Hi. I'm Heather, your embedded librarian and I've created this guide to help you with your research for ITC105. 

On this page you will find an introduction to the steps you should take when researching for an assessment, with a focus on assessments 2 and 3. 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.

When you are preparing for assessment 4, hop over to the second page of this guide for information on creating presentations. 

If you would like an introduction to our Library website and services check out:

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. For your 2nd assessment task, you are required to select one topic from the list provided and write a report.

With an understanding of your task you then need to plan how you will search for information. This starts with identifying and brainstorming keywords. Using these keywords, you are able to develop a search strategy to help find specific information about your topic.

From your assessment task:

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

For guidance in topic analysis check out:

When you search using Primo Search or a library database use the keywords and limits you identified above to create 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.

For your assessment topic potential search strings could include:

• "Daylight saving*" OR DST 
• “facial recognition” AND (polic* OR law)
• ("electronic fund transfers" OR EFT) and currency
• "second language" AND (acquisition OR learn* OR education)

Remember: you will need to try a range of searches. Don't stop after just one. You can add additional search lines in the advanced search to broaden or narrow your search. 

To understand how search operators work check out:

Before you start searching, think about what types of information you need and where you can search to find those types of resources. As part of your assessment 2 report, you need to find and use 3 journal articles in Primo or our A-Z Databases related to your chosen topic, and 3 additional articles found either online or from the library’s databases. 

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 database:

The IT, Computing & Mathematics list has more databases you can search.

Learn how to search efficiently in Primo and Library databases:

Other Sources

For your assessment you must also locate media articles and/or reports related to your topic. You may find this information using Google, or you can use the Library's media databases for more control over your searches.

I recommend trying the following:

For government or industry reports you will a range of useful links in our Grey Literature Library Guide.

Learn how to search effectively using the internet, and how to evaluate internet sources:

However access to your textbook is limited. Follow the best practice in the video below to ensure you have access to what you need without disadvantaging other students in your subject.

You can download a PDF of the slide deck below.

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

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

Here are some pages to get you started:

Have you been asked to use Generative AI Tools (GAITs) in your assessment? Or are you thinking of using GAITs for research and study? 

Make sure you are aware of the risks associated with using GAITs:

• Academic integrity
• Plagiarism
• Inaccurate content
• Intellectual property
• Privacy concerns.

For more information see:

Microsoft Copilot

You have access to Microsoft Copilot's secure enterprise version while studying at Charles Sturt. This means your data is protected when using the secure version of Copilot via a student account, hence your data isn't retained or used for training the genAI. To find out how to access, head over to Charles Sturt's Microsoft Copilot page. 

If you're interested in finding out more, check out the following: