How to plan and write up research

The three people who can help you most

Your supervisor

Your supervisor is the most valuable resource you have. He or she can do any of the following things:

help you formulate a topic;
direct you to relevant primary and secondary resources;
help you plan your essay;
help you plan your time;
read drafts and make suggestions for improvements;
write letters of support for funding applications.

But in order to function most effectively, your supervisor also needs you to take the lead sometimes, to:

arrange regular meetings with your supervisor (and notify him/her if you cannot keep the appointment);
send or email your draft work at least a day before the supervision so that she/he has enough time to read and think about it;
come punctually to the supervision with a clear idea of what you want from it;
accept that because your supervisor is not your examiner, their judgement of the quality of your work may differ from the examiners' judgements.

The department librarian

The Whipple Library is pre-eminent in its holdings of HPS related monographs, journals and rare books. In addition to advising on all aspects of this collection the Whipple Librarian is there to assist with broader information requirements of Part III and MPhil students. This ranges from answering specific reference queries to providing more general advice in information literacy. These are some of the ways in which the Librarian can assist:

locating and acquiring books/dissertations for individual research projects (this is welcomed as a means of developing the Whipple Library's collection);
answering specific research queries (e.g., locating particular references or providing more general advice on how best to approach a particular research problem);
assisting in the use of specific information resources (e.g., how to get the most out of individual electronic resources/providing training in their use);
advising on the practicalities of accessing and utilising HPS-related collections within and outside Cambridge.

The Part III and MPhil manager

The Part III and MPhil manager is rarely a specialist in your field. But I can help in the following ways:

decide on appropriate subject areas for your essays and potential supervisors;
write letters of support for funding applications;
write letters of support to help you get access to archives, collections, libraries, and museums (plan ahead!);
resolve problems between you and your supervisor;
in an emergency, replace or supplement your supervisor;
give you permission for an appendix to your essay;
under appropriate circumstances, extend your deadline by a few days;
discuss examiners' feedback with you.

Other useful people

The Director of Graduate Studies
The Part III and MPhil reps
Your College tutor

Practicalities

What an essay looks like

A MPhil essay, Part III Critical Literature Review or Part III Research Paper is no more than 5000 words long. That is an upper limit, not a target. The examiners have many essays to read, so be nice to them and respect the word limit. They may stop reading at 5000 words, or penalise you for excessive length.

5000 words is not much. Plan the structure carefully, allowing no more than 1000 words for the introduction and conclusions together, and dividing the remaining 4000 words into two to four clearly demarcated sections.

Save words by using the author-date referencing system and putting your references into a bibliography at the end. The bibliography can be as long as you like (but should only contain works that you have directly cited in your essay).

If you need to add an appendix (containing, say, an unpublished primary source), or want to submit work in a non-traditional format, you should apply to the Degree Committee for permission to submit it.

An essay contains an argument; it does not simply describe (though that is often an essential component too). It is well written and carefully proof-read – examiners hate typos! – but it is not expected to be a major contribution to the field.

Information resources and how to access them

HPS research students are faced with a vast array of information resources. These range from sites freely available on the Internet to the extensive print and electronic resources accessible to you as students of the University. It is essential for you to gain an awareness of these resources and, in particular, knowledge of how to use those most relevant to your areas of interest. To help you with this please see the Whipple Library website [http://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/library/]. This provides information on using Cambridge libraries and electronic resources and acts as guide and point of access to the following crucial tools for HPS research:

library and archival catalogues (covering not just Cambridge but also the UK, Europe and the world);
HPS related e-journals available at Cambridge;
HPS related electronic resources available at Cambridge (databases, encyclopaedias, e-books, newspapers, and most importantly, online indexes to HPS related books, journals dissertations, etc.);
Whipple Library rare book collections.

Finally, of particular importance is the Whipple Library web page Library resources in HPS [http://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/research/lrhps.html]. This details libraries and collections relevant to HPS research in Cambridge, the UK and internationally. In addition it lists printed reference sources providing further information on locating HPS relevant collections.

Managing and planning your time

Aim to see your supervisor once a fortnight. At the end of each meeting, agree which area of the essay you will focus on next. For instance, you might aim to complete (or draft) a particular section or two of your work before the next supervision. Your last meeting should be about a week before the deadline, by which time you should have a near-final draft to present to your supervisor.

If you need access to an archive, library or museum, check online or ring up to see how much notice they require, and whether you need to specify in advance which materials you want to see. Small institutions in particular need to plan in advance for visitors. Allow lots of time to make these arrangements, and for travel. Ideally, book one more visit than you think you will need.

Back up regularly! Allow time at the end for computer problems, printer failures, etc. These are not permissible reasons for extensions. If you do have problems with your own computer, or your College's facilities, contact the Part III and MPhil Manager who can arrange access to departmental equipment.

Allow time at the end for proof-reading – or better, for a College friend to proof-read your essay. If your examiners are not struggling to decode the individual words and sentences they can focus properly on the intellectual content of your work. Do not distract and annoy them with unnecessary sloppiness!

The submission deadline matters. You will be penalised for late submission. The usual tariff is a mark per day, but if the examiners suspect strategic late submission they are free to impose a heavier penalty.

Department of History and Philosophy of Science