The aim of this section is to introduce a process for planning and conducting efficient and effective research that will save you time and effort in locating and using information to complete your assignments. The following sections provide a general introduction and key points. For more information and advice, including details of information skills and learning skills training sessions, consult staff at a library information desk, or refer to the Monash University Library home page: http://www.lib.monash.edu.au/.

The library information desk staff can advise on which particular resources are most relevant for your topic. The library also conducts a range of information skills training sessions, including: library familiarisation tours; using the catalogue; effective database searching; researching on the Internet; undertaking thesis literature reviews; and using EndNote software.

3.1 The research process

3.1.1 Step 1: Understand the assignment topic/question(s)

Clarify terms or concepts in the topic in order to ensure a clear understanding of what you are required to do. What type of assignment is it? Is it an essay, case study, literature review or a report?

An assignment topic may consist of a number of questions. Treat each question as an individual search for information. This will make your research more manageable. Be aware of any limits that apply to the topic/question, for example, “the Australian market”, or “trends over the last five years”. For some assignments you may be required to develop your own questions, or to choose your own topic.

3.1.2 Step 2: Decide what sort of information you need to complete the assignment

3.1.3 Step 3: Decide where to look for this information

Except for the simplest of questions (e.g. obtaining a definition), you will usually need to refer to a range of information resources. The resources below can be accessed via the library home page: http://www.lib.monash.edu.au/, which includes links to the catalogue and the database menu.

The full range of specialist business and economics databases includes company information, industry reports, country reports, legal materials, statistics and economic data. Almost all of these databases are available online.

The following step in the research process focuses on the basic principles of database searching.

3.1.4 Step 4: Develop and use a search strategy for database searching

The most heavily used library databases provide access to journal and news articles, which are key information sources for many assignments. Effective and efficient database (and catalogue) searching depends on using an effective search strategy. This involves planning the search in an organised way and subsequently modifying the initial search to extract the most relevant information.

As databases vary in content and focus, it is important to select the databases that are most relevant to your topic. While different databases use different search interfaces, the search strategy development described below is applicable to any database, and reflects the basic principles of effective database search design.

The search strategy process comprises seven steps:

3.1.5 Step 5: Evaluate the information found and revise the plan

This section presents criteria for assessing the relevance and the quality of the information found, regardless of its format (for example, a book, journal article, news report, Web pages). This evaluation is the basis for planning the next phase of the research.

3.1.5.1 General evaluation considerations

Does the material provide information relevant to the topic, and in the detail you need?
Does it build on your previous research, or just confirm what you found in other sources?
Are there any references to further potentially useful information?
Are any new topic-related questions or issues raised in the material?

Information that is aimed at high school students and the general public may not be at an appropriate level for a university essay. Equally, some academic research may be too specific or specialised for your needs.

This will be of particular importance if you need to research the most recent developments in a field. In the case of a Web site, is it still being maintained, or are many of the links broken?

Is the author a recognised expert in the field that you are researching?
Is sufficient information presented about the author to verify his or her expertise (e.g. is he or she a member of a relevant university department?)

Does the work contain obvious mistakes, or poor editing? Where possible, check the information presented for consistency with other sources. Are the sources of information within the work acknowledged?

Look for any apparent bias in the work – this may be evident in the presentation of extreme viewpoints and in the use of emotive or derogatory language. Look also for omissions in information presented and information that contradicts established facts.

3.1.5.2 Criteria for evaluating academic material

Lecturers often require students to find and use information from academic journals (also referred to as scholarly journals) and academic papers. Check articles or papers you intend to use in your assignment against the following criteria. The more criteria a particular article or paper satisfies, the more likely it is to be acceptable for academic purposes.

Academic articles usually start with an abstract (summary) and end with a reference list or bibliography. The reference list is usually extensive and may run to several pages. The original print and then digitised version of an article may include an abstract provided by the author. (This is not always the same as the abstract provided by the producer of the database.)

Check that complete bibliographic information for all cited references is provided.

Is the author affiliated to a university? If so, you may assume the article has some academic credibility. Are the authors’ academic qualifications listed? Affiliation and qualification details are often found at the beginning of the article near the title or at the end of the article as an endnote. In a book of readings there may be a separate section with brief details on the contributors.

The appearance should be text based, with minimal or no illustrations. Advertising is limited to scholarly or academic products and services, e.g. an upcoming conference, or new books in the discipline.

The body of the document is divided into sections, such as Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Reference List. Tables, figures and charts may be included. In-text and end-text references may be included.

Academic work may use technical language (jargon) and may report empirical research, but it may also speculate on a theoretical issue. The writer assumes some knowledge and background on the part of the reader.

Often the publisher name can give you a clue as to the academic status of the document. For example, are they a university, professional organisation or other recognised authority producing research? Is the journal from a large academic publishing firm? Ask at a library information desk if you have a question about a particular journal or publisher.

Has the journal been recommended by your lecturer (for example, in the Unit Outline) or by another recognised authority? Lecturers will often require you to refer to peer reviewed journal articles in your assignments. Articles in peer reviewed academic journals have been assessed, prior to publication, as being worthy of inclusion in the journal by experts in that academic discipline. The use of peer review serves as an indicator of journal quality. Peer reviewed journals are sometimes referred to as “refereed” journals. Ask at a library information desk if you are unsure whether a particular journal is peer-reviewed.

3.1.5.3 Textbooks and academic books

You may be required to refer beyond textbooks and prescribed readings, and consult academic books (also referred to as scholarly books).

