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Help with Research
The help and suggestions included on the following pages are essentially common sense, but may include things you have not considered. Click on the name to go to the relevant page.
At the primary and secondary school level, Research refers not only to research techniques but also to putting these into prectice in projects, assignments, etc..
At the tertiary level, it refers primarily to the completion of assignments rather than pure research.
Primary School Level Research
Secondary School Level Research
Tertiary Level Research
Research Sites
Australian Sites
- ACER - Cunningham Library
A source of educational research information from and about Australia. Databases, journals, theses, thesaurus and more. Excellent resource. - ACorN
‘Is made up of Australian Universities and Industry that are involved in telecommunications research and also has strong collaborative links with international groups,’ - ANSTO
Australian Nuclear, Science and Technology Organisation. Searchable databases. - ANU Eprints Repository
‘ANU Eprints is a an electronic archival database for research literature. Eprints cover papers that have been submitted for journal publication and papers posted electronically for peer consideration and comment before submission for publication. Documents that have not been submitted to any journal are also included.’ Free registration to access the content. - ARC Centre of Excellence
‘The aim of the Centre is to research and explore the nature of intelligence in problems of perception learning and control, and thus to lay the scientific groundwork for the development and application of intelligent autonomous systems.’ - ARROW Discovery Service
Provides access to research information from all Australian universities. Includes digital theses and Australian Library & Information Association. - Australian Research Council
‘Aims to provide you with information about the ARC, Competitive Research programs, grant applications, its people and information on research highlights’. - Backing Australia’s Ability
Details of a previous Federal Government initiative to generate new ideas, apply these in commercial settings and develop & retain skills. Find details here. [Wikipedia article] -
Cooperative Research Centres
‘The CRC Programme was established “to enhance Australia’s industrial, commercial and economic growth through the development of sustained, user-driven, cooperative public-private research centres that achieve high levels of outcomes in adoption and commercialisation.” The CRC Programme links researchers with industry to focus R&D efforts on progress towards utilisation and commercialisation.’ The current centres are listed in several topic areas. - CSIRO
Government established research in a multiplicity of areas. - CSL
Research activities in the medical field. - Garvan Institute
Research in medicine. Linked with St. Vincent’s Hospital and the University of New South Wales. - Howard Florey Institute
Research in medicine and physiology. Linked to the University of Melbourne. - Land & Water Australia
Policies, research [Streamline Database for the last ten years], educational information, natural resource management, links to news, link to affiliated programs, apply for funding. - Melbourne Education Research Institute
‘MERI’s prime role is to identify and support fields of research of genuine international significance, ensure collaborative planning between research and teaching programs and provide assistance and support for researchers and research teams.’ - National Health and Medical Research Council
Information about embryo research, funding, ethical issues, publications, links and more. - National ICT Australia [NICTA]
‘A national laboratory has emerged … based on the foundations of research, commercialisation, education, and collaboration. With a focus on fundamental and use-inspired research, NICTA attracts, develops, and networks exceptional talent for Australia’s future prosperity.’ - Research
[Department of Education, Science & Training]
Access a range of information about research relating to education, science and training by ‘clicking’ on the Research menu item at the left. - Research Institute for Asia and the Pacific
[The University of Sydney]
The Institute, programs, publications, events, membership, Projects archives to 1998. - Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, The
‘Mastery of Disease through Discovery’. Medical research institute linked with the University of Melbourne and the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Educational Research Sites
Includes sites from both Australia and overseas and covers all aspects of education.
