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Looking for a needle in a haystack

Looking for a needle in a haystack

This is the first in a series of posts based on the most frequently asked questions we receive via our IM chat research service.  And the number one question is….

“How do I know which databases are best suited for my search?”

While some questions are like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack, the answers to many research questions are readily available in the wide selection of databases to which we subscribe.  We are fortunate in being able to have one of the best online business resources collections and we are grateful for the financial support we receive from the Schulich School of Business which allows us to acquire many more resources then would be the case if we were to rely solely on the Libraries budget.

But back to the question of how to identify the database that will best meet your research needs.  Since this question comes from our IM chat research service, obviously, using our research services is a first choice for getting the help you need. Here is a link that shows you how to contact us but I know that students don’t work on our timetable and unfortunately we don’t have research help available late in the evenings. For this reason we have created web-based guides that will help you.

Business Resources A-Z is a list of York University Libraries subscription databases, Government websites and links to free Internet resources.  There is a description of the contents of the database or website and tutorials on how to use them have been included, when available.  If you know of other free web sites you would like us to add please send me the information at watson@yorku.ca

However if you have more specific research interests try one of the following guides:

Company Research

Industry Research

Finding Business Articles