Get started

Research and academic skills

Achieve@Uni
Learn how to analyse your topic and start your research, develop your library search and academic databases skills.
Borrowing
Information about borrowing at La Trobe University Library and from other libraries
Help and training
Help guide for using the library, including training classes, how to find items on the shelf, and other useful tips.

Search strategies

Library Search is a good place to start if you are new to your topic. You will be able to find relevant books and videos in our collection, as well as scholarly journal articles and news resources.

Searching within a database for a particular discipline area will find research more targeted and relevant to your subject. Some general tips for database searching are:

Look beyond the first page of results (usually organised by date order)
Use more than one – different databases will give you different results
Use journal titles to help evaluate the relevance of an article

When you identify your keywords and phrases try to think of alternative words/phrases. For example, television or TV or broadcasting. Also consider spelling variations (American and British) e.g. organization or organisation, globalisation or globalization.

Choose a variety of search terms and experiment with different combinations until the results are relevant to your topic.

Use quotation marks for phrases: “artificial intelligence” will find all records containing these words as a phrase
Use OR to combine synonyms or related terms: concrete OR cement will find all records containing either of these words
Use AND to combine different keywords: software AND engineering will find all records containing these words anywhere
Use NOT to exclude words: engineering NOT manag* will find all records on engineering except those that mention management, managing, managers, managerial etc..
A truncation symbol * finds alternate endings of words: Austral* will find Australia, Australian, Australiana
Use wildcards to compensate for different spellings: wom?n will retrieve women and woman globali?ation will retrieve globalisation and globalization

Symbols used for wildcards and truncation may vary, so use the help guide in each database to find out what is correct.

Many databases use a system of standardised subject terms (sometimes called descriptors or subject headings). Using these terms can help you find information you may otherwise have missed.

When you find a useful reference on a database, look at the full record for that reference to see if there are any descriptors or subject headings in the record. Searching by those terms may yield useful results.

Some databases include a thesaurus - this can be a useful place to ensure that you are using the most appropriate subject headings, and they often include notes which help you to understand the scope of the term.

Keyword searching can sometimes be difficult because the English language is rich in synonyms and there are many narrower or broader terms which might also be relevant. Citation searching or chaining is an alternative way of discovering resources.

Start with an article that is highly relevant to your research. Ask your lecturer or tutor for advice on this if you’re not sure. You can find related articles and resources either forwards or backwards in time from this key reference:

Backward chaining: check the article's bibliography or reference list to find citations of previously published resources referred to in this article. These will be older than your key reference.
Forward chaining: to discover more recently published resources which refer to this article, check the cited by or citations function if available, or look up the reference in Scopus, Web of Science or Google Scholar. These will be newer than your key reference.

It is important to keep up to date with new publications in your field.

Many databases allow you to set up alerts so you can store your searches on the database and have it run automatically at set intervals, with the results emailed to you.

You can also set up alerts from many journal websites to receive table of contents lists of new issues and publisher websites to receive new book notifications.

A Dictionary of Construction, Surveying, and Civil Engineering This is the most up-to-date dictionary of its kind, covering the key areas of construction and civil engineering.
A dictionary of electronics and electrical engineering Clear, concise, and jargon-free A-Z entries on key terms, theories, and practices in the areas of electronics and electrical science. Topics covered include circuits, power, systems, magnetic devices, control theory, communications, signal processing, and telecommunications, together with coverage of applications areas such as image processing, storage, and electronic materials. The dictionary is enhanced by dozens of equations and nearly 400 diagrams.
A Dictionary of Mechanical Engineering This new edition of A Dictionary of Mechanical Engineering provides clear and concise definitions and explanations for over 8,000 mechanical-engineering terms in the core areas of design, stress analysis, dynamics, thermodynamics, and fluid mechanics...It continues to be an indispensable reference for students of mechanical engineering and related disciplines such as aerospace engineering, chemical engineering, and civil engineering, practicing engineers, and other professionals needing to understand engineering terms.
A Supplementary Dictionary of Renewable Energy and Sustainability

Civil and Environmental Engineering: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications Civil and Environmental Engineering: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications is a comprehensive multi-volume publication showcasing the best research on topics pertaining to road design, building maintenance and construction, transportation, earthquake engineering, waste and pollution management, and water resources management and engineering.
Engineering Ethics and Design for Product Safety A systematic guide to product design and safety from an ethical engineering perspective. This hands-on textbook offers a holistic approach to product safety and engineering ethics across many products, fields, and industries. The book shows, step by step, how to "design in" safety characteristics early in the engineering process using design for product safety (DfPS) methods. Written by a P.E. and skilled educator with industry experience, Engineering Ethics and Design for Product Safety addresses all aspects of the product system from the perspective of an active product-safety engineering manager.
Engineering Your Future The ideal resource for undergraduate students beginning their Australasian engineering studies.
The Foundation Engineering Handbook, Second Edition The Foundation Engineering Handbook provides the fundamentals of foundation engineering needed by professional engineers and engineering students. It presents both classical and state-of-the-art design and analysis techniques for earthen structures and examines the principles and design methods of foundation engineering needed for design of building foundations, embankments, and earth retaining structures.
Writing for Science and Engineering Learning how to write clearly and concisely is an integral part of furthering your research career; however, doing so is not always easy. Dr. Silyn-Roberts explains in plain English the steps to writing abstracts, theses, journal papers, funding bids, literature reviews, and how to prepare seminar and conference presentations. Written in a practical and easy to follow style specifically for postgraduate students in Engineering and Sciences, this book is essential in learning how to create powerful documents.