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MKT 310: Marketing Research: Search Examples [12:30pm]

Created by Dana Gordon, Acting Business & Economics Librarian, Spring 2010; Revised and updated by Terrence Bennett. Latest update: Spring 2024

Search Strategies and Examples: section 02

Search tip: for very recent insight into issues in higher education -- including, for example, how colleges and universities are dealing with the interaction of pandemic problems with the topic that your group has chosen -- search for articles in The Chronicle of Higher Education (TCNJ Library database) and Inside Higher Ed (free online).

Search tip: for any topic that seeks to consider the effects of COVID-19 (such as the effect of COVID on shopping habits and other consumer behaviors; resuming on-campus operations at TCNJ; or athletic events and COVID compliance; etc.) be sure to consult the TCNJ LibGuide: COVID-19 and the Coronavirus Pandemic Information Resources.

Search tip: for any public company that may be relevant to your topic (including Sodexo, Planet Fitness, Barnes & Noble; Panera; Apple; etc.)

Several other business LibGuides include guidance for finding information about a company, or information about the overall industry in which a company operates.  See, for example, the Find Company/Industry Information tab from the ACC498 LibGuide.

Note: All of the article databases operate on the same principles, although each have a slightly different search interface, and some will be better suited to your topic than others.

Search example: Campus food service (including the 1855 Room, Traditions / Brower Student Center / The Lions Den, T-Dubs, Eickhoff / Sodexo, the Library Cafe; and Campus Town and other off-campus dining options)

ABI / Inform Global https://library.tcnj.edu/search-tools/databases-a-z/abiinform-global/

  • Go to the Advanced Search screen
  • Try "college" and "food service"
  • Look at Related Searches for suggested terms to refine the search
  • Sort results by type: scholarly journals, newspapers, trade publications, etc.
  • Sort results by relevance (or by date).

From the results list:

Liang, X., & Zhang, S. (2009). Investigation of customer satisfaction in student food service. International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, 1(1), 113-124. 

Theodore S. Glickman, Jennifer Holm, Devlin Keating, Claudia Pannait, and Susan C. White. "Outsourcing on American campuses: National developments and the food service experience at GWU." The International Journal of Educational Management  21, no. 5 (July 30, 2007): 440-452. 

Search tip
Colleges & universities is a subject term in ABI / Inform. By selecting these words as a subject of an article, rather than as a phrase that appears anywhere in the article text, your results are likely to be more on point. You can combine this term with the concept or service that defines your project (e.g. "food service", which in this case is also a subject term in the database). Use the Advanced Search form and the Recent searches function to combine these terms with others related to your project:

Examples:
colleges & universities (subject) AND food service (subject) AND . . .

 . . . market* (finds market or marketing) OR 
 . . . satisfaction OR
 . . . survey OR
 . . . study  OR
 . . . students OR
 . . . undergraduates OR
 . . . off-campus dining OR
 . . . polls & surveys OR
 . . . entertainment

From the results list:

Porter, J., Conner, D., Kolodinsky, J., & Trubek, A. (2017). Get real: An analysis of student preference for real food. Agriculture and Human Values, 34(4), 921-932. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10460-017-9785-9

Holligan, S., Yi, S., Kanetkar, V., Haines, J., Dergham, J., Royall, D., & Brauer, P. (2019). Preferences for vegetables among university foodservice users. British Food Journal, 121(12), 3338-3349. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-09-2018-0597
[Note that the full text of this article is not available from  TCNJ; make an interlibrary loan (ILL) request to receive a copy.]

Search example:  Center for Global Engagement (global studies; study abroad; intercultural exchange programs)

Education Full Text (Wilson Web)
https://library.tcnj.edu/search-tools/databases-a-z/education-full-text/

  • Go to the Advanced Search screen
  • Try "college" and "study abroad"
  • Look at results for subject terms to refine the search
  • Try combinations of "Colleges & universities" "foreign study" "academic achievement" etc.

From the results list:

Serrano, R., Tragant, E., & Llanes, À. (2012). A Longitudinal Analysis of the Effects of One Year Abroad. Canadian Modern Language Review, 68(2), 138-163. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eft&AN=74664634&site=ehost-live

Olson, J., & Lalley, K. (2012). Evaluating a Short-Term, First-Year Study Abroad Program for Business and Engineering Undergraduates: Understanding the Student Learning Experience. Journal Of Education For Business, 87(6), 325-332. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eft&AN=79472942&site=ehost-live

Salisbury, M., Paulsen, M., & Pascarella, E. (2011). Why do All the Study Abroad Students Look Alike? Applying an Integrated Student Choice Model to Explore Differences in the Factors that Influence White and Minority Students' Intent to Study Abroad. Research In Higher Education, 52(2), 123-150. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eft&AN=57318567&site=ehost-live

Search example:  Library [includes library study rooms; student use of library resources]

Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text (LISTA)
https://library.tcnj.edu/search-tools/databases-a-z/library-information-science-technology-abstracts-lista/

  • Try "college students" and "marketing"
  • refine results with suggested topics accompanying the results list [e.g. Subject: "college students"; "academic libraries"; "social marketing"; etc.]

From the results list:

Jameson, J., Natal, G., & Napp, J. (2019). Evolving and Enduring Patterns Surrounding Student Usage and Perceptions of Academic Library Reference Services. College & Research Libraries, 80(3), 366–385.

Dresselhaus, A., & Shrode, F. (2012). Mobile Technologies & Academics: Do Students Use Mobile Technologies in Their Academic Lives and are Librarians Ready to Meet this Challenge? Information Technology & Libraries, 31(2), 82–101.

O’Connor, L., & Lundstrom, K. (2011). The Impact of Social Marketing Strategies on the Information Seeking Behaviors of College Students. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 50(4), 351–365.

Datig, I. (2014). What is a Library?: International College Students’ Perceptions of Libraries. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 40(3/4), 350–356.

Scarletto, E. A., Burhanna, K. J., & Richardson, E. (2013). Wide Awake at 4 AM: A Study of Late Night User Behavior, Perceptions and Performance at an Academic Library. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 39(5), 371–377.

Bonus! The results from the TCNJ Library 2011 LibQual Survey have been published. The 102-page document is here. [This survey may be a bit dated, but the range of questions (and responses) could provide some useful context for your project.]

Search example: Campustown Fitness Center; Rec Center; Physical Enhancement Center

Sports Medicine & Education Index
https://library.tcnj.edu/search-tools/databases-a-z/physical-education-index/

  • Use the Thesaurus feature to find relevant terms and create complex targeted search strings
  • Example: (DE=("exercise attitudes" or "health attitudes" or "physical education attitudes" or "recreation attitudes" or "sports attitudes")) and(DE="college students")
  • Example: DE="college students" and DE="body concept"

From the results list:

Miller, K. H., Noland, M., Rayens, M. K., & Staten, R. (2008). Characteristics of users and nonusers of a campus recreation center. Recreational Sports Journal, 32(2)

Behrens, T., & Dinger, M. (2003). A preliminary investigation of college students' physical activity patterns. American Journal of Health Studies, 18(2-3), 169-172.

Shaffer, D. R., & Wittes, E. (2006). Women's precollege sports participation, enjoyment of sports, and self-esteem. Sex Roles, 55(3-4), 225-232. doi:10.1007/s11199-006-9074-3

[Note that if any of the articles listed above are not available in full text in Physical Education Index; you can follow the Search for Full Text link to see if they can be found in another online database or in print at the Library. If not, then request a copy of the article via Interlibrary Loan.]

Search tip
The college department or service you're looking at may not be an official subject term in the database, so you may have to try different terms to  find what you're looking for. To get the best results from article databases and online searching, think broadly about the wording of your topic.  For example, the Physical Enhancement Center is also a "fitness center", a "recreation center" and it deals with "physical fitness" or "recreation"

Search example: Student Life (including Greek life and other student organizations)

Academic Search Premier
https://library.tcnj.edu/research-help/search-tools/databases-a-z/academic-search-premier/

  • Start with an Advanced Search with relevant terms such as college and student life
  • From the results page, use the Thesaurus feature to find relevant phrases to create complex targeted search strings
  • Example: Narrow by Geography - united states; Subject - social skills; Subject - student attitudes; Subject  - college students
  • Try sorting results by Relevance or by Date, Newest to see different results first

From the results list:

Routon, P. W., & Walker, J. K. (2016). Attitude Changes and Self-Perceived Skill Gains from Collegiate Greek Organization Membership. Social Science Quarterly (Wiley-Blackwell), 97(3), 807–822. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.12310

Hamilton, L. T., & Cheng, S. (2018). Going Greek: The Organization of Campus Life and Class-Based Graduation Gaps. Social Forces, 96(3), 977–1008. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/sox089

Peacock, J. (2022). Relationships between prosocial factors and college student health. Journal of American College Health, 70(2), 347–354. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2020.1750413

Lohani, M., Pfund, G. N., Bono, T. J., & Hill, P. L. (2023). Starting school with purpose: Self‐regulatory strategies of first‐semester university students. Applied Psychology: Health & Well-Being, 15(2), 723–739. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12407

Search example: Parking Services

ABI / Inform Global
https://library.tcnj.edu/search-tools/databases-a-z/abiinform-global/

  • Go to the Advanced Search screen
  • Try "parking" and "campus"
  • Look at Suggested Topics to refine the search
  • Example [Subject] "Colleges & universities" and "parking facilities"

From the results list: [Follow the link in the database to Search for Full Text]

Lipscomb, C. A., & Koford, B. C. (2011). Conservative dichotomous choice responses in the active policy setting: The case of university parking. Applied Economics Letters, 18(1), 39. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/822926099?accountid=10216

Klassen, K. J., Kumar, A., & Trybus, E. K. (2002). Parking needs analysis for multiple facilities using multiple lots. The Service Industries Journal, 22(4), 73-92. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/203354034?accountid=10216

[Follow link to "search for full text"]

ERIC
https://library.tcnj.edu/search-tools/databases-a-z/eric/

  • Use the Thesaurus to find precise search descriptors (e.g. find descriptors related to "parking" and "college") [(DE "Facilities" AND DE "Motor Vehicles") AND ("parking")]
  • Use the features at the left side of the results list to limit your results by date, type of publication, and possibly subject term
  • Sort results by relevance or by date

From the results list:

Klavon, P. (2005). The Business Case for Commuter Benefits at Colleges and Universities. CUPA-HR Journal, 56(2), 2-7. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ798777&site=ehost-live

Millard-Ball, A., Siegman, P., & Tumlin, J. (2004). Solving Campus Parking Shortages: New Solutions for an Old Problem. Planning For Higher Education, 33(1), 30-43. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ847964&site=ehost-live

[Note that the first result listed above is not available at TCNJ. Use interlibrary loan (ILL) to request copies of articles that TCNJ does not have: http://libguides.tcnj.edu/ILLiad

Search example: Mental Health Services [More broadly: Counseling and Prevention Services]

PsycINFO  https://library.tcnj.edu/search-tools/databases-a-z/psycinfo/

  • Go to the Advanced Search screen
  • Try "college students" and "mental health" and "counseling"
  • If a promising title emerges from the list of results, use the subject terms associated with this result to create a new, more precise search strategy
  • Use the features at the left side of the results list to limit your results (if necessary) and refine the search
  • Select results by type: academic journals, books (includes book chapters), etc.
  • Sort results by relevance or by date

From the results list:

Menendez, J., Franco, M., Davari, J., Gnilka, P. B., & Ashby, J. S. (2019). Barriers and facilitators to latinx college students seeking counseling. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy.

Shea, M., Wong, Y. J., Nguyen, K. K., & Gonzalez, P. D. (2019). College students’ barriers to seeking mental health counseling: Scale development and psychometric evaluation. Journal of Counseling Psychology.

Hatchett, G. T., & Park, H. L. (2019). Reexamination of the five‐factor model and college students’ treatment‐seeking attitudes. Journal of Counseling & Development, 97(2), 140–147.

Oswalt, S. B., Lederer, A. M., & Chestnut-Steich, K. (2019). Who is willing to come back? College students’ willingness to seek help after using campus mental health services. Journal of American College Health, 67(1), 10–16.

Search example: Health Services

ABI / Inform Global
https://library.tcnj.edu/search-tools/databases-a-z/abiinform-global/

  • Go to the Advanced Search screen
  • Try "health services" and "college"
  • Look at Related Topics to refine the search
  • Select "Colleges & universities AND Health services"
  • Try additional relevant terms such as "marketing," "outreach," "studies," etc.

From the results list [Scholarly articles]:

Anderson, E. A. (1995). Measuring service quality at a university health clinic. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 8(2), 32. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/229690842?accountid=10216

Canel, C., & Anderson Fletcher, E.,A. (2001). An analysis of service quality at a student health center. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 14(6), 260-267. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/229693426?accountid=10216

Russell, J., Thomson, G., & Rosenthal, D. (2008). International student use of university health and counseling services. Higher Education, 56(1), 59-75. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10734-007-9089-x

Search example: Intramurals / Club Sports (including Ultