Curtin University logo Finding-information-printable-guide-UniSkills.pdf

Finding information

Table of Contents

Introduction

Academic assessments rely on strong evidence from trusted sources. Learning how to find the right information is a key skill you will need at university. There are many helpful tips and methods you can use to find high-quality sources.

What you will learn

Test your knowledge

Unsure where to start? Discover your searching strengths and weaknesses. 

H5P interactive activity

Not what you're looking for?

I want to:

Assignment process

Assessments are not always a linear journey, but usually you will have to complete the following steps:

UniSkills assignment process graphic A graphic image showing the assignment process. It includes the main modules from the Curtin Library UniSkills assignment guide, and flows from the Getting started module, to the Finding information module, then the Reading and note-taking module, to the Writing module, to the Referencing module and finally the Before submission module. The graphic also is a navigation element and provides the same navigation as the assignment element in the top of page navigation. Getting startedFinding informationReading & note-takingReferencingBefore submissionWritingUniSkills assignment process graphicCurtin LibraryA graphic image showing the assignment process. It includes the main modules from the Curtin Library UniSkills assignment guide, and flows from the Getting started module, to the Finding information module, then the Reading and note-taking module, to the Writing module, to the Referencing module and finally the Before submission module. The graphic also is a navigation element and provides the same navigation as the assignment element in the top of page navigation.

Scholarly sources

Scholarly sources

At university, you will need to use different types of sources for your assessments, particularly scholarly sources. These are carefully researched publications written by experts such as academics and researchers in a specific subject area. Their goal is to share new research, ideas, and analysis, or to explain current thinking in that field.

In brief, writing assessments at university means using scholarly evidence

Journal articles

Journal articles are a type of scholarly source that focus on very specific topics. They are written by experts or researchers and include detailed research and evidence, supported by references to other studies.

Many journal articles are peer-reviewed or refereed. This means other experts in the same field check the article carefully before it is published. They look at how accurate, original, and high-quality the article is to make sure it meets academic standards.

Why use journal articles?

Journal articles can give you:

See a journal article example below:

Sample journal article

Books and book chapters

Books are also useful for academic research. They usually give a broad overview of a topic and often go into more detail than other sources. Books are divided into chapters or sections, so you can read only the parts that are most relevant to your assessment. Books can also explain well-known theories and give examples of important research in a subject area.

Why use books?

Books can give you:

You can find tips on how to access ebooks in Specific resources: ebooks.

Reports

A report is a way of presenting information clearly and formally. Reports usually explain the who, what, where and why of a particular issue. They are often written by government departments, research groups, not-for-profit organisations, companies, and other organisations. Reports help explain the reasons behind decisions or actions.

Be careful when using some reports, especially if they were made for marketing. These might be biased and not fully reliable.

Why use reports?

Reports can give you:

You can find tips on how to locate reports in Specific resources: Reports.

Credible sources

You will also use other credible sources—these are trustworthy and accurate sources like well-known news outlets, trade journals, government and education websites, legal documents, and policy papers. Always check how reliable and accurate these sources are, because the strength of your assessment depends on the quality of the sources you use.

For help finding these types of sources, see Specific resources.

Tip: Your assessment instructions and marking rubric will often tell you what kinds of sources you need to use.

Search strategy

A search strategy is an organised way to look for information. It helps you find accurate and relevant information about your topic. A good search strategy includes using keywords and similar terms, combining them with words like AND and OR, and applying filters such as date, type of source, or language.

In brief, creating a search strategy will help you:

Identifying keywords

Whether your assessment topic is broad or specific, you will need to find the main concepts in the question. These words or phrases describe your topic and become the keywords (or search terms) you will use to begin your search.

If you need help working out the keywords from your assessment topic, see understanding your question.

Broad question example

Will artificial intelligence ultimately benefit or harm humankind?

Our keywords may be:

Brainstorming your topic can also help you further develop the main concepts and keywords you can use for your search.

Specific question example

Explore the ways in which artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed various aspects of human life, from communication and healthcare to industry and entertainment. Discuss both the positive and negative implications of this transformation. Will artificial intelligence ultimately benefit or harm humankind?

Our keywords may be:

Note: You may need to try different combinations of keywords when searching to find information on different parts of your topic.

