Reasons to use Business Source Premier

BSP can be used to retrieve articles on all business related topics. It will help you research companies, determine industry and market trends and even determine the economic status for several countries.

Types of searches

Advanced Search Tips

• Find appropriate Subject terms if possible
• Use appropriate Boolean (AND/OR/ NOT) operators when joining terms
• Refine the search if you get too many results

Finding appropriate Subject terms

Using the subject terms in BSP will aid in locating correct search terms and insure that the results of your search will be consistent with the indexing of the articles. From the Advanced search screen, click on Subjects. Type in your search term in the dialog box and determine how the results should be displayed by clicking on one of the radio buttons- “ Term begins with”, “Term contains”, “Relevancy ranked”. Press Browse and you will get a list of subject terms that are most closely related to your search term. To search for articles, choose the most appropriate term or terms and press the Add button at the top of the list. The term(s) will now be in the Find box at the top of the page. Press the Search button to retrieve your articles.

Using Boolean Operators

At times your search can still be too broad or narrow. You can use Boolean operators to add additional terms to your search. BSP has dropdown boxes on the Advanced search page containing the Boolean operators AND, OR, NOT. AND will give you results that contain all of your search terms. OR gives results that will contain at least one of the search terms. NOT will give you results that only contains the search term before the Boolean term.

Refining your Search

If you still receive numerous results, you can refine your search by using the Limit results to: part of the Advanced Search screen and click on More Options at the bottom of the screen. There are multiple ways to limit your results including choosing only Full Text articles, choosing the Published Date, Document Type and Publication Type. Other limiters include Number of Pages, Company/Entity, and Ticker Number. You can also Expandyour search to:Also search for related words, and Also search within full text of the articles.

Two Questions that Business Source Premier Can Answer

Q. I would like to buy stock. How do I find information about a specific company so I can make wise investments?

A. Company Profiles- This is a browsable list of company reports compiled by Datamonitor, a business research company that specializes in industry analysis. These reports contain descriptions of companies with financial information, lists of competitors and a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis. These documents do not have as detailed financial data as the companies’ SEC filings. However, they provide a good indicator of the companies’ stability in the stock market.

Q. I would like to start my own business. How do I determine if my business will be in a marketable industry?

A. Industry Profiles and Market Research Reports- Industry Profiles is a browsable list of reports about specific industries. These profiles provide an overview of the industry; giving an analysis of the number and characteristics of people who buy the product and the number and characteristics of businesses who sell the product. The Industry Profiles also forecast price trends. Market Research Reports is also a browsable list of reports on specific industries. These reports are less specific and cover fewer industries than the Industry Profiles. However, these reports contain monthly news updates and product reviews.