This guide provides a starting point for finding sources with information relevant to sectors of Australian industry.
- Reference sources
- Books and audiovisual materials
- Databases
- Internet resources
- Specific industry resources
Reference sources
| Title | Location & Description |
|---|---|
| The Australian encyclopaedia | Kelvin Grove Reference 994.003 1/6 |
| Year Book Australia | Electronic resource A comprehensive general reference work which includes basic statistics and different feature articles each year |
| The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Australia | Gardens Point Reference 994.003 17 |
| The Far East and Australasia | Gardens Point Reference 319.025 1 "A survey and directory of Asia and the Pacific", Includes a biographical section "Who's who in the Far East and Australia" . |
| Australia in Facts and Figures | Kelvin Grove 319.4 21 /3R |
To find items on a topic, the best starting point is to perform a keyword search on the library catalogue. Once you have found an item that looks relevant, you can then use the subject terms assigned in that record to find other items. For example, if you use 'coal mining' in your keyword search, you will get a list of titles. Click on a good title, say, 'The Australian black coal industry', and you will find that a good subject heading used is 'Coal mines and mining-Australia'. Click on that heading to find other relevant titles, or include it in an Advanced search by selecting 'Subject' in a drop-down next to a search box.
You can for search for DVDs, e-books and theses specifically, by selecting the 'Advanced' search tab option, and limiting by format.
Databases
The Library Catalogue will allow you to search for periodicals by publication title, but not for titles of articles and items in them. Instead, the databases will help you to locate and retrieve fulltext, abstracts and references to journal articles, report items etc. For databases with international content, limit to sources relevant to Australia by including keywords such as australia*, queensland etc. as desired.
Journal databases are both finding aids and collections of sources. They may be citation index only, or fulltext, and usually a mix of both. If you find a citation without the full text, It may be available elsewhere. You would then do a 'Journal title' search via the library catalogue, using the Title of the Journal (NOT the title of the article). Using the citation as a guide to navigate, the library catalogue will link to electronic access and/or locate the print holding available to QUT.
More information on searching databases is available at: Database Help.
Some useful databases :
| Database | Description |
|---|---|
| ABI/Inform | Indexes approximately 1,300 business and marketing periodicals from around the world. It also contains the complete fulltext and/or page images of selected articles from over 700 major publications. Fulltext documents are available as plain text or PDF format. Subject coverage includes company information, economics, international business, marketing and management. |
| APA (Australian Public Affairs) | Indexes current journals and newspapers in Australia and overseas for material on Australia's political, economic, legal, social and cultural affairs. Provides over 200 core Australian journal titles in fulltext PDF. For some titles only selected fulltext is available. |
| ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) | ABS provides access to a vast amount of statistics and data reports collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It provides access to the full ABS product range including all publications from 1998 onwards. Contains demographic and other data collected as part of the census, as well as reports on markets and industries. |
| Australia/New Zealand Newspaper and Reference Centre | The Australia/NZ Reference Centre combines Australia and New Zealand specific newspapers & newswires, magazines, reference books, and company information. It provides local perspectives on current events, business, sports, and many other subjects |
| Business Source Elite | Contains full text articles for 800 journals as far back as 1990, and abstracts and indexing for 1,500 back as far as 1984. Subject areas include accounting, banking, finance, international business, management, marketing, real estate, regional studies, sales and trade & technology. |
| Factiva | An interdisciplinary news, current affairs and research database providing access to nearly 8000 publications, including local and international newspapers, newswires, magazines and journal sources. Extensive company information is provided, including financial data for more than 42,500 worldwide companies (from Reuters Investor) as well as access to historical market data and interactive charting. |
| IBISWorld Industry Reports | QUT access to 30 industry sector reports relevant to courses. |
Internet resources
The Internet provides access to a large range of resources. However, the quality of the resources varies, and as part of your research process, you will need to evaluate each web site. There are guidelines for evaluating information which can help you with the evaluation process.
Some useful websites:
| Website | Location and Description |
|---|---|
| ABARE | Website of the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics, an Australian government economic research agency noted for its professionally independent research and analysis. |
| Economics Internet Resources | Links provided by the Australian Parliamentary Library. Topics covered include agriculture, Australian economy, business and industry, drought, tourism, taxation, transport, etc. |
| Industry Sector overview | This industry sector site by IBISWORLD provides a snapshot of the 496 industries in the Australian economy. |
| Innovation.gov.au | The Australian Department of Innovation, Industry, Science, and Research, with access to research backgrounders, fact sheets, current issue white papers, and industry specific information. |
| Queensland Statistics | Website of the Office of Economic and Statistical Research (OESR), the Queensland Government's statistical and economic warehouse. It contains a wide range of demographic, economic and social data relating to the State of Queensland. |