Freshman Seminar - Jeppeson

Library Research Tools
Freshman Seminar - Marsha Jeppeson

Presented by Anne Bradley, Business Reference Librarian ~ bradleya@csus.edu ~
916-278-4350
September 2012

Use books to find information on your country!

Eureka Online Catalog - http://eureka.lib.csus.edu/
Use the online catalog Eureka to find books on your country. Books can provide a broad overview of the many different aspects of culture and business practices for a particular country.

The Simple Search screen allows you to do a Keyword search. Or you can select other fields in the record to search (subject headings, title, author, etc.). Useful Subject terms to consider for this assignment:

Country Business Etiquette (e.g. China Business Etiquette)
Business Etiquette
Intercultural Communication
Country Social Life and Customs (e.g. Japan Social Life and Customs)

Reference Books available in the Library

These books will provide a nice, succinct overview of culture, religion, marriage, food, etc. for a particular country.

CultureGrams - Ref. GT 150 .C85 2003
Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life - Ref. GN 333 .W67 1998

Use Library Databases to find magazine and journal articles about your country!

Use the periodicals indexes (databases) to search for articles on your topic. Databases can be access in the Library, any computer lab on campus, or from home from the Database and Article Searching page - http://xerxes.calstate.edu/sacramento/

Search strategies:

Select a database that may cover your topic. For best results, search several databases (don’t limit yourself to just one!).
Come up with a clear statement of your topic.
Break your topic down into key concepts. Hint: Some databases include thesauri or indexes that help you choose subject headings for your search.
Combine terms with AND to narrow the search; use OR to broad the search.

General or Multidisciplinary databases – These databases cover a broad range of topics.
1. Academic Search Premier
3. LexisNexis Academic
3. Sacramento Bee

Examples of specialized databases
1. Business – ABI/Inform
2. Education – ERIC
3. Psychology - PsycINFO
4. History – America History and Life

Locating full-text periodicals in the library or databases

Not all databases provide the full-text of articles. To locate an article in the library or online database, search for the journal or magazine title using the Journal Title tab on the Library home page. Articles not available at CSUS Library can be ordered through Interlibrary Loan (submit a form electronically from the library Web site).

Other databases recommended for this assignment

Country Reports from Business Source Premier
Profiles and reports political, economic, corporate and environmental news and trends for each country in the world.

Sociological Abstracts
Covers all facets of sociology and related disciplines including anthropology, criminology, demography, education, law and penology, race relations, social psychology, and urban studies.

How to find further books, databases and websites

We have Research Guides covering a huge variety of topics.

Business Research Guides - http://csus.libguides.com/cat.php?cid=24958

International Business Guide - http://library.csus.edu/guides/bradleya/intlmrk.htm
Tons of sources for finding more country information.

Using the Internet for research

The world wide web contains a wealth of information; however, you must be very careful when using the web for research purposes. There are no quality standards for putting information on the web, and as a result many web pages contain unreliable, even false, information. For this reason, your instructors may limit use of web pages for your research projects. The web can be a good resource for certain purposes; it may not, however, be the best place to go for academic research.

Internet sites may be useful for locating background information on your topic. Carefully evaluate the information that you may find on the web using the criteria listed below.

Authority

Can the author of the page be determined?
Is the contact information provided?
Are the author’s affiliation and/or credentials provided

Objectivity/Author Bias

Does the author have a bias or agenda?
Is there a disclaimer included in the page?
Are the author’s goals clearly stated?

Accuracy

What is the source of the information provided?
Can the information be verified for accuracy?

Coverage

What is the main focus of the information?
What is the depth of coverage?
Who is the intended audience?

Currency/Accessibility

Is the information current or out of date?
Is the date of most recent update included on the page?
Do the links on the page work?
Is the page well organized and easy to use

Take a look at the following web site for more information and examples:
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: or, Why It’s a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html

Library Homepage || Database and Article Searching || Library Guides by Subject

updated: 9/12/2012