Introduction | Accessing | Searching | Search
Results | Managing
Search Results | Search Tips
Introduction
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The General BusinessFile
database contains articles from more than 900 business, economic, management,
trade, and
industry publications. The database includes
- profiles of more than 100,000 public
and private companies
- standard codes and industry descriptions
- investment reports and forecasts for
more than 11,000 US and international companies and for 53 industries
prepared by Wall Street and international
brokerage
firms
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Accessing
Searching
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Below is the opening screen in Infotrac.
When you open any database in InfoTrac Web the screen defaults to the Advanced
Search mode. To choose one of the other types of search modes, click on Subject
Guide, Keyword Search or Advanced Search on the left side of the screen.
To construct an Advanced Search
type your search term(s) in the entry box
click on Search to obtain a list of records
(Get no results? Consult the Search Tips for additional information on modifying your
searches.)
The Keyword Search lets you retrieve subjects, combinations of
terms, or company profiles that contain the keywords you enter. Use the keyword
approach when combining terms with Boolean operators.
To access and search using the Keyword Search
- click on Keyword Search–on the left side of the search screen
- click in the entry box
- enter search terms
- select where terms should appear: in article title, citation,
abstract, or in the entire article content
- click on the Search button
Here are examples of some words you might use in a Keyword Search
| former Soviet Union |
(topic not in Subject Guide) |
| Diet Coke |
(product name) |
| TV violence and children |
(topic combination) |
| megatrends |
(book title) |
| Paris Match |
(non-U.S. company) |
| wheat and Kansas |
(topic combination) |
Keyword searches often provide less precise results than using
various combinations of field searching in the Advanced Search.
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Search Results
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Search results will vary. If you get:
- No records matched your search, then check your spelling
or the fields you searched in.
- Too many, then go back and limit your search. Sometimes a
search needs to be modified with: additional search words, searching
only a specific field, adding date limitations, or type of materials.
- Too few, then go back and expand your search. Consider synonyms
for your search words or concepts. Try to use professional language
or terminology.
- Irrelevant results, then try new search terms. Consider synonyms
or related concepts. Identify and search using descriptors. Try a different
database.
Results lists
To view your results:
-- look above the Advanced Search Box
-- go to the History section at the top of the screen
-- click on View–below the search terms
Number of matching citations in General BusinessFile ASAP.
Your list of citations shows:
citations for items that matched your search
- availability of full-text:
Sample search results in General BusinessFile ASAP.
Records
To view a record (article):
- Click on the link that appears below a citation: View….This will
show the full citation, and the next level of choices
- select Text, .PDF, Citiation, or Abstract
NOTE: The information in the record, especially the title of the item and
the abstract (if available) will help you determine if you need the item.
For articles available in PDF format, Adobe Acrobat Reader software must be
installed on the computer to view the document. Acrobat Reader allows the article
to be viewed and printed exactly as it appeared in the original publication.
This is free software, but is unsupported by NSU. It can be downloaded at www.adobe.com.
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Managing Search Results
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Databases typically allow you to manage your search results by
- marking or tagging records to select only the records that you want
from your search results from later printing, emailing and/or saving
- printing the search results list and/or specific records
- emailing the search results list and/or specific records to your
email address
- saving the search results list and/or specific records–some
databases may allow you to save your file for export into commercial bibliographic
citation manager software, such as EndNote or ProCite
Not all search management features are available in all databases.
Marking
The “mark” feature allows you to select records from within your search results.
By marking items, you can print or email records at one time.
To mark a record
- in the list of citations, click in the check box to the left
of a citation
- in a record, click in the check box labeled Mark, to the
left of the journal/source name
To view your list of marked records
- click on View mark list on the left side of the screen
You may then email or print the items you have selected – if available, full-text
can be printed or emailed.
Printing
To print a record, including full-text if available
- click on the Print button–on the left side of the screen
- the item will be automatically reformatted and the Print dialog box
will appear
- click OK
- click your Internet browser’s back arrow to return to your search
results
Emailing
To email a record, including full-text–no graphics or images–if available
- click on the Email link–on the left side of the screen
- enter an email address
- click Submit Email Request
Use your complete email address and include a note about what you are sending
in the comment box.
