Gleeson Library: BAM 300 Library Research Guide: BAM 300 Library Research Guide

Choosing a Topic

If you are having trouble figuring out a topic for your paper, try some of these library databases to browse and get inspired!

Opposing Viewpoints
To get started, click on the little lightbulb that says "Browse Issues," or type in search words in Topic Finder. This database contains "pro" and "con" arguments on controversial issues.
CQ Researcher
Browse by Topic, Hot Topic, or Pro/Con to find information on a variety of social issues, and to help you decide on what you'd like your paper topic to be.
Full-length articles include an overview, historical background, chronology, pro/con feature, plus resources for additional research. Graphics, photos and short "sidebar" features round out the reports. Shorter "Hot Topics" articles provide a solid introduction to subjects most in demand by students.

On-Campus Link
Access World News
Scroll down to near the bottom of the landing page to Hot Topics to browse all kinds of topics in many subject areas, including law, health, politics, the arts, science, business, and many more!
Sources include a variety of current and retrospective news media: newspapers, newswires, broadcast transcripts, blogs, periodicals, and web-only content.

Also included are the following Access Modules: Business News, U.S. Newswires, Military, Government, and Defense, and Acceda Noticias. Content is easily searched and sorted through an intuitive, map-based interface.

Access World News includes many California News Sources including the current San Francisco Chronicle.

On Campus Link

Overviews of a Topic

Once you have your topic, it can be good to get a general overview of what's involved, the history, language, and current status of what you are writing about. These databases can help.

Gale eBooks
A great place to begin your research, Gale eBooks offers thousands of authoritative articles published in academic encyclopedias, and written by subject experts. Gale eBooks provides information you can not only trust, but cite in a paper as well. Formerly called GVRL: Gale Virtual Reference Library.
SAGE Knowledge
More than 300 encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research.
On Campus Link
Oxford Reference
More than 300 dictionaries and encyclopedias covering multiple subjects. Choose between "Quick Reference" and in-depth "Reference Library" titles.
On-Campus Link

Finding Articles

Fusion
Fusion allows you to search, in one place, the majority of the library’s books, articles, videos, etc. It includes all the materials in our library catalog Ignacio, as well as the content of the majority of our many databases.
Questions and Answers:

Does Fusion include everything the library has?
No, but it includes so much of what the library has that it will almost always be a good place to start a search.

When would Fusion not make sense as the first place to search?
Some examples:
- If you’re interested in finding only books, or a specific book title, then our library catalog Ignacio might be a more appropriate place to begin.
- If you’re looking specifically for statistical data, or encyclopedia/dictionary entries, or images, it would be better to use databases devoted to those specific types of information.
- If you're looking for a specific Journal title, you should use our Journal Finder.
- I’m very proficient using the subject-specific databases in my field. Is there any reason I should use Fusion?
- Because Fusion will have such broad coverage, it may locate relevant materials published in other fields that you wouldn’t otherwise find in a subject-specific database.
So then why would I want to choose a subject-specific database anymore—can I just use Fusion instead?
Fusion is not replacing any of our subject-specific databases. These databases offer valuable advanced searching capabilities tailored to their subject areas.

On-Campus Link

Fusion Search Tips:

Keyword search or Advanced search options:

Refine results with limits, including Source Types, Language, Dates, etc. Find these on the left side of your results screen.
Save results to Folder and email, print, and/or export results to RefWorks.
Use asterisk * for wildcard word endings: lead* = leader, leading, leadership
Use quotation marks to search for phrases: "religious traditions" or "leadership theories"

Other Interdisciplinary Databases

Gale Academic OneFile
A premier resource for peer-reviewed, full-text journals and reference sources, Gale Academic OneFile is a sophisticated, current and easy-to-use resource for extensive research. With millions of articles available in both PDF and HTML full text, researchers are able to find accurate information quickly.
Gale Academic OneFile includes:

More than 14,000 titles, including more than 9,000 peer-reviewed journals and more than 6,000 in full text
Full text of The New York Times from 1985 to present
Thousands of podcasts and transcripts from NPR, CNN and CBC
Links to medical videos
Academic Search Complete
Academic Search Complete, designed specifically for academic institutions, is among the most valuable and comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 8,500 full-text periodicals, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals.
In addition to full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for more than 12,500 journals and a total of more than 13,200 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc.

