Research papers allow students to showcase their writing abilities and critical-thinking skills, as well as demonstrate that they thoroughly understand course objectives. Research assignments come in many forms, from short essays to semester-long projects and mandatory capstone experiences. Most research papers require that candidates draw from multiple resources to develop and defend an original analysis or argument. In times past, research involved poring over stacks of books and periodicals to find primary and secondary sources. The internet, however, has brought many different types of information to a wider audience and made data more readily accessible. By simplifying the research process, the internet makes it easier than ever to inform and support a thesis argument.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Students must still create a comprehensive source catalog, taking careful notes along the way, and keep up with relevant developments in the field.<\/p><\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
While hunting down scholarly documents or vital statistics have become less complicated, the skills needed to conduct thorough, thoughtful MBA research haven't changed. Students must still create a comprehensive source catalog, taking careful notes along the way, and keep up with relevant developments in the field. Often, the first step of any research project proves most difficult for students: deciding on a paper topic. In this guide, we will explore a variety of valuable online resources, including specialized search engines and databases, that may prove useful once you've established your theme.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Developed by Sergey Brin and Larry Page<\/a> in 1998, Google is a simple search engine that receives more than 86%<\/a> of the world's internet searches. Ranking internet pages based on the most current information, use of key terms, and site trustworthiness, Google's robots provide the most relevant results pertaining to any given topic. Simple keyword changes or limiting search parameters may return sources more closely related to research topics for MBA projects.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Google allows users to filter searches according to media type, including or eliminating results such as web pages, images, videos, or news articles. You can narrow your search returns by providing additional terms, or search for a specific phrase by placing it in quotation marks. Use \u201cor\u201d to find references for similar terms, or exclude terms by placing a \u201c-\u201d before it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Google also features several search shortcuts<\/a>, which you may access by typing a command into the search bar followed by a \u201c:\u201d and your chosen search term. Do not include a space between the colon and search term. Commands can restrict a search to a \u201cdaterange\u201d or find \u201crelated\u201d pages. Using the \u201csite:\u201d command allows you to search within a specific site. This feature may be especially helpful if you have identified a source that contains multiple volumes of relevant material. Simply search for your keyword, followed by the site shortcut and domain. For example, typing \"certification site:nationalbusiness.org\" into the search bar brings up all certification information on the National Business Association's website. Add \".gov\" or \".edu\" to search only sites with those domains. In addition, the \u201ccache:\u201d command searches sites that are no longer online.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The advanced search<\/a> tab allows you to narrow search results without using shortcuts. Using this tab, you may apply multiple filters to a search, limiting responses to pages in specific languages or from certain regions. The advanced search tool also lets researchers find current information from cutting-edge sources by targeting a specific date or time range.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n While the Google Scholar homepage may resemble the Google you know, this specialized search engine is used to access scholarly resources. Google Scholar's ranking algorithm measures how frequently an article has been cited in other research, author credentials, and original publication sources. To be included in the search results, a hosting website must be considered scholarly, and must not contain pop-up ads or require readers to scroll past numerous ads or click additional links. At the very least, readers must be able to access a paper's abstract without creating an account or subscribing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The search engine offers several content personalization options. By adjusting the Google Scholar Preferences<\/a>, you can search articles, case laws, or documents published in many different languages. In addition, students who link their university library account to Google Scholar gain access to any subscriptions or services available through their home institution from any location. Users may link up to five libraries and passwords, although installing a library proxy may be necessary. Your institution's library services department can provide further assistance.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Although many Google search tips and tricks also apply to Google Scholar, the academic service offers unique Scholarship Search Tips<\/a> for finding the most up-to-date studies and data. These search tools allow researchers to view recently published papers and sort them by date and relevance. To gain more relevant and targeted results, try exploring the works cited in a paper's reference section, or search documents that cite the paper you've found. You may also wish to set up email alerts, so that Google Scholar informs you when new and relevant articles become available.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Both Google and Google Scholar offer a broad spectrum of research tools. However, some topics may require you to perform original analysis using raw data. Online databases aggregate open-access or government data on almost every subject imaginable, including business-related statistics and information. Some sites offer free or reduced subscription rates for college students.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\nRefining Your Search Results<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Google Scholar<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Beyond Google<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\n\t\t\t