MGT 400: Organizational Development and Change

Start simply by gathering general information.  

Make sure you take time to learn a little bit about your topic before you begin looking for research articles about that topic. 

How do I do this? 

Reference sources (encyclopedias and dictionaries) and class resources (textbook and class readings) will give general background information on your topic. These are different from peer-reviewed journal articles. They may be scholarly, but they are designed to present general information in a summary rather than presenting new research.

Reference Databases 

Use a reference database to find more information about your topic. In addition to reference sources, consider your textbook and class readings. Some of the links below also include general statistical information and data. 

Start thinking of a research question. Isolate the main ideas you will include in your search. 

How do I do this? 

Ask a question that you want to know about your topic. Keep in mind that the first question you construct is just a starting point. It may change as you research your topic. Try to keep your question: open-ended, without a definite answer, broad enough to find information on the topic, and narrow enough to cover in a paper. 

Topic: employee benefits

Question: How do employee benefits like health insurance contribute to employee retention? 

Identify the main ideas in your question. What are the main words in your question that describe what you want to find? For example, the main ideas in the above question are highlighted. These are the words and phrases most relevant to your research. 

Determine the parameters of your literature search. 

Use the following information to help direct your search: 

• What types of information meet the requirements of your assignment? 
  • Examples: within a specific date range (last 5 years), a specific type of resource (peer-reviewed journal article, news source, primary source material, etc.)

Use those parameters to decide where to start your search for information. 

Where to Search

• Want a general overview of the literature on the topic? Try WorldCat Discovery.
  • This is the main search box on the library website. It pulls things from all over the world to show what is available. If you want something that we have available at UMO, remember to limit your search results to full-text for articles and to Moye Library for books. 
• Want more specific information? Try an individual database.
  • Our databases are listed by title and by subject area on our Databases page, accessible under Quicklinks on the library website. 
  • Different databases are useful for different types of information. Many, but not all, can be used to find peer-reviewed journal articles. Some databases (like Reference USA) do not include articles, but include data about specific companies or target markets. 

Filters to Use

The most popular filters in WorldCat Discovery are described below. 

Held by Library:

• limit to Moye Library to find items that are held by our library 
• choosing libraries worldwide will give you a greater overview of the research, but any articles that we do not have will need to be requested via Interlibrary Loan 

Format: 

• Book: limit to print or eBooks
• Article: limit to journal and news articles (Limit to peer-reviewed under Content Type to narrow to academic journal articles.) 
• Chapter: limit to book chapters 

Content Type: 

• Full Text: available as a full-text download through our library 
• Open Access: available freely to use and share 
• Peer-Reviewed: published in a peer-reviewed journal (Peer-reviewed journal also include book reviews and commentaries that are not research articles. This filter includes those results. Please check your article to make sure that it matches the requirements of your assignment.)  

Publication Year: 

• Limit to the last 5, 7, or 10 years
• Type in a custom date range

Subject:

• Narrow to the specific subject that you are looking for information about. (Most frequently appears in a search that includes books in the search results.) 

Appointments are not required, but our Research Help form will help you make an appointment in advance that works with your schedule. 

Go to Quicklinks on the right side of the library homepage and click 1-on1 Research Help. This form goes directly to your Research Librarian and will include your preferred dates/times to meet, your preferred meeting format, and any files (like your syllabus or research outline) or notes (like your assignment description) that you want to add. 

If you do not hear back in 1 business day during weekdays please email your librarian directly at jhill@umo.edu. 

Research help is available in-person and virtually. This specific form is for help requested 24-48 hours in advance. If you need immediate assistance, please email Moye Library directly during open hours or use Library Chat during closed hours.