Examples

Searching and reviewing your results

Start your search by typing the keywords from your topic into the Library catalogue or a suitable database. These tools often have filters (also called limits) that help you narrow down your results. You can filter by:

Once you get your search results, look through the titles and abstracts (short summaries) of the items. This helps you quickly decide if they are useful for your topic. Sometimes, your first search may not give you the best or most relevant results, even if you used the right keywords.

To improve your search and find more relevant information, here are some useful strategies.

Use alternative terms

Concepts can be described in different ways. For example, the word harm might also be referred to as risk or disadvantage. Think about other words (alternative terms, related terms, or synonyms) that mean the same thing, as these can help you find more results. To find alternative keywords, try these methods:

This table shows some alternative terms we could use for the sample assessment topic:

Artificial intelligence Benefits Harm Communication
Generative AI
Machine learning
Gen-AI		 Advantages
Opportunities
Job efficiency		 Disadvantages
Privacy
Job loss		 Conversational AI
Content creation
Virtual assistants

Combining your search terms

When you search in the Library catalogue or a database, you can combine your keywords using AND and OR to get better results.

Boolean search

Other search tips

You can use the tips below when searching in the Library catalogue, databases, or even Google.

Phrase searching

Phrase searching helps you find two or more words that appear together in the exact order. This gives you fewer results, but they are usually more relevant. To do this, put double quotation marks around the phrase. For example, “artificial intelligence” will only show results where those two words appear together.

Truncation

Truncation helps you search for words with different endings. To use truncation, add an asterisk (*) after the last common part of the word. For example, communicat* will find results that include communicate, communication, communicating and communicated.

Example of a search strategy

By using these techniques, you can build a search strategy that works across different databases. You might need to do several searches using different combinations of keywords to find useful sources for each part of your topic.

Examples

Still not finding what you need?

If you are getting too many or too few results, or if the results are not relevant, you may need to change your search strategy.

Too many results

Try these tips:

Too few results

Try these tips:

Parallel searching

If you are still not finding much information, try a parallel search. For example, if you are researching how AI is used by secondary school students and not finding much, you could search for how AI is used by university students instead. You can then use that information in your assessment by comparing the similarities and differences between university and high school students.

Search tools

For your assessments, you will often need to find different kinds of information. Where you search depends on the type of information you are looking for.

In brief, here is a quick guide to where you can search:

Library catalogue

The Library catalogue is a search tool that helps you find resources in the Library’s collection. It includes:

You can do a specific search (for example, the title of your textbook), or a broader topic search using keywords. It works like a regular search engine but focuses on academic and library resources.

Watch this short video about searching in the Library catalogue.

Watch this YouTube video

Library databases

Library databases are online collections of academic resources. You can search for and access journal articles, ebooks, newspaper articles, theses, videos, and more. These databases have powerful search functions that help you create a more focused and effective search.

Watch this short video to learn more about how to search in a database. It explains how to use techniques like alternative keywords, AND/OR, truncation, and phrase searching to improve your results.

Watch this YouTube video

Google

Using Google or another search engine can be a helpful part of your research. You can use it to:

It is important to evaluate any information you find. Check for bias, accuracy, and credibility before using it in your assessment.

Tips for effective Google searching

You can use AND and OR, phrase searching, and truncation in Google, just like in library databases. Here are some extra tips to improve your search:

Watch this YouTube video

Search specific websites

Searching with Google can often give you too many results and not all will be useful. To focus your search, you can use the site: command to search only certain types of websites.

For example, if you want government information about measles in Australia, searching for prevalence measles Australia will give you results from newspapers, blogs, and organisations. However, searching for prevalence measles site:gov.au will only show results from Australian government websites.

Website types

Search for specific file types

Some online information can change quickly. Reports and official documents are more stable and are often shared as PDFs. To find these, use the filetype: command.

For example: If you search for jobs of the future, you may get results from websites trying to sell something. But if you search for jobs of the future filetype:pdf, you will find reports and documents that are more likely to be credible.

Specific resources

Searching for specific resources

You can find most of the resources you need for your university assessments by searching the Curtin Library catalogue or using one of our databases. However, some types of resources may need a more focused search. This page gives you tips on where to look for different kinds of information and strategies to make your searches more successful.

Use the menu below to choose the type of resource you want to find or learn more about.

You should always quality-check the information you would like to include in your assignments. See Critical reading for tips on evaluating sources.

Standards

“Standards are voluntary documents that set out specifications, procedures and guidelines that aim to ensure products, services, and systems are safe, consistent and reliable” (Standards Australia).

