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Finding information for your reflective journal

1. What do you need to do?

This guide will help you find relevant resources to support your reflective journal.

Remember to read all the information on your course website related to your assessment to understand exactly what you need to do.

2. How to write reflectively

First, you need to understand what reflective writing is. Check out these resources for help:

Tip: Even though these resources use examples from different contexts, use them to get a feel for the writing style and depth of reflection.

3. Plan your search

Each of your reflections will require you supporting evidence using scholarly literature.

To find out more about what makes something scholarly (academic) watch the following:

Before you start searching for scholarly resources, plan how you are going to approach each search. Do this by:

1. Identifying key concepts within your topic or question

2. Using a mind map or table to brainstorm concepts and ideas. The concepts you think of will help to form your search strategies.

 

Concept: younger generation

Concept: older generation

Concept: workplace

Concept: expectations

Alternative
keywords

 millennials Generation X workplace problems
  young adult Baby boomers business assumptions
  generation Z inter-generational relations employment perceptions
  generation alpha senior work attitudes towards work
  generation X generation gap job job

4. Where to search

The following are good starting points for searching for academic references (scholarly information):

5. How to build your search

To build a search strategy, you need to connect your concepts. Check out the video and guide below to learn how to do this:

Here is an example using the Library Collection:

  1. Start by adding each of your concepts into the search box.
    Screenshot of catalogue search: "younger generation" workplace expectations
    ​These are connected using AND by default.
     
  2. Narrow your search further by using the limits on the left of your screen. Try:
    • Resource type (try Articles or Books).
    • Publication date for recent content.
    • Subject (such as Generations).
       
  3. Try adding synonyms (alternative concepts) to your search to find different results.
    Screenshot of catalogue search using synonyms of key concepts: ("younger generation" OR millennials OR generational gap) workplace (expectations OR perceptions)
    Connect these using OR.
     
  4. If you cannot find relevant results, change your search concepts.
    Screenshot of new catalogue search: "intergenerational relations" work (expectations OR perceptions)
     

More help

6. Referencing support

Managing your references

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

There are many free systems available. The Library supports the bibliographic management tool EndNote. EndNote automates citing your references and allows you to create and organise a library of references. For more information and to download the software, check out the EndNote Guide:

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