For this assignment, you are required to collect data and to analyse the data you collect by integrating existing literature and theoretical approaches. This guide will offer some suggestions on where to collect your data and find supporting literature.
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This assignment requires you to collect your own primary data to analyse. To learn more about the differences between primary and secondary data, see the resource produced by Deakin University below.
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Everything you would find on a visit to a library or museum can be found in Trove. It brings together billions of pieces of information from Australian libraries, universities, museums, galleries and archives.
Search for digital copies of newspapers, Government Gazettes, maps, magazines and newsletters. Or books, pictures, photographs, archived websites, music and interviews, Even information about famous Australians, including copies of letters, diaries and personal archives.
Search Trove to locate books and other physical items held in libraries and organisations around Australia.
Want to know more?
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Guides and information
Collections
Please see the following resource from UNSW for some additional ideas on where to gather data:
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SAGE research methods is a comprehensive online collection of resources which you can access through the Library. You can explore methodological concepts to help you design your research project, understand a particular research method or identify a new method, and write up your research.
One tool from SAGE research methods that will be especially helpful for this assignment is the Project Planner. The project planner guides you through all stages of your research project (including the data collection phase).
Video Length: 2 minutes 7 seconds
Planning your search helps you find information more efficiently.
Start by:
A table or mindmap can be a useful strategy for doing this.
For example, if your topic is a 'Historical analysis of clothing items such as jeans and shoes with a focus on race and class', you could do:
Main concepts |
Concept 1 |
Concept 2 |
Concept 3 |
Synonyms (similar concepts) |
history |
jeans shoes |
class |
Tip: As you search, you may come across more concepts or synonyms you can incorporate. Don't be afraid to change or modify your search as you go.
Watch or read the below for more information on how to put together a search using operators:
More help
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Watch Plan your search (2 min 26) |
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Read: How to plan your search (pdf) |
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View the Writing your assignment page for more info on interpreting your topic and planning your search |
Boolean operators (connectors) are what you use to connect your search concepts together to form different search strategies.
The below table summarises how they work:
Boolean operator | What it does | Example |
AND |
|
History AND clothing |
OR |
|
clothing OR jeans OR shoes |
Search strategy: (Historical OR History) AND (Cloth OR Jeans OR shoes) AND (race OR class) |
Once you've built a search strategy, you can apply it in search tools. Check out this video on Choosing where to search and the example searches below.
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The Library Collection is a great place to start finding information.
Too many search results? Use the Refine my Results menu (on the left hand side) to refine your search.
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Practice with Learn to search the Library Collection (15min Interactive Tutorial) |
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Google Scholar searches within academic or scholarly sites, rather than the whole internet. Access via the Library for full text at UniSA links to resources held in the collection.
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Practice using Google Scholar with our Interactive Tutorial (10 min.) |
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Databases are search tools for finding articles, conference papers, reports and more. We also have specialised databases containing newspaper articles, images, films and movies.
You can find databases by title or browse by subject list for example Humanities> Cultural Studies
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Peer reviewed (refereed) journals are of a high quality and must go through an evaluation process with experts in the field before being published. The terms scholarly and academic are sometimes used instead.
When searching the Library Collection, peer reviewed articles are indicated with a purple icon. You can also use the "Refine my Search" menu to show only Peer Reviewed articles in your search results.
Alternatively, you can check if a journal is peer reviewed by going to the journal's website and checking their peer review policy or using the database Ulrichsweb.
To search Ulrichsweb you can type the name or ISSN of the journal into the search box. Look for the peer review icon of a referee jacket to see if your journal is peer reviewed.
Want to Know More?
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View the 'How To' guide Find Scholarly Sources (PDF) |
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The Student Engagement Unit has created a suite of resources called Study Help that can help you understand different assignment types.
Take a look at: