Conducting research is a critical learning skill that is promoted in the SACE, and is an essential part of the learning process. The documents below are provided to support students and teachers when undertaking independent research for SACE subjects. These include advice on conducting ethical research, and writing and referencing conventions.

Academic writing skills

• Avoiding plagiarism - guidelines for teachers and students [DOC 420KB]
• Academic note taking - version 1 [DOC 300KB]
• Academic note taking - version 2 [DOC 299KB]
• Academic note taking with website evaluation [DOC 300KB]
• How to conduct a case study [DOC 60KB]
• Academic writing skills: paraphrasing and summarising [PPT 306KB]
• Expressing your ideas and using sources effectively [DOC 352KB]
• Supervision, verification, and Breach of Rules - guidelines and exemplars for teachers [DOC 3.8MB]
• Integrating sources - guidelines for teachers and students [DOC 317KB]

Referencing

• Academic writing skills: referencing [PPT 349KB]
• Guidelines for referencing [DOC 160KB]
• Student guide to referencing [PDF 310KB]
• Evaluating online sources: checklist for students [DOC 304KB]
• Evaluating research sources [DOC 98KB]
• Locating evidence: a guide for students [DOC 306KB]

Narrowing a research question

• Advice on question design for investigations [VIDEO]
• Designing a question for research or investigation - guidelines for teachers [DOC 385KB]
• Question design for investigations: activities and strategies to help students [DOC 341KB]
• Question design for investigations [PPT 407KB]
• Ethical research - guidelines for students [DOC 81KB]
• Primary and secondary sources [DOC 67KB]

Assessed discussions

• Discussions used in assessment [VIDEO]
• Discussions used in assessments - guidelines for teachers [DOC 349KB]
• Discussions used in assessments - checklist for teachers and students [DOC 299KB]

Group work

• Effective participation in group work - guidelines for teachers and students [DOC 341KB]
• Setting up group work guidelines [DOC 337KB]
• Assessing group work guidelines [DOC 351KB]
• Group meeting agenda - template for students [DOC 305KB]
• Group meeting note taking - template for students [DOC 305KB]
• Participating in meetings - checklist for students [DOC 303KB]
• Self and peer evaluation - template for students [DOC 304KB]
• Task planning and delegation - template for students [DOC 304KB]

Expo materials

• Research Project Expo - Student worksheet [DOC 23KB]
• Research Project flyer [PDF 171KB]
• Research Project posters [PDF 141KB]

• Australian Bureau of Statistics [DOC 280KB]
• Cancer Council [PDF 988KB]
• DECD outreach education [PDF 164KB]
• Genealogy SA [DOC 77KB]
• Flinders University [PDF 496 KB]
• Natural Resources Management [PDF 186KB]
• Office of Crime Statistics and Research [PDF 163KB]
• Primary Industry Centre for Science Education [PDF 503KB]
• SA Health [PDF 273KB]
• South Australian Tourism Commission [DOC 20KB]
• Sport SA [PDF 630KB]
• State Library of South Australia [PDF 311KB]