Textbooks provide an overview or introduction to a discipline (for example, management) or a sub-discipline (for example, human resource management), usually arranged as individual chapters on specific topics. For example, a human resource management textbook might include chapters on human resource planning, recruitment, and selection. Textbooks often contain student activities, case studies, discussion questions and other learning materials.

Academic books, in contrast to textbooks, provide a book length, in-depth discussion of a particular topic, e.g. The Collapse of the American Management Mystique. They seldom contain student directed activities and exercises.

Like journal articles, academic books result from detailed research, evidenced by referencing and bibliographies. Other evaluation criteria that apply to academic journals (as detailed above), such as voice, appearance, publisher and author qualifications and affiliation also apply to academic books.

Some academic books comprise chapters or articles contributed by different academic authors and compiled by an editor, which focus on a particular topic.

If you are unsure about whether a particular article or book meets the required academic standard, ask your lecturer or tutor.

3.1.5.4 Recording and planning your ongoing research

Keep a record of your research progress (e.g. databases used, search strategies and search terms, and evaluation of search results) in order to effectively plan the next stages in your research.

Identify the gaps that still remain in the information you require, and potential leads to further information from your research so far.

Based on your evaluation, modify and repeat the previous steps in the research process as many times as necessary, to systematically gather more information.

It may sometimes be necessary to return to Step 1 of the process to revise or refine your understanding of the topic. This repetition is fundamental to conducting research.

3.1.6 Step 6: Presentation

Report and assignment writing, oral presentations, plagiarism and referencing are covered extensively in other sections of the Q Manual.

It is important to maintain accurate citations of the material that you will refer to in your academic work. Download or print out a copy of relevant database or catalogue records to keep an accurate record of the full citation details.

EndNote software can be downloaded from the library Web site to help you manage and use your references. EndNote is highly recommended to students undertaking a thesis.

As changes to Internet sites occur quite frequently, it is recommended that you print a copy of any sites or material of special interest as you are conducting your search to ensure that you have all the relevant details, including the URL and date that you accessed the material.

The library collections include guides to writing reports, assignments and theses, and on giving presentations. Check the library catalogue for details.

Learning Skills Advisers in the library can provide advice on planning and writing assignments, presentations skills and referencing.

3.1.7 Step 7: Final evaluation

The key success criterion of your research is whether you have answered the question(s) such as those set at Step 1. It is also useful to consider your experience of the research process, by reflecting on such questions as:

By keeping a record of your research as you explore a particular topic you will not only be able to assess and plan your research efforts, but also reflect upon and expand your knowledge and experience of using particular information resources, and research techniques.

3.2 Using the Internet for research

The Internet presents particular challenges when conducting academic research because of its:

Before attempting an Internet search, check whether the particular information you need might be available on the library databases.

A wide range of academic-quality documents (especially journal articles) and data (e.g. detailed company financial data, market research and analysis) can only be obtained from specialist databases, to which the library subscribes for the use of Monash staff and students.

These databases are not accessible via a general (e.g. Google) Internet search. They collectively provide a large collection of discipline-specific, authoritative and up to date material that can be efficiently searched using powerful search engines. The library databases can be accessed via the library’s home page: http://www.lib.monash.edu.au/.

The Internet can be a useful source of information of an academic standard, especially where currency is important (for example, government reports, media releases, transcripts of speeches, podcasts of programs, statistics and academic working papers). Your lecturer or tutor may recommend particular Internet sites or resources relevant to the unit or your research topic.

The Internet is a less useful source for information that is unlikely to be free, at least in a complete form (for example, detailed market reports) or for old issues of publications (for example, news articles from 10 years ago).

For brief factual information or a brief overview or definition, a print encyclopedia or dictionary may be more convenient and/or authoritative.

3.2.1 Some further tips for productive Internet research

Develop and use a search strategy, as you would when using a library database.
Identify organisations that are recognised authorities on your topic, and go to their web sites (e.g. for economics and finance topics, the Reserve Bank of Australia site includes research, publications, statistics, media releases and transcripts of the Governor’s speeches).
Google has an Advanced Search option (as do some other search engines). Choose it to search more effectively and efficiently than is possible just using Basic Search. Read the search engine online help to become familiar with its capabilities and the way it presents results.
Use limits (for example, date or domain) as appropriate. When searching for information from the Australian government, specifying the domain: gov.au, will restrict the search to only Australian government sites. Similarly, limiting to edu.aufocuses the search on Australian university and other educational sites.
Beware of inadvertently wasting time while searching the Internet. Sticking to a systematic search strategy will help you to be focussed and time efficient.
Be especially rigorous in evaluating the quality of material found on the Internet. As a guide, refer to Step 5 of the research process, Evaluate the information found and revise the plan.
When you have found a useful site, check for links from that site to related sites, which are likely to provide information of a similar quality to the original site.
Try other search engines. The database of each search engine can represent only a part of the total content of the Internet, so by using more than one search engine you can widen your search.
Searching Google Scholar (http://scholar.google.com/) for academic quality material can be a useful adjunct to searching the Monash journal and working paper databases.

Barker, E., Barrett, M. & Roberts, L. (2002). Working communication. Sydney: John Wiley & Sons. Basch, R. (1998). Researching online for dummies. Foster City, CA: IDG Books Worldwide.

Eisenberg, M. B. & Berkowitz, R. E. (1990). Information problem solving: The Big Six Skils approach to library and information instruction. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing.

Engle, M. (2002). Distinguishing scholarly journals from other periodicals. Retrieved October 25, 2002, from http://www.library.cornell.edu/okuref/research/skill20.html

Friedman, B. (2004). Web search savvy: Strategies and shortcuts for online research. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

The research process: A basic guide

Introduction

3.1 The research process