This document provides an overview of library research skills for Murdoch Business School masters students. It covers the library website and resources available, research steps to follow for a successful research process, how to get help from librarians, subject guides as a one-stop shop for resources in different subjects, and search skills using Boolean operators, truncation, and wildcards to refine database searches. The research steps include analyzing the topic, finding background information, further researching using relevant resources, evaluating resources, managing references, and citing references.

1. Library
Research
Skills
for
Murdoch Business School
Masters Students

2. Library Research Skills
• Library Website – resources & information available
• Research Steps – steps to research success
• Getting Help from Librarians
• Subject Guides – your one-stop-shop for resources
• Search Skills – Boolean operators, asterisks and wildcards
In this presentation, we’ll be covering:

3. Library Website
Services and resources

4. Library URL library.murdoch.edu.au

5. • Library Catalogue
• Databases
• Journals
• Referencing
• Subject Guides

6. Research Steps

7. Research Steps
Identify major keywords and concepts from your
assignment topic
Step 1: Analyse & define your topic
Discuss the strategic management skills
required to operate a sustainable organisation.
Sample topic

8. Research Steps
Resources to use:
• Library Catalogue & Findit – Textbooks, Subject
dictionaries & encyclopedias
• Online/print journals – e.g. Harvard business review
• Reserve collection
• Electronic Course Materials (ECMS) – required readings
Step 2: Find background information
Research the background of the topic/concept

9. Searching for journals/publications:
Use
‘Limit/Sort
Search’ to
refine your
results

11. Research Steps
Use databases to find journal articles
Use electronic databases to search for business and
financial journal articles.
You can search by keyword, subject, author, title etc.
Step 3: Further your research using
relevant resources

12. library.murdoch.edu.au/Find-information/Databases/

13. Research Steps
Are the websites I have found relevant,
current and authoritative?
Step 4: Evaluate your resources
Using electronic databases is a more efficient way to
find information
however
if you do use the Internet, it is important to
remember to critically evaluate the sites first.

14. Evaluating websites

15. Research Steps
Keep a record of books, printouts and photocopies for
citation and referencing purposes
Collect all the necessary publication information for
each source
Step 5: Manage & organise your
information
Keep records of your research

16. Research Steps
Step 6: Cite your references
Acknowledging ideas and quotes of others
Why should you cite references?
• To abide by the University’s policy on how to avoid
plagiarism
• To acknowledge the work of other writers
• To enable other researchers to trace your sources
• To demonstrate the depth of your research

17. Be sure to use the preferred
citation style for your unit.
Check your unit guide for your
lecturer’s preferred citation style,
otherwise use the Library’s
referencing guides.
Remember to be consistent.

18. library.murdoch.edu.au/Getting-help/Referencing/
Referencing information:

19. libguides.murdoch.edu.au/Chicago
Anton, D.K., Mathew, P. and Morgan, W. 2005. International law: cases and materials. South Melbourne, Vic. : Oxford University Press.
Chicago Style Example: Books

20. Search Skills
AND OR * ?

21. Search Skills
Improve your search results by using:
• BOOLEAN connectors
• truncation * and wildcard ?

22. Use the OR connectors to include synonyms or
similar concepts or alternate keywords
Search Skills
OR
(strategic management) OR (strategic planning)
Boolean Connector

23. Search Skills
AND
Use the AND connector to combine multiple
concepts or keywords
(strategic management) AND (sustainable organisation)
Boolean Connector

24. Search Skills
The asterisk * is a truncation symbol
Truncation is used to search for variations of a stem word
*
Example
organisation* will retrieve
• organisation
• organisations
• organisational

25. Search Skills
The question mark ? is a wildcard symbol
It allows for the variation of 1 character.
?
Example
organi?ation will retrieve
• organization
• organisation
Wildcard symbol is supported by some databases (e.g. ProQuest).
Check the Help section of each database for more information

26. Search Skills
Sample Library Catalogue search for strategic management sustainable organi?ation*
Keyword search in the
Library Catalogue
presumes the
AND Boolean operator
More concise and
relevant results

27. Search Skills
Click on the
‘Subject heading’
to explore more
titles on the same
subject

28. Search Skills
Click the Subject
heading to retrieve
more books on this
subject

29. Subject Guides
One stop shop for resources

30. Subject Guides
library.murdoch.edu.au/Getting-help/Subject-guides/

31. Accounting & Finance Subject Guide
libguides.murdoch.edu.au/accountingfinance

32. Accounting & Finance Subject Guide
libguides.murdoch.edu.au/accountingfinance

33. Getting Help
at the Library

34. Ask a Librarian
In person
Reference Desk
North Wing, Level 3 South St Library
Online
library.murdoch.edu.au/Getting-
help/Ask-a-Librarian/
• Online chat
• Email