Assignment help |
Break down your question
Before you begin, it is strongly recommended that you:
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The rest of this Assignment Help will outline the key steps for planning your search:
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Typing your question into Google or the Library Catalogue is not the best way to search.
Mapping out your search can be a good place to start:
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Now you've identified the keywords find similar or alternative keywords to use in your search.
Use course readings, encyclopedias, dictionaries or reliable websites to assist.
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Once you have identified your keywords and found alternative keywords, you need to connect these to put your search together.
Use the following boolean operator words and truncation symbols to save time and target your search.
Combine keywords using OR, AND or NOT |
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OR |
Combines similar keywords: |
e.g. work OR employment |
AND |
Combines different keywords: |
e.g. management AND employees |
NOT |
Excludes words from the search: |
e.g. email NOT spam |
Save time searching using Truncation, Wildcard and Phrase searching |
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Truncation |
Asterisk * |
finds any word ending | eg. learn* finds learn, learners, learning |
Wildcards | Question mark ? | finds different word spellings | eg. organi?ation finds organisation, organization |
Phrase search | Double qoutation marks " " | keeps 2 or more words together as a phrase | eg. "higher education" |
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The Library Catalogue is a good place to start your search for scholarly material. Use the "Refine my results" menu to refine your search to find exactly what you need.
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Databases are online collections of resources including articles, papers, book chapters and reports.
Databases have advanced search options, helping to focus your search and find more relevant, scholarly references quickly.
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Google Scholar searches only within academic or scholarly sites. By accessing Google Scholar from within the library website, you will be able to link directly to articles that the library has access to by clicking on the Full-text at UniSA link.
Use the Google Scholar link from the Library website for the best access to full-text references.
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You should evaluate all resources before including them in your assignment - even if you found them through the Library Catalogue or Databases.
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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 references given? |
Purpose | Is it trying to communicate research, persuade you or sell you something? It is expressing an opinion, or is it balanced and objective? |
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Copyright infringement is a criminal offence punishable by law. The University takes its copyright obligations seriously and staff and students who breach copyright may face disciplinary action.
Remember to reference as per your program area’s preferred citation style.
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Use a bibliographic management software to store, organise and cite your references. The Library supports the bibliographic management tool EndNote, although there are many free systems available.
More information on EndNote can be found in the EndNote guide.
For more help with this assignment please contact Ask the Library or the Student Engagement Unit.
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