- ACER Research
Access programs, projects, reports, special topics and conference information in Australia from this site. Also check EdResearch Online. - All India Association for Educational Research
‘AIAER addresses itself to the problems of research in education in general but more attention is given to such problems from the Indian scenario.’ - American Educational Research Association
‘Concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and evaluation and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results.’ - British Educational Research Association [BERA]
‘The aim of the Association is to sustain and promote a vital research culture in education.’ A mix of Free and other resources, Links, Publications, etc.. - Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning
‘The Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning (WBL) investigates the benefits that learning brings to the individual and to society as a whole.’ UK based. - Centre for Educational Research and
Innovation
‘CERI has established an international reputation for pioneering educational research, opening up new fields for exploration and combining rigorous analysis with conceptual innovation. We are a major division of the OECD Directorate for Education. CERI’s work covers learning at every age, from birth to old age. It goes beyond the formal education system. We have a particular concern with emerging trends and issues, futures thinking in schools and universities.’ - CERUK Plus
A ‘database of current and recently completed research in education and children’s services. This resource contains commissioned research, PhD level work and practitioner research, covering all aspects of education [all age ranges from early years to adult] and children’s services.’ Free. - Education Policypointers
A listing of more than 500 research reports from around the world. Each is downloadable, usually in PDF format. Date of addition is provided as are other brief details. -
ERIC
‘ERIC - the Education Resources Information Center - is an online digital library of education research and information. ERIC provides ready access to education literature to support the use of educational research and information to improve practice in learning, teaching, educational decision-making and research’. -
HighBeam Research
‘Ideal for students and professionals, HighBeam is the premier online research tool for business and academic use. Here, you can search more than 80 million articles from the archives of over 6 500 newspapers, magazines, journals, and other publications’. -
Learning by Design
Educational research papers by Dr Julia Atkin. The site is presently undergoing maintenance but papers are still available. - National Foundation for Educational Research
‘Ever since 1946 we have been working to equip decision makers, managers and practitioners with the most innovative thinking, practical research and responsive assessment programmes to underpin the drive towards excellence in education and lifelong learning. We undertake around 200 research projects every year and our work spans all sectors of education, from pre-school to lifelong learning.’ - National Centre for Education Statistics
‘The National Centre for Education Statistics [NCES], located within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences, is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education.’ They also have a Kids’ Zone, which is worth visiting. - New Zealand Council for Educational Research
‘We are an independent educational research organisation with a bicultural focus. We have an international reputation for producing quality educational research and research-based resources.’ -
Schooling Publications
Research reports from Education Counts, linked to the Ministry of Education in NZ. - Teachernet
Online Publications
A mix of research and other materials from the Department for Children, Schools and Families in the UK. ‘All users can choose to view or download the publications that are relevant to them. Find what you need by browsing the categories in the left-hand margin, or make your search easier with Spectrum - everything published in the last month or Management essentials - the latest ‘must have’ publications for school leaders and managers.’ - The Research Informed Practice Site
[TRIPS]
‘This site offers easy access to essential research findings for teachers, governors, parents and all those who support them in the education of school age students. Our aim is to help you make sure that practice and policy in schools, and at a regional and national level, are informed by good and up-to-date evidence.’ -
TLRP Research Briefings
‘Welcome to TLRP - education research for the improvement of teaching and learning. This website illustrates the Programme’s generic work from 1999 to 2009’. UK based. - UK Educational Evidence Portal [EEP]
‘This portal helps you find educational evidence from a range of reputable sources using a single search. It is designed for both professional and lay people interested in education.’ Multiple search options.
Other Sites
- arXiv.org
‘Open access to 383 624 e-prints in Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science and Quantitative Biology.’ - Harvard Science
‘Research Matters is the public entry to the latest news about medical treatments, societal research, basic science, technological advances, and earth & space exploration.’