This scholarly collection offers unmatched full text coverage of information in many areas of academic study including: animal science, anthropology, area studies, astronomy, biology, chemistry, civil engineering, electrical engineering, ethnic & multicultural studies, food science & technology, general science, geography, geology, law, materials science, mathematics, mechanical engineering, music, pharmaceutical sciences, physics, psychology, religion & theology, veterinary science, women's studies, zoology, and many other fields.

Academic Search Complete offers critical information from many sources unique to this massive collection. The database features PDF content going back as far as 1887, with the majority of full text titles in native (searchable) PDF format. Searchable cited references are provided for more than 1,400 journals.

On Campus Link
Ethnic NewsWatch
Ethnic NewsWatch covers 1990 to present and includes newspapers, magazines, and journals of the ethnic and minority press, providing researchers access to essential, often overlooked perspectives. The publications offer both national and regional coverage
Ethnic NewsWatch is the only current database devoted to presenting multi-ethnic and multi-cultural publications in one resource. Coverage begins in 1990 and is updated daily with new content. Many of the titles are not found in any other aggregated resource.

Subject-Specific Databases

Depending on your topic, you may want to explore other subject databases. Click the heading above, then scroll down to view all subject areas.

Business-Related Databases

Databases for company, industry, and other business research topics.

Finding Books

Ignacio: Library Catalog
The library catalog lets you search across the holdings of Gleeson Library and Zief Law Library, including books, videos, and other materials.

Ignacio Search Tips:

Search by Keyword, Title, or Author
Do an Advanced search to add more search words, for more precise results.
Add results to cart, and then email them or export them to RefWorks
Use the Request button to order books for delivery or pick up.

Getting Books From Other Libraries

USF Interlibrary Loan
Interlibrary loan and document delivery.
more...less...
Logon to the Interlibrary Loan system to request materials from our collections and from other libraries

Ebooks

EBSCO eBook Collection
More than 165,000 academic ebooks in a wide variety of subjects with unlimited user access.
Using ebooks

On-Campus Link
ProQuest Ebook Central
ProQuest Ebook Central offers more than 140,000 ebooks (with unlimited user access) in a wide range of subject areas, along with powerful tools to help you find, use, and manage the information you need. ProQuest Ebook Central: Academic Complete will be cancelled, effective Feb. 1, 2025 — more information. Access to over 400 purchased ebooks will remain on the ProQuest Ebook Central platform.
Using ebooks
eBook Academic Collection
Nearly 160,000 academic ebooks (with unlimited user access) in a wide variety of subjects,
Includes titles from leading university presses such as Oxford University Press, State University of New York Press, Cambridge University Press, University of California Press, MIT Press, Harvard University Press and many others. Additional academic publishers include Elsevier Ltd.; Brill Academic Publishers; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Sage Publications, Ltd. and John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Using ebooks

On-Campus Link

Citing Your Sources

Whenever you do research, you will need to cite the information sources that you use. Here are some tools that can help you with this task, using MLA style:

Gleeson Library's guide to citations: How? Why? When?

MLA Business Citations: Youngstown State University Scroll down the page to see citations for specific business web sites, reports, and databases cited in MLA style.
Purdue OWL
Our favorite style guide web site is the OWL from Purdue University. Select MLA style to get started.

RefWorks
RefWorks allows users to create personal databases to manage, store, and share the information citations/references. Users can automatically insert references from their database into their papers and generate formatted bibliographies and manuscripts in seconds. See our RefWorks Guide for information about creating accounts, adding references, and using add-ons.

Getting Help!

There are several ways to obtain assistance with your research. Read on!

The School of Management has a library liaison named Penny Scott, and you can contact her for help.

Her contact information is: email: plscott@usfca.edu * phone: 415-422-5389

It is best to call or email ahead, or make an appointment, to make sure she is available! Appointments are available virtually via Zoom, or in-person, and are great for groups or individuals.

If Penny is not available, or any time you need help, you can always get help, just Ask a Librarian!

You can also take a look at our Research Guides on many topics!

Gleeson Library Functions and Services

My Library Record
Log in here to see what books you have checked out, the progress of your book orders from Link+, and to renew items online!
Gleeson Home Delivery
USF students, faculty, and staff with classes off-campus (either online or outside the main campus) can have circulating books and media delivered to them. To opt-in to this service, follow steps outlined using the link above.
USF Interlibrary Loan
Interlibrary loan and document delivery.
more...less...
Logon to the Interlibrary Loan system to request materials from our collections and from other libraries