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How to search the Library

How to search...

  • Books and more
    Use the Books and more tab when you want to find books, ebooks, DVDs, images, databases and journal titles. Type in your unit code to find your course readings.
  • Books, articles and more
    Use the Books, articles and more tab when you want to find journal articles, conference proceedings, newspaper articles as well as everything else.
  • Google Scholar 
    Use Google Scholar from the homepage of the library to search Google Scholar and display full text available from Swinburne Library at the same time. You will need to set up your preferences in Google Scholar to do this. Go to Options > Scholar preferences > in Library Links, search for and select Swinburne University of Technology - Full Text?
  • Databases
    Check your subject starter guide to find out which databases cover your subject.

    • Popular databases:
    EBSCOhost Great for general searching, with access to a huge number of databases across every subject.
    Scopus Multidisciplinary, with a focus on science, engineering and medicine. Also covers social and environmental sciences.
    Web of Knowledge Extensive index of the most prestigious journals in the sciences, arts and humanities.
    Informit Covers mainly Australian content.

     

Tips for better search results…

  • Think about your keywords

    • Think about your assignment before you start. Simply typing your assignment title into a database won’t work very well. Identify the key ideas in your topic and pull out the keywords.

  • Combine keywords

    • Instead of searching for each single keyword, try using AND to combine your keywords into one search for faster and more effective searching. For example: sunblock AND cancer.

  • Use synonyms

    • Not sure which keywords to use? Try alternative keywords or synonyms. Use a thesaurus to find synonyms for the keywords in your topic. You can then combine your synonyms in one search string, using the word OR and make sure you use CAPITAL letters. Group your synonyms with brackets. For example: (sunblock OR sunscreen).

  • Put them together

    • For even better results, try putting your synonyms together. For example: (cancer OR melanoma OR skin cancer) AND (sunblock OR sunscreen).


How to place a hold on an item out on loan or at another campus…

  1. Log in to My Library.
  2. Find the item in the Library search.
  3. Click on the Place hold link below your item title.
  4. Select the campus you would like to collect the item from.
  5. Click Hold.

    The Library will email you when the item is ready for you to collect.

     

How to find…

 

More help

If you need help researching your assignment, visit the reference desk at your campus library or contact the library.