Economics 110 : Introduction to Economics
This is a guide to help direct research on the economic impacts and effects.
1. Select a topic and plan an outline?
- Make sure you can generalize your topic. Try an encyclopedia
- Select a focus - narrow down the topic.
- For a topic and inflation and the Federal Reserve System focus on the dot.com bust or Wall Street crash of 1929.
- For ideas check out the latest Business news feed
2. Remember to evaluate your sources. Use these tips to help you select your sources.
- Authority - Are the authors experts in the field? What are their credentials? (Check to see if the author has a higher degree in the field as well as checking the publisher to see if it is peer reviewed.
- Currency - Make sure the work has been published within the last 10 to 15 years. At least to start with.
- Relevance - Does this source answer your research question? If not, keep looking.
- Accuracy - Is the information accurate? Are there additional sources (reference books, other authors) that confirm what you have found? Are there footnotes and/or a bibliography?
- Purpose and Intent - Is the material written to a particular audience? Is the source informing, persuading, selling? Is the source biased? (Stay away from opinion pieces) If so, does it affect the quality of the information? Is the information a primary source, presenting original research, or reports of those participating themselves (diaries, memoirs, letters)?
3. Searching for articles on the subject:
- Business Source Elite
This business database provides full text for nearly 1,100 business publications, including full text for nearly 500 peer-reviewed business publications. Search this database for more information relating to advertising and the business of journalism or publishing.
- Hints:
- Use the Thesaurus to search for subject terms
- Limit by Academic journals or review magazines for quality sources such as: Economist, Business Week, Inc, or the Wall Street Journal.
- Save citations, email them to yourself or export them to Ref Works.
- JSTOR
The full text of more than 400 journals in business, economics, sciences, science, and the humanities; all full-text searchable.
- Search terms in abstract or full-text.
- To Print - select Print, then Printing Preferences, and J-Print High Quality (for better results with the laser printers).
- Save citations to Ref Works.
- Sage Journals Online
Indexes and provides full-text journals in the fields of Business, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Science, Technology and Medicine from 1999 to the present.
- Try one or two keywords.
- Limit to specific journal titles.
- LexisNexis Academic: Business
Indexes journals and newspapers in business and accounting; with full text and company financial reports, SEC filings and reports.
- First click on Source and select the sources that are most relevant to the search.
- Click on continue and enter in the search terms.
- This is good for international news and international trade publications.
4. Searching the library for books:
- Keyword search: This is a good search to start with. It will include chapter titles as well as main titles, authors, subject headings and book summaries.
- Subject Headings: If a book fits your topic well use the subject headings listed in the catalog to search for similar books.
- Title or Author Searching: If you have come across a great article that fits your research search for other articles or books by the same author. Also, check their citations for relevant materials and look them up.
5. Expanding your search:
- Still not finding what you are looking for ... try:
- Badger Cat - to search libraries in Wisconsin
- World Cat - to search libraries throughout the U.S. and World.
- Google Scholar
Searches the Web for citations of scholarly published works. Note its is still in beta testing so evaluate the results carefully.
7. Citing your sources:
Please contact Librarian Katie Sanders with questions.
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