Staff Research Guide

Our Library team is here to support kaimahi with research, whether you are new to research, or more experienced. Check out our support services, along with tips on searching, keeping up to date, publishing and presenting.

The Library and Learning Centre works closely with the Research Office to ensure you have the right support to carry out your research goals. We can: 

• carry out literature searches on your behalf 
• assist you to carry out your own literature searching 
• purchase or inter-loan books from other libraries to support your research 
• provide difficult-to-find articles through a document supply service 
• support you with referencing and using referencing software 
• advise on where to publish
• add research outputs to Open Polytechnic Research Repository. 

Find your Subject Liaison.

Whether you want to know more about database searching, finding grey literature, Google Scholar, or carrying out literature reviews, we've got you covered:

Database searching 

Finding and using Grey Literature

Searching Google Scholar

Literature reviews - useful info from University of Newcastle 

Need help with your searching?
Get in touch. We can advise on searching techniques and help you to maximise the use of our research databases along with many other resources.

How do you stay up to date in your field?  One way to find out what others are researching is to set up alerts. Below we cover:

• subject alerts via Google Scholar
• subject alerts via Library databases
• setting up alerts to latest journal issues
• following the latest work of researchers
• social media and online platforms

How to create subject alerts in Google Scholar

Go to Google Scholar

Enter your search terms in the search box.

Try out your search to make sure you are getting the sort of results that you want. Here’s an example:

If you are getting too many results or too few results, you may want to alter your search strategy, e.g search intitle. See Searching Google Scholar for more tips on how to get better results from Google Scholar.

If you want to get an idea of the volume of results, check out the number of results for the current year(s) only.

Once you are happy with the number and relevance of results this search produces, remove the date ranges and Create alert.

Your alert has now been created and you will receive emailed notification when new articles are published on Google Scholar.

To view your alerts, click on the three lines in the top left corner of the Google Scholar screen. Under Alerts you can cancel your alert or create another one.

How to set up a subject alert across multiple Library databases

Setting up an alert using Library databases allows you to create a more targetted search than in Google Scholar. Here’s how to set up a subject alert in the Library databases.

Note: It will be necessary to set up an Ebsco account (this is separate to your Open Polytechnic login) - see the steps below.

Click on Advanced Search:

Create your search strategy and click Search.

(For more on advanced search strategies see Database searching).

When you are happy with the results you are getting with your search strategy, click on Share and select E-mail Alert.

At this point you need to sign in to your Ebsco account. Select Sign in. If you don’t already have an account select Sign up.

Choose frequency, results format, email address and Save.

Journal alerts

Many journals allow you to set up an alert so you can be notified when the latest issue is available. Setting these up varies a lot depending on how the journal is accessed.

Please get in touch with your subject liaison if you would like some help with setting up an alert to a journal.

Following the latest work of researchers

Some researchers have set up a Google Scholar profile. To keep up to date with the writing of researchers in your area of interest, try searching for them in Google Scholar.

 If they have set up a profile, you can click on their name to view their articles.

This shows you their articles and allows you to follow them so you can see their future research.

Social media and online platforms

Keep up with the conversations in your subject area by tapping into the enormous range of  social media platforms, scholarly blogs and online communities.  Here are a few:

• X (formerly Twitter) – follow key researchers, research groups and find out about conferences in your area of interest
• LinkedIn – for connecting with others working in the same field
• SSRN (formerly Social Science Research Network) – an open access platform for sharing research and connecting scholars
• Zotero (free referencing software)- allows collaboration and sharing with other researchers
• ResearchGate – stay connected and up to date in your field
• Conference Monkey – find out where conferences and workshops are being held
• Conal Conference Alerts - find and set up alerts to worldwide academic conferences

Below we cover the following topics in relation to publishing and presenting: 

• Things to consider
• Finding a journal
• Journals are not the only avenue
• Conferences
• Further resources

Also see our recommended publishing/presenting resources.

Things to consider

What are you hoping to achieve by publishing?
This will influence which type of publication you are seeking. Some examples might include:

• boosting your academic standing
• contributing to existing research
• influencing policy making
• providing knowledge to industry
• providing a local, regional, national, culture-specific perspective
• encouraging growth and change – societal, environmental, political…

Who is your audience?

• colleagues
• related industries
• fellow researchers
• NZ or international
• layperson.

Consider which publication types will best reach your audience.

Finding a journal

Consider who/what you have cited. Where were those authors or papers published?
Is there a top journal/conference/publisher in your field internationally or in New Zealand? Use the library databases to search for well known authors in your field and papers on your topic and find out where they are published.

Use a journal finder:

• DOAJ - Directory of Open Access Journals (We also recommend checking AUT Libray’s information on Open Access Publishing)
• IEE Publication Recommender
• JANE - Journal/Author Name Estimator (biomedical journals)
• Springer Nature Journal Guide
• Elsevier Journal Finder
• Springer Journal Suggester
• Web of Science manuscript matcher
• Wiley Journal Finder

Evaluate journals

• Is the journal a good fit for your subject area?
• Have you cited any papers from this journal?
• What details are given about the editors/editorial board?
• Check thoroughly submission requirements/instructions, peer-review process, timeframe, journal archiving practices
• Is there an APC (Article Processing Charge) for making your article open access?

Check out journal rankings

These lists give an indication of how journals are ranked via citation metrics. It can sometimes be easier to get published in a middle or lower ranking journal - note, low ranking doesn't necessarily mean a poor quality journal. The lists are also handy for finding other journal titles in your discipline. Learn more about journal rankings.

• ABDC Australian Business Deans Council Journal Quality List 
• Scopus Preview- journal rankings
• SCIMAGO Journal and country rankings

Predatory journals

Use the following to check for predatory journals:

• Think/Check/Submit
• Open Access Journals List of Predatory Journals

Read more about predatory journals: 

• Predatory journals entrap unsuspecting scientists (Boukacem-Zeghmouri, 2023)
• Predatory journals (AUT Library, 2023).

Journals are not the only avenue

While your goal may be to get published in a high-ranking academic journal, keep in mind there are other avenues to get your research out there. You might use a combination:

• trade/general magazines – a wide audience may read your work. It may be quicker and easier to get published.
• newspapers – is your research topical enough for news channels?
• books and textbooks – Consider time (do you have a spare three years) and willing co-authors, contributors? A likely publisher?
• book chapters
• working papers
• reports
• conference proceedings
• submission to select committee
• social media post, blog
   

Conferences

AUT Library's publishing guide has some excellent things to consider when presenting your research, as well as tools to help you find a suitable conference:

Present your research

Further resources

AUT Library. (2023, 24 October).Get published. https://aut.ac.nz.libguides.com/getting_published

Sage. (n.d.). Journal author gateway: How to get published. https://au.sagepub.com/en-gb/oce/how-to-get-published

Below are some recommendations for titles on doing research, Indigenous research, publishing & presenting. These include ebooks/print books in our collection, along with additional online sources.

Doing research

• ebooks
• print books

Indigenous research

• ebooks/print books
• AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples
• Te Ara Tika Guidelines for Māori research ethics: A framework for researchers and ethics committee members
• Kaupapa Māori Research: Some Kaupapa Māori Principles / Linda Tuhiwai Smith
• MAI Journal: A New Zealand Journal of Indigenous Scholarship
• Kaupapa Māori Research
• Te Mana Raraunga: Māori Data Sovereignty Network

Publishing & presenting

• ebooks
• Get published – AUT Library
• Sage: How to get published.