Research methodology in Business administrationInformation searchMagnus Olsson, Umeå University Library

magnus.olsson@ub.umu.se

Phone: 786 91 81

Web page: http://www.ub.umu.se/tjanste/maol/

Research methodology in Business administrationExpected learning outcomes

• search, evaluate and use different types of information on a basic level

Today you´re going to learn more about…• Evaluation of information sources• Scholarly articles and journals• Search strategy and search tools• Databases• Internet sources

Evaluation of information sources – a few guidelines• Author and Publisher• Tendency• Purpose and audience• Recency• Edition• References

Further reading…

• http://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm

Scholarly articles often have this structure…• Introduction• Methods och materials• Results

A• Discussion

Search strategy

• What words should I use when searching?• What database/s should I use?• How do I expand my search?• How do I limit my search?• How do I search using subject words?

Subject words

• Keywords, Thesaurus, Descriptors, A-Z, Index• ”Tags”

Databases (articles)

• Business Source Premier• Emerald (mainly management)• Web of Science

Access to databases, e-books and e-journals off-campus

• http://www.ub.umu.se/eng_infosok/eng_hemifr.htm

Internet sources

• http://www.europages.com/ (directory of companies/products)• http://www.euromonitor.com/ (business intelligence on

industries, countries and consumers)• http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/index_en.htm (EU DG Enterprise

and Industry's website), statistics, news• http://www.scb.se/default____2154.aspx (swedish business

statistics)• http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/eurostat/

home/ (EU and candidate countries)

For internet sources in your reference list include the following information• Name of author, organization, corporation or authority• Year when information was updated (if available)• Name of web page or document• Title of web site• Complete URL (http://….), and• Date when you retrieved the information• Example: IMF (2010), Statement by an IMF Mission to Nicaragua,http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2010/pr1084.htm (2010-03-

12)

How do I write references?

• http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm?harvard_id_remove=8#8 (Harvard)

Subject librarians

• magnus.olsson@ub.umu.se• stefan.fleig@ub.umu.se

More information at:www.ub.umu.se