you will know that the study that's taking place over 10 years is going to be way more comprehensive. Same goes with you know, sample sizes.
Alex Patel
Yeah. criticality brings up so many, many questions and this is something that I'm sure we're not going to just spend one podcast on.
Tracy Dix
No.
Alex Patel
But many, because there are lots of different ways of approaching it. But a simple one is to ask questions like: “What?” “Who?” “When?” “Why?”
Tracy Dix
Yeah.
Alex Patel
And that's just, you know, just a starter, but we'll go into some -
Tracy Dix
We’ll go into more detail in the future but also in - when it comes to the criticality, I think we will focus future podcast episodes on really delving into particular topics. So that, you know, it gives you a good idea of what we're talking about.
Alex Patel
Marvellous. So if there are certain topics you'd like us to delve into the criticality around and model some of these techniques, please send us a DM.
So, what kind of topics could we look at so
Tracy Dix
Oh! So, for example, if you will have been sent your first assignment topics, we'd be very happy to kind of explore some of the criticality around that with you, obviously. So here's our little disclaimer, we are not going to write the essay for you, but it's just about brainstorming some ideas, you know, what are the routes you can go on when you're analysing your essay topic? And what kind of evidence do you feel you would need in order to really develop your argument and that will help you structure your essay as well. And you know, there's a lot to go into with all that. So, like I say, an essay topic would be really good to like really delve into these techniques. So, send us your assignment topics when you get them.
Alex Patel
I actually find it really interesting, even if it's a topic I don't know anything about.
Tracy Dix
Yes.
Alex Patel
It's about asking questions, really.
Tracy Dix
It is. And the most deceptive ones are the ones that are phrased very simply, if an assignment question or topic is phrased really simply and you kind of think, “Oh, yeah, no problem. I can do that.” We will challenge you. So, send us those topics and we'll go into them in a lot more detail, and hopefully you'll get loads out of that process.
Alex Patel
Yeah. Just thinking about the simple topics. I think we had one in biological sciences, which was the cell.
Tracy Dix
Yeah, like, write something about the cell.
Alex Patel
I think so. There must have been a question. [Laughs] What does the cell do?
Tracy Dix
That's the thing though…
Alex Patel
Are cells important? Something like that.
Tracy Dix
The cell.
Alex Patel
A Day in the Life of a Cell.
Tracy Dix
The cell is very broad, isn't it? Because from there you can go into are we talking about plant cells, animal cells, human cells, stem cells.
Alex Patel
That’s the thing with deceptive questions.
Tracy Dix
And if you've got 1000 words or so you need to narrow it down to either you're going to do - you kind of try and do a comprehensive rundown of cells in general, which means that it's really hard to focus on one thing and you need to have a very broad knowledge or you focus on one type of cell and you devote your 1000 words to that, but you need to define the scope of your response in your introduction.
Alex Patel
Yes.
Tracy Dix
So I'll stop there with that one now. We'll cover that in more detail.
Alex Patel
[Laughs] We could just go on about it because we will!
Tracy Dix
Because get back to that reading list.
Alex Patel
We do.
Tacy Dix
Okay.
Alex Patel
It's a big reading list. And we've looked at primary, secondary, textbook-type sources. You also get books, which tend to be a review of the subject area, the topic, and so those may have been written by different research labs or key figures in that particular area. So what else?
Tracy Dix
Okay, so the only thing I was going to say so earlier on, I mentioned that secondary texts would be like, for example, a scholarly article. So, a critical kind of scholarly article on the representations of femininity and Anthony and Cleopatra for example. However, you might be asked to kind of analyse critical theory as a primary text. So, for example -
Alex Patel
You’re using some big words there.
Tracy Dix
Okay, in a lot of introductory modules, so the modules that kind of set the foundations for the kind of knowledge that you need to build on for the rest of your degree, they will often be called things like “critical methods” or “critical theory”, and the idea is to kind of teach you different ways of analysing certain issues, different ways of thinking, different perspectives. And so in those cases, when you are sent the reading for those modules, or those seminars, you're very likely to be asked to look at for example, “Read this chapter on a certain critical theory”. So, “Read this chapter on Marxism”, for example. So that is about the critical tradition and perspectives. So, it kind of contradicts a little bit about what I was saying about you know, what other kinds of scholarly perspectives around the primary text but it depends on the purpose of your seminar, and it depends on the purpose of your topic, sometimes, so the boundaries can be a little bit shady at times.
