About this Guide

This guide has been designed to provide a starting point for finding and using resources in the VU Library that will support the NSC1210 Skills for the Scientist unit.

< Use the side menu to explore the contents of this guide.

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Why use the Library?

Search engines are widely regarded as the most popular means of finding information. However, Google, Bing or Yahoo and other popular search engines should never be your only research tool.

Finding information

Do you know what you are looking for? 
Think about what types of information you would require in order to tackle your assignment, e.g. textbooks, handbooks or manuals, ebooks, research articles, standards, government publications? Write down any significant words (keywords) that describe your topic.

Readings
Course or unit coordinators generally provide a list of references (reading material) linked to a unit that is a good starting point for getting familiar with the topic. If the reading list is not provided, then you can start with a textbook, encyclopedia or a subject dictionary to gain a basic understanding of the topic.

Know where to look for information sources
Use the Library Search, the library’s discovery platform to find library resources. The Library Search enables you to search across the range of library’s online and print resources in one search. View the results of your search in the retrieved list of records. Each record gives brief bibliographic details of the item and either a link that provides the full access to the item, or the information about the item’s location including how many copies are available.

Library catalogue
The classic library catalogue is still available and convenient as it is the fastest tool for looking up the exact title or the author you are looking for.

For more information on using e-books, books, and journal articles view the Books & eBooks, or Databases & journals tabs.

Browse the shelves
A number of useful print material is available on the library shelves. A book is shelved according to its Dewey Decimal Classification call number. Call numbers group similar subjects together on the library shelves. View the subject areas and call number ranges that are typically relevant to medicine & health (610), human anatomy, cytology, histology (611), human physiology (612), and others.

Steps to a successful assignment

1. Collect all the relevant information about the assignment

• the handout on the assignment and the steps you should take for its completion
• the types of resources required for your reference list, e.g. books, handbooks, journal articles, etc.
• note down the assignment's due date and start early collecting and preparing information for the assignment

2. Analyse and prepare

• identify and locate the required reading, if supplied
• identify keywords & search the Library for additional resources e.g. books and journal articles to support your ideas in drafting the assignment (see below the information on keywords and search strategies)

3. Read for Information

• read the required reading and make notes
• read the additional information sources for information not supplied in the required reading
• prepare each reference as you go through the reading material ensuring it is written in the suggested referencing style (APA 7th). Refer to APA 7th referencing guide for further assistance

4. Start writing

• collect notes from your readings and start writing your assignment
• prepare the Reference List (list of materials that you have used or referred to) by collating all the references for each of your reading

          Refer to the Academic Integrity at VU to read about acknowledging the sources of the ideas you use in your writing.

Keeping notes

Good note keeping is one of the best strategies you can use to maintain academic integrity. Make a habit of recording the reference details (author, date, title, publisher, place of publication, page numbers) for any notes you take during your research. If you copy a quote directly make sure you also note the exact page number. You might like to create a template like the one below to record your notes:

Keeping detailed notes of your readings will help you develop a more sophisticated response to your assignment questions, as well as save you a lot of time hunting for references and page numbers when your assignments are due. Thinking about how you might use the information as you read will help you stay focused and reduce your reading time.

Contact the Learning Hub staff for more advice on note-taking.