There are various sources of information you might need to use in your assessment tasks and research. What you need and where you find it will depend on the context of your question. Always evaluate the information you are using!
Journals and journal articles are a primary source for recent research, and increasingly various forms of grey literature are considered a very important source of evidence (as long as they are well evaluated).
| SOURCE TYPE | Use this source to... | The best place to look... |
|---|---|---|
| Book (or eBook) | Get an overview or background on a topic, or indepth information on a broad topic | Primo Search (see the Primo Search page in this Guide) |
| Journal article | Find the latest research on your topic in detail | Journal databases (see the Journal Databases section in this Guide) |
| Clinical guidelines | Identify current recommendations for clinical practice | Check our Grey Literature Guide. |
| Policy documents | Identify legal and mandated processes and procedures for clinical practice | Professional organisation website, government health website. |
| Websites | Familiarise yourself with the topic, find background information, locate reports and other grey literature | Grey literature guide and the Health section of the Grey Literature Guide. |
| Reference material | Find factual and statistical information on a topic, find definitions, find synonyms for concepts so you can search more thoroughly. | Primo search, and see the Public Health & Management and Leadership Guides for dictionary & encyclopaedia suggestions. |
| Search for an exact phrase, or match |
Put your search terms in quotation marks "climate change" |
| Exclude a word from your search |
Put a dash - before any word you want to exclude Port corrosion -phone |
| Search within a range of numbers |
Use two periods .. between the numbers to return results within that range sea temperature 2012..2017 |
| Search within a website |
Use site: to search within a particular web address or to limit your results to a domain type site: abs.gov.au site:.edu |
| Limit by geographical area or time frame | Use the Google Tools drop down options to limit to Australian results and/or select a time frame for your results. |
Google Scholar allows you to locate resources such as articles, theses and books.
Unlike Primo Search, which is set to search the Library's holdings only, Google Scholar searches beyond Charles Sturt University Library and will include resources that are not available to you.
Set up Library Links to access the Library's online resources using these instructions.
Charles Sturt University acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands on which its campuses are located, paying respect to Elders, both past and present, and extend that respect to all First Nations Peoples.
Charles Sturt University is an Australian University, TEQSA Provider Identification: PRV12018. CRICOS Provider: 00005F.
