Choose the right journal for your research via Think Check Submit

Quality is key to selecting the right journal to publish in and avoiding predatory publisher traps can be difficult.  In response to the problems of deceptive journals and conferences, a collection of publishers, publishing ethics groups, open access groups and academic libraries created Think Check Submit.

The campaign helps researchers identify trusted journals for their research via a simple checklist to assess the credentials of a journal or publisher.

Start the check by asking yourself some questions including:

  • Do you or your colleagues know the journal?
    – Have you read any articles in the journal before?
    – Is it easy to discover the latest papers in the journal?
  • Is the journal clear about the type of peer review it uses?
  • Are articles indexed in services that you use?

Watch the short video for more details:

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Think Check Submit is now available in seventeen languages including Arabic, Chinese, Indonesian, Spanish and Thai.

Want to know more about how to choose journals to publish in?  Contact your Liaison Librarian and check out the Which journal? advice from QUT Library.

Finding Information #1 – Quickfind Advanced Search

Did you know that QUT Library’s Quickfind searches over 80% of all the resources available at QUT? If you are looking for a book, journal article, report or newspaper article this is a great first place to look!

Quickfind’s Advanced Search can help you find information you need efficiently. You can find the Advanced Search underneath the Quickfind Search Bar.

QUT Library Homepage with advanced search icon highlighted.

Once you are in the Advance Search screen type your keywords into the search boxes. To search efficiently, put each concept or keyword on a different line and choose the right Search Operators to separate the lines. After you’ve entered your keywords you can refine your results further by selecting certain publication years to look at or by choosing the content type you want to focus on, such as articles or books. Advanced Search also allows you to select peer reviewed sources as another option to refine your results. By refining your search using the Advanced Search you will save time and get to relevant results faster, woo!

Here are our top tips to get the most out of advanced searches –

  1. Speak the database’s language. Figure out your keywords and synonyms first and how link them with search operators used by the database so it can understand exactly what you are looking for.
  2. Look for ‘search tips’ or ‘help’ buttons within the database to identify your database’s preferred search operators.
  3. Don’t be afraid to change your search strategy. Look in your results for other keywords or synonyms you can use and try different keywords and combinations.
  4. Try new things. Change the field you are searching in. If you are getting too many results from searching All Fields, try searching for your keywords just within the abstract, or look for a particular author.

Contact your information experts for more assistance with using Quickfind’s Advanced Search.

Referencing Hack #5 – Legal Dictionaries

Legal referencing can be tricky. One question the library sees often is how to cite a legal dictionary. After collaborating with law academics this is what we suggest when referencing an online legal dictionary with QUT Legal

Your footnote must contain:

1. Name of the publisher, title of the legal dictionary, (date of last update of the defined term or if that is not available then date of retrieval preceded by ‘at’), ‘name of defined term’ (name of related area of law) [pinpoint reference as a paragraph number, if one exists].

Here is our example –

  1. LexisNexis, Encyclopaedic Australian Legal Dictionary (at 9 August 2016), ‘Council’ (Environment) [1].

Is this how you cite a printed legal dictionary too, you ask? For paper legal dictionaries cite according to AGLC3 as if it was a book. And remember to always keep an eye on your punctuation.

You can view more referencing hacks from QUT Library and if you need assistance, contact your referencing experts!

Children’s Book Week 2017

The theme for Children’s Book Week 2017 is Escape to Everywhere.

Each year in Australia, The Children’s Book Council of Australia brings children and books together in celebrating Children’s Book Week.

Kelvin Grove Library is supporting this event with a wonderful display of all the shortlisted and winning books from The Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards. The winners will be announced and published on their website on Friday 18th August.

Check out the shortlisted books in each category. Awards are presented in the following categories:

  • Book of the Year: Older Readers (For ages 13-18 years)
  • Book of the Year: Younger Readers (For ages 8-12 years)
  • Book of the Year: Early Childhood (For pre and beginning readers)
  • Picture Book of the Year (Can be for any age)
  • Eve Pownall Award for Information Books (For ages 0-18 years)

You can borrow these from QUT Library’s Curriculum Collection, which is located on Level 4 of Kelvin Grove Library. To read the shortlisted and winning books, just visit the Children’s Literature Library Subject Guide and follow the links to QUT Library’s online and print copies.

National Science Week – Let’s get Robo-coding!

National Science Week is here from the 12-20th August. QUT is celebrating this year by welcoming Robotronica back to QUT’s Gardens Point campus to reveal the most up to date advancements and innovations in the fields of robotics and interactive design.

