Course: Research Help for High School | OpenDesk

  • Welcome

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    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.

  • Research skills

    Topic

    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.

    Find Open Access (free) images, music, and other resources: Multimedia can be used to support or illustrate your presentations. This list of open access search tools and collections can help you find great resources and comply with copyright regulations.

    Evaluate your resources:  Determine whether the information you found is suitable for your assignment.

  • Academic Skills

    Topic
    In this Academic Skills section there is a collection of resources developed and maintained by the University of Southern Queensland Library. These include self paced interactive modules containing videos and quizzes and downloadable and printable pdfs. These materials can assist with developing your writing, reading and exam preparation skills for high school.

    • Academic Success URL
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      This Open Access eBook is suitable for students seeking to prepare for university study. Written by UniSQ learning advisors and librarians, it covers topics such as academic writing style, time management, finding information, preparing for examinations and structuring an essay.


    • How to do Science URL
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      'How To Do Science' is an Open Access eBook written for students of the life sciences who are actively engaged in the scientific process. This guide introduces you to what it means to be a scientist. You will learn about the scientific method and how to carry out many tasks of a scientist, including: designing experiments, visualising data, accessing scientific literature, communicating science, and writing literature reviews.

    • Managing Assessment Interactive Module URL
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      Interactive module with quizzes and videos to help you manage your assessment tasks through: 

      • Better understanding the of task 
      • Developing an assessment plan 
      • Following an assessment plan
    • Writing Assignments Interactive Module URL
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      Interactive module with quizzes and videos to help develop your assignment writing skills. It covers topics such as:

      • Thesis statements 
      • Essay structure, introduction, body & conclusion
      • Creating an argument
      • Editing & Proofreading
    • Essay writing File
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      Developing good writing skills is essential for high school. It is important to write with clear structure so your reader can understand your message easily. While it is important to follow the format specified on your task sheet, this pdf resource may help you develop your structure and improve your writing flow.

    • Writing Essay Introductions File
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      How to structure an introduction clearly and logically.

    • Writing Essay Conclusions File
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      How to structure an essay conclusion logically and end strongly. 

    • Paragraph Writing File
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      How to structure an effective academic paragraph.

    • Writing Concisely File
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      Improve your writing by being succinct. Learn how to write concisely and precisely. 

    • How to Write a Thesis Statement File
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      Learn how to write thesis statements which clearly state the position of argument of your essay. You can find more information on writing thesis statements in the Writing Assignments Interactive Module on this page.

    • Word Choices for Academic Writing File
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      Examples of informal or conversational English compared with more appropriate, formal alternatives for academic writing.

    • Editing and Proofreading File
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      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.

    • Editing and Proofreading Checklist File
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      Use this checklist to double check your assignment before you submit it.

    • Grammar Checklist File
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      Use this checklist to avoid these common errors in your writing.

    • Reflective Writing File
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      Overview of reflective writing, including a suggested structure and examples of language use.

    • How to do an Annotated Bibliography File
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      How to structure an entry for an annotated bibliography.

    • Reading Strategies File
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      How to read more effectively and efficiently, especially with large amounts or difficult content. 

    • Reading and Notetaking Strategies for High School pptx File
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      Mark as done

      Practical suggestions to help improve your reading and notetaking efficiency and effectiveness. 

    • Use Open Access images and media URL
      Students must
      Mark as done

      Images, music and media can support and illustrate your presentations. Find Open Access collections and search engines to access quality media resources.

    • Preparing for Exam Interactive Module URL
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      Mark as done

      Interactive module with quizzes and videos to help develop more efficient exam preparation strategies and reduce exam stress.

  • Biology

    Topic

    Quality online, open access (or free to Queensland residents) sources for Senior High School Biology

    • How to do Science This Australian guide introduces you to what it means to be a scientist. You will learn about the scientific method and how to carry out many tasks of a scientist
    • Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology is an Open Access textbook published in Australia by UniSQ scientists
    • 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.

  • Chemistry

    Topic

    Quality online, open access (or free to Queensland residents) sources for Senior High School Chemistry

  • Earth & Environmental Sciences

    Topic

    Quality online, open access (or free to Queensland residents) sources for Senior Earth & Environmental Sciences

    • Atlas of Living Australia - Australian biodiversity data. Look up facts about species in your area. Help contribute to biodiversity science by uploading your own observations, create a community biodiversity project or help transcribe museum records and images
    • Bureau of Meteorology: Climate data online - Daily/monthly weather statistics, historical weather observations for rainfall and temperature
    • Climate Council - Australia’s leading climate change communications organisation. Providing authoritative, expert advice from climate scientists, energy, health and policy experts
    • Elsevier Open Access - Free open access academic journals from Science Direct covering business, humanities, science, engineering and health
    • SpringerOpen - Free open access academic journals covering research in science, technology, medicine, the humanities and social sciences

  • Legal Studies

    Topic

    Quality online, open access (or free to Queensland residents) sources for Senior Legal Studies


  • Mathematics

    Topic

    Quality online, open access (or free to Queensland residents) sources for Senior High School Mathematics

     

  • Physics

    Topic

    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
    • Elsevier Open Access - Free open access academic journals from Science Direct covering business, humanities, science, engineering and health
    • 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
    • SpringerOpen - Free open access academic journals covering research in science, technology, medicine, the humanities and social sciences

  • Psychology

    Topic

    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 History

    Topic

    Quality online, open access (or free to Queensland residents) sources for Senior High School Ancient History

  • Modern History

    Topic

     

    Quality online, open access (or free to Queensland residents) sources for Senior High School Modern History