Watch What ISO standards do for you (International Standards Organization) for more information on standards.

Where can I find standards?

The Library provides access to standards via the databases listed below.

Provides full-text access to Australian standards.

Provides access to American Society of Testing and Materials standards.

Select Standards from the Browse drop-down list to view a list of standards available from IEEE.

The National Construction Code, Building Code of Australia and Plumbing Code of Australia are now freely available.

Standard not available? Curtin staff and postgraduate students may request other standards (for example ISO, IEC) through Intertek Inform. Search for the standard, open the record, then click Request Access on the right side. The Library will be notified of the request and investigate access.

Tips for finding standards
Downloading standards

Many standards are protected by Digital Rights Management (DRM), which limits how the files can be used and shared. This helps make sure users follow copyright laws and licence agreements.

To download and open a DRM-protected standard on your computer:

  1. Install Adobe Acrobat Reader. You need this program to open the PDF file
  2. Search for the standard in the database and click Download. Make sure you know where the file is saved (for example, in your Downloads folder) Important: Do not try to open the file in your web browser—it will not work properly.
  3. Go to the folder where the file was saved. Right-click the file and choose “Open with…”, then select Adobe Reader
  4. You should now be able to view the standard. Because it is protected by DRM, it is for your personal use only. You are not allowed to email it or share it with others.

Case studies

A case study is a research method that closely looks at a person, a group of people, or another small sample to understand a real-life issue or problem in depth. Case studies can:

Tips for searching for case studies
Where can I find case studies?

Many library databases include case studies. Below are some key databases that cover a range of subjects:

This database is great for case studies in nursing and allied health. To find case studies, choose Case Study under the Publication Type filter.

This is a useful database for case studies in business. You can narrow your search by selecting Case Study as a Document Type or Publication Type.

Emerald covers subjects like management, information science, engineering, education, health, and social care. You can limit your search by selecting Case Studies at the top of the page.

ProQuest covers many different subjects. You can find case studies by choosing Case Study in the Document Type field.

WARC focuses on advertising and marketing. To find case studies, go to the Strategy drop-down menu and select Case studies to use the Case Finder.

Conference papers and proceedings

A conference paper is the written version of a presentation given at a conference. They often share the newest research and ideas in a field. This makes them a great source of up-to-date information and current developments. Papers from the same conference are often collected and published together as a conference proceeding.

Conference papers and proceedings can be published in different ways, which can make them hard to find. They may be published as a book, included in a journal article, released as a special issue or supplement of a journal, or part of a series. Sometimes the organisation that runs the conference may only publish abstracts (short summaries), and not the full papers. In other cases, authors may upload their papers to their own website or to a university website. Occasionally, conference papers may not be published at all.

Tips for searching for conference papers and proceedings
Where can I find conference papers and proceedings?

You can search for conference papers and proceedings in the library catalogue or in databases. Keep in mind that not all papers presented at a conference are published. Some may only be available as abstracts, and others may not published at all.

Curtin Library catalogue

To find conference papers or proceedings in the library catalogue, you can limit your search results by selecting Conference Proceedings or Conference Papers under Resource Type.

Library databases

Many library databases include published conference papers and proceedings. Below are some key databases that cover a wide range of subjects:

A large database that includes summaries and references for peer-reviewed research. It covers areas such as science, technology, medicine, social sciences, arts, and humanities.

Indexes journal articles, conference papers, data sets, and more. It covers subjects in science, social science, arts, and humanities.

A large database that covers many types of content, including conference papers. You can limit your search by choosing Conference, Conference Paper, or Conference Proceeding under Document Type.

Other sources

Some conference papers and proceedings may be freely available online and can be found by searching Google Scholar.

Unpublished conference papers are harder to find. Sometimes, only the title, author, and abstract (summary) are published in a book of abstracts, which may appear in a journal supplement. These usually do not include the full paper.

In some cases, unpublished papers may be:

If you are unable to find the full paper, you may be able to contact the author directly to ask for a copy.

Datasets

Data is the raw information collected during a study, experiment or survey. It usually needs to be processed or analysed using software to make sense of it.

A datasets is a collection of data that has been organised in a structured way. The records in a dataset can be arranged differently, depending on how you want to access or use the information.

Where can I find datasets?

Finding datasets can take time and may involve searching different sources. Some common places to look include: government websites, data directories, university or institutional repositories, research centre websites or search engines, like Google or Google Scholar.

