Business Research at UWG

Starting Out

• For most business related searches, you'll probably start your research with ABI/INFORM Complete or Business Source Complete.
• When starting a search use one or more keywords that describe your topic.
  • If you don't turn up any results or receive too few, think of alternative keywords that may describe your topic.
• On the results screen, sorting by relevance can help turn up articles that may be buried because they aren't the newest items published in the field.

When You've Found An Item

• Look at the item in the database to get more information about it.
  • Look specifically for words often repeated in the abstract, "subject" words, or "author supplied keywords."  Write these down.  These may be alternative ways for you to find other articles similar to the one you've just found.

• If the item is available in full text look at the reference list / bibliography to see if any items in that list might be of interest.
  • Search the Journal title in the Journals tab of the library homepage to find out if that particular journal is available in full text or in print in the library.

Search Using the Thesaurus

• In ABI/INFORM Complete and databases similar to it, there is often a Thesaurus or Subject search.  Use this to find articles that have been tagged with a specific subject word.
  • Thesaurus/Subject searching helps eliminate extraneous results that often occur with keyword searching - saving you time.
  • Thesaurus/Subject searching can give you ideas for alternative words that can be used in your search.

Search for Articles That Have Cited An Article Since it's Publication

• Using the database Google Scholar, you can find out if an article has been cited by other researchers since its publication date. 
  • This can help you build upon research that may have been published years ago and find how that research is being tweaked and updated.  (It's also a great way to find more items for your research!)
  • Example: "Policing crime and disorder hot  spots: A randomized controlled trial" by Braga & Bond (2008)

When you can't get an Article from Ingram Library

• If you find an article in one of the databases we provide (e.g., ABI/INFORM Complete), we can get it for you, usually free of charge!  Just use the InterLibrary Loan service (see information below) to request an article be sent to you.

Where's the article?

If the entire article is available online in the database you are searching, it is usually indicated by a PDF or HTML fulltext link. You can read it online, print it, save it or email it to yourself.

If you do not see a fulltext link, your articles may be available elsewhere. Click the  button to locate a copy of the article. You will get one or more of the following messages:

Message	What it means
Full text available via...	The article is available online in another library database. Click on the GO link to go to the article.
Print version in Ingram Library	The article is available in print, usually on the 2nd floor
Check holdings in Ingram Library Catalog	Some issues of this journal are available in the library, but maybe not the issue you need
Request through Interlibrary Loan...	Our library doesn't have this article but you can request a copy of it from another library. Click the GO button to get to the online order form.