Literature Searching for MBA ( on-campus students)

Literature Searching (MBA)

Jamie Halstead

In this workshop we will look at...• How you currently search for

literature and what you would like to know

• How to develop an effective search strategy

• How to use the library resources / databases effectively

• Evaluating information for quality and relevance

Need information……

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ebarney/3600350076/

Think about the following……

• What do I need to find?

• How and where am I going to find the information?

• How do I know if the information is good?

A Literature Search

• Having decided on a subject area, starting off with a broad review of the literature should help to develop your ideas and your search strategy.

• Having defined / narrowed your search topic, you can focus on the research / literature that can contributes to your review.

• Searching the literature can help you to piece together a picture of the network of citations and the identify the core works.

Planning your search strategy

Think about:

• Area of interest

• Keywords

• Scope of subject

Planning Worksheet

• Search for phrases eg. “human computer

interaction”

• Broaden search eg. comput* (finds computer, computing, computerization, computers etc)

• Narrow search eg. data AND warehousing

• Widen search eg. USA OR America

Search tips

Accessing Library Resourceshttp://unihub.mdx.ac.uk/study/library

myUniHub > My Study > My Library

Library Subject GuidesmyUniHub > My Study > My Library > Library Subject Guides

http://libguides.mdx.ac.uk/business

Searching Library Databases

Today, we will look for information on:

‘The mobile phone industry in the UK’

Using a variety of databases, including:

• Business Source Complete

• Keynote

• Passport GMID

Business Source Complete: Journal Articles

Try using the ‘Advanced Search’

Business Source Complete: Industry Profile

Type in your search terms and Select

‘Industry Profile’ as the Publication Type

Business Source Complete: Country Report

Type in your search terms and Select

‘Country Report’ as the Publication Type

Business Source Complete: Company Profiles

At the top of the screen –

Click on More and select ‘Company Profiles’

Newspaper Articles

Proquest Newsstand allows to search across all the key UK newspapers

and access the full text of the articles

Keynote

An excellent collection of Market Reports and

Company Information for the UK

Passport GMID

An excellent Global Market Information

Database

Right information source for the job

Books

Internet

Journals

Newspapers

Reports

Evaluating information

• It is crucial to evaluate your search results for quality and relevance

• Is it what you need and is it trustworthy?

• You should consider the following criteria:

• Authority : Who is the author? What is their knowledge base/qualifications? Is the article published in a scholarly / peer reviewed journal?

• Relevance : Is this what I need? Will it answer my question? Is it at the right level?

• Objectivity : Balanced view? Opposing views represented? Links to supporting information?

• Intent : What is the purpose of information e.g. financial gain, propaganda, academic etc?

• Method : How was the information produced? Are the research methods appropriate?

• Currency: How old is this information? When was it last updated and by whom?

Tips for Online Access (Off campus)

Always log-in to MyUnihub

myUniHub > My Study > My Library

If MyUnihub doesn’t automatically log you in to our online resources

You may need to look for an Athens

Login link

If you see an Athens Login Page with no Middlesex link...

Click on Alternative Login

Scroll down the page....

Select Universities

Select Middlesex University

Click here

...and if asked to login again, use your network/uniHub username and password

Referencing

Click here to access the Referencing &

Citation Guide for the Business School

Finding previous dissertations...

Search forBusiness dissertation

or Mba dissertation

Need further help?

Please e-mail us for further help / to book an appointment

Jamie Halstead j.halstead@mdx.ac.uk

Ask a Librarian http://askalibrarian.mdx.ac.uk/

I would be very grateful if you would spend a couple of minutes to provide some feedback on this session and your Library Experiences

Finally