CAFS

This guide provides you with support in finding relevant information for your CAFS Independent Research Project (IRP). 

Once you have identified an area of interest, you can begin your investigation by accessing resources available to you through the library, the State Library of NSW (apply for membership online), your local library service and online via the web in general.

The library catalogue (eLibrary) provides you with access to a wide range of print and digital resources including databases with ebooks, academic journals, magazine and newspaper articles, primary sources, videos and images.  

Click this link to access the CAFS Independent Research Project home page.

Recommended: read this webpage from Monash University - What is a Literature Review?

Check what's available in the Library

Start your search with eLibrary to find books and other resources of interest for your research. As you view each catalogue record scan the Subject Headings. These may be clicked on to lead you to other useful resources.  Tip: note down the subject headings and other terms you come across of interest as these may be useful when you do an online search or when searching in databases. A few examples of subject headings in eLibrary includes:

• Ageing

• Adolescent psychology

• Employment -- Australia -- social aspects

• Parent and child

Next, we will look at journals and databases and websites. These will be your main sources of information for this task and may include a mix of the following:

• Academic journals (access available through library subscription databases such as EBSCO (Cerdon) or Gale (SLNSW or local libraries)

• Google Scholar (choose advanced search option)

• JSTOR (academic journals, books and primary sources across a range of disciplines; some free access; additional access via libraries e.g SLNSW)

• Government websites (.gov) 

• Educational institutions (.edu)

• Professional organisations 

BEFORE DIVING INTO THE DATABASES 

Do some initial planning ...

Step-by-Step Process:

1. Start broad, then narrow down

2. Use key search terms, synonyms and Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT)

3. Scan abstracts and conclusions first

4. Look at reference lists of good sources

5. Keep track of all sources for referencing

Search Tips:

• Use quotation marks for exact phrases (e.g "family communication")

• Try different combinations of keywords

• Filter by date (last 5-10 years preferred)

• Use subject-specific databases

A few examples of KEY TERMS for searching for information on topics such as:

1. Impact of Social Media on Family Communication

• Key Terms: social media, family communication, family relationships, digital communication, social media effects on family

2. Impact of Housing Instability on Family Functioning

• Key Terms: housing instability, family dynamics and housing, homelessness and family wellbeing, housing and children’s outcomes, housing insecurity

3. Elderly Care and Family Responsibilities

• Key Terms: elderly care, family caregiving, elder care responsibilities, aging parents and family support, senior care support

Developing an appropriate RESEARCH QUESTION:

• This guide from Duke University may help guide your thinking about how to approach developing and writing your research question.
  What makes a good research question?

• Discuss your proposed research question and ideas with your CAFS teacher to ensure your question is suitable for your IRP and refer to your subject's resources (Planning for Research).

Once you have collected your sources, or you are in the process of gathering your information sources, you need to decide how you will make effective notes that record your critical engagement and thinking about your sources.

The Cornell Note Taking System is one method to help you think critically about a particular source or journal article, and to determine what questions it raises for you in relation to your research.

Once you have selected a few sources or journal articles appropriate for your literature review, you may wish to gather the key details or findings into a matrix or table to assist you in comparing your findings from your gathered articles. For example, you could create a table using the following headings:

• Source - author, year

• Key findings -  Main findings summarised

• Methodology - Qualitative/quantitative, study size, etc.

• Strengths/Limitations - Any notable strengths or weaknesses

• Relevance to research - Notes on how it connects to your topic

EBSCOHOST ONLINE DATABASES

Online databases can provide you with an important source of current and relevant information for your research project. Students have access to the EBSCOHost Research Databases which provide full-text access to articles from journals, newspapers, magazines, reference books and more.

These websites may be helpful when researching for your CAFS IRP:

• Australian Government - Department of Education - Schools research & reviews

• Australian Bureau of Statistics 

• Australian Government Department of Immigration and Citizenship

• Australian Institute of Family Studies

• Department of Employment and Workplace Relations

• Department of Health & Aged Care (this page has information by topics, this page for all health resources, or this page has information about the 2019-2023 COVID pandemic)

• australia.gov.au – Your connection with government 

Google is the automatic search engine of choice for most of us. However, it is not the ONLY search engine available, and it is recommended that you complement your internet research with other search engines. You could try:

• DuckDuckGo - finds results that are not based on your location or previous search history

• Kidrex - a safesearch engine that draws its results from Google but tends to filter out some of the commercial sites you receive in a general search of Google (compare your experience and the results from a search in Kidrex to a regular Google search).

VIDEO CONTENT

You may find suitable video content online to use for your CAFS IRP. You could try searching ClickView, YouTube and TED Talks. If you do select a video as part of your literature review, be sure to check with your teacher that it is suitable for your particular project.