Find the information

Finding the right information for your assignment topic may seem daunting at first. This section will cover the 'where' and the 'how' of finding information to get you off to a strong start.

Background reading

Doing some background reading will give you a better understanding of your topic and provide direction for your research. It helps you define terms, gather facts and get an overview of the topic.

Wikipedia is a good starting place for a topic overview, but don't rely on it as a key reference for your assignments. Wikipedia articles can be written by anyone regardless of their knowledge or qualifications.

Here are some ideas on how to find background information:

• Dictionaries can help you define terms used in your subject area - use general and subject-based dictionaries.
• Encyclopedias are the place to look for facts and expert summaries on a topic - use general and subject-based encyclopedias.
• Use textbooks for broad overviews and detailed information on the main aspects of a topic.
• Journal articles written by experts on the topic you are researching can help you identify the main issues in that topic.

Can you use information from Wikipedia or social media websites for academic study? Take the quiz to find out.

Activity: The web and academic study

Google and other search engines

The web is a rich source of information. Students usually use search engines like Google to find information about an assignment topic, but finding useful resources among many pages of search results can be challenging.

Google and other search engines are easy to search, but they produce a large number of results and many that are not relevant to the topic.

Fortunately, you can conduct a much more efficient search and save yourself lots of time and effort by using a few simple search commands. Try Lifehack's 20 Tips to use Google Search efficiently.

Google is a good place to find background or general information, but you need to be aware of its limitations for academic research.

Why can't I just Google it?
This question is covered in more detail in the next tutorial.

Using Wikipedia for academic research

When you do a Google search about a topic you will most likely find Wikipedia listings at the top of your search results. However, Wikipedia is not considered a reliable source of information. This is because we do not know who has added information, what their expertise on the subject is or if the information they have added is accurate.

Wikipedia can be a great place to start your search as it can give you a general understanding of a topic and you can use the sources listed at the bottom of the page as part of your search. However, it is not recommended that you cite Wikipedia articles in your assignments.

Google Scholar

Another way to search the web more effectively is to use Google Scholar as your search engine. Google Scholar is a simple way to search for scholarly literature in articles, theses, books, abstracts and other formats.

If you access Google Scholar from the RMIT Library website using your RMIT login, your search results will link you back to the full text resources held by the Library. Go to the Library Google Scholar page for more information.

For more help on using Google Scholar for research go to Google Scholar search tips or find a video on YouTube.

Library Subject Guides

Library Subject Guides can help you find subject dictionaries and reference resources for background reading that is relevant to what you're studying.

Play the following video to find out how Library Subject Guides can help you.

Transcript

As a student do you ever feel like you're drowning in a sea of information?

I know I did.

There's so much out there but I never knew how to tell whether it was any good.

Then the library threw me a lifeline.

I found my subject guide!

Subject guides are mini websites for each subject area.

They show you all the best places to look for information on what you're studying.

This includes the best journals, websites, conference papers, e-books, books and more, whatever is relevant to what you're studying.

Subject guides and made by librarians, experts in finding information in your area, so you know what you're searching will be good quality.

For my next assignment I skipped Google and started with my subject guide.

I saved heaps of time by heading straight for the quality resources.

Now assignment time isn't overwhelming because I know I can get to the right information when I need it.

It makes all the difference when you know where to start.