Previously known as Research Matters at Harvard University. - Microsoft Research Publications
Access a wide range of research from Microsoft. Search topics and journals. - OAIster
‘The University of Michigan Libraries established a broad, generic, information retrieval resource for information about publicly available digital library resources … The service encompasses as broad a collection of resources as possible [i.e., with no subject parameters]. It is accessible to the entire Internet community, without bounds.’ - Open Content Alliance
‘Will help build a permanent archive of multilingual digitized text and multimedia content. Content in the OCA archive will be accessible soon through this website and through Yahoo !’ -
PARADISEC
‘PARADISEC [Pacific And Regional Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures] offers a facility for digital conservation and access for endangered materials from the Pacific region, defined broadly to include Oceania and East and Southeast Asia’. - Policypointers
‘Policypointers is an online facility created to enable those involved in government, academe and the media to gain rapid access to the research and conclusions of think tanks around the world.’ Use the Policy Areas link to narrow your search. - Researchpaper.com
‘The Web’s largest collection of topics, ideas, and assistance for school related research projects.’ Search questions, go to the ideas directory, access general subject areas and more. - Simula Research Laboratory
‘Research focuses on fundamental scientific problems with a large potential for important applications in society.’ -
Smithsonian Research
Access a range of Research Centres and Research Programs that cover the spectrum of knowledge. -
Student Worksheets
From Ask. Links to research materials and skills based worksheets. More geared to primary and secondary levels. - University of Texas Inequality Project
Looking at various options for financial order. - Weapons of Mass Destruction Handbook
Initially a news item from the US. Covers weapons of mass destruction which are commonly discussed, specific links for each to greater detail. Everything from ‘anthrax’ to ‘suitcase bombs’. Links for general and specific information.
General Information
- Evaluation of Information Sources
‘Contains pointers to criteria for evaluating information resources, particularly those on the Internet. It is intended to be particularly useful … [f]or informing users as to the qualities they should use in evaluating Internet information.’
Research Advice
- A+ Research and Writing
[For High School and College Students] - Action Research for Teachers
‘This guide for classroom action research was created by teachers for teachers. The resources here were designed to support reflective and systematic improvement of teaching.’ - Collected Advice on Research and Writing
Annotated links to all aspects of written work, especially for secondary and tertiary levels. Listed under topic headings. -
Glossary of Research Terms
Incorporated in an alphabetical directory. From Aggregate to Variant. - Guidelines on Good Research
Practice
From the Wellcome Trust. While applying to research funded by them, it is also applicable to all research. - Research and Teaching
Portals covering ‘education’ to ‘meta-analysis’ and diverse topics in between. - Research Beyond
Google
[119 Authoritative, Invisible, and Comprehensive Resources]
‘Got a research paper or thesis to write ? Want to research using the Internet ? Good luck. There’s a lot of junk out there. Using Google or Wikipedia may lead you to some results, but you can rarely be sure of accuracy. And what’s more, you’ll only be searching a fraction of all of the resources available to you.’ Points out a range of other valuable sources to use. - Research-It !
Guide to research. - ResearchPaper.com
- Research Methods
Annotated links covering research methods. Two major directories - Research Methods Glossary
Research terms, from ‘audit trail’ to ‘variance’. Clear explanations of each. - Seven Steps of the Research Process, The
Research Resources
- About
Collections created by experts. Find information on almost any topic. Start with a major category and work down levels to the exact thing you want. - Beyond Information Gathering
Good introduction. ‘Discusses ways to encourage teachers to move towards a pedagogy that embraces problem-based learning in an information rich environment - the Internet.’ - Bloomsbury Research Centre
17 000+ reference books ‘to search on a wide range of subjects including literature, art, myth, human thought, quotations and thesaurus, or browse each book at your leisure.’ - CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems
[Library Services]
‘CSE Library Services plays an integral role in supporting the research and information needs of staff located throughout Australia. Our objective is to ensure our researchers have the information they need, whenever and wherever they need it.’ - Educator’s Reference Desk, The
While there are educational lesson plans and other material, there is also access via ‘3 000+ links to online education information’. - Find Articles
Articles from magazines and journals, not only education but also other areas. - Infomine - Scholarly Internet Resources
Access 110 000+ academically valuable resources, mostly at tertiary level, though a section for K-12. - Informit
E-library, Plus Text and Indexes. Some available, others by subscription. The e-library covers ‘Australia’s e-press, provides full text, cover to cover, access to journals, monographs, conference proceedings, and other research material.’ - Internet Public Library, The
Reference material and links to major subject areas. - Journalist’s Toolbox, The
Primarily for journalists. ‘Features more than 17 500 Web sites helpful to the media and anyone else doing research’. Use the ‘Search Box’ or ‘Open the Toolbox’ links on the right hand side below the title, or access the updates on the remainder of the page. - Lexis-Nexis
Access information on law and government. Fee-based. - Library of Congress, The
The US Library of Congress. An extensive library information and tools to help you access it and other areas. Research Tools via the bottom pull down menu or at Library of Congress Research Tools.
