Guides: Higher Degree Research Library Checklist: Discover Key Resources

Kick-start your research now. Identify your strengths, discover new tools and develop your information skills.

This guide is intended for researchers undertaking a thesis e.g. Honours, PhD and Masters by Research. You'll find it helpful to revisit the checklist at different points throughout your research.

Discovering key resources is essential to designing your research study

I am aware that Library SEARCH is a good starting point to find journal articles and books across multiple subject areas.

Our tutorial teaches you the skills you need to know to use it effectively.

I use a range of Library databases relevant to my area of research.

Our Discipline Guides list essential research databases.

I can search Library databases in multiple ways to find relevant resources for a topic.

Searching for information is a process and you won't always get it right the first time. Find ways to improve your results, change your search and try again until you are happy with what you have found.

Work through our interactive, self-paced tutorials for Web of Science and Scopus to refresh your searching skills.

I understand all the search steps I may need to do for my literature review.

Identify where to search for information, learn how to search more effectively, and discover tools to manage your results.

Our Literature Review guide will get you started.

I am familiar with specialist resources in my research area e.g. theses, news, statistics, standards, patents, archival.

Start by finding UOW Theses and other Theses worldwide. Also explore our Research Guides that point to a wide range of resources.

I can use the Trove database to locate books, journal titles and theses held in Australian libraries.

Trove is a discovery tool produced by the National Library of Australia and focused on Australia and Australians. It provides access to a significant range of resources such as books, pictures, maps, newspapers, music, people. Work through our interactive, self-paced tutorial Searching Trove. See also Searching Guide.