a) What have been the major obstacles you have faced in putting a research project together?
Initially finding an area of research about Napoleon was an obstacle because there has been so much work done. I knew that I wanted to do something related to him or to the period but finding a topic that could be done without reusing other people’s work was challenging.
Another obstacle perhaps was that I found myself spending time looking at primary sources for my topic aiming to see if there was enough for the project. However, looking back now this seems like a waste of time beyond the initial search to confirm that there was enough.
b) What strategies have you adopted to overcome these obstacles?
Talking with my supervisor helped a great deal in overcoming any problems I had. Then using the Bibliography of British and Irish History Online was probably the most useful in narrowing down my topic and finding an area where I could look at. I also think that the assignments examples were very useful as both were types of essay’s that I had not attempted before.
c) What has this taught you about approaching your dissertation?
I think that it has made me aware of necessary historiography necessary in even just picking a topic. Therefore for the actual dissertation, I will need to comprehensively understand the literature available, something that I think I have begun with the proposal essay but not finished.
d) Which aspects of the 9X6 module have been the most useful in helping you get your project ready to start?
The parts covering methodology were particularly useful as it was to me personally the most difficult part to understand. Also, I think that the lecture given at the start of the module by the librarian, I think it was, was very useful in pointing me towards the subject guides page on the portal which I have been going back to throughout this module and will continue to for the rest of the dissertation I imagine.