Tutorials

Hello! This video tutorial will demonstrate how to find and access business-specific articles through the library database Business Source Complete.

Library databases are subscription services that provide access to articles, eBooks, and multimedia. To access library databases, click the Databases button on the library website.

The A-Z Databases list includes links to all databases that the Tyree Library subscribes to. Business Source Complete is listed alphabetically, or under the Business subject category in the Best Bets! area. This database contains full-text articles from more than a thousand business and financial journals and publications. To access this database, click its title.

If prompted to log in, type your SF ID number @sfcollege.edu. On the next screen, enter your college password. You might not see this screen if you are logged into Office 365 elsewhere.

The default search in Business Source Complete is an advanced search, which provides three search boxes. When searching in databases, it's best to identify the main concepts from your research question or thesis. For instance, let's say your research question is "How does the minimum wage affect small businesses?" The first main concept in this research question is minimum wage, so type that in the first search box. The second main concept is small business, so type that in the second search box. By breaking your topic or research question into main concepts, you will receive more relevant results. You do not need to use all three search boxes.

The advanced search screen includes a Filters area below the search boxes which allows you to limit your search. By default, your search only includes full-text articles, meaning you can read them immediately. The Full Text box should already be checked and should stay checked for most searches. To limit your search to peer-reviewed articles, check the Peer Reviewed box. Peer reviewed means that it has undergone a review process by other experts in a field before being published. If you need to limit your results to more recent articles, you can use the Publication Date limit.

Keep scrolling if you want to focus your search on a specific company or industry. A NAICS code is a six-digit number that shows a business's industry, which can help you find and compare industry information. A ticker symbol is a short set of letters that identifies a company's stock, making it easier to find and track company and market information. Once you have added all your limits, click Search.

On the search results screen, the first line below the search box allows you to quickly apply common filters like Peer Reviewed, the publication date (under All time), and Source type. You can also click All filters to see more options to limit your search.

The number of search results is listed below the filters bar. By default, your search results are sorted by Relevance, which means the database decides which articles match your search best. You can change this to Date newest, with the newest articles first, or Date oldest.

Peer reviewed articles have a gold check icon in the line above the article title. A text header indicates the source type the result is. Common source types are Academic Journal, Magazines (which has the heading Periodical), Trade Publications, and Newspapers.

The title of the article is listed after the text header. You can click it to learn more about the article. Below the title is a line with the author(s), source, and date. This article was published in Management Science. Below the title are the first few sentences of the abstract, which is a summary of the article. Click Show more to see the full abstract. Not all articles include an abstract.

Below the abstract is a list of Subjects that describe the main concepts of the article. These subject terms can be used to improve your search results.

To read the article, click the access button. It may say Access now or Access options. The text of this button will change if there are multiple access options or just one. You can also click the title of the article to learn more.

Clicking the title leads to the detailed record, which includes additional information beyond the basic information found on the search results page. Scroll down to see everything included in the detailed record.

The Source area provides the full publication information about the article, including the volume, issue, and page numbers. Some articles include author-supplied keywords, which is how the author describes the content of the article.

If the article discusses companies or industries, you might see NAICS codes or ticker symbols, which you can use to find more related articles.

The access button to read the full text is also available on the detailed record.

This is the PDF full text of the article. You can scroll and read the full text immediately. In the upper right, a series of icons provide options to share and interact with the article.

Saving an article using either the bookmark or folder option requires a MyEBSCO account. If you do not have an account or are not signed in, these items will only be saved until you leave the database.

Click the MyEBSCO link in the upper right of most screens to create and sign in to your MyEBSCO account.

Once you have signed into your MyEBSCO account, articles you save are available under My dashboard, in the Saved and Projects areas.

Returning to the full text of the article, click the second icon, which looks like a quotation mark, for help with citations. This tool provides generated citations in a variety of citation styles. Change the drop-down box to choose your citation style, which includes APA, MLA, and Chicago. You should double-check all citations, as there may be errors with capitalization or punctuation. You also need to remember to format your citation with a hanging indent and double spacing when you add it to your paper.

The fourth icon, which looks like an arrow swooping up and right, provides options to Share the article. Options include saving directly to Google Drive or OneDrive, copying a link to the article, or emailing the article.

The other full-text option is Online full text. If the button says Access options, it means the article is available in both PDF and online full text formats.

Online full text is presented as one continuous page and may omit photographs. The same options to share and save the article are available.

As mentioned, knowing the subjects used in a database can help you find more relevant results. To search for subjects in Business Source Complete, click the Subjects authority link on the left or choose Subjects below the search boxes on the main advanced search page.

Type your search terms into the browse box. The database will show you the official subject term it uses for your topic. For example, if you search for flat tax, it suggests using flat-rate income tax to get the most accurate and relevant results.

This concludes the video tutorial on using Business Source Complete. If you'd like to learn more or need assistance, a librarian would be happy to help.

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