Research Tools

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The Research Process

1. Define your research topic.
2. Identify keywords.
3. Search the Library Catalogue.
4. Search the Digital Library and Databases.
5. Locate Government Publications, Acts and Regulations.
6. Evaluate your sources.
7. Organise your references.
8. Cite your sources.
9. Ask the Librarian for assistance.

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RESEARCH AND CITATION

1. Conducting Research
   Conduct research using primary source methods, such as interviews and observations, and secondary source methods, such as books, journals, and the Internet. This area also includes materials on evaluating research sources.

2. Using Research
   Use the research you have conducted in your documents. This area includes material on quoting and paraphrasing your research sources, as well as material on how to avoid plagiarism.

3. APA Style (7th Edition)
   Use the American Psychological Association (APA) citation and format style, including in-text citation and the References page, as well as APA sample papers, slide presentations, and the APA classroom poster

4. MLA Style

5. Chicago Manual of Style
   Follow the 17th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style, which was issued in 2017.

6. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Style
   Structure your papers, cite sources, format references, and handle the complexities of tables and figures according to the latest Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) guidelines.

7. Write a Literature Review

8. Cite your source

9. Style Manual Glossary

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GET MORE RESOURCES

Databases, Journals and research resources 

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Boolean Searching

• What are Boolean Operators

Boolean is a set of commands that can be used in almost every search engine, database, or online catalogue.  The most popular Boolean commands are AND, OR, and NOT.  Other commands include parentheses, truncation, and phrases.

• Using Boolean Operators

By using parentheses, you can ask a search engine to perform several Boolean searches at the same time.  It will first perform the search enclosed in parentheses before moving on to the other search terms.  This is called nesting.

Example: (England OR Britain) AND (Victorian OR industrial) AND women

This search will bring hits that contain all of the following criteria:

1. either England or Britain
2. either Victorian or industrial
3. women

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Evaluating Information
Citation (see also above)

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