Welcome

Hi. I'm Jess, your embedded librarian and I've created this guide to help you with your research for HCS204. 

Each section introduces the steps you should take when researching for an assessment. You'll find links to videos and resources that will give you the tools to find great information. Use the activities on the test your knowledge tab to see what you need to revise.

If you would like a refresher on some essential library skills, head over to the SOC101 Research Skills Guide. 

Getting started with your assessment

The first thing is to make sure you clearly understand the task and what topic you are seeking information for; this is called topic analysis. Check your assessment task details in your Subject Outline.

Next, plan how you will search for information. This starts with identifying and brainstorming keywords.

For example, in your first assessment, Step 3 calls for two journal articles — one qualitative and one quantitative — on a topic of your choice. The example keywords and related terms below search for qualitative research on homelessness.

Keywords Synonyms or related terms
Homelessness  homeless, couch-surfing, sleeping rough, houseless
Qualitative lived experience, focus group, ethnographic

Does your task place any limits? These might be "in the last X years" or Australian content.

To locate a quantitative article on the topic, repeat the same process; identify related terms for quantitative, or specific quantitative research methods. 

For guidance in topic analysis check out:

Still not sure about the difference between quantitative and qualitative research? Watch our quick explainer clip: 

Choose the right place to search

Before you start searching, think about what types of information you need and where you can search to find those types of resources.

Primo Search

Primo Search is a good place to start as it allows you to use one search box to bring back results from most of our Library collection including books, eBooks, journal articles, newspaper articles, and more. You may get a large number of results and some of these will be from outside your subject/discipline area. Check the content is relevant to your assessment task before you use it.

Library databases

Databases will help you find academic resources and are often subject specific. You will get fewer results than Primo, but they will be more relevant to your subject/discipline. 

I recommend trying the following databases:

The Humanities, Social Work & Human Services list has more databases you can search.

 

Learn how to search efficiently in Primo and library databases:

Create a search strategy

When using Primo Search or a library database, use the keywords and synonyms you identified to build your search. Combine the keywords with search operators, rather than searching with a whole sentence or question. Search operators tell Primo or the database how to search with your keywords.

Try copying these example search strings into Primo Search to see your results! ​​​​​​

Search String  Explanation of search techniques 

qualitative AND homelessness

 This search using the operator AND will retrieve results only where both of these keywords, 'qualitative' and 'homelessness', appear in the resource. 
qualitative NOT quantitative

This search using the operator NOT will retrieve results with the keyword 'qualitative', and exclude results with the word 'quantitative'. 
"social work" AND qualitative NOT (quantitative OR "mixed methods")

"Social work" with double quotation marks searches for an exact phrase. 

(Brackets) group the synonyms 'quantitative' and 'mixed methods' together. 

This search will retrieve results about qualitative social work research, and exclude quantitative research methods. 

(homeless* OR "couch surfing" OR "sleeping rough" OR houseless) AND ("lived experience" OR "focus group" OR ethnog*) 

Ethnog* with an asterisk uses truncation, and will search for spelling variations on this keyword: ethnography, ethnographic etc.  

The operator OR is used in between synonyms like 'homeless' or 'couch surfing'.

This search will return results about the issue of homelessness (or any of its synonyms) and qualitative research (or synonyms).

Remember: you will need to try a range of searches. Don't stop after just one.

To understand how search operators work check out:

Evaluate

Using credible information will improve the quality of your assessment and may result in better marks, but how can you tell whether the resources you've found are credible and suitable for your assessment? Have you been asked to use peer reviewed, academic or refereed articles? Are you using authoritative websites?

The information below will help you evaluate the information you find, in books, journal articles, or online to make sure it’s reliable.

Reading, writing and referencing

The Academic Skills team can help you to build your writing, referencing and reading skills to be successful at Charles Sturt University.

Explore resources from the Academic Skills team in the Learning Skills section of the Student Portal.

Here are some pages to get you started:

Your textbook

Good news!

Your textbook is available online through the library!

Choose EBSCOhost eBooks for the best access. 

Search demonstration

Watch this search demonstration of the Sage Research Methods database. This will assist your research for both Assessment 1 and Assessment 2. It is also available in your Readings & Resources (Leganto) list.

Using AI

Generative AI tools can be helpful study companions — they can support your thinking, help you explore new ideas, and guide you toward useful resources.

You might use Gen AI to:

  • Generate topic ideas or refine research questions
  • Clarify tricky terms or complex concepts
  • Suggest useful sources or recommend databases
  • Improve your keywords or search strategies

Important: Always check your subject outline to see if using AI tools is permitted. Using AI without permission could breach academic integrity rules.

Think of AI as a starting point — a way to support your research, not replace your critical thinking or use of credible academic sources.

See more on AI:

Develop your digital skills

Our Digital Skills module series is designed to empower you with the tools and knowledge needed to thrive in the digital landscape, at university and beyond.

Check out the Digital skills module series to discover tips on content creation, security and safety in the digital world, AI, and more.