Library guides: Indigenous Health and Wellbeing: Key resources

Key databases

Key databases to get started

Start your research in the following key databases.

Warning: The records in these databases may contain names and/or images of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

InfoRMIT This link opens in a new window
Australian database including journal articles, books/book chapters & conference papers. Click 'Change database' to limit to a collection, e.g. full-text collections:
- Health
- Indigenous
Abstract only collections from peak research bodies:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Bibliography
- Indigenous Studies Bibliography
Archive abstract only collections from peak research bodies:
- Indigenous Australia (ATSIC)
- Rural and Remote Health Database (RURAL)

LitSearch (The Lowitja Institute)
This freely available search tool provides easy access to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health literature on the PubMed database. You can choose to browse literature on 27 search topics or refine the search by entering keywords, filter options and publication dates.

Australian Indigenous HealthBibliography This link opens in a new window
A comprehensive bibliographic database produced by the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet, Faculty of Education and Arts, Edith Cowan University. It includes up to date bibliographic records for Indigenous health literature.

Note: this database is freely available but can be slow to load.
Ebsco databases This link opens in a new window
Try searching CINAHL, MEDLINE, APA PsycInfo, or Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection.
Try adding (Aboriginal OR "Torres Strait Islander" OR Indigenous) AND Australia* to your search for more relevant results.

Additional databases for comprehensive searching

Indigenous Knowledge (Gnibi) databases
If you need further literature, try searching the additional databases listed on the above page.

Tip: When searching in large multidisciplinary databases, try adding (Aboriginal OR "Torres Strait Islander" OR Indigenous) AND Australia* to your search to find more relevant results.

Key Journals

First Nations Health and Wellbeing - The Lowitja Journal
A new (2023) peer-reviewed, open access journal from The Lowitja Institute.
Journal of the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet
A peer-reviewed, open access journal from the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet.
Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin
Brings together the latest information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, published by the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet. Prior to December 2020 the HealthBulletin was also an online peer reviewed Journal.
International Journal of Indigenous Health
A peer reviewed and open access journal.
International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare
A peer reviewed journal with a unique practical approach to promoting race equality, inclusion and human rights in health and social care.
Lowitja Institute eBulletin
The fortnightly eBulletin includes Lowitja Institute news and items of interest to people working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.
Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal
Ceased in 2016

Other key online resources

The Lowitja Institute - Resources
Here you will find reports, journal articles, policy briefs and other resources produced by the research teams funded by the Lowitja Institute and its associated Research Centres.
The Lowitja Institute - Tools
Includes Pathways into Research toolkit & Guides for Researchers
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet
A resource site for Indigenous health workers and researchers, and a site for collaborative projects. Take a look at Health Topics for an overview of various health topics.
Overview of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health status
Provides information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, the context of Indigenous health, various measures of population health status, selected health conditions, and health risk and protective factors. Published by Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet.
Analysis & Policy Observatory - First People's Health
A collection of grey literature on Australian Public Policy
Indigenous Referencing Guidance for Indigenous Knowledges
Created by the Indigenous Archives Collective, this guide includes the Indigenous Knowledge Attribution Toolkit, with a decision tree, advice about choosing appropriate sources and considering authorship.
Important: The Citation Style Guide in this source is not in the format recommended at SCU. Follow the guidance in the SCU referencing guides if referencing Indigenous Knowledges.

Library Tutorial for Indigenous Units

This online tutorial will take approximately 20-25 minutes to complete, and is designed to help you with finding resources for your assessments. At the end of the module you will know how to:

Find journal articles in the library catalogue and databases
Apply research tips and tricks to get the most out of your searching
Access further help from the library

Click the arrows at the bottom right to view the tutorial in full-screen mode.

Peer reviewed or scholarly?

You may be required to find peer-reviewed journal articles. Here are some tips for finding out if an article is published in a peer-reviewed journal:

There are 4 ways to check for peer-reviewed status:

does the database allow you to restrict your search to peer reviewed publications (like Ebsco)
does the database offer a way to check by clicking the journal title, or a browse title link (like APA-FT)
search a specialised database such as Ulrichsweb or Serials Directory for the journal title. In Ulrichsweb you are hoping to see a little black and white striped referee shirt , in Serials Directory you are hoping for a statement: "Peer Reviewed: Yes".
search the web for the home page of the journal. Look for an information for authors/contributors page. Does it tell authors that their work will be subject to a peer-reviewed process.

Also remember to check that your article is scholarly and not just an opinion or commentary piece that happens to be in a peer-reviewed publication. Some good indicators:

the author gives their academic qualifications/affiliations with a university
often there is an abstract
substantial document - longer than 2 pages
list of references at the end.

Research Ready - Scholarly vs non-scholarly sources

This module that explains the difference between Scholarly and non-Scholarly resources.

Research Ready - Evaluating resources

A short module showing how to evaluate resources using the CRAAP test