library. only 4 steps researching in academic business journals

L I B R A R Y

Only 4 Steps

Researching in academic business journals

Does this ever happen to you?

Eek! Do I really have to scan through thousands of hits?

Or how about this...?

Only 7 results? And most of them don’t look useful. Is there nothing published on my topic?

Don’t worry!

• There are only 4 steps to an efficient article search...

• And if you have any search results at all (12,487 or just 7), then you are probably already at step 3!

1 Brainstorm keywords

2 Choose the right tool

+ = ?3 Keyword search

4 Cycle your search

Only 4 Steps


• What are you researching?

• Are there separate concepts?

• Can you think of synonyms?

• Are there broader, narrower, or related terms you could try?


Need articles on: Employee motivation

= Employee + motivation

Concepts

employee or worker or personnel or staff

Motivate or motivation or motivating or engage or satisfy or enrich or encourage

+

Synonyms

Job satisfaction or retention or productivity

Related terms

If you search Google for websites, where do you search for

books or journal articles that are available via your library?


If you choose a tool (database) that’s focused on...• the wrong subject area, or• too many subject areas, or • the wrong type of

publication (web site, book, article), then...

you might...• waste your time• get frustrated• give up • start to hate

researching!


Click on Journal articles & databases



Then click on Business Administration...and choose the top

business journal database: Business Source Complete

+ = ?3 Keywor

d search

Throw the keywords you brainstormed

into the tool you chose.(Not all at once!)

Try a few synonyms for each major concept And don’t limit your search (yet).

+ = ?3 Keywor

d search

4Cycle your search

Avoid the frustration and information overload of repeated keyword searches. Use your first 10-20 results to help focus your search.

• Subjects

• References

• Citing articles (“Times cited”)

• Authors

• Journal name

• New synonyms & concepts & perspectives

4Cycle your searchHuge, but no

problem!

4Cycle your search

Focusing on subjects that are used in this database.

4Cycle your search

More keywords

Subjects

Newer related articles

Older related articles Authors

Journal



+ = ?3 Keyword search

4 Cycle your search

Only 4 Steps

Final words of advice

• Learn once, use often!

• Ask for help.

• Have fun.

L I B R A R Y

library. only 4 steps researching in academic business journals

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