Postgraduate Research Resources
Previous postgraduate theses/reports
Selected theses are held in the Library - these are for use in the Library only.
Useful books held by the Library
Check the Library catalogue for books not listed here
WRITING A THESIS
Murray, R. (2017). How to write a thesis (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Shelf number: 808.066378 MUR
Comprehensive coverage on all aspects of writing including writing in installments, revising and learning how to talk about your writing with examiners.
Paltridge, B. & Starfield, S. (2020). Thesis and dissertation writing in a second language: a handbook for supervisors. Routledge.
Shelf number: 808.042 PAL
Specific chapters focus on what makes a successful student/supervisor relationship. Other chapters include how to develop a research proposal and write a thesis.
RESEARCH
Cavana, R., Delahaye, B. L., & Sekaran, U. (2001). Applied business research: qualitative and quantitative methods. Wiley.
Shelf number: 001.42 CAV
Recommended by a 2023 Masters student for sampling design: chapter 11.
Maxwell, J. A. (2013). Qualitative research design: an interactive approach (3rd ed.). SAGE.
Shelf number: 001.42 MAX
Recommended by a 2023 Masters student for research questions and data collection methods.
Temple, A. (2019). The postgraduate’s guide to research ethics. Red Globe Press.
Shelf number: 174.900 14 TEM
Recommended by a 2023 Masters student for ethical issues relating to research methods.
Useful online books
Note that in order to access the Library’s online resources you will need to have an OpenAthens account. Contact the library if you are a current student and don’t have an account. If you wish to download the books, you will need to have Adobe Digital Editions installed on your device.
Berger, A. A. (2008). The academic writer’s toolkit : A user’s manual. Routledge. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xww&AN=398720&site=eds-live&scope=site&custid=s9929458
Mathukutty M. M., & Pawar, B. S. (2010). Academic writing : A guide for management students and researchers. Sage Publications. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xww&AN=323057&site=eds-live&scope=site&custid=s9929458
O'Collins, G. (2011). A short guide to writing a thesis : what to do and what not to do. AFT Press. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=421295
Sharp, J. A., Peters, J. A., & Howard, K. (2002). The management of a student research project (3rd ed.). Routledge. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xww&AN=269760&site=ehost-live&scope=site&custid=s9929458
Looking for other online books? Go to Discovery and search there. You can restrict your search to ebooks only by using the filter
Online resources
- Discovery - enables you to search multiple databases at once to find full text articles and books. Note that you can restrict to scholarly articles and use many other filters to help in your searching.
- Google Scholar - this site will show you the number of citations that an article has had. The search functionality is more basic than Discovery.
- Library databases - looking for a list of individual library databases? Go to the Library database page.
- Journals - Looking for a specific journal that is full text? Try Full Text Finder.
- Note that in order to access the Library’s online resources you will need to have an OpenAthens account. Contact the Library if you are a current student and don’t have an account.
Need help in searching?
- Contact the Library for help - we can do face to face or online tutorials
- EbscoHost tutorial on searching in Discovery
- EbscoHost tuttorial on setting up a MyEbscoHost folder - Note that you can sign using your IPU New Zealand details, however if accessing via OpenAthens you will need to sign in first to OpenAthens, and then to MyEbscoHost using Google. My Ebscohost folder can be used to store your searches and articles found using Discovery
Tips
- Need to shrink a really long URL? Try Tiny URL
Microsoft Word
Try these links for helpful guides:
- Page numbering
- Table of contents
- Do you have pages with page numbers appearing which shouldn't be numbered? Try separating them with a section break
APA referencing
IPU New Zealand will be using APA 7 from 2021. The guide is available here 
Referencing and style guide APA 7 (0.83MB)
Note that when adding a URL for an article from a database, always look for a permalink or durable link, as the browser link may just apply to that particular web session.
Need help?
Tel: 06 354 0922 ext. 855
Email: library@ipu.ac.nz
