Welcome
Welcome to Research Help for High School, a collection of research materials collated and maintained by the University of Southern Queensland Library. Please click on the headings to find a list of resources in your subject area.
Topic outline
Academic SkillsTopic
In this Academic Skills section there is a collection of resources developed and maintained by the University of Southern Queensland Library. There are a range of materials to assist you with developing your writing, reading and study skills for high school.Developing good writing skills is essential for high school. It is essential to write with clear structure so your reader can understand your message easily. While it is important to follow your specified format, this resource may help you develop your structure and improve your writing flow.
How to structure an introduction clearly and logically.
How to structure an essay conclusion logically and end strongly.
How to structure an effective academic paragraph.
Improve your writing by being succinct. Learning how to write concisely and precisely.
Learn how to write thesis statements which clearly state the position of argument of your essay.
Examples of informal or conversational English compared with more appropriate, formal alternatives for academic writing.
Learn editing and proofreading strategies to improve your writing and make sure you have addressed the broader structural aspects of your assignment as well as the fine details.
Use this checklist to double check your assignment before you submit it.
Use this checklist to avoid these common errors in your writing.
Overview of reflective writing style, including the process and examples of language use.
How to structure an entry for an annotated bibliography.
How to read more effectively and efficiently, especially with large amounts or difficult content.
Practical suggestions to help improve your reading and notetaking efficiency and effectiveness.
Research skillsTopic
Create a winning search strategy: Finding the right information for your assignment requires you to understand your topic to identify, locate and evaluate appropriate resources. Developing an effective search strategy (choosing relevant search terms) will save you time, ensure you find the best information available, and also help you avoid overlooking relevant information.
Evaluate your resources: Determine whether the information you found is suitable for your assignment.
BiologyTopic
Quality online, open access (or free to Queensland residents) sources for Senior High School Biology
- PROQUEST Central Databases of scholarly journals You will need to join the State Library of Queensland to access this database (this is free, easy and all online)
- Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAG) A community-curated online directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals
- PLOS Biology publishes open access journals in Biology
- PubMed Central a free full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature published by the U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine
Mathematics help for biology
- MathBench introduces students to the mathematical underpinnings of what they learn in introductory biology courses.
ChemistryTopic
Quality online, open access (or free to Queensland residents) sources for Senior High School Chemistry
- PROQUEST Central: Databases (collections) of scholarly journals. You will need to join the State Library of Queensland to access the databases (this is free, easy and all online)
- Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAG) An online directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals
- KHAN Academy Khan Academy’s library of practice and lessons includes Chemistry. You do need to join (free) to access the resources
- PLOS ONE publishes research in Chemistry
Legal StudiesTopic
Quality online, open access (or free to Queensland residents) sources for Senior Legal Studies
- Various online law resources are available for Queensland residents, including the Australian law database Lexis Advance. You will need to join the State Library of Queensland to access this database (this is free, easy and all online)
- Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII) - Australian case law, legislation, treaties, law reform reports and law journals. Specialised libraries for certain topics eg Australasian Legal History, Australian Human Rights, Indigenous Law etc.
- Queensland Judgments - Queensland case law from a variety of Queensland courts
- Queensland Legislation - Queensland legislative materials (Acts, Bills etc)
- Queensland Parliament Fact sheets and Parliament and Government in Queensland booklet for secondary schools
- Federal Register of Legislation - Commonwealth/Federal legislative materials (Acts, Bills etc)
- Parliament of Australia Parlinfo search - searches across a variety of parliamentary material
- WorldLII - a variety of legal materials from various countries
- Various online law resources are available for Queensland residents, including the Australian law database Lexis Advance. You will need to join the State Library of Queensland to access this database (this is free, easy and all online)
MathematicsTopic
Quality online, open access (or free to Queensland residents) sources for Senior High School Mathematics
- Arithmetic resources from the University of Southern Queensland
- Algebra, functions, and graphing resources from the University of Southern Queensland
- Calculus resources from the University of Southern Queensland
- Exponentials and logarithms resources from the University of Southern Queensland
- Statistics resources from the University of Southern Queensland
- Trigonometry resources from the University of Southern Queensland
- Matrices, vectors and discrete maths resources from the University of Southern Queensland
- KHAN Academy Khan Academy’s library of practice and lessons. You do need to join (free) to access the resources
- JSTOR: Databases of scholarly journals. You will need to join the State Library of Queensland to access this database (this is free, easy and all online)
PhysicsTopic
Quality online, open access (or free to Queensland residents) sources for Senior High School
Physics- PROQUEST Central: Databases of scholarly journals. You will need to join the State Library of Queensland to access this database (this is free, easy and all online)
- Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAG) A community-curated online directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals
- KHAN Academy Khan Academy’s library of practice and lessons includes Physics. You do need to join (free) to access the resources
- PLOS ONE publishes research in Physics and many other areas
PsychologyTopic
Quality online, open access (or free to Queensland residents) sources for Senior High School Psychology
- PROQUEST Central and JSTOR: Databases of scholarly journals. You will need to join the State Library of Queensland to access this database (this is free, easy and all online)
- DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals) is a community-curated online directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals.
- PsychOpen publishes a wide range of psychology journals. All journals conduct strict peer review and adhere to the highest scientific standards. All content is free of charge to readers.
- PLOS ONE publishes research in psychology.
Ancient HistoryTopic
Quality online, open access (or free to Queensland residents) sources for Senior High School Ancient History
- Internet Ancient History sourcebook contains chapters on Ancient History topics it also includes links to academic skills under the 'Studying History' tab.
- Online textbook offering a comprehensive introduction to the history of humankind from prehistory to 1500. E.Berger "World History: Cultures, States, and Societies to 1500"
- Queensland Archaeological Research is an open-access peer-reviewed journal published since 1984 devoted to archaeological research pertaining to Queensland, Australia and adjacent areas.
- PROQUEST Central and JSTOR: Databases of scholarly journals. You will need to join the State Library of Queensland to access this database (this is free, easy and all online)
- DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals) is a community-curated online directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals.
Modern HistoryTopic
Quality online, open access (or free to Queensland residents) sources for Senior High School Modern History
- PROQUEST Central and JSTOR: Databases of scholarly journals. You will need to join the State Library of Queensland to access this database (this is free, easy and all online).
- DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals) is a community-curated online directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals.
- KHAN Academy Khan Academy’s library of practice and lessons includes Modern History. You do need to join (free) to access the resources
- PLOS ONE publishes research in over two hundred subject areas across science, social sciences, and humanities.
- Internet Modern History sourcebook contains chapters on Modern History topics including links to academic skills under the 'Studying History' tab.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Collections - photographs, manuscripts, oral histories and digital stories collections of the John Oxley Library.
- Newspapers - Current and historical newspapers are available, with many collections dating back to the first issue (Australia, New Zealand, UK). You will need to join the State Library of Queensland to access this database (this is free, easy and all online).
- Aboriginal History Journal is an annual journal that contains interdisciplinary historical studies of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ interactions with non-Indigenous peoples.
- Ceræ is an Australasian Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies
- Online textbook focusing on a number of peace movements in Britain and West Germany from the end of the Second World War in 1945 to the early 1970s. Politics of Security: British and West German Protest Movements and the Early Cold War, 1945-1970
- Online textbook examining some of the forgotten businesses of the Industrial Revolution, and the men and women who worked in them. Family and Business During the Industrial Revolution
- Online textbook Music: Its Language, History, and Culture