Research is at an all time high during any college course a student may be taking. It all begins with how much effort and time the student is willing to put into their research. Most students are use to logging on to the internet and using the available search engines, but a great amount of time is wasted due to unreliable information provided. To steer away from making those mistakes, I went online to the Berkeley College Library and proceeded with a general marketing search. Since I was only doing a general search, I was provided with a large amount of sources ranging from marketing firm companies to statistics of everyday markets. The four database electronic sources I navigated my way through included Pro Quest, Lexis Nexis Academic, Plunkett Research, Ltd., and Standard Rate and Data Service (SRDS). The most important factor during my general search with these four databases was the reliability of each source, the clear and understandable details, and the length of the articles that would provide enough information for me to support my standing on my topic.
Navigating through sources often creates a challenge which is why a time needs to be designated towards research. To find the easiest electronic resource to navigate, students need to widen their variety by trying all the other sources available. From my research of databases, I found that Pro Quest was the easiest to navigate. In Pro Quest, I simply typed in marketing within the search box provided and waited for all available articles to load. In a section of the page, there were smaller categories which broke down the components of marketing, such as advertisement. I was interested to see what the articles had to offer, so I selected the first one on the page titled, “12 Volters to Get Advertising Crash Course.” The article provided information through statistics and pointed out the top three internet websites with the most advertisements, which to no surprise were Myspace, Facebook, and YouTube. This was not a surprise due to the fact that today’s target market consists of teenagers and young adults. I found that all the information provided on Pro Quest was reliable and very informative, not to mention a simple and easy electronic source to navigate.
With the amount of results that show up during any research, it is important to understand what you read, and if it is related to what you are looking for. My findings were very informative, but I made sure I read them carefully and even an extra time if I was unsure of the message being presented. The availability of results showed me many different viewpoints and opinions, so again I selected one of the articles provided. The article was provided by Lexis Nexis Academic and titled, “Zyman Marketing Group and Aprimo Partner to Offer Comprehensive Marketing Solutions; Zyman Marketing Group Selects Aprimo as First Marketing Management Solution Partner.” My findings in this article were helpful and explained how a large marketing firm introduced effective marketing skills to Aprimo. The results I received from this specific article were clear and presented in an understandable format. Even with the other databases, I was able to comprehend and determine the meaning behind each, and that is an important factor in research.
It is common for other sources to retrieve a greater amount or a better selection of information when participating in a research assignment. These types of results also depend on whether you use the same search each time or if you switch it up. From the results I retrieved from all four databases, I felt each of them had a significant amount of information to offer. I realized as far as a more in depth search, that Lexis Nexis Academic offered that option. For example, if I only wanted to see blogs, I would just check off that box compared to checking all of them. My search consisted of the term marketing each time I navigated another database. Even though the term was basic, it provided an immense amount of information that related to the whole marketing concept. I was pleased with my findings from each and did not see one as better than the other.
During my research throughout all four databases, I was provided with many options to make my search easier. I noticed that all databases had a search box, but there were a few with additional boxes to narrow down the search. This feature is helpful when you would rather see a list of blogs compared to a variety of every type of source. When I did my general search of marketing, there were additional categories that focused in on the depth of the components of marketing. By exploring the different components of marketing, it increased my research and made me aware of the additional information out there. I felt that each database I used to conduct my research and learn the basis of electronic resources, were reliable and easy to navigate.
By taking the time to navigate Berkeley’s Online Library, I made myself aware of what I am able to use for research. I was introduced to the different research techniques each database had to offer. Pro Quest, Lexis Nexis Academic, Plunkett Research, Ltd., and SRDS were easy to navigate and provided a wide variety of information. Although I am not limited to my sources, they will be extremely helpful in future research assignments. Students need to open their eyes to all available sources and not limit their research to those quick, unreliable search engine results.
Hope this was helpful! Make sure you check out all of the available databases! You never know what you will find!
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