WRIT11021 Course Guide

This image will appear throughout this guide. When you see it, click on it to seek out more information on that particular topic or concept.

For Assessment Item 2, you are required to write an essay on a given topic.

One of the criteria of your assignment is evidence of research.  You are required to have a minimum of four references.

Another criteria states you must show appropriate use of  research and reference material.

This guide is designed to help you to use Library resources to effectively research for your essay.

• What are you really searching for?
• Starting a search strategy
• Refining your search strategy
• Using Library Databases to access Journals
• Using appropriate Websites
• The importance of Evaluation

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What are you really searching for?

What is my assignment really about?

Before you can start searching, you need to work out exactly what it is you are searching for.

Let's take a sample discussion topic for an assessment item:

The role of the news media

A common mistake people make is to type their entire topic into a search engine:

Example: CQU Library catalogue

While this may produce results, it is an inefficient technique that will produce more work for you in the long run.

A better technique is to create and follow a structured search strategy.

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Starting a search strategy

How do I start my own search?

The first step in our search strategy is to come up with some keywords. To do this you should identify the topic words in the topic.

The role of the news media

 

The topic words role and news media can be added to our search strategy below:

Keywords
Topic Words	role	"news media

Many databases are very strict when it comes to keywords.  They will only search for the exact word you enter, i.e. if you enter role, it will not find purpose; if you enter journalist, it won't find journalism.

Our next step is to start identifying synonyms and related terms.   Start by thinking about what you already know about the topic.  The information you draw on can be your own knowledge or can come from sources such as the lecturers, readings, mass media, fellow students.

Link to WebReferences

You might also want to try looking at dictionaries, thesauri and encyclopaedias available through the Library's Web Reference sources page.

As you identify more keywords, add them to your search strategy:

Keywords
Topic Words	Role	"news media"
Synonyms	function purpose ethics	news "mass media"
Related Terms	"cash for comments" "fourth estate"	journalist journalism ABC

 

Have you tried the CQU Library Catalogue?

The above table is your first step in creating a search strategy.  As you continue with your searching, you will add or remove keywords as your knowledge of the area grows.  By combining your keywords, you can create a more efficient search, as shown below.

Example: CQU Library catalogue

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Refining your search strategy

Do you have too much/too little information?   How do I find books?

Some of the problems that can occur when searching for information, include:

• finding too many results
  (How long would it take you to check through 100 results?)
• finding very few or no results at all

You can improve your chances of finding the most relevant information by using the following tools.

• Boolean operators
• Phrase searching
• Truncation
• Search limits

Below is an example of an advanced search using all of the above tools:

Example: CQU Library catalogue

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Using Library Databases to access Journals

How do I find journal articles?   Finding journal articles in databases

One of the assignment criteria is evidence of research as well as appropriate use of  research and reference material.

Journals can be an excellent source of information.

There are different types of journals, but academic journals will be most useful for this assignment.

CQU Library has a large collection of journals.  Many of them are available through our online databases and can be accessed from your home computer.

Start by going to SearchSmart.  The section you want is labelled Select a database to search for articles.  The image below highlights the different elements:

There are a number of databases which will be of use to you for this assessment.  You may wish to start with these:

• Proquest -- >Guide Available
• Expanded Academic ASAP -- >Guide Available
• Humanities International Complete
• JSTOR

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Using appropriate Websites

How do I find good websites?   Successful Web Searching   Evaluating Websites

Searching for resources on the World Wide Web can be a challenging, but rewarding task.

You should be aware that due to the ease of publishing information on the web, it is vital that you evaluate the types of websites you include in your academic work.

Your lecturer has stated that general websites, (personal homepages and other non-academic sources) are not to be used in this assignment.

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The importance of Evaluation

How will I know if the information I have found is any good?   Have you considered the quality of your information?

At university level it is important to rely on information that meets the standards expected by your lecturers.

Remember that whatever the information source you are using you need to evaluate its relevance and suitability.

Many of the databases mentioned above contain peer reviewed articles.  However, many databases, e.g. ProQuest, contain articles that fall into other categories.  Often the database search screen will allow you to limit the types of articles returned.

Your lecturer has specified that general websites are not allowed.  You need to ensure that any website that you are planning on using is suitable.  The process of evaluation should guide you to selecting appropriate sites.  Discuss the suitability of your resources with your lecturer if you are unsure.