Key Australian repositories
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)/Universities Australia Agreement

Students and staff at Australian universities are able to access a range of data services from the ABS free of charge on a range of topics including the Census of Population and Housing, health, education, business, labour force, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, migrants, crime, disabilities and ageing.

More information including registration and access details are available on the ABS/Universities Australia Agreement page.

Commercial data repositories and registries
International data archives
Using datasets

When research data is meant to be shared and reused, it should have a license that explains how it can be used. If you use a licensed dataset, make sure you follow the rules set out in the license. If the dataset does not have a license, you must contact the data owner (also called the rights holder) to ask for permission before using it.

Drug resources

Drug resources provide information on the identification and prescription of drugs, including information on dosage, side effects, drug interactions, ingredients and more.

Where can I find drug resources?

The library provides access to a range of drug databases and resources to assist you in finding accurate, evidence-based information.

AMH provides a concise, up-to-date source of independent drug information to facilitate effective, rational, safe and economical prescribing and dispensing.

The Children’s Dosing Companion provides information for prescribing and administering medicines to children from birth to 18 years.

MIMS Online contains both abbreviated and full prescribing information, consumer medicine information and product images for pharmaceuticals available in Australia.

Martindale is a comprehensive reference resource on drugs and medicines used throughout the world. Coverage includes: drug monographs, propriety preparations, manufacturers and disease treatment reviews.

Therapeutic Guidelines contain searchable, peer-reviewed clinical guidelines covering a broad range of topics. It also contains drug information and dosing regimens for a range of diseases.

Provides information on the selection, prescribing, dispensing and administration of medicines.

A source book of drug interactions, their mechanisms, clinical importance and management. Covers interactions between therapeutic drugs, proprietary medicines, herbal medicines, foods, drinks, and drugs of abuse.

Pharmacopoeias

Pharmacopoeias provide standards for pharmaceutical substances and medicinal products used in a country. These legally binding standards are important in regulating the quality of medicines.

Complementary and Integrative Medicine

Complementary and integrative medicine should be considered alongside drug interventions in terms of their efficacy, but also their interactions and toxicities.

ebooks

An ebook (short for electronic book) is a book that you can read on a computer, tablet, phone or other device.

Where can I find ebooks?

The easiest way to locate ebooks is by searching the Library Catalogue.

  1. Enter keywords from your topic in the search box and then click on the Search button
  2. On the results page, refine by selecting Available Online filter in the right side menu
  3. Then select the Books Resource Type to limit your results to ebooks only.

Once you have found a suitable ebook, select Available Online in the item record. This will provide the link to the database where you can read (and sometimes download) the ebook.

How to use ebooks

Ebooks are different from printed books. They do not need to be borrowed using your library card, and you do not have to return them yourself because this happens automatically. However, many ebooks use something called Digital Rights Management (DRM). DRM is a system that controls how you can use the ebook, especially when it comes to downloading or printing.

Reading ebooks online

All ebooks can be read online, as long as a copy is available. However, your session needs to remain active. If you stop interacting with the book, the session may time out, and you will need to search for the book again and reopen it.

Many ebooks now use the EPUB format as it is more accessible and works better with screen readers. EPUBs adjust to the device you are using – the text resizes to fit the screen you are on and they also allow you to change the font style and size, line spacing, and background colour.

Titles in EPUB format have dynamic page numbering, which means the page numbers can change depending on the device you use. For this reason, if you need to cite a quote, it is better to use other identifiers instead of page numbers. Check the relevant referencing guide for more details.

Downloading an ebook for use offline

Some ebooks let you download the whole book or just a chapter so you can read it without an internet connection.

If you download the entire book, you will usually need to install an app. Follow the instructions in the database to get the right software. After downloading an ebook, you usually have between 1 and 14 days to read the book offline. When this time ends, the ebook will expire and you can no longer open it. If you still need it, you will have to download it again.

If you download a chapter or a few pages, the file is usually a PDF. You can open it in a PDF reader or in your web browser.

Printing, saving, highlighting and notemaking

You can print or download chapters from some ebooks, but DRM rules decide how much you are allowed to print or download. Most of the time, you can print, save, or download one chapter of an ebook. This follows the fair dealing rules in the Australian Copyright Act 1968.

Some ebook platforms also let you highlight text or make notes while reading online. These changes are saved, so you can see them next time you open the book. You may need to create an account or log in to use these features.

Why can't I open an ebook?

