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Assignment details

The purpose of this page is to assist you with researching for your group project. Remember to always consult your Course Outline and LearnOnline site for a detailed description of your assessments.

The example project topic below will be used to show you how to research:

Redesigning the dining experience in aged care

Where to search

After meeting with your client you may need to undertake additional background research in order to better understand your client, the problem or issue they want to resolve and the context or setting of the problem.

You may want to consider searching for the following topics:

If you are looking for: Try searching here:

Client information

Learn more about the operations of the client and their mission and objectives

 

Industry information

See where your client fits in the wider industry and explore resources tailored by industry organisations
  • Company and Industry Databases. See the Company and Industry Information guide
  • Relevant national or international organisations that operate in same area. Check the 'Organisations' tabs in the subject guides for your topic area for lists of relevant organisations

Case studies or marketing campaigns

What campaigns have been used previously and were they successful?

Data and Statistics

Locate useful data and statistics about your clients, stakeholders, and similar issues

Australian Standards and Patents

If you are designing an object to solve an issue, you will need to comply with relevant design standards

Relevant protocols, standards, guidelines, government policies and government reports

What policies, protocols, standards or guidelines need to be considered when creating your solution?
  • Google
    • add  .gov to your searches to locate documents on government websites - ie:  "aged care" AND (policy OR policies OR standard*) .gov
  • Government department websites
  • Analysis & Policy Observatory (APO) (formerly Australian Policy Online)

Searching for scholarly information

For your project you will need to search for scholarly or academic references. See this table for suggestions on where to search:

Information about the problem or issue

It maybe useful to see what existing solutions have already been implemented and the outcomes, that you can assess for relevance to your project  

Search for your keywords in: 

Start planning your search by:

  • Identifying the keywords in your project topic
  • Identifying the key stakeholders and their potential needs

Next you will need to think of alternate words for your keywords to also use in your searching.

For the example topic of  "Redesigning the dining experience in aged care" your stakeholders might be aged care staff and aged care residents.

Below are some examples of keywords:

Keywords Alternative keywords
aged care facilities

"aged care", "homes for the Aged", "old age home", "old age home", "housing for the elderly", "retirement home"
dining

Meal, dining, dinner, lunch, breakfast
experience

redesign, revise, remodel, satisfaction, restructure, renovate, enjoy, joy

Once you have your keywords, use the search tips from the resources below to form your search strategy:

A search strategy for the example project topic might be:

"aged care"  OR  "homes for the Aged"  OR  "old age home*"  OR  "old age home*"  OR  "housing for the elderly"  OR  "retirement home*"

AND

meal*  OR  dining  OR  dinner  OR  lunch  OR  breakfast

AND

experience  OR  enjoyment  OR  atmosphere  OR  perception  OR  viewpoint  OR  enjoyment  OR  joy OR  "quality of life"  OR  "life quality"

Then search the Library catalogue, relevant databases and Google Scholar using your search strategy. Check the Where to search table above for more places to search for information

For more help:

Select appropriate references

You should critically evaluate all resources found to determine their appropriateness for your assignment. The video below explains more.

  • Having access to a lot of information can be overwhelming.
  • Evaluating information helps you decide what resources you should use.
  • One technique you can use is the CRAAP test.
  • Currency: How recent is the information? Does it suit your needs?
  • Relevance: Is the information relevant to your assignment?
  • Authority: Who wrote the information? Are they an expert?
  • Accuracy: Is the information accurate? Is it supported by evidence?
  • Purpose: Why was the resource created? Is there any bias?
  • You can use the CRAAP tool to think about these issues when evaluate your resources.

Working in groups and managing files

Working in groups

As part of your project you will be working in a small group or team. Developing teamwork skills is important for a successful project.

Check out the links below for some tips on working in teams, including how to manage conflict

Managing files

You will also need to keep track of all the files you create and work on together as part of this project.

The resources below provide some suggestions on how to manage files as a part of a team:

Writing it up

Watch this short video (approx 3 mins) for tips on how to write a report or access the Report writing document at the bottom of this box.

See the links below for tips on best practices for oral presentations and on writing your assignment

See the videos below for tips on writing project summaries:

Finding and using images

Using images in your presentation or proposal? Make sure you reference or attribute them correctly.

Watch this video and use the handout below for more information on finding creative commons licensed images and how to attribute them correctly:

Referencing support

Other referencing support tools: Referencing software (EndNote)

What do you do with all those references you have found? Use a bibliographic management software to store, organise and cite your references.

The Library supports the bibliographic management tool EndNote. There are also many free systems available.

EndNote Guide