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Getting started

This Assignment Help will help you in finding information for assignment 1 - Annotated Bibliography. Please refer to your Course Outline and LearnOnline site for full assessment information.

1. Understand your task

What is an annotated bibliography?

An annotated bibliography is a summary of sources (e.g. journal articles, books or book chapters) addressing a research topic.

Each source is listed as a separate entry including:

  • Full reference information
  • Short summary of the main ideas in the text
  • Brief critical evaluation/critique of the text

2. Plan your search

Planning your search will help you find information more efficiently. Start by:

  •  Identifying a Science Fiction Topic 
  •  Thinking of any alternative concepts or synonyms for each concept.

A table or mindmap - PDF (323.76 KB) can be a useful strategy for doing this. 

For example, you could create the table below if your topic was  Science Fictions on planets

Main concepts

Concept 1
Science Fiction

Concept 2
Planet

Synonyms (similar concepts)

Science fictions

sci-fi

 

Planets

space fantasy

space opera

outer space

space travel

Tip: Searching using the single word Space will locate information regarding all the related phrases. Therefore you do not have to search using each phrase. 

 

Tip: As you search, you may come across more keywords or synonyms you can incorporate. Don't be afraid to change or modify your search as you go.

3. Connect your keywords

Now you need to connect your search concepts and keywords together to form different search strategies. The below table summarises how they work:

Operator Words  What it does Example
OR
  • Each synonym is connected with OR to include results that use different terminology.
  • Broadens your search and finds more results.
 "Science fiction" OR
sci-fi 

AND
  • Different concepts are connected with AND
  • Narrows your search.
  • The more concepts you connect with AND the more focused your search will become.

"Science Fiction"

AND

Space
  • Remember to use "quotation marks" to keep phrases together.
  • Remember to use parenthesis to enclose each concept

Example

(Space OR planets) AND ("Science Fiction" OR sci-fi)

4. Start your search

Once you've built a search strategy, you can apply it in search tools. Check out the example searches below. When searching for scholarly literature, please ensure that references are sourced from recognised Film, Media, Screen or Cultural Studies sources.

Library Collection

The Library Collection can be a useful starting point in locating information.

Put your search in the basic search box and group your alternative keywords inside brackets.

Use Refine my results on the left hand side to narrow your results. The following are useful refinements to try:

  • Show Only - Peer-reviewed journals
  • Resource Type - Book chapters
  • Publication Date - limit to the last 10 years

Databases

The Library collection does not list everything we have access to. Try a database when you are not finding relevant results in the collection or if you want to restrict your results to a specific discipline, topic area or material type.

Here is an example within ProQuest Central. Proquest Central is a multidisciplinary database covering 160 subject areas including film, media, screen and cultural studies. Ensure you only use references from this database that are from the relevant subject areas as you may find a reference from an unrelated subject area that seems relevant but might not be appropriate to include in your literature review.

Example Advanced Search

  • Put a different concept on each line
  • Use OR to connect any similar terms (synonyms)

  • Tip: Use the Find it button to locate full text articles

Google Scholar

Try Google Scholar to find scholarly information. An advantage of Google Scholar is that it provides access to the full text of many UniSA scholarly (academic) articles. Setup your browser with the University of South Australia Library links to enable the "Fulltext at UniSA" link to always show without linking from our site. To receive Library links in Google Scholar link your session to UniSA.

Here is an example:

Journals

BrowZine™ allows you to easily access and browse journals available online via UniSA. Access via Library homepage > Journals.

For your literature review, it is important that your references are from relevant sources. Within BrowZine, from the left-hand menu you can filter down to Arts and Humanities > Film and Media Studies to browse through Film and Media Studies journals. 

Identifying key scholars on your topic

Step 1

  • Perform a library collection search on your chosen topic

Step 2:

  • If you find a good reference, scroll down toward the end of the page and note item record details

Step 3

  • Select the author link. This will search the library collection for other references by this author.

Step 4

  • As you continue to search, take notes of names which appear alongside that author such as co-authors. You may want to look at other references by these authors too.

Step 5

  • You can also search for key authors by using Refine My Results on the left hand side of the screen.

Evaluate what you have found

Evaluate your sources

Once you've found some sources to use in your assignments, it's important to evaluate them for accuracy, credibility and relevance to your needs.

For your assignment you are not permitted to use any non-academic references. The following resources offer more information and tips on evaluating information and ensuring that the resources are academic (scholarly) resources:.

In addition you can use the CRAAP test to evaluate the information:

Currency How current does the information need to be? Do you need to use information published in the last five years or are older, seminal works fine to use?
Relevance Does the information found answer your question? Do you understand the content and is it at the right level for your purpose?
Authority What are the author's qualifications? Are they linked to a particular organisation such as a university, research institute or government department?
Accuracy Is evidence given for the research undertaken? Can you verify the information presented by using other sources? Is there a bibliography or reference list given?
Purpose Is it trying to communicate research, persuade you or sell you something? Is it expressing an opinion, or is it balanced and objective?

6. Study Support

Need advice on writing or presenting? Not sure how to organise your ideas? The Study help: online resources hub has tools to help you with your Assignments and succeed at university!

Want someone to check over a draft of your assignment? Studiosity offers an online classroom where you can chat with a learning adviser. The associated "Check Mate" service helps with English, writing and referencing.

  • Referencing hub
    Information around what is referencing, paraphrasing, referencing rules, referencing styles and Academic Integrity. Also includes a link to the Harvard Referencing Guide UniSA (pdf).
  • Referencing forum
    Discuss referencing, exchange advice and post questions and answers about referencing (facilitated by Student Engagement Unit).
  • 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.