Bachelor of Applied Movement Sciences & Master of Physiotherapy: Getting started

Steps to a successful assignment

1.    Collect all your information about the assessment task

  • the handout on the assignment (due date, word limit, formatting, presentation, marking guide)
  • the type of sources required for your Reference List e.g. books, journal articles
  • notes from classes on how to complete the task

2.    Analyse and prepare

  • read your notes and class readings for direction
  • do a mind map on the topic- use questions to expand the ideas and knowledge you already have
  • do some preliminary research to expand your ideas
  • from your mind map write some points grouped under general headings
  • where there are gaps in information (or more detail or examples needed) write down some questions that you can research
  • identify keywords & search the Library for additional sources e.g. books, journal articles (see the box below for an example of how to break down a topic into Keywords, see the videos in this guide on searching for journal articles)
  • write a plan  
  • what information do you already have? what further information do you need?

3.    Read for Information

  • read Required Reading and make notes
  • read the additional articles etc. for information not in the Required Reading
  • prepare each Reference as you read it, ensure it is written in the APA 7th edition referencing style. See the APA referencing guide for further assistance

4.    Start writing

  • collect notes from your reading and start  writing
  • write the correct References for each of your readings for your Reference

Keywords and Search Tips for Finding Information 

Watch this video to learn how to identify keywords when searching for information on a topic

Successful keyword searching requires applying search techniques such as using operators to join search terms, specific phrases or relevant word variations. Use the tabs at the top of the panel to explore them.

The three most commonly used operators are AND, OR and NOT.   They can broaden or narrow your set of results and exclude unwanted search terms and concepts.

For example:

AND will narrow your search returning results that contain all of your search terms 

low back pain AND physical therapy

OR will broaden your search returning results that contain any but not all of your search terms. It is useful for finding synonyms or where different words are of equal value in your search 

low back pain OR lumbar pain

NOT will narrow your search by eliminating words from your search results. It should be used with care as it can easily exclude relevant results.

back pain NOT neck pain

To search for two or more words in exact order, place double quotation marks " " around the words. The database will only return articles containing that specific phrase rather than articles containing each word found individually anywhere in the text.

Example:

The phrase "low back pain" will retrieve articles with all words as you typed them in with no other words in between.   

Truncation is also known as stemming, is a technique that broadens your search to include alternative word endings and spellings.

To use truncation, enter the root of a word and put the truncation symbol * at the end.
The database will return results that include any ending of that root word.
For example:
child* = child, child's, children, children's, childhood

It is important not to shorten the root too much as it may retrieve too many irrelevant results. For example chil*  will bring up childless, chiller, chilly, and Chile.

How to find journal articles using LibrarySearch

Start using VU Library Search to find resources for your  assessment tasks. This video provides a demonstration  of how to search for a journal article on a topic using Library Search

How to find a journal article using Library Search from Victoria University Library on Vimeo.