Academy Library Academy Library Ask Us Service
Online FAQ and enquiry service. The AskUs button is available on most pages of the Library's web site.
Boolean operators
AND, OR and NOT connect and define the relationship between your search terms in a database search. Using these Boolean operators can narrow or broaden your search results.
ChatGPT
ChatGPT is a bot that can answer questions, write content, and analyse problems in a human-like way. Students should use caution when using chatbots for their assessments and talk to their lecturers first.
Citation
A reference to a published or unpublished source e.g. book, journal article, thesis.
Citation chaining
A method of finding more useful resources. It involves looking at the reference list of one useful article to obtain more useful references in the same subject area, and also at the articles that have cited the original article.
Citation database
A scholarly database that includes the bibliographies of its content so they can be used to search for publications that cite a known author or work. Citation databases, or indexes, can also be used to find more information on a topic or to calculate journal impact factors. Examples include Web of Science and Scopus.
Citing
Acknowledging the sources that you use to write your essay or assignment.
Collusion
Collusion is a form of plagiarism and consists of presenting work as independent work when it has been produced in whole or part through unauthorised collaboration with others.
Contract cheating
Contract cheating is a serious form of academic dishonesty and is classed as collusion. It consists of what are known as outsourcing behaviours which occur when a student:
Copyright and licensing
Copyright places limits on how much of a published work may be copied and/or communicated to others while licensing restricts access to the Library’s online resources to currently enrolled students and staff. Further information about Copyright can be found here
Course Reading Collection
A collection of items in high demand. Items are available for 4 hour loans. Students can borrow a maximum of 2 items at a time at the self-service machine or at the Service desk. The Course Reading Collection is located near the Service desk.
Course resources
Resources made available in Moodle to students by their lecturer that are highly relevant for the understanding of their subject.
Database
An organised index to selected areas of published literature including journal articles, conference proceedings, newspaper articles, government reports and book reviews. The Library has databases in a wide variety of subject areas to support the teaching and research activities at UNSW.
DOI
A digital object identifier is a unique alphnumeric string which provides a persistent link to the location of an item on the internet.
eBook
A book available in electronic format. Access UNSW Canberra - Academy Library’s e-Books via the Library collection (Catalogue).
eJournal
A journal available in electronic format. Access UNSW Canberra - Academy Library’s e-Journals via the Library collection (Catalogue).
Formative assessment
Formative assessment is one of the many types of assessment techniques that are used at UNSW. It is conducted during the term, aiming to enhance learning by identifying weaknesses in understanding and performance.
Full text
Contains the complete text of articles, book chapters, dissertations etc.
Generative AI
Generative AI is artificial intelligence that uses prompts input by the user to create content.
In-text citation
A reference made within the body of a journal article or academic essay. It generally consists of the author's name, date of publication and page number. The complete reference will appear in the bibliography or list of references at the end of the text.
Inappropriate citation
It is considered plagiarism to cite sources which have not been read, without acknowledging the secondary source from which knowledge of the original source was obtained. This is known as inappropriate citation. Inappropriate citation also includes padding reference lists with sources that have not been used in an assignment.
Inappropriate paraphrasing
Inappropriate paraphrasing is a form of plagiarism and consists of changing a few words and phrases while mostly retaining the original structure and/or progression of ideas of the original, and information without acknowledgement.
Journals
Publications produced on an ongoing basis. Also known as serials or periodicals.
Many of the journals held at UNSW are academic or scholarly and are an excellent source of current scholarly articles.
Keywords
Terms used to retrieve information in a search engine or database. Keywords are usually natural language whereas subject terms are pre-defined.
Peer-reviewed literature
Publications which have undergone an extensive review process often undertaken by academics and/or experts in the field. Peer-reviewed journals or articles are also known as refereed or scholarly. Some databases allow you to limit a search to peer-reviewed journals or articles only.
Plagiarism
Presenting another person's work or ideas as your own. It is considered to be a type of intellectual theft and can be done intentionally or by accident. At UNSW plagiarism is grouped into the following categories: copying, inappropriate paraphrasing, collusion and duplication.
Primary sources
Provide original research and ideas or first-hand accounts of events or time periods. What constitutes a primary source will differ depending on the discipline.
Reading list
List of resources given to students by their lecturer that are highly relevant for their understanding of the subject. Access your reading lists via Moodle.
Reference management software
Software for storing and managing citations. Examples include EndNote, BibTex and Zotero.
Also known as bibliographic or citation management software.
Referencing
Acknowledging the sources you use to write your essay or assignment.
Referencing style
A formal recognized system for presenting sources of information in the body of a work and listed in a bibliography or reference list. Examples are Harvard, APA and Chicago. Also known as a citation style.
The preferred referencing style for your school will generally be found in your course outline or on the faculty or school website.
Research impact
Tracking the effect published research is having on the wider scholarly community. That is, how many times a published work has been cited by other researchers.
Library collection (Catalogue)
The Academy Librarys' search tool for finding books and online resources. Different search features allow you to refine your search and to limit by available print and full text online resources. All items, including course materials, Course Readings, books, journal titles, maps, music, DVDs and UNSWorks are included in the search.
Secondary sources
Offer an analysis or a restatement of primary sources.
Self-plagiarism
Also known as duplication, self-plagiarism occurs where an author republishes their own previously written work and presents it as new findings without referencing the earlier work, either in its entirety or partially.
Service Desk
Students can ask questions about their research and find help at the Library's Service desk, located near the main entrance of the library.
Student Code policy
Outlines the behaviour that is expected of all students at UNSW, and also details key obligations of the University towards students.
The Code is designed to maintain an environment that is harmonious and tolerant for all.
Subject guides
A selection of key resources in a wide range of subject areas. A good starting point for accessing key information resources for research and study. Regularly updated as new relevant resources become available.
Subject terms
Pre-defined terms used in databases, library catalogues etc. to describe the records they contain. Also known as subjects, subject headings and descriptors.
Summative assessment
Summative assessment is one of the many types of assessment techniques that are used at UNSW. It is conducted at the end of term, demonstrating learning through the achievement of marks and grades.
Systematic review
An appraisal and synthesis of primary research using a rigorous and clearly documented methodology in both the search strategy and the selection of studies.
Truncation
The use of a symbol such as *, ? or $, at the end or in the middle of a word to include possible variations in spelling and alternate endings. Used when searching a database. For example: Austral* = Australia, Australian, Australasia; wom?n = woman or women.
Different databases use a variety of truncation symbols so check individual database Help pages.
UNSWorks
The online institutional repository of UNSW research output. UNSW staff and students can deposit their publications and other research material into UNSWorks
Repository content can be searched and accessed on the web, by other researchers and by the public.