Time to start researching for an assignment but not sure where to begin? The Library has a range of resources to help you.
Online workshops
The Library has online workshops running throughout the trimester to help you with the assessment process:
- Understanding assignments
- Introduction to researching
- Structuring assignments
- Using references in your writing
- Understanding referencing
- Exam preparation.
You can register for the online workshops on the Library Workshops page.
Getting started
To get started, read the task instructions to identify what type of assignment you are doing and what the requirements are. Unpack the words in the task to find out what you need to do.
- Directive words tell you how to approach the assignment
- Topic words are the major concepts in your task and you will use these to search for resources
- Limiting words like dates, locations or populations help narrow the scope of your assignment.
Search for information
When searching for resources for your assignment, keywords are essential!
- Use topic words from your task as your keywords
- Think of synonyms or alternate spellings for your keywords (tip: use a thesaurus)
- Combine your keywords using Boolean Operators
– Use ‘OR’ for similar concepts and enclose these concepts in parentheses: (perception OR awareness OR insight)
– Use ‘AND’ to combine different concepts or ideas: cloning AND humans AND ethics.
Library catalogue
Located on the Library homepage, the Library catalogue is the ideal place to begin researching. The catalogue allows you to search for and access Library resources in one location. You can limit your search to a resource type such as journal articles, books, news articles, videos and more. Filter your search results further by date of publication, subject, language, or limit results to scholarly or peer-reviewed articles.
Google Scholar
Google Scholar searches for scholarly information, including journal articles, conference papers, theses, technical reports and books. Find out more, including how to access full-text resources available through Griffith Library on the Google Scholar page.
Reading lists
Course reading lists have all your required and recommended resources and are a great place to find information for your assignments.
Library guides
Library guides are resource repositories created by our librarians to help you find subject specific information. You can find specialised and subject specific Library databases, as well as links to relevant resources such as theses, websites, newspapers, statistics, legislation, government reports and images.
As you search
Use your critical thinking skills to evaluate the sources you find before using them in your assignment.
Need some more help with researching? Check out the Library Study pages and the Writing, Researching and Referencing guide for an overview of tackling the task, researching, writing and referencing. You can also access specialist advice by filling out the Get help from the Library request form.
