Book Research

For 13c2 and 13d1

Although you've been doing some excellent internet research, it's crucial if you want a top grade (i.e. an A or B) to include a wide range of book research as part of your study too. The internet has only been around as for a decade or so and absolutely anyone can publish on the web. This means that when it comes to academic investigations books still carry much more authority.

You'll need at least a dozen decent book references in your bibliography. By 'decent' we mean relevant academic works or textbooks that you actually quote or refer to in the main body of your essay. It won't be enough just to copy out a long list of related books - you have to have read at least part of each one and identified useful material that you can use from them. Use the contents page and index in each book to help you select that nugget of information that could be helpful.

Please carry out the following over the next fortnight (by Tuesday 09-12-08)...

• This week you must visit the school library which, quite frankly, has the best range of media books for miles (better than Ealing libraries for sure). [TIP: Use the online library catalogue to search for books as well as looking on the shelves]. As everyone in Year 13 is doing this task it would be a bit selfish to borrow the books from the library because it stops anyone else from using them. Therefore, until next Monday (1-12) please treat all media-related books as reference books and don't take them out. (But if you want to borrow them over the following week then please do so). Also, see Mr Babu in the Media Suite who has an extensive range of media books that you can borrow - many of those in the library are also there.

• Check through all the media- and film-related books. Then photocopy some of the relevant pages and highlight and annotate the essential details you expect to include. Or you can make notes/copy out quotes that might be relevant for your essay

• Post up at least TEN books you've started researching in a posting entitled: 'Bibliography: Books'. For each one write a brief summary about how it will be useful - be specific! Make sure you include all the required information in the correct way (and this includes keeping a record of page references)...

Author Surname, Author First Name (year of publication): Title. Place of Publication: Publisher.eg...Craig, Steve (1992) : Men, Masculinity and the Media. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.If you can add more now then please do - you'll have to in the future.

Over the weekend it's also advisable to go to Ealing libraries (Greenford, Ealing Broadway, etc.) to see what they've got. Also, you could visit larger bookshops (e.g. Waterstones in Ealing, Foyles at Westfield) and see what they have on offer. Make sure that you bring all the photocopied/highlighted/annotated research to the lesson on the deadline day!