Excellent ! - Mywire
‘The best selection of articles and images from the world’s most respected publications. Browse hundreds of journals, newspapers, magazines and more.’ Free registration available. Previously KeepMedia. - Proquest
‘Proquest provides global access to one of the largest online content repositories in the world’. Fee-based. - Qualitative Research Web Sites
From The Qualitative Report Journal, an online journal. A series of links from ‘Action Inquiry Network’ to ‘ZMET’. - Refdesk
Created by Bob Drudge and offering a gateway to resources both reference and subject oriented. - Reference.com
Similar to Google version of DejaNews. Find information on nominated topics, see all postings, post your own, etc.. - Repositories of Primary Sources
‘A listing of over 5 000 websites describing holdings of manuscripts, archives, rare books, historical photographs, and other primary sources for the research scholar.’ Done in regional groupings. - RingWorld
Go to the major category, then the categories within it and choose a method of accessing the individual rings. - Social Science Research Network [SSRN]
‘Devoted to the rapid worldwide dissemination of social science research and is composed of a number of specialized research networks in each of the social sciences.’ - SUNSite
From the University of California, a huge archival collection. More importantly it has research tools to help find things. - Thor : Virtual Reference Library
Reference material listed under a series of headings. From dictionaries to zip codes. - W3 Virtual Library
Probably the biggest and best collection of information on the net. It subsumed the Argus Clearinghouse. Work through categories to a specified level.
Research Tools
- Abbreviations
If you want to know abbreviations for just about anything, or discover what an abbreviation means, this is the spot. As well, you will find All that JAS : Journal Abbreviation Sources, which is ‘a registry of Web resources that list or provide access to the full title of journal abbreviations.’ - Internet Resources for Institutional Research
Links to a variety of resources for research in higher education. - Power Reporting
Online research tools as well as a number of obscure databases.
Software :
- Cogitum Cociter
Free software to select and record excerpts from web pages. You have a log showing excerpt, date, title and web page details.
Excellent ! - Omnicodex
‘Omnicodex is a simple way to collect, store and collate information. It was designed to help researchers and scholarly writers keep track of their information.’ Freeware. - Outline
Software
A large range listed as either commercial or Freeware. If you can’t find one to suit from this list, you are not really trying. Scope to suggest further options. - Research Manager
Software to manage research. Expensive. - ScholarCite
‘ScholarCite is a Free program that helps you write standards compliant literature references. ScholarCite is very intuitive. Simply fill out some fields, and press “Write”. The ScholarCite auto-generator then creates a bibliography entry for your works cited list.’ Freeware. - Tafiti
‘Tafiti, which means “do research” in Swahili, is an experimental search front-end from Microsoft, designed to help people use the Web for research projects that span multiple search queries and sessions by helping visualize, store, and share research results. Tafiti uses both Microsoft Silverlight and Live Search to explore the intersection of richer experiences on the Web and the increasing specialization of search.’
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Web-ezy
‘This program has been designed to help you develop your library and information skills’. Southern Cross University.
Research Using the Internet
- A Guide to Critical Thinking
[About What You See on the Web]
‘Sometimes, it takes special skills just to find something on the Web. To use the Web well, however, you need to do even more. I offer for your consideration the following six suggestions when examining Web pages’. - Evaluation of Information Sources
‘Contains pointers to criteria for evaluating information resources, particularly those on the Internet. It is intended to be particularly useful … [f]or informing users as to the qualities they should use in evaluating Internet information.’ - The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
OR ‘Why It’s a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources’.