What are keywords?

Key words are words in a question that tell you the approach you should take when answering an assignment question. 

Keywords can include:

 Steps to a successful assignment

1. Collect all your information about the assignment.

• the handout on the assignment
• the type of resources required for your Reference List e.g. books, dictionaries, journal articles
• notes from classes on how to do the assignment

2. Analyse and prepare

• identify the Required Reading 
• identify keywords & search the Library for additional resources e.g. books, journal articles (see the boxes below to know what are keywords and for some keyword search strategies).

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 referencing style. See the APA referencing guide for further assistance

4. Start writing

• collect notes from your reading and start to build your assignment
• write the correct References for each of your readings for your Reference List

Keyword search strategies

Select  keywords from both the topic and your readings. Keywords can be single words or phrases. You will need to use a variety of keywords to ensure you cover all aspects of the topic and apply the following strategies to combine them

• using the Boolean logic (AND OR & NOT), for example, 
  • outdoor recreation AND risks AND children
  • young adults OR adolescents OR teenagers
  • sports NOT exercise
• think of possible synonyms and related words or phrases, for example,
  • leisure OR recreation
• search exact phrases by enclosing the phrase in quotes, for example, 
  • "extreme sports"
• find a term with variant spelling  by using a hash (#), for example,entering  
  • behavio#r will find both behavior and behaviour
• find a term with various endings by using as a truncation symbol represented by an asterisk (*), for example,
  • inactiv* will retrieve inactive, inactivity and inactivities
• group terms together by placing them in parentheses, for example,
  • Sports (management OR administration)

View the videos in this guide to learn how to search for books, e-books and journal articles available  at  Victoria University Library.

Readings for your interest

Semester 1

SSM1101 Introduction to Sport and Active Recreation

• Veal, A.J., Darcy, S., & Lynch, R. (2013). Australian leisure (4th ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson. (electronic version)
• Veal, A.J., Darcy, S., & Lynch, R. (2013). Australian leisure (4th ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson. (print version)

SSM1102 Foundations of Sport and Active Recreation

• Coakley, J., Hallinan, C., & McDonald, B. (2011). Sports in society: sociological issues and controversies. North Ryde: McGraw-Hill.
• Maguire, J. (Ed.). (2014). Social sciences in sport. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. 
• Pope, S.W., & Nauright, J. (Eds.). (2010). Routledge companion to sports history. London: Routledge. (print version)
• Pope, S.W., & Nauright, J. (Eds.). (2010). Routledge companion to sports history. London: Routledge. (electronic version)

SSM1103 Management Principles for Sport and Active Recreation

• Hoye, R., Smith, A., Nicholson, M., & Stewart, B. (2015). Sport management: principles and applications (4th ed.). Amsterdam: Elsevier.

SSM1104 Community Building for Sport and Active Recreation

• Kenny, S. (2011). Developing communities for the future: community development in Australia (4th ed.). South Melb, Vic.: Nelson Thomson Learning.

Semester 2

SSM1201 Marketing for Sport ad Active Recreation

• Shilbury, D. (2014). Strategic sport marketing, Sydney: Allen & Unwin,

SSM1202 Financial Management for Sport and Active Recreation

• Stewart, B. (2015). Sport funding and finance (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge,

SSM1203 Human Resources for Sport and Active Recreation

• refer VU Collaborate for readings

SSM1205 Introduction to Adventure in Sport and Active Recreation

• Collard, M. (2005) No props: great games with no equipment. Beverly, MA: Project Adventure.
• Priest, S. (2005) Effective leadership in adventure programming (2nd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Why reference?

Refer to Referencing & Plagiarism guide to learn about how to reference and practical advice on avoiding plagiarism.

Take this quiz to test how much you've learnt about referencing and plagiarism.

Referencing & Plagiarism Quiz

Review your referencing skills

Go to the link provided below and answer Yes or No to see if this reference is correct? 

Referencing Quiz