Student Learning Unit, Victoria University, Melbourne

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What are “Reference Sources”?

At all levels within the university you will be required to do research; even as a new first year student (undergraduate) there will be tasks that require you to find additional information, besides what is given in lectures and tutorials. Different units of study or courses use different types of material/information/references.

What you then have to do with the information will vary from task to task, from lecturer to lecturer, and from subject to subject. This Canberra Uni site gives some tips, after which you will probably need to visit VU’s library. Alternatively, to get started, do this practical online information skills tutorial.  

When you research materials for your essay topic, you will need to locate primary and secondary sources. Primary sources include original documents such as newspapers, interviews and historical documents. Secondary sources include textbooks and journals which provide interpretations of events, issues and concepts.  

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What sources exist?

• Refereed Journals

These contain articles on specific topics that have been reviewed by peers. This means that, for an article to be published, it has to be read by colleagues in the field who assess whether it’s worthy of publication. Journals are published regularly, sometimes two or three times a year and every discipline has its own set of local and international journals. Authors of journal articles can be practitioners in the field or academic staff members who are experts in the discipline.

Published articles can present results of research and a range of perspectives on current issues. Because they are published so regularly, journals keep up-to-date with changes and new perspectives in the discipline. Some of these refereed journals can also be online (called e-journals).

Victoria University has quite an extensive collection of these journals, which you can search through on their e-journal database.  

• Other Journals

Non-refereed journals (online or otherwise) and magazine articles can also be sources of information. ‘Non-refereed’ means that the articles published in the journal have not been reviewed by colleagues in the field, therefore, as sources of information, these articles would have far less credibility than refereed articles. You would need to view the opinions and information published in these sources with great caution. Magazine articles would often be written in a journalistic, persuasive, sensationalist manner, to capture readers’ interest and to boost sales.

• Textbooks

Texts will probably be your initial source of information for your assessment tasks and, like journal articles, they are a highly credible source. Because of the long time-line involved in the publication of texts, these sources will not be as up-to-date as journals. However, texts are also reviewed by colleagues and by the editors who commission the publication of the texts. For texts to be published commercially, a rigorous quality auditing process is undertaken.  

• Newspapers/Television Reports

These are primary sources of information and can provide useful current factual information and perspectives on issues. Again, you need to treat information in newspapers and on television with the same caution as you would with magazine material.  

• Websites

You need to be very cautious with website materials. Anyone can put information on a website, so it’s important to check the credentials of the authors of sites before using information from these sources.  

• The Media

It might also be useful to explore how a particular issue has been discussed in the media. This is a useful way to pick up some background information on a topic that you perhaps do not know very well, or to examine the extent to which particular issues are of concern to society at large. Be careful, however, about the accuracy of some of the information as facts are often skewed to appeal to a particular readership. The following online resources have search-able databases:

• The Age Newspaper
• Australian News Network
• CNN Interactive
• ABC Online
• Amazon Books
• Bookwire (online portal providing librarians, publishers, booksellers, authors, and general book enthusiasts with book industry resources).
• Ingenta (a service for free online searches of published material from reliable research sources)

• Interviews

Data from your interviews are obviously valuable primary data for your case study report. You need to sift through the data in interviews carefully, to extract the information which is relevant for your purposes.  

If you have ideas or suggestion on how this resource could be improved, please leave a comment/ reply below.

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What is a postgraduate student?

A postgraduate student is someone who has already graduated with an undergraduate degree and wishes to pursue higher study. Some students find that being a post graduate is very different because they have to work much more on their own and be even more responsible than in their first degree for organising their own time and motivating themselves. It is for these reasons that you must make sure you enroll in a post graduate course in which you are very interested.

It is likely that as a postgraduate, your needs will be different from when you were an undergraduate. Ask yourself what your expectations are about study at this level and then talk about this with your supervisor very early in your studies. Your supervisor will advise you as to what is expected, and in this sense, he/ she is one of your greatest resources. 

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What postgraduate courses are available?

There are various types of PG courses available such as Graduate Diplomas, Graduate Certificates, Masters, PhDs and Professional Doctorates. These can be coursework and/ or research based. If it is coursework based, then students attend classes and submit assignments in a similar way to undergraduates but the work is at a higher level.Research Masters and PhDs differ from coursework degrees because there is no coursework and often no classes.

The individual student is supervised by a lecturer (their supervisor) who is an expert in the field of study they wish to pursue. The student has to conduct research and write up this research with occasional input from their supervisor.  The highest level of postgraduate study is a PhD. A person who graduates with a PhD is referred to as a Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor for short (an academic doctor as opposed to a medical doctor). For more information about postgraduate research at VU contact the relevant faculty. Check the VU Library Research Resources, or browse the library’s Online Guides page 

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Post graduate writing 

One issue that can confront post graduates for the first time is writing at a much longer length than they have in the past (usually over 3000 words). Writing in a formal academic style is also sometimes an issue.

If you are studying via coursework, your assignments will be longer and more detailed. If you are a Masters or PhD student, you will have to design and conduct a piece of research, analyse the findings and discuss the findings. Have a look at some online resources which deal with Research-based Writing. For research and documenting sources, see Resources for Documenting Electronic Sources from the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University.  

Some time is available during semesters for postgraduate students to receive advice and feedback on their writing. For more information, contact the SLU via the contact details on the “about us” section on the SLU Homepage. If you are thinking about employment, VU’s Student Career Development Site is excellent. See also a site by the Graduate Careers Council of Victoria.

If you have any queries about postgraduate studies or writing, or on how this resource could be improved, feel free to leave a reply below!

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What are the main differences between presentations and essays?

One difference between an oral presentation and a written text is the immediacy of the feedback. When you give an oral presentation you have a chance to adjust the content and presentation style to suit the audience. You can change the sequencing of the overheads. You can use the question time to determine the level of understanding and interest. A written assignment is a fixed document prepared for an audience (eg. your lecturer). Once you have submitted it there is no changing the appearance or content.

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What are the aims of individual or group/ class presentations?

• provide an opportunity to research a topic
• present information to a live audience  
• practice public speaking skills 
• provide an opportunity for discussion based on the topic

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Any other hints?

You will be a more enthusiastic speaker if you choose a topic you know something about, or are interested in. Similar to a written assignment, you will have an introduction, body and conclusion and you will also need to connect your ideas.          

• Maintain eye contact with the people you are speaking with 
• Emphasise your main points with your voice and your body
• Practise, practise, practise

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Any more useful links?

We have bookmarked some useful links for you on del.icio.us on the topic of Oral Presentations

If you have ideas or suggestion on how this resource could be improved, please leave a comment/ reply below.

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What is the Online Discussion Board? 

This area is a public space where students may talk with study skills lecturers and with fellow students. If you have a language or study skills query that you would like to discuss with an SLU lecturer and/ or other students, you can post a question to the Online Discussion Board.

We will try to respond to your query as promptly as possible.

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How can I benefit from it? 

Even if you don’t pose a question or join in the discussion, you may find some answers to your problems by viewing discussion responses.

We would encourage you to post your query to the Discussion Board – that way, other students can benefit from your question and answer!

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