This guide provides the library resources to support your Research Proposal assignment.
Before you start, it is strongly recommended that you:
Before you start looking for information for your assignment, it is important to analyse your topic and questions. Think about:
Identifying key concepts or keywords in your assignment will help you to locate relevant information more effectively. Also think about similar concepts and alternative terms e.g. intelligence OR IQ, aboriginal OR indigenous.
These key concepts and keywords will form the basis of your search strategy.
Watch the video below on topic analysis. What are your key concepts and keywords?
Once you have identified the keywords included in your assignment question, you can think about how to use these keywords to conduct your search.
Using appropriate search techniques such as Boolean operators, phrase searching , and Truncation . can make your search more effective.
Watch the video below and learn about the search tips and strategies.
Library Search is the University of Newcastle Library's main discovery tool. You can find books, journal articles and more by title, author or keyword.
Watch the video below on Library Search and try the Library Search to find books and peer-reviewed journal articles.
Library journal databases are collections of journal articles. You can find the best databases for your topic on the Psychology Subject Guide.
Not sure how to use them? Watch the following videos and try your search in
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection (EBSCO)
Medline 1946- (OVID) and Embase (OVID) and PsycINFO (OVID)
Watch the following video on evaluating your sources with the TRAAP method.
Referencing - APA7 from Academic Learning Support on Vimeo.
In-text Citations and Reference Lists
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5 (5th ed.). American Psychiatric Association.
Burton, L. J. (2021). An interactive approach to writing essays and research reports in psychology (5th ed.). Wiley.
Castell, E., Bullen, J., Garvey, D., & Jones, N. (2018). Critical reflexivity in Indigenous and cross‐cultural psychology: A decolonial approach to curriculum? American Journal of Community Psychology, 62(3-4), 261-271. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12291
Colman, A. M. (2015). A dictionary of psychology (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Porter, S., Taylor, K., & Ten Brinke, L. (2008). Memory for media: Investigation of false memories for negatively and positively charged public events. Memory, 16(6), 658-666. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658210802154626
Subramanyam, R. (2013). Art of reading a journal article: methodically and effectively. Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, 17(1), 65-70. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-029X.110733
Young, J. M., & Solomon, M. J. (2009). How to critically appraise an article. Nature Clinical Practice. Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 6(2), 82-91. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncpgasthep1331
You won’t be able to read everything on your topic and you don’t need to read a source from cover to cover, you need to read effectively.
Watch the video below on reading for your research
The following resources may help you with your workplace bog assignment. However, they are for general guidance only. Depending on the requirement of your writing, different formatting specifications may be appropriate. If you are unsure, check with your lecturer. Always follow your lecturer’s instructions!
Watch the videos below on essay and report writing. Contact academic support for more help if needed.