Research Skills for Accounting Students

2013

Opening Hours What can you borrow? Library Fines Computer use Contact the Library

Library Introduction

Researching for an Assignment

• Note the due date• Keep a copy of the assignment handy• Read the question carefully • Note the instruction eg explain, discuss, compare• Define your topic

If unsure of the meaning of a word, look it up in a dictionary or encyclopaedia

• Talk to your teacher if you are unsure

Get organised

You may choose to underline, highlight or circle these

Eg. Define innovation. Name and describe the 4 broad categories, known as the ‘4Ps’

Identify the Keywords

Think of other words that you can use for searching your topic

Eg. Innovation = change, creativity, ideas, invention 4Ps = product innovation, process innovation, position innovation, paradigm innovation

Keywords – Information Skills Tutorial on Library website.

Brainstorm

• Consider the type of information you will need. Try to think where you are likely to find this information, e.g. books, the internet, company reports, journal articles.

• You may need to start by doing some background reading from encyclopaedias or your textbook

Identify information sources

• No tool is a one stop shop.• Library tools like catalogue and databases

provide authoritative information.• WSI Libraries website access to online

resources

Choose your search tools

When searching the internet, library catalogues or databases you can combine keywords using the search operators to search more effectively

AND narrows OR broadens NOT filters

Boolean Searching

Music AND Rock Music OR Rock Music NOT Rock Band AND Rock AND Concert Indie OR Rock OR Pop Rock NOT (Indie OR Alternative)

Simple Combinations

Use quotation marks to search for a phrase

“Quality control” OR “Quality assurance” OR “Total Quality Management” or TQM

(“Quality control” OR “Quality assurance”) NOT (“Total Quality Management” OR TQM)

Advanced Combinations

• Organised collections of information, usually related to a special subject

• Good for finding up to date information in journals, newspapers and conference proceedings

• Periodical indexes give you citations, abstracts and sometimes full-text

What is a Database?

Francis, D., J. Bessant and M. Hobday (2003) ‘Managing radical organisational transformation’, Management Decision, 41 (1), 18-31

Citation

Title: David Williamson in the dock: paranoia, propaganda and 'the people'.

Author(s): Musgrove, Brian Source: Overland, no.182, Autumn 2006: 13-19 Journal Title: Overland Issue: 182 Pagination: 13-19 Date of Publication: Autumn 2006 Publication Year: 2006 Collation: bibl., port Name as Subject: Williamson, David Subject (Major): Playwrights;   Australia: Culture;  

Journalism Subject (Minor): Capitalism

Database record

Be sure to note the Source information as well as the Author and

Title.

ANZRef Centre (Australia New Zealand Reference Centre)

APAFT (Australian Public Affairs – Full Text) InfoTrac Business Source Complete Australian Standards Online MarketLine Proquest

Databases at The Hills

• Make sure the sources you use are factual and can be verified.

• Use the following criteria for evaluating your information

AuthorDatePublisherContent

Evaluating Information

Currency Is there a date on the page?

When was the page created or last updated?

Reliability Who is the author or owner of the site?

Is the site a .edu .org or .gov or .com .gov Government

.edu Educational

.com Company or commercial site

.org Non-government organisation Is the information objective and unbiased?

Accuracy Is the information accurate?

Is the information referenced?Is the site edited?

Purpose Is the site for commercial purposes only? (highly likely if it is a .com)

Who is the intended audience for the site?Is the site appropriate for your needs

The C.R.A.P. test

• Acknowledge all sources you have used. This could include books, newspapers, journal articles, videos, web pages, interviews

• To use someone else’s ideas and claim them as your own is plagiarising and in extreme cases can lead to heavy fines and withdrawal from a course

Plagiarism

• Write down the complete citation of every item you read, view etc

• When directly stating another person’s words, use quotation marks and a short citation

• Always credit original authors for their information and ideas

Avoiding Plagiarism

• Harvard• APA (American Psychological Association)• Chicago Style

Check with your teacher which style you are expected to use.

Check the Library website for examples.

Referencing Systems

Check: is it at this library? How do I find it on the shelf? TAFECAT Demonstration: managing finance > limit to

HERE > find call number

Library Catalogue

1. Report Writing 2. Limit to Business 3. Report writing - 2112574 results (not limited) 4 Limiting by peer review and full results - 229011 results 5. Tips 6. “Report writing” - 2179 results 7. “Report writing” AND Australia - 374 results 8. Report* N/3 writing AND Australia - 1914 results 9. Cite (and change the citation) and email.

Database example: ProquestWSI Libraries Website