2. Searching for information online through USQ Library

1. Why do research?

Research is an important component of your assignment preparation process. It is through reading, thinking about that material and writing about it in your own words that you’re learning about that material is demonstrated to your marker.

These resources cover how to conduct academic research for your assignments. But, research is not just about searching for information. It is also important to learn how to analyse and evaluate what you find. 

2. Why not just Google?

There's a number of reasons why it's wise to look further than Google for information for your assignments.

3. Understanding your reading list

The interactive tutorial below shows what resources you may expect to find on your reading list.
It also teaches you how to identify different resource types and demonstrates how to find these resources using Library Search.

4. What kind of information sources can I use?

The tutorial below lists the different kinds of information sources you will need to use at university and explains the difference between scholarly journals and popular magazines.

5. Developing a good search strategy

This tutorial shows you how to plan and research your assignment. It shows you how to identify key concepts in your assignment questions, how to use synonyms and then combine them with Boolean operators to find information in databases. 

6. Start your research with Library Search

This tutorial will explain what USQ Library Search is and how to use it to find information.

7. Information searching using databases

USQ Library has a wide range of databases for you to search when looking for information. 

Please link to the tutorial to learn about identifying and accessing the most appropriate databases for you to use.

8. Using USQ Library databases for sourcing company and industry information

This guide will explain how you can use 4 key databases available through USQ Library to search for company and industry information.

Finding company and industry information tutorial

9. And because we know you love Google, here's some tips to make your searching more effective...

If you use Google Scholar when researching for your assignments, you are able to integrate the search results with our online databases giving you direct access to Full Text versions within our database.

To set up the Google Scholar integration:

1. go to Google Scholar
2. click ‘Settings’ in the top right corner
3. select ‘Library links’ from the left-hand menu
4. search for ‘University of Southern Queensland’
5. check the box beside the ‘University of Southern Queensland – Access USQ fulltext’ option
6. click ‘Save’.

You also have access to the National Library of Australia collection. To integrate with their database, follow the steps above but search for ‘National Library of Australia – Libraries Australia’.

10. Evaluating information

This tutorial shows you how to evaluate information resources for scholarly value when researching assignments. 

11. A final word...

Thank you for taking the time to work through these tutorials and instructions. We are sure that your information searching will be quicker and effective. 

Remember, if you need further assistance, contact the USQ Library via the details presented in section 1 MKT1001 Library Resources and Support.