Get interactive and learn to program a robot at the Cubes Code-a-Robot.  Stretch your mind and hear from Professor Ron Arkin about all the sneaky things robots can do and the ethical and moral implications of this. Plus, you can meet Pepper!

Pepper the Robot meeting people

Robotronica is a one day only event to finish National Science Week off with a bang so make sure you mark it in your diaries.

Can’t wait until Robotronica to learn more about robotics and interactive design? Have a look at QUT Library’s Robotics and Mechatronics Library Subject Guide to get your innovative juice flowing.

Make sure to let us know what science inspired things you are up to this National Science Week at @QUTLibrary and using #natsciwk.

Library Opening Hours and Ekka Holidays

Due to Public Holidays for the Royal Queensland Show (the Ekka):

  • Caboolture Library will be closed on Monday 14th August, for the Moreton Bay Region’s Ekka Holiday. (Caboolture Library will be open normal hours on Wednesday 16th August.)
  • The Gardens Point, Kelvin Grove and Law Libraries will be open on Wednesday 16th August but for a shorter day. GP and KG will be open from 9am to 5pm, Law will be open from 10am to 5pm.
  • Online Chat with a Librarian will be available between 9am and 5pm on Wednesday 16th August.

For more information, see QUT Library Opening hours

EKKA by Cozzie1996 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Paperbark: First Nation Narratives with Aunty Lesley Williams

Join us at QUT Library for Paperbark: First Nation Narratives with Aunty Lesley Williams.

This event is part of celebrating Murri-Ailan Way 2017 @ QUT. Seats are limited so register your attendance. Tea and coffee will be provided from 10:30 am, with author discussion from 11:00 am.

About the author:

Aunty Lesley Williams, a respected Aboriginal Elder, is the co-author of Not Just Black and White: A conversation between a mother and daughter. This book was the winner of both the David Unaipon Award and the Queensland Premier’s Award for a work of State Significance. Told with honesty and humour the book is an extraordinary memoir about two women determined to make sure history is not forgotten.

Library orientation – Need help?

For help with library services check out the Need help? section of the QUT Library website.

Here you will find information about visiting and contacting the library.

Visit HiQ on campus for library support, including help accessing information, referencing and using library materials.

You can also Chat online with a librarian to have your questions about QUT Library services answered.

Need more help?
Here there are links to Study skills workshops, including library workshops on referencing and researching. For individual assistance with your academic study you can book a Study Solutions consultation.

Winter is here and so is Week One

Although Week One can seem dark and full of terrors it doesn’t have it to be. With some help from QUT Library you can start this semester with confidence and the right tools to succeed.

Here are some of our top tips for getting started on the right foot this semester.

  1. Check out our online learning modules about referencing and finding information. These will help you get on track for your assignments and start the semester well ahead of the White Walkers.
  2. Make sure to stay on top of your readings. Do this by being organised and reading efficiently for university. Top tip – you don’t have to read every word. Our previous blog, Reading at University, gives great advice so you don’t spend your semester swamped by Lannister enemies or in in your readings.
  3. Find your prescribed textbooks at the Library. Search our Classic Catalogue for a unit number to find its prescribed texts. Can’t find an available copy? Request a copy of the book by placing a hold on it or see if it is available through our BONUS+ Catalogue. You could also look for an earlier edition, although make sure to check that the information in the older book is still current and accurate.
  4. And finally, make sure to say hi to the friendly staff at HiQ. They can provide support for all your university needs such as library assistance, IT support and student administration. Unlike Jon Snow, they know a lot!

So start your semester off with a bang, figuratively not Cersei literally, and visit QUT Library.

O Week – What’s happening in the library?

Welcome!

QUT Library offers a range of orientation activities to help you prepare for Semester 2, whether you are new to QUT or returning for another semester.

Library Tours

This tour is much more than a walk around a building because QUT Library is so much more than just a building! Your Library has study spaces, services, resources and people to help you, both at your campus and online. During O Week, library tours are held on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove. Tours depart from HiQ at:

  • 10am
  • 11am
  • 12pm
  • 1pm
  • 2pm

Referencing made simple

Referencing is an important skill that you must use at uni. This session introduces you to the principles and styles of referencing and citing using QUT cite|write. It also explains how you can paraphrase the work of others, avoid plagiarism, and make sure that your work has academic integrity.

Researching made easy

It’s easy to find information but getting the best scholarly information quickly is a skill. After this session, you will use databases more efficiently to find relevant information and current journal articles for your assignments.

Kelvin Grove Library

We look forward to welcoming you to QUT Library for Semester 2 and if you need help please contact us.

For more information about O Week, check out QUT orientation for students
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