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Library Research Guide for Professor Karen Paul's International Business Courses

MAN 4602: International Business / MAN 4660: Latin America / MAN 4662: Europe. Created Fall 2024.

Key Words & Search Terms

Before you start your search, take a few minutes to determine what your key words and search terms will be.  Doing this before you begin searching can help to cut down on the amount of time it takes you to locate the information you need.  Here are a few tips to assist you with breaking down your topic.


Synonyms and Related Terms:  To aid in your searching, make sure you identify as many synonyms and related terms for your search terms.  You can use a simple table to record your information.  Here is an example of a topic that has been broken down.

Topic: The impact of global warming on international shipping.

Main Term   Synonyms Related Terms
global warming climate change greenhouse gases
international
shipping

global shipping

global freight

international freight

overseas shipping

overseas freight

FedEx

UPS

impact

effect

influence

affect

significance

Note:
You won't always
have related terms

 


Concept Mapping: One of the best methods for getting a detailed and visual view of your topic, is to create a concept map.  The general idea behind creating a concept map for brainstorming purposes, is to place your main topic or term in a central position.  Then create lines out to related terms, including what connects them on the lines.  Concept maps are a perfect way for groups to brainstorm together, allowing everyone to be involved in the process.  For examples of concept maps and directions/suggestions for creating them, visit:


Database Thesauri: Many databases offer their own subject thesauri so that you can locate the terms used by the database to index different articles.  Not every database has a thesaurus, but when you find one that does, use it to streamline your search.  You won't always find your term in the thesaurus.  But this in itself can be a signal that you should select a different term to work with.