Topic outline
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Welcome to Study Support for Engineering & the Built Environment. On this site you will find guides, tools and resources to build your skills and knowledge in university study, research and assessment. These core skills, such as critical thinking, effective research and teamwork will also serve you well throughout your professional career.
Scroll down the page, or navigate to individual sections using the menu. If you have questions, or require further support, please contact us.
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The University of Southern Queensland acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands and waterways where the University is located. Further, we acknowledge the cultural diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and pay respect to Elders past, present and future.
We celebrate the continuous living cultures of First Australians and acknowledge the important contributions Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have and continue to make in Australian society.
The University respects and acknowledges our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, staff, Elders and visitors who come from many nations (USQ, 2021).
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Throughout your university study, and your professional career, you will need to find, assess and utilise information. This section offers an introduction to effective ways to search, and offers advice on the best resources to use for your assignments.
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Information literacy is a skill you will grow and develop throughout your lives. While you may not be aware of it, you use it constantly in your everyday life.
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Engineers, IT professionals, scientists and planners are all responsible for making decisions that effect the lives of others. As a professional, you need to ensure that you are making decisions based on the best available evidence.
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You may need to use a wide variety of information for your assignments throughout the course of your degree. Different types of evidence can be used to respond to different questions or problems.
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While much of the content on the internet is inappropriate to use in your scholarly and professional lives, there is specific information that you will need to source from the web.
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Databases are collections of resources grouped by information type or subject area. Here are a few key databases that may be useful to get started in engineering.
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Do you find yourself spending hours going through search results to find the actual information you are looking for? A search strategy targets your search so your results are more relevant, and less numerous.
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What is good information? This tutorial offers some guidance on how to evaluate the quality of the information you have found for your assignments.
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Looking for specialist resources, such as maps and standards? This section offers links and guides for finding these resources for your study.
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Start searching, or explore other support available through USQ Library.
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Need further help? Contact USQ Library in person or online.
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We introduce some core study skills in this section, such as time management, and important contacts in other areas of the university.
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Group work can be challenging in some situations, but there are ways to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible.
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University is an excellent opportunity to develop the writing skills that will be essential to your future careers.
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In this section we provide some tips and advice on revising and preparing for exams.
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Writing an Honours or Project Thesis can be exciting but may also be daunting. View this step by step guide on planning, finding information and writing your thesis.
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This resource provides you with a step by step guide on how to start your assignment, how to find information for it and how to write your assignment.
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A series of videos to help you get up to speed with the mathematics requirements for your courses.
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QuickTips are short pdf documents which can be used to support your learning.
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Mathematics is often a part of university study, so it is important to develop the mathematical skills necessary for study within most disciplines. Resources are available for students who have maths anxiety or for students who are studying mathematics off-campus.
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A series of booklets for Sharp and Casio calculators are available to assist USQ students to learn how to use their calculator effectively.
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The library offers a number of online study support workshops throughout the year. A pdf schedule is also available.
The workshops help with finding information for assignments, writing up assignments, exam preparation and Mathematics help.Recorded workshops from a past year can be viewed at your convenience.
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The official USQ guide to Harvard AGPS. This offers templates and examples of in text citations and reference list entries for this style.
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If you are studying Urban and Regional Planning you will need to use the USQ APA 6th referencing style.
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The official USQ guides to APA referencing with templates and examples of in text citations and reference list entries.
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Further information on referencing can be found through the library website.
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“Standards are documents setting out specifications, procedures and guidelines. They are designed to ensure products, services and systems are safe, reliable and consistent.“ (Standards Australia, 2018)
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Digital and hardcopy maps of local and national regions are available for your use. These maps include elevation, vegetation, catchments, water, rainfall, soils, roads and more.
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Higher degree research students require more advanced research skills to complete literature reviews and research projects. This section will take you through the research process and offer guides, tutorials and resources to help you conduct in depth research.
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USQ Staff and Students only. Log-in required.
This is designed to introduce you to the advanced learning, information retrieval, and management skills required to undertake a Higher Degree by Research.
This MUST be completed prior to Confirmation of Candidature.
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A literature review is a comprehensive assessment and documentation of the literature related to your area of research or your problem.
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Here are a few key databases that may be useful to get started in your postgraduate research (USQ Log-in required).
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Can't find a complete copy of the article? Here are some tips for accessing the full text of books and articles.
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Endnote is a bibliographic management software provided by the university. It allows you to create, search, sort and annotate a personal library of research. Using Endnote you can insert properly formatted citations directly into the text or reference list of your document in Word.
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This is where you will find the HDR Thesis Presentation Schedule which outlines the formatting requirements for USQ theses. Other official forms and guides to completing your HDR program can also be found at the Office of Research site. It Office of Research produces ReDTrain, a series of initiatives and events to help you develop your skills and knowledge.
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This community offers a good space to connect with other USQ research students for advice and support. This is a closed facebook group for USQ research students. You will need to request access to join.
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Need help with statistics? USQ's Statistical Consulting Unit (SCU) offers workshops and consultations on research design, data collection, analysis and interpretation.This service is only available to postgraduate research students at USQ. You can self-enrol to access this site.
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Need further help? Contact USQ Library in person or online.
- Phone – (07) 4631 2589
- Chat to us - 10am-6pm Mon-Fri
- Email – library@usq.edu.au
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There may be specific support offered within your course. Check out the list below to see what assistance is available for your course this semester. (USQ Log-in Required)
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