8. Evaluating Sources Purpose of the Material Independent Verification Logic and Good Sense Honesty and Reliability The Author Timeliness Potential Bias Data Collection Methods Completeness
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10. Finding Information at the Library Business Books Electronic Databases Newspapers Periodicals Directories Almanacs Statistical Resources Government Publications
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Editor's Notes
No matter what the task, successful research can be a rewarding activity if you follow productive research procedures: Plan your research. Planning is the most important step of any research project; a solid plan yields better results in less time. Locate the data and information you need. The research plan tells you what to look for, so your next step is to figure out where this data and information is and how to access it. Much of your business research will be done online, but other projects require personal interviews, surveys, and other techniques. Process the data and information you located. The data and information you locate probably won't be in a form you can use immediately and will require some processing; this processing might involve anything from statistical analysis to resolving the differences between two or more expert opinions. Apply your findings. You can apply your research findings in three ways: summarizing information for someone else's benefit, drawing conclusions based on what you've learned, or developing recommendations. Manage information efficiently. Many companies today are trying to maximize the return on the time and money they invest in business research by collecting and sharing research results in a variety of computer-based systems.
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