Welcome

Hi. I'm Lauren, your librarian for GPM417 and I've created this guide to help you with your research. 

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. See the Extend your skills page for advanced search techniques and use the activities on the Test your knowledge page to see what you need to revise.

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.

With an understanding of your task, you then need to plan how you will search for information. This starts with identifying and brainstorming keywords.

From your assessment tasks:

Keywords Synonyms or related terms
terrorism terroristic activity, organised group, systematic violence or intimidation, political...
emergence origin, history, historical context, aims, ideology, foundation, grievances, development, rise...
evolution actions, activities, trends, expansion, leadership, escalation...
counterterrorism countered, response, government response

Remember: You also need to identify keywords relevant to your chosen group or organisation. Start by identifying any group name variations or abbreviations.

Also consider if your task places any limits that will focus your research. These might be geographic or time-based limitations.

For guidance in topic analysis check out:

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 Emergency Management, Policing and Public Safety or Customs, Excise and Security lists have more databases you can search.

 

Learn how to search efficiently in Primo and Library databases:

News and media

You are encouraged to use counter-terrorism discource and policies discussed in historical newspapers as part of your case investigation. I recommend trying the following databases:

Additional sources

Check the Research Links in your subject site and our Terrorism Library Resource Guide for additional recommended resources including key journals, useful websites, think tanks, and supplementary databases.

Create a search strategy

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:

  • (IRA OR "Irish Republican Army") AND terrori*
  • (IRA OR "Irish Republican Army")  AND (history OR origin*)
  • terroris* AND (response OR counter OR counterterrorism)

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.

Keen for more?

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

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.

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 textbooks are available online through the library!

Search skills demonstration

Watch these videos for an overview of the library services and how to search for information.

Using AI

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. 

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.