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Business Research

Overview and starting point to business research using CCSF resources.

Search for Articles

Databases are searchable containers of the source types listed above: books, magazines, journals, and (but not webpages, which you search on the open web). Databases are owned by a few different companies, and the library pays for access to make relevant sources available for your research. The sources in the databases are rarely available for free on the open web.

When doing research in Business we recommend the following options:

Article Sources

Description

  • Magazines, journals, and newspapers, are types of "periodicals" - as in, they are published periodically throughout the year. There are many different intended audiences.

What do they contain?

  • Articles

How often are these sources published?

  • Magazines - usually monthly & quarterly (seasonally)
  • Journals - less frequently; can be monthly, but more likely quarterly
  • Newspapers - usually daily

Found in:

Search Strategies

Overlap icon (from Krishansky)Digital searching can work well when you combine your search words with "Boolean" connectors.

Boolean Connector What does it do?
AND
  • narrows the results of a search, though without this operator, the AND is usually implied.
  • This searches only for items containing both search terms.
  • Example: health disparities AND urban
OR
  • expands or broadens the results of a search. This searches for either term, thus widening the possibilities.
  • This is helpful when searching using synonyms. ("OR is more.")
  • Example search string: genetically modified OR transgenic OR GMO
NOT
  • excludes specific terms that may be clouding your result set with irrelevant results not related to your topic.
  • This is helpful when trying to remove some results.
  • Example: nutrition NOT diet

"Filter my results" section with "Peer-reviewed Journals" checkedOther strategies:

  • Identify key concepts. Include the useful or relevant keywords in your search, as well as synonyms, rather than a full question.
  • Use "Filters" to limit your source type, time period, and location.
  • Need "scholarly" articles? Use the "Peer-Reviewed Journals" filter.

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