BMGT 798O: Managing E-Commerce in the Knowledge Economy

Research resources compiled, and web page created by Lily Griner
Social Sciences & Allied Professions Team,McKeldin Library.
Professor: Dr. Kathryn M. Bartol

This web page contains links to electronic resources useful for researching business topics.
For a complete list of electronic resources available to University of Maryland faculty,
staff, and students, as well as information about the full range of library materials and
services, consult the UM Libraries' home page

Because of licensing agreements, access to bibliographic databases and electronic journals
is restricted to UM faculty, staff, and students. The databases may be accessed from off campus via
MdUSA gateway, for more detailed information consult
Remote access

Outline

Research Process

The research process can be organized into seven basic steps. The order of these steps will depend on your topic. You may rearrange and adapt these steps as needed.

STEP 1. IDENTIFY YOUR TOPIC.

Write your topic as a question. For example, if you are interested in finding out about "Managing in a Netcentric Environment," you may ask the question "What managerial skills are needed in an electronic commerce environment?" Identify the main ideas or keywords in the question.

STEP 2. FIND BACKGROUND INFORMATION.

Locate subject encyclopedias. The articles in these encyclopedias may provide background or history on your topic. Check relevant bibliographies at the end of the articles for additional information.

STEP 3. USE ONLINE CATALOGS TO FIND ENCYCLOPEDIAS, BOOKS.

The online catalog is a list of everything that is owned by a library.

VICTORWeb--(http://catalog.umd.edu/search=basic&base=cp) is the online catalog for the University of Maryland System. Use keyword if your topic is narrow or complex. VictorWeb assumes an AND connection between keywords. Write down the source citation (author, title) and the location information (call number and library). Pay attention to the status of the source.

STEP 4. FIND PERIODICAL ARTICLES.

Use periodical indexes and abstracts to locate articles. These sources could be print or electronic databases. Choose indexes best suited to your topic. Ask a reference librarian for assistance if you need help. The University of Maryland Libraries subscribe to 100s of electronic databases. The databases are accessible from University of Maryland Libraries home page --(http://www.lib.umd.edu/UMCP) via two gateways:

MdUSA (UM Database Gateway)
--(http://mdusa.lib.umd.edu/index.html) which is best used when you are OFF campus. Type in the bar code (14 digit number) on back of your picture identification as your ID number.

University of Maryland Libraries Databases is the gateway to use when you are ON campus.

STEP 5: FIND INTERNET RESOURCES

STEP 6: EVALUATE SOURCES.

• Beyond "Cool": Analog Models for Reviewing Digital Resources
  --(http://www.onlineinc.com/onlinemag/SeptOL/rettig9.html)
  A review article from Online magazine, about the importance and necessity of evaluating web search engines and sites.

  Tangled in the Web--(http://www.lib.umd.edu/UMCP/UES/tangled.html#evaluating)

  An introductory online lesson dealing with the evaluation of web sites.

  Evaluating Web Sites--(http://www.notess.com/search)

  A detailed look at evaluating search engines, includes a comparison chart of major search engines.

  The Scout Report--(http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/sr/current/index.html)

  A Publication of the Internet Scout Project. Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

STEP 7: CITE SOURCES

Standards are set by different organizations as to the proper format of citing information. In business usually the APA Style (American Psychological Association) -- (http://www.apa.org/journals/webref.html) is used.

Research Process Summary

Document what you find
Write out the full citation information (author, title, source, pages, year), you will need this information for your bibliography.
Keep a list of which sources/databases you used.

Translate your topic to fit the terms used by the databases and catalogs you used.
Check the words in the database/catalog thesaurus or subject list.

Trade and other Periodical Literature - for current articles on industry

TO SEARCH THE DATABASES LISTED BELOW, YOU MUST HAVE A BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF BOOLEAN CONNECTORS, AND OR
AND narrows the focus and results as it connects concepts.
For example: e commerce AND managerial skills; electronic commerce AND leadershipPost

OR broadens the focus and results as it combines related terms or synonyms.
For example: e commerce OR ecommerce OR electronic commerce; management OR managerial skills OR leadership OR

PUTTING THE ABOVE TOGETHER, IF YOU WERE SEARCHING FOR "NEW FORMS OF MANAGING IN AN NETCENTRIC ENVIRONMENT", YOUR SEARCH MIGHT LOOK SOMETHING LIKE THIS:

(e commerce OR ecomerce OR electronic commerce) AND (management OR managerial skills OR leadership)

ABI/Inform
Broad coverage of research oriented journals and their perspective on industry issues. About 70% full text.

RDS Business Reference Suite (BizSuite)