Australian StudiesLibrary and Web resourcesThe following links are intended to be a starting point for finding resources relating to Australian Studies, as taught at Flinders University. It includes:
Reference MaterialReference sources are useful in providing background information to a topic, as well as helping to clarify key concepts and words. The following resources are located in the Reference Collection, on
level 1 of the Central library
BooksThe best way to find books on a topic is to do a search on Voyager (the library catalogue). Search either by keyword or subject heading. Useful subject headings include:
Note that these subject headings can be further subdivided by era or date (1788-1825, 20th century etc), by type of material (handbooks, case studies, etc) or by more specific aspects (economic aspects, environmental aspects, etc). Alternatively, browse the shelves at the following call numbers: 306.0994 (Australian society) A number of books and readings may have been placed on Reserve and/or eReserve. Use the Course Reserve Search on Voyager to search for your course. JournalsA journal (also known as a periodical, serial or annual) is a publication that appears at regular intervals on an ongoing basis. Each issue has the same title and contains articles written by many different authors. Reading the journal literature is a good way to keep up-to-date in the field. The library subscribes to a number of print and electronic journals; your lecturer will probably recommend titles that s/he thinks are particularly useful. Library databasesThe best way to find articles in journals is to use one of the many journal indexes available. These are available in electronic format and are commonly referred to as Library databases. There are two types of Library database: citation and full text. Citation databases provide enough information to direct you to the full text of the article. They have sophisticated search capabilities, are subject-specific, and usually cover at least 30 years’ worth of literature. You will retrieve a citation (also known as a reference) for each item. Full text databases will take you directly to the full text. While this is convenient, it is important to remember that there is a limited amount of material available in this format. It is worth using a citation database that is subject-specific to ensure you obtain the maximum possible references, especially when looking for specialised information. The following table summarises the most useful databases for Australian Studies-related research. A complete list can be found here.
Most library databases index scholarly journals. Many also index magazines, newspapers and trade publications; some may also index conference papers, book chapters, theses and government reports. It is important to be able to recognise a scholarly journal, i.e. a journal that has been peer-reviewed. Peer review is the process of checking information by other experts in the field (peers) to evaluate it before its publication. WebsitesSee the Library's Guide to Internet Research for how to find, evaluate and cite Internet information. General
Aboriginal Studies
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