"Your librarian tries to ensure that what goes on the shelves is authoritative, but it goes without saying that you will be much more of an expert in some aspects of your field. This means you have to accept some of the responsibility for checking out your sources. Are they fit for purpose?
Postgraduates should think about authority too. When you're researching a subject, you need to be sure that your sources are authoritative. This is of paramount importance when you come to write your literature review or to cite references in the body of your thesis."
Some really useful powerpoint slides designed to accompany Zina O'Leary's "Doing Your Research Project" - covering everything included in the general research process
"Editors of journals suggest that one of the major problems they see in submitted articles is a lack of focus. They observe that too many writers try to say 'everything', and this means that they end up saying 'nothing'."
Common problems with journal papers related to lack of focus are described. How many are you guilty of?