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Example: Search strategy

Preparing the example on this page can help to develop your first own search strategy. You can find additional information on the topic in this video and on the preceding pages.

The topic of this example is:

Sustainable consumption - how do consumers decide, which products they buy - or not.

Step 1: What and where?

First, ask yourself for each chapter of your paper:

  • What do I need?
  • Where do I find it?

Now, try to answer the questions above for each of the given chapters and then compare your answer with the example.

What do I need?

books (handbooks, "older" literature which gives an overview, textbooks)

Where do I find it?

library catalog (WU, other university libraries), bookstores, Amazon, publishers, Google Books, recommendations

What do I need?

scientific (scholarly/peer reviewed) papers: journal articles, case studies

Where do I find it?

literature databases (EBSCO Business Source Premier, ABI/Inform ProQuest, EconLit, Scopus etc.), Google Scholar, CatalogPLUS (WU), journal websites

What do I need?

market analysis, industry reports, statistical data

Where do I find it?

databases (Passport Euromonitor, MarketLine Advantage, Statistical Yearbook, Statistik Austria, WIFO), company websites

What do I need?

company profiles, SWOT analysis, five forces analysis

Where do I find it?

databases (Passport Euromonitor, MarketLine Advantage, EIKON, Bloomberg), websites


Step 2: Brainstorming search terms

Before you can start your search, you need to identify suitable search terms. Use the tips from the previous pages and think about possible search terms. Then compare your answer with the example below.

Topic:

Sustainable consumption - how do consumers decide, which products they buy - or not.
 

Possible search terms: 

to the top


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