Before you begin, read the:
Before you get started it is important to plan your search.
For this assignment you have to address one of the topics given. This guide will use the following example topic:
Discuss what factors makes cabin crew work effectively as a team.
1. Identify the content words, main concepts in your topic:
Concept 1 | cabin crew |
Concept 2 | effectively as a team |
2. Identify any synonyms or similar keywords for alternative concepts. You may find it helpful to put these in a table.
Concept 1 | cabin crew, flight attendants |
Concept 2 |
effectively as a team, effective team, effective teamwork, team effectiveness, successful teamwork, successful teams, team performance |
Consider any:
The Library Collection is a good place to start your search for scholarly material. You can use it to find eBooks, journal articles, reports, videos and more.
Type your concepts into the search box:
|
You can change the concepts used to find different results: |
Apply filters using the left hand menu to refine your results further. |
You can search Google Scholar in a similar way to find relevant information.
Once you have identified your key concepts, you need to combine them using AND & OR.
1. OR is used to connect synonyms or alternative concepts to broaden your search:
Concept 1 | cabin crew OR flight attendants |
Concept 2 |
effective team OR effective teamwork OR team effectiveness OR successful teamwork OR successful teams |
2. AND is used to connect different concepts. The more concepts you add using AND the narrower your search will become:
Concept 1 | "cabin crew" OR "flight attendant" |
AND | |
Concept 2 | effective* OR success* OR performance |
AND | |
Concept 3 | team* |
3. You can also use:
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.
Start by typing each different concept into a new search field. Connect these using AND. Choose to search Anywhere except full text. Tips:
|
Refine your results by using the menu on the left of the page. |
Evaluate all literature - even if you have found it in the Library collection or databases.
Currency | How current does the information need to be? Are older, seminal works fine to use? |
Relevance |
Does the information found answer your question? |
Authority | What are the author's qualifications? Are they linked to a university, research institute or government department? |
Accuracy | Is evidence given for the research undertaken? What methods are used? Are they sound? 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? |
For this assignment you need to use the American Psychological Association (APA) referencing style. Information about this style can be found here:
If you use EndNote, you can download the APA style.