Saving
To save a record
- click on the print button–on the left side of the screen
- the item will be automatically reformatted and the Print dialog box
will appear
- click Cancel
- click File on your browser’s tool bar
- click Save As
- type your file name in the File name dialog box
- in the save as type dialog box, click on the down arrow and change to Plain
text
- click on the Save button
- click your Internet browser’s back arrow to return to your search
results
Use a word processing or text editor program to open your file.
Saving Page Locations
An InfoMark at the top of any page indicates that the URL of the
page persists even when the session is over. Persistent URLs can be bookmarked
for future reference or copied into an electronic mail message or onto a Web
page.
To create an InfoMark:
-- make sure that the InfoMark symbol is at the top of
the page
-- use your Internet browser to add the page as a bookmark or favorite
-- for InfoMarks to work, your Internet browser must be set to accept cookies.
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Search Tips
-
Use advanced search features to modify a search to obtain more successful search
results. You can combine advanced search features to modify and improve your
search. Advanced search features often include:
- phrase or proximity searching
- field searching
- date
- document and/or publication type
- Boolean operators
- plurals and truncation
One useful tip when searching any electronic database is to leave out articles,
prepositions, and very abstract or general terms–they confuse the database's
search engine.
For example, if the paper is on "The Impact of Mainstreaming Students
in Math Classes,” use the most precise terms like mainstreaming and mathematics
and skip impact, the, of, and in.
Modify searches in the General Business File database
by using one or more of the following
- enter multiple search terms or concepts
- combine terms using Boolean operators
- limit search terms using field searching
- refine searches with limiters, such as date, full text, publication type,
language, etc.
Modifying a search in General Business File.
Phrase or proximity searching
In InfoTrac Web, there are two ways to search for a phrase
- put the phrase in double quotes, such as
“higher education”
“curriculum development”
- use the letter w1 to search for two words as a phrase
higher w1 education
curriculum w1 development
Field searching
To limit your search to a specific field (index) in the record:
- click on the pull-down arrow–to the right of the box that says
“Key Word (ke)”
- scroll to the field to limit your search to
- click on the field’s name
Date
To limit a search to specific years do one of the following:
- go to the Limit the current search section below the entry boxes
and then click in the appropriate check box(es)
- use a field (index ) search for date and then type a date
(like 2001, May 2001 or 5/15/2001) or a range of dates (like 1990-1999
or January 2000-June 2000) or from a specific year until the current year
( like 1995- )
Publication type
InfoTrac Web does not allow searches to be limited to specific document types,
however searches may be limited to refereed (peer-reviewed) or scholarly publications
- go to the Limit type to section
- use the refereed publications check box to limit your search
Boolean operators
Use AND to narrow a search. AND looks for both terms in the
same record.
leadership and vision; mainstreaming and science
Use OR to broaden a search. OR looks for either term in the
same record.
mainstreaming or inclusion; elementary education or secondary education
Use NOT to eliminate records with a certain term.
Saturn not car; Venus not planet
Plurals
Use the following symbols in InfoTrac Web databases to locate plural forms,
truncate search terms, or replace characters:
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!
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Regular plurals.
school! retrieves both school and schools
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*
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Any number of characters at the end of a word.
leader* retrieves leader, leaders, leadership
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?
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One character.
defen?e retrieves both defense and defence
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Subject Guide Search
A subject guide search allows you to search the database for a
list of subject headings containing your entry. The subject headings that appear
when you perform a Subject Guide search may include the names of companies,
people, industries, and locations.
To access and search the Subject Guide
- click on Subject Guide–on the left side of the search screen
- click in the entry box
- enter search terms
- click on the Search button
For the best results in a Subject Guide search, limit search expressions
to one or two words. Here are examples of some words you might use in a Subject
Guide search
| enzyme |
(company name) |
| shoes |
(subject) |
| fish farms |
(industry) |
| Malaysia |
(location) |
| alan bond |
(person) |
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