Alex Patel
Okay, so that's an interesting link: purpose of why you're doing this reading. It that an important thing to have?
Tracy Dix
Yes, I think it is always really important because -
Alex Patel
So, you're not just reading for the fun of it or to just to get a general idea…
Tracy Dix
I ‘m afraid not.
Alex Patel
Of the subject area?
Tracy Dix
If you’ve found the information in our podcast useful, please share your AHA moments by either tagging us @Wyrd.Learning on social media or telling us in a DM. We’d really love to hear from you so we can share even more helpful tips. Feel free to ask us questions about your uni assignments and we’ll be sure to address them in future episodes or on our socials. So do follow us, and/or subscribe to this podcast so you don’t miss new content. Finally, if you enjoy listening to this podcast, please tell your friends about it and consider leaving us a review on Google, Itunes, Spotify or whichever platform you use, so that we can reach, and help more people. It also means that we can make this podcast even better.
If you email us a screenshot of your review, we’ll also enter you in a weekly prize draw to win a half hour consultation with us, completely free! There’ll be more info in our shownotes.
So, this episode may seem a little disjointed, and apologies for that. During the original recording, Alex’s laptop battery died, and she’s since been struck down by Covid, so we haven’t been able to record together. She’s feeling much better now, but as you’ll all know, the university term has started, things are getting busy for us and it’s been tricky to coordinate our schedules, so it’s me, Tracy, recording solo today.
However, just before Alex’s laptop died, she asked me a really good question, so I’ll pick up on that now. And that’s, whether we’re just reading for the fun of it, at university. Now, as a three-time English Literature graduate, I sure do believe in reading for pleasure, and I did when I was a student too.
I’ll tell you a story of how I went completely off-piste when I started my PhD. My topic started generally on banqueting in Renaissance drama, and I harboured the somewhat romantic notion that I could now go away and read every food history book, to my heart’s desire. My supervisor queried what I was reading, so I told her. It was an uncomfortable conversation, but necessary, as books on the history of bread, the history of food in Britain, and so on, were too general to start with, and it’s unlikely I would have learnt anything too productive from it. I did, however, go on to incorporate some of these resources in my thesis, but this was done in a much more strategic way, to ensure that it was all relevant to my project. So when you seek support, it’s important to be coachable. This means you may not have the answers to your next step yet, but your tutor, adviser or mentor will help you identify what it should be. Their questions may feel uncomfortable, but it usually comes from a good place, and you need to be open and honest with your responses to get the best outcomes from these appointments.
So, in order to engage properly during seminars and do well in your assignments, you need to devise a research and reading strategy and understand what the purpose of your reading is. This always begins with analysing your task, whether it’s reading to prepare for a class discussion, or preparing for an assessed essay.
Now, we get asked a whole range of questions around academic writing, such as, how do I structure my essay clearly? I’m so confused by all the articles and research out there, how do I organise it all? How do I write my introduction? My tutor tells me that some of my points are irrelevant, that they go into too much detail, or that I’m not specific enough. How do I improve in these areas?
When you’re writing an essay, this always boils down to analysing your essay topic first. And I’m really excited to share that Alex and I are preparing a free webinar on how to go about this. We’ll be releasing details on how to sign up on Thursday the 13th October, so be sure to set your reminders. We’ll be setting you a reminder too! Analysing your essay topic is such an integral part of academic writing, that, even if you think you know what we’re talking about, I strongly urge you to sign up and attend. It’s completely free, and the information we’ll be sharing is absolute GOLD. Take it, keep practicing it everytime you have an assignment to work on, and if you implement our recommendations, you’ll be on your way to achieving a 1st class degree.
Ok, since I mentioned earlier about approaching your reading list when it comes to seminar preparation and approaching assignments, let’s focus on how to decide what, and how much, to read when preparing for class discussions first.