DRM controls how many people can access an ebook at the same time, based on the number of licenses available. Just like a physical book that is checked out, some ebooks cannot be opened if someone else is using them.

We know which ebooks are likely to be in high demand and have turned off the download option for those titles. If you try to open an ebook and it will not load, or it only gives you five minutes to read, try again later. Avoid peak times like the middle of the day.

Grey literature

Grey literature refers to both published and unpublished research, produced by government, academia, business and industry, that is not controlled by commercial publishers. Some examples of grey literature include:

Why use grey literature?

Grey literature is an important source of information as:

Tips for searching for grey literature

Searching for grey literature is not always easy and can be time consuming. Simple searches are often more fruitful than the rigorous strategies used for database searching. Try searching on your core concepts rather than using long strings of search terms.

If using a search engine such as Google and Google Scholar, use the Advanced Search option. This will allow you to limit your search by date (e.g. last 5/10 years), language (e.g. English), region (e.g. Australia) etc. thus avoiding the retrieval of large numbers of results.

When you perform a Google search you can also limit to particular domains or by file type:

Where can I find grey literature?

Websites of relevant organisations

Search or browse the websites of key organisations in your research area. These may include: government agencies, academic or research institutes, private companies, professional associations, and advocacy groups. Depending on the focus of your topic, the following sources may be useful:

Library databases

As well as journal articles, many library databases also index other types of literature including conference papers, reports, theses and government documents.

Most library databases provide the facility to limit by publication or document type, which will allow you to narrow your search to grey literature sources.

Grey literature databases, library catalogues and repositories

Images

An image is a visual representation of a person, object, or idea. Images can include: paintings, photos, drawings, cartoons and illustrations, diagrams, graphs, computer graphics and plans.

Original images are considered artistic works and are protected by copyright laws.

Ownership and use of images

It is important to follow copyright rules when using images. Just because an image is easy to find online does not mean you can use it freely. Some images can be downloaded and reused under certain conditions. Others, like those from Associated Press, iStock by Getty Images, or Shutterstock, require payment for a license.

Open license, Creative Commons and public domain images

An easy way to avoid copyright issues is to use images that are Open license, Creative Commons (CC) or in the public domain.

An Open license allows people to use and share content with few restrictions. Creative Commons is the most common type of open license. Creative Commons licenses do not remove copyright, instead creators give permission for others to use the content in specific ways. You do not need to ask for permission if you follow the rules of the license. You can learn more about CC licenses on the Creative Commons website.

Public domain images are either no longer protected by copyright or have been made freely available by the copyright owner.

Where can I find Open License, Creative Commons and public domain images?

The following websites provide easily accessible advanced search filters to quickly identify Creative Commons or public domain images:

Attributing open license, Creative Commons or public domain images

If your work will be shared publicly, you may need to include an attribution statement giving credit to the creator.

To properly attribute a Creative Commons image:

For help with attribution, see Best practices for attribution on the Creative Commons website.

Referencing images in Curtin University assessments

When using images in your assessments, follow the correct referencing style for your unit. Curtin University provides guides for:

Legal materials are documents used in legal research and are usually divided into two main types:

How can I find legislation?

Legislation is made by parliament and includes: Acts (also called Statutes or Acts of Parliament) and subsidiary legislation (also called subordinate or delegated legislation), such as regulations, rules, orders, statutory instruments and by-laws.

You can find Australian legislation on government websites:

How can I find case law?

Case law (also called court decisions or judgments) records how courts make decisions in legal disputes. In Australia’s common law system, courts can set precedents—legal rules that apply to future cases.

To search for a case, it helps to understand the case citation. For example:

Commonwealth v Tasmania (1983) 158 CLR 1

To find a case:

  1. Look up the full name of the law report series. Use the Legal abbreviations from Monash University Library
  2. Search for the name of the Law report series in the Library Catalogue
  3. Click Available online to access the database that holds the law series
  4. Search for the case name or citation in the database.

The following selection of databases include legal materials. For more legal databases, see the Databases A-Z.

Further resources

To learn more about finding legal materials see:

Newspapers and other media sources

Newspapers and other media sources keep us informed, discussing current or recent information of either general interest (for example daily newspapers like The Australian or the New York Times), or a specific subject focus (e.g. political or trade news like the Foreign Policy or the Australian Financial Review).

Media sources include newspapers, magazines, TV current affairs programs, online news organisations and news blogs.

Why use news and other media sources?

News and other media sources provide up-to-date reporting on events as they are occurring, while journal articles and books may take months or years to move through the publication process. Media sources are great for images, quotations, opinions, and other primary source material. They can:

News and other media sources reflect matters that are of interest to the population they serve, whether that be the general public or a more specific audience.

Tips for searching for news and media sources

Searching for news and media sources may require a different approach than searching for journal articles or other academic content. They are usually aimed at a general audience, so it is best to avoid using technical language and discipline-specific jargon in your search to increase your chance of success.

Consider the difference between the language used in the newspaper article headline and the journal article title below:

Where can I find news and media sources?

You can often find news and media reports by searching Google. However, you may not be able to access the full content without paying for a subscription. If this happens, try searching in the databases listed below.

NewsBank provides access to a wide range of Australian and international news sources. Includes The Australian, Australian Financial Review, Sunday Times, West Australian and National Indigenous Times.

Factiva has a large collection of Australian and international newspapers.

ProQuest provides access to over 2,000 newspapers including 300 Australian newspapers and 63 related specifically to business and economics.

Provides access to archived digital editions of the West Australian newspaper from 2004 onwards. It is updated daily with each edition available the day after publication.

An archive of Australian television news, current affairs and selected documentaries from the free-to-air networks. The content is mostly video, however detailed synopses are also provided for each entry.

Original research articles

Original research articles (also known as primary research articles or empirical articles) are journal articles that provide a detailed account of the techniques and methods used by researchers to conduct their own research. These articles undergo a rigorous peer review process where experts in the same field evaluate the research methodology and data collection before publication.

Why use original research articles?

Original research articles supply the results and data of scientific research as first reported and serve as the raw material for further research.

How do I know if an article is original research?

Original research articles:

Example: Time-restricted eating without calorie counting for weight loss in a racially diverse population: A randomized controlled trial

Some articles may appear to be original research but are actually reviews of previously published research. Keep an eye out for terms such as review, systematic review, meta analysis, retrospective study, literature review etc. as these types of articles are considered secondary sources.

Tips for finding original research articles
Where can I find original research articles?

Databases are a great source for journal articles on a wide range of topic areas. Below are a selection which are useful for finding original articles.

You can refine to Research articles under Article type on the search results page. Note that some systematic reviews may be included so check the abstract for further details about the type of research conducted.

Add the term trial or study to your topic search. Check the abstract for further details about the type of research conducted as review articles may be included in the results.

Perform a search for your topic. Once results are returned, click Additional Limits. Under Methodology, select relevant study types e.g., Clinical trial, Empirical study, Field study, Qualitative study, Quantitative study… and click Limit a Search.

Patents

A patent is a legal right granted to a person or organisation to commercially exploit a new invention (device, substance, method or process). The patent excludes others from selling or using the invention for a set period of time (the life of the patent).

Why use patents?

A patent includes a description of the nature of the invention, and is often the first place that information on a new area of research is made public. As patents must disclose (in some detail) the nature of the invention, details disclosed in an existing patent may save you from undertaking unnecessary research.

Where can I find patents?

In most countries patents are issued by a single authority, and are available on the official website. Some useful search tools for finding patents include:

IP Australia administers Intellectual Property issues in Australia, and using their website, you can search for patents, trademarks and designs.

Allows free searching for USA granted patents. It contains the full text and drawings of USA patents since 1976.

Contains patent applications issued by both the European Patent Office (EPO) and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).

Provides access to international Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications in full text format on the day of publication, as well as to patent documents of participating national and regional patent offices. This database is also hosted by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).

A not-for-profit organisation that provides universal access to patent information, including biological sequences. It also includes some analytics such as patents which cite a journal publication.

Includes over 120 million patent publications from 100+ patent offices around the world.

Primary sources

A primary source provides a first hand account of a topic. Primary sources report on events or discoveries, or share new information. They are original materials which have not been filtered or changed through interpretation, condensation or evaluation by a second party. In contrast, secondary sources are not original sources of information; instead they describe, analyse, summarise or discuss the information from primary sources.

Plays, photographs, news reports, diaries, surveys and social media content are just some examples of primary sources.

Journal articles can be primary or secondary sources. Original research articles that provide a detailed account of research activity, written by the scientists who conducted the research, are primary sources.

Why use primary sources?

Primary sources are valuable for a number of reasons. They:

Where can I find primary sources?

Library Catalogue:

Many primary sources can be found in the Curtin Library Catalogue, including newspaper articles, images, government documents, and research datasets. You can use the options under ‘Resource Type’ (found on the right-hand side of the screen) to limit your search to specific types of primary source material.

Other sources:

This site provides links to the resources of Australian Archives as well as to most other major archives in Australia.

Trove is the National Library’s ‘discovery service’ for information, resources and people. You can search for pictures and photos, digitised newspapers, diaries, letters, music, sound and video.

Search Google to discover blogs, social media content, statistics, court records, historical documents, autobiographies and more.

Reports

“A report is a specific form of writing that is organised around concisely identifying and examining issues, events, or findings” (Massey University, 2012). It usually covers the who, what, where, when, why and how of a particular situation, issue, or problem, and may be produced by government departments, research groups, not-for-profit organisations, companies, and others.

Why use reports?

You will need to exercise some caution when accessing certain types of reports. Company reports and reports produced by charity organisations, for example, are produced largely for marketing purposes. It is possible that positive information will be highlighted, while more negative material is glossed over or omitted altogether.

Tips for searching for reports

Reports will generally be available for free on the Internet, and simple strategies are often more fruitful than the rigorous strategies used for database searching.

Websites of relevant organisations

Search or browse the websites of key organisations in your research area. Looking out for links to ‘publications’, ‘reports’, or ‘collections’ can help. Remember, reports are produced by companies, government departments, professional associations, not-for-profit or charitable organisations, academic or research institutes and may more. Depending on the focus of your topic, the following sources may be useful:

Online search engines

Search engines such as Google are useful when searching for reports. Most reports will be published online in PDF form, so it’s helpful to limit your results by file type:

Google searches will often return large numbers of results so consider limiting your search by date (e.g. last 5/10 years) etc. in Advanced Search.

Statistics

Statistics is the practice that deals with the collection, organisation, analysis and interpretation of numerical data. General conclusions about a set of data are then able to be drawn from a sample of the data.

Why use statistics?

Statistics allow us to draw accurate conclusions about a population from a limited sample. They inform research, decision making and societal insights, and are often presented as tables, graphs or charts. In your studies, using statistical data can enhance your research, lending credibility to your work and support your ideas or position.

Tips for finding statistics

Regardless of the subject, statistics are often limited by both time and geography, and you may not always be able to find the exact data you are looking for. It is important to bear in mind that:

  1. It takes time to collect and publish statistical data, so you may not be able to find the most current statistics on your topic.
  2. The data may have never been collected or may be held privately and not available to the public.
  3. Statistical data for some countries can be difficult to find, so you may have to search for the broader region. For example, if you are not able to find statistics for Germany, you may need to search the broader region, Europe.
Where can I find statistics?

Statistical data is not always easy to locate as as there is no one single source for this type of information. Most statistics are published by national or state government agencies. However they can also be found in scholarly journals, reports, websites, books, databases, and newspapers.

Websites of relevant organisations

The following websites provide statistical data for Australia and other countries around the world.

Australian statistics

The ABS is responsible for statistical collection and analysis for Australia’s federal, state and territory governments. It provides key economic, financial and census data for the Australian economy.

The AIHW produces authoritative and accessible information and statistics to inform and support policy and service delivery decisions for all Australians.

RBA, Australia’s central bank, provides economic and financial data produced by the Reserve Bank and other organisations.

International statistics

The European Union’s statistical information service, responsible for publishing high quality Europe-wide statistics and indicators.

Provides global statistical coverage on economics, trade, industry, finance, employment and health.

Compiles and disseminates global statistical information including economic, demographic, social, environment and energy statistics along with the National Statistical Offices for member countries.

Compiles the most recent available data on health and health-related indicators, including topics such as mortality and burden of disease, health systems, health equity, and more.

Provides information on international trade figures for commodities and commercial services such as transport and financial services.

About UniSkills

UniSkills was created and is maintained by Curtin University Library. To report issues with UniSkills contact Library Help.

Twemoji icons by Twitter, Inc and other contributors, licensed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence.

Except where otherwise noted, UniSkills content in all it’s forms (website, PDFs etc) are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence. We ask that you attribute any use of the content as created by Curtin University Library with a link to the Library website.

This license does not extend to other Curtin University and Curtin University Library webpages, or to Curtin branding and trademarks. Curtin University’s copyright information is available on the Curtin website.