Searching in article databases in not the same as searching in Google.  Here are the basics:

1. Search using keywords that are important to your topic -- avoid natural language with small words like a, the, for, in, to (articles, prepositions, etc.)

2. Use the Boolean command words AND and OR. Here's how they work:

   • AND = tells the search engine to find 2-3 important but separate ideas (keywords)
     For example:  amazon AND blockchain
   • OR = tells the search engine that the keywords are synonyms or related, and you don't care which one it finds. 
     For example: blockchain OR distributed ledger system

    

3. Put "quotation marks" around words that you want kept together as a phrase, and in a certain order.
   Examples: "supply chain", "distributed ledger system", "united states"

4. Choose the type of articles you search in appropriately!  Here are guidelines:

   • For current company information: use trade and news article databases
   • For current industry conditions or trends: use trade article databases
   • For research studies, industry-wide, theoretical treatment: use scholarly article databases

There are other commands and strategies!  Be sure to ask for help if you find that your searches just aren't working well.

Search in trade article databases when you want information about specific companies.

Sample searches:

 –   amazon and blockchain
 –   (wal-mart or walmart) and blockchain

Search location, default vs. full-text: 

For both trade journals and news sources, often you will need to make sure that you are searching in the full-text:  this is often not the default setting!  Usually this means changing the drop-down selections on the search screen.

Business newspapers are wonderful!

There are business newspapers that cover many of the larger metropolitan areas in the country.  They provide some of the best, most comprehensive reporting about companies based or headquartered in these cities.  When researching a specific company, be sure to find out if there's a business newspaper for the area!

Below are links to several of these publications.  The BizJournals.com papers are NOT covered by the ProQuest or Ebsco databases.  The Crain's papers linked below are sample titles, pulled from the ABI-Inform Collection database (also linked above).

Search location, default vs. full-text: 

For both trade journals and news sources, often you will need to make sure that you are searching in the full-text:  this is often not the default setting!  Usually this means changing the drop-down selections on the search screen.

The following databases provide the strongest coverage of scholarly journals in business. However, they include more than just scholarly articles: you'll also find articles from some trade, news, and popular magazines.

Use these databases especially when you're researching business issues or theories.

Scholarly articles usually ...

• provide analysis of a topic / issue, exploring it in greater depth
• are considered the most authoritative
• can be very narrow in scope, technical or theoretical

Here's a short video showing how Find it @ MU works. (About 4 minutes long.)

Two common ways to find out if the Libraries have access to the articles you need:

1) You are searching in an article database, but it doesn't have the full-text:  

Click on  in the article citation. Another window / tab opens with two possible options:

• Links indicating Find it @MU may have located one or more sources for full text of the article. Click on the links and follow the trail to the article. 
• Links to search MARQCAT by the journal title or its ISSN number. The journal may be available in print or electronically through a source not searchable by Find it @MU.

2) You already have a specific citation and aren't currently searching in a database:

• Search for the journal title in MARQCAT, the library catalog;
• Do not search the title or author of the article, MARQCAT doesn't contain article level information.

The MARQCAT record will indicate what years we have in print and/or online, providing call number locations for the print and links to the e-journal.  Once at the e-journal, navigate to the volume, issue and page that you need.

Questions:

Didn't find the article/journal using Find it @MU or MARQCAT?  Request the article through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) by clicking on the link at the bottom of the Find it @MU window or tab.  Learn more about ILL here.

Ever wonder why the full-text isn't there?  Watch this short video about the Business of Information.