When you’re reading to prepare for class, this is usually so you can present a brief summary of what you’ve read and engage in discussions. So, read what you’re asked to read. This may seem obvious, but sometimes what you’re asked to read can be difficult to understand. Make sure you develop a thorough understanding of the information presented to you so that you’re able to engage with discussion in seminars or tutorials.
Ok, but what if you don’t understand any of it?
We talked about different kinds of social interactions in episode 4 on Freshers’ Week. As with our social lives, there may be some interactions that we may not want to admit to, and the same goes for resources like Wikipedia, searching on Google, Youtube, etc. In fact, there are some academics who may tell you never to turn to websites like Wikipedia. However, if there’re some concepts that you’re having trouble grasping, there’s no shame in turning to other resources to help you form a basic understanding of concepts, before you build upon this knowledge. And yes, this means that you could find something online that just makes difficult concepts easier to grasp. Just be sure to have a look at a couple of different sources to make sure the information is consistent. In the university context, the resources I’ve just described are known as grey literature. They are not peer-reviewed and so they sit outside the academic canon of monographs (fancy word for book), journal articles, readers (Collections of essays), academic textbooks. Look at a variety of sources because individuals explain things differently, so find explanations that resonate with you. Try to develop such a comfortable understanding of these concepts that you’re able to play around with the ideas a little. Apply them to real world situations so you can engage with the discussions in class. This makes for a much richer learning experience when you’re at university
We explained what primary texts are earlier in this episode. If you will be discussing a primary text in seminars, then you’ll need to have read it beforehand. But you won’t necessarily need to have read the whole text. Sometimes it’ll be sufficient to read a couple of chapters and dip into a few secondary resources to make yourself aware of the critical debates surrounding the text.
If you’re studying for a degree in the sciences, then it’s likely that your course will be very knowledge-based if you’re in the foundation year. This means that you’ll be tested to make sure that you have a solid understanding of established knowledge in your subject before continuing. It’s very likely that your course will still be very heavily reliant on learning from textbooks in the first year, so our advice to ensure that you have a full understanding of the key concepts still applies. Use grey literature to make these concepts more accessible if you’re struggling with them. You’ll start to use specialised databases to find journal articles in your second year, with a view to formulating a research question for a longer project in your final year. We’ll go into all this in future episodes.
So, what if you’re preparing an assignment? What do you need to read then? The most effective way to produce an assignment that clearly answers the question, presents relevant evidence and engages with it critically, is to ANALYSE your topic first. We’ll have to devote much more time to explaining this and giving you examples, so as I mentioned earlier, the webinar that we’re planning, is exactly what you need to help you with this. Set your reminders to sign up on the 13th October! We’ll be releasing another special episode on Study Skills, and the link will be in our shownotes. If you’d like us to help you analyse your essay question, please send them to us by email or DM, along with all the guidelines that your module tutor has provided, and we’ll discuss them during the webinar.
Another question that’s commonly asked, how many resources do I need to read, or to have in my reference list for an assignment? We don’t give definitive answers for this. It depends. However, in our next podcast episode, which is on Study Skills, as I mentioned, we’ll be welcoming Kia Morant back on the show again. For those of you who haven’t heard Episode 5, where she shares her experiences of settling in at Uni, Kia is a 3rd year student at Aston University, very resourceful, naturally gifted at synthesizing information and seems to instinctively understand what critical thinking is. She also demonstrates a lot of potential in terms of her emerging leadership skills (from group work), tends to achieve 1sts in her academic work, and she has very specific rules which she follows when it comes to how many sources to include on her reference list. Of course, you don’t have to do exactly as Kia does, but you might find her approach useful. Alright! That’s all we have for today. Remember that critical thinking is a skill that can be learnt and improved with practice, so be sure to tune into our next episode with Kia to hear her most valuable study and time management advice. If you apply all these recommendations, then you’ll be on your way to achieving a 1st in your assignments too.
Thank you for joining us on the Wyrd Learning podcast. We don’t take it lightly that you’ve chosen us to help you succeed in your studies. Until next time, take care!
Kelley Costigan, Producer
You have been listening to the Wyrd Learning Podcast with your hosts, Dr Tracy Dix and Dr Alex Patel. Music by Defeckt Maschine by Pixabay. Produced by Kelley Costigan.
