ECT 303-403 Research in writing
This guide will help you to find material for your case studies. The example topic is intervention in the Northern Territory. Three types of databases will be demonstrated.
The first is a newspaper database, NewsBank, which has full-text articles (no illustrations). The other two types are Australian databases within Informit. One is for television programs and the other includes other topic indexes for references to journal articles, many of which are available online.
Finding newspaper articles
NewsBank has Australian and overseas newspapers in full-text. The easiest way to access it is to go to the Communication & Media Research Guide. Other useful guides are Indigenous Studies, English & Literature, Music and Theatre.
It would be a good idea to bookmark the Communication & Media Research Guide (add to favorites) so it is easy for you to return. Look under the 'Useful databases' to see a link to NewsBank.
You can click on either the link 'NewsBank newspapers - Australia and the world' or on the 'Australia' search shortcut. Both choose the Australian newspapers automatically for searching. Try the following:
Note that you are looking for the keywords in the Lead/First Paragraph instead of All Text. If your keywords appear early in the article then it is more likely to be relevant to the topic.
After you have clicked on the red Search button your results will be displayed in a list, newest first. If there are too many use the 'Edit search' link at the top left of your results. Click on the 'Add row' button, choose Lead/First Paragraph and type abus*. If you want to narrow your results even further you could use sex* abus*. This is truncation, where * added to the start of a word will find abuse, abuses, abused, abusive, abusively and abusiveness.
To read an article click on its title. If you want to save or print the article then click in the box next to 'Save this Article' at the top of the screen. Go 'Back to results' to see the list of articles again.
You can also save articles by scanning the list of results and ticking the boxes next to the ones you want to keep (each tick can take a couple of seconds). When you have made your choices use the Email or Print options at the top right of the results list. The whole articles will be emailed/printed unless you choose 'Citations only'.
Television news
You may have noticed a link to TVNews in the Communication & Media Research Guide. TVNews is an Australian database of television news stories, current affairs and documentary program series screened since September 2007.
Type northern territory in the first box and choose 'SUBJECT - All Subject fields' instead of 'Any field'. Type intervention in the second search box and click on 'Search'.
If you want to have more search terms then click on 'Add more terms' to have more search boxes.
If you want to search within certain programs then choose 'Program Title' instead of 'Any field' and type message stick or living black.
Brief information is provided in the results list. To see more details use the 'Complete' link on the bright green 'Fields to Display' tab at the top of the screen. You can view or save the video clips.
Journal articles
Australian material is indexed in the Informit databases. The easiest way to go to Informit is to use the link underneath 'Most Popular Databases' on the left hand side of this page or on the Communication & Media Research Guide.
The first step is to select the databases you want to search. In general, for all of your topics select 'Humanities & Social Sciences Collection' and 'APA-FT Australian Public Affairs Full-Text'.
Select other databases according to your specific topic. For example, tick the box next to 'A+ Education' for issues about schools, AGIS Plus Text for the Law, 'Meditext' for health or medical topics, and 'Family & Society Plus' for social ramifications. Scroll down the page to select other databases if you wish, such as AIATSIS Indigenous Studies Bibliography.
Click on a blue 'Continue' button once you have selected your databases.
Click on 'Add more terms' so you can have a third search box for your keyword abus*. * is the symbol for truncation, the same as in NewsBank.
Brief information is provided in the results list. To see more details use the 'Complete' link on the bright green 'Fields to Display' tab at the top of the screen.
To view an article, click on the 'Full Text' link (external or PDF) at the bottom of the record. You can read it online, print it or save it. If you want to scan the list you can tick in the boxes next to each title of interest. Then click on 'View selected' at the top left of your results. You can then email, save or print your list of references.
If an article is not available through Informit, try a catalogue search for the title of the journal. If it is held in print, external students can use request forms to ask for a copy of the article. If the journal is available online through one of UNE's databases then a URL (web address) will be provided to take you directly to the journal. You can then search for the sepcific article you want.
Click on the 'Logout' button at the top right of the Informit screen to finish.