Finding Information

Once you have collected some search terms you need for your research, you can start looking for relevant resources for your research.

So what are good resources?

Think about the aim and context of your research. What kind of information do you need for your research? Different kinds of information can be found in different types of resources, such as newspapers, academic journals, magazines, databases with company info etc.

Search efficiently: save time!

For example, say you want to buy some coffee. You might go and have a look at a huge discounter shop. They have all sorts of stuff there, they might even have coffee but it could be anywhere in the shop. Once you located it -if they have it at all-  it turns out they only have limited choice. This you might also find while using Google as a source. There is an enormous offer of stuff you don't need, it takes a lot of time to find what you need -if you can find it at all- and it might in the end not be what you were looking for and/or of poor quality.

So you go to the supermarket. There's more options available and it's neatly stored together. This is like using our search engine Kaluga. But you can't yet find the coffee specialties.

So if you want the coffee specialties -the quality stuff-  you go to a specialty coffee shop. This is like using Avans' databases like MarketLine, Statista and Business Source Ultimate. (There is a whole lot more you can check on Databases Economics Xplora) 

Watch this video 'Where to search' - this tutorial shows how to use Google Advanced, Google Scholar and our own search engine Kaluga

In the video below we have used 'meat replacements' as a category example. You can try out the tactics used in this video on your own category or topic. 

Also, our search engine Kaluga has a new look. Therefore, some things look slightly different from what is shown in the video. You can still refine your results by using the filters on the left.

• (E-) Books (Background information): use (e-)books to find background information about models, theory, referrals to different sources, glance through the table of content. (E-)Books can be found using Kaluga or the catalogue
• Magazines and journals (Current information): use magazines to find specific (recent) information about topics and referrals to different sources, bibliographic information. Magazines can be found at Xplora or online at avans.libguides.com/Xplora. Current information like (international) newspapers can be found via this link. (Go to 'weblinks' at the top of the page) 
• Trade journals: use trade journals for a particular trade or industry, trends and news. These kinds of journals often have advertisements and poor references.
• Scholarly information and academic journals: use scholarly or academic journal articles to find specific information, latest developments in a specific field and relevant research results and references. The information in these journals is peer reviewed and holds scholarly language. Scholarly/academic journals hold no advertisements. This kind of information can be found using for instance Google Scholar, but also using Kaluga. Note that a digital source might not always be available in FullText. For instance, not all publication you'll find via Google Scholar can be opened immediately. Sometimes you'll need to pay to read an article or you'll just find a description of the article. Check out the link below how to get to FullText using Google Scholar. 
• Databases: (Factual information) Use databases to collect (statistical) facts and figures for your research. For instance about companies, countries or industries. Check out Xplora to find the databases. You can also find often used databases in the 'useful databases'-section in this guide. 

Via the Avans search engine Kaluga many e-books, books, journal articles and databases can be looked up. You can search on topic, author, title, publisher or search term combinations. It includes the Avans catalogue and also some of the databases and has access to (scholarly) articles. You can specify your search by using the filters on the left. 

Add the title, author or search terms into the search bar below and directly search Kaluga