Starting your research

When starting your research you will need to think about the keywords, or search strategy, you will use, and the databases relevant to your topic. Natural language searching may find some results in Library research databases, however, to ensure your research aligns to Principle 2: Rigour of the Principles of Research Integrity, and is comprehensive, robust and systematic, you should consult a range of relevant databases and create a search strategy using keywords, search operators and punctuation.

Search strategy

Starting with a literature review is a common first step for a HDR student and our literature review guide will help you create an effective search strategy. For researchers conducting a systematic review, our guide provides search tips and contains a systematic review workbook, which provides in-depth guidance on search experimentation, effective search strategies, replicating searches across databases, and options for tracking results.

Key research databases 

Library research databases typically group together high-quality scholarly literature, journals, book chapters, grey literature, newspapers, statistics and more.

Scopus and Web of Science are multidisciplinary scholarly and citation databases. They're a great place to start if you're conducting a review of scholarly literature on a topic, or a systematic literature review. 

Discipline-specific databases can enhance the precision and depth of your research. They enable you to target the literature that is most relevant to your specific research area. Find your discipline in our Library guides to locate relevant Library research databases for your discipline.

As part of your research, you may also need to locate document types specific to your research topic that are not indexed in typical research databases. The following guides contain resources specific to document types across a broad range of disciplines:

Finding open research

There are many ways to find open research. Whether you are searching for something specific or resources on a topic, it’s best to begin your search in Library SEARCH or the Library databases, as these contain both subscription resources and Open Research. Further information is available in our Finding open research guide.

Research data 

Research data refers to the information collected or generated during a research project. It can include various forms such as observations, measurements, survey responses, experimental results, and other raw or processed data. Research data serves as the foundation for analysis, interpretation, and the generation of new knowledge in a field of study.

Searching for open data can be complex as it may be published in a variety of locations including repositories, archives and websites. Understanding what data you require can help you develop an efficient and effective search strategy. You can find research data sources through our finding data and research data guide. 

Accessing literature beyond UOW 

Whilst the Library has a wide range of resources covering disciplines relevant to UOW, there will be times when we don’t have what you need. You can request items that the Library does not hold using our Document Delivery, where we will source a copy from another Library.
If UOW staff and HDRs would like an item to be added to our Library collection, for research or teaching purposes, you can submit a purchase request.

AI in research

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are increasingly being utilised to enhance research capabilities and streamline research processes. While AI tools offer benefits, there are also limitations and risks to these tools that should be taken into consideration. The Tertiary and Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) have created a list of 10 tips for using generative AI in research that you can refer to when you're considering using AI in your research.

AI tools can draw on data that may contain bias, and this can lead to to misleading or inaccurate findings in your research. Investigate the data source of any AI tool you plan to use, so you know where the tool gathers its information from and if there are implications for the integrity of your research

Before using these tools, it is important to understand UOWs advice on AI and ChatGPT, and review the information on Using generative AI and ChatGPT and the research integrity considerations of using Gen-AI.

Research Consultations 

You can also book in for a research consultation for further support and advice.