To start
Before you begin, consider your topic in terms of the following:
In what type of information source - book, academic journal, daily newspaper, reference book, the internet - are you most likely to find the type of information you want?
For example, if you need an overview of a well-defined subject, such as corporate culture, benchmarking, the wine industry, business ethics, etc. you could save yourself a lot of time by going straight to the book collection.
If, on the other hand, you are looking for "small" and quite specific type of information - for example, the sales figures for an individual product in a specific year - you are more likely to find this in a newspaper or journal article or in a reference text, such as an industry directory.
Selecting the appropriate source of information will often be the most critical step to a quick and fruitful start. If you are at all unsure about how to proceed, make an appointment with a librarian for strategy advice, as this could make an enormous difference in time saved.
To find books
In most instances, you will need to search through the book collection at some stage of the research process. To identify books held in the McLennan Library or the University of Melbourne libraries:
Search the library (Innopac) catalogue by either subject or word. Advice and help in searching the catalogue is available at any time from the desk staff. Additional notes are also available on How to use the library catalogue.
Browse the shelves in the library using the Subject & location guide, also available in print format at the loans desk, which will point you to the main shelf area for a subject. Books on particular topics are usually grouped around a similar Dewey number, and surprising discoveries can be made by a simple browse.
Check the McLennan subject bibliographies. The bibliographies are compiled by the specialist staff of the McLennan Library on topics of relevance to MBS staff and students. They mirror the subjects taught at the school, and the special interests expressed over time, such as “career development”.
To find data
Often, very specific data will more readily be found in a standard reference book, such as a directory, a year book, or a who's who. The Europa Year Book, for instance, is still one of the best sources for quality political, social and economic overviews of any country in the world.
Library staff are happy to advise on data sources, and where not immediately obvious, will undertake a search on your behalf for that harder-to-find piece of information. A Key Reference Sources bibliography, which is also available in print form from the loans desk, lists the main reference tools located in the McLennan collection.
To find articles
Arcadia
The best way to search systematically for articles on a specific topic is to use a “database” that offers subject indexing across a whole range of journals and newspapers. Arcadia is the library's name for the collection of databases that have been selected as quality indexes for the type of research required at MBS. The Arcadia products are web-based and are generally updated daily.
Most of the Arcadia content is full-text, and you can save or print, or directly email the articles from the databases to a personal e-mail account. A number of additional indexes to journal articles are available in CD-ROM and print form. Ask staff for assistance in locating these.
Library staff are happy to help any student or member of staff unfamiliar with database searching, or requiring additional help in either selecting the appropriate Arcadia database, or refining searching skills.
McLennan journals
McLennan journals provides a subject and title listing, and the subscription period of all the print journals held in the library. This is particularly useful to establish holdings in order to locate an individual article, or to check what journals are held in print form in a particular area of interest, such as economics, or I.T
Journal contents service
The Journal Contents Service is a three part print publication, produced monthly, and containing the contents pages of all the latest received print issues of the McLennan journals. It can be found with the current journals in the reading lounge of the library. Older issues are shelved in the compactus.
Journal contents is designed as a browsing tool, and if you are having difficulty selecting a topic for research or are unsure of the current trends or developments in a particular field, then this service will be of considerable help. Use it to track the current or emerging issues and developments in broad or specific industries and management areas, and to trigger ideas for topic choices or for selecting a particular focus in an area in which you may already have an interest.
To use the internet resources
The net is a fantastic information resource, but can be very time-consuming to search because of its unstructured nature. Using the collected links from a reputable research organization such as the Australian Information Industry Association or of a national body such as the National Library of Australia can save time and reduce frustration. We recommend also our own web resources on this web site for links to the most often used authoritative sources of data. And of course, if you know of a particularly useful site that we have omitted, please let us know.
To present and document
The library has an excellent collection of guides to better presentation and communication, both oral and written. Our bibliography Theses, cases and business reports lists a whole range of books on report and business writing, case study methods and presentations, style conventions for theses, assignments and letters, general language usage and professional presentations. Additionally, the Critical thinking & analysis guide has been prepared specifically to assist you in the process of academic assignment writing. A separate Case study interview guide brings together guides and web sites focused specifically on preparing for job related case interviews.
Additional resources in the form of links to English and foreign language on-line dictionaries, guides for citing electronic information, and online style manuals for general bibliographic citations are provided in the study aids page of the MBS student section of our Web page.
Most importantly, remember if you are experiencing any difficulty at all in researching your topic, consult a reference librarian.