Connected Papers
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A free-tier web tool that builds a visual graph of papers related to a seed paper, using co-citation and bibliographic coupling. Use it to map a field quickly, find prior and derivative works, and spot key papers you missed.
More resources on Research Skills
Research Rabbit
A freemium literature-discovery app that recommends papers from collections you build, showing citation networks, co-author graphs and timelines. It helps you expand a reading list outward from a few key papers and keep up with new work in your area.
Zotero
Free, open-source reference manager from the Corporation for Digital Scholarship. It captures citations and PDFs from the browser, organizes and annotates your library, and inserts formatted citations and bibliographies into Word, LibreOffice and Google Docs in thousands of styles.
Understanding Research Methods
This MOOC is about demystifying research and research methods. It will outline the fundamentals of doing research, aimed primarily, but not exclusively, at the postgraduate level. It places the student experience at the centre of our endeavours by engaging learners in a range of robust and challenging exercises befitting SOAS, University of London's status as a research-intensive university and its rich research heritage. The course will appeal to those of you who require an understanding of research approaches and skills, and importantly an ability to deploy them in your studies or in your professional lives. In particular, this course will aid those of you who have to conduct research as part of your postgraduate studies but do not perhaps have access to research methods courses, or for those of you who feel you would like additional support for self-improvement. There is no expectation that you already have a research topic or project in mind when you begin the course. No prior knowledge or experience in research is required to take this course and as such, the course is for everyone. This MOOC draws on a wealth of existing course material developed to support research training across SOAS, University of London and particularly drawing from the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy (CISD). In 2015, the course was nominated for the prestigious Guardian University Award for its innovative approach to online learning. Participation in or completion of this online course will not confer academic credit for University of London programmes.
How to Research
A practical guide to planning and carrying out small-scale research projects in the social sciences, education, business and health. It walks through choosing a topic, reviewing literature, selecting methods, collecting and analysing data, and writing up the final report.
mindtools.com
Mind Tools offers practical business and management resources—articles, templates, checklists, and self-assessments—covering business communication, leadership, teamwork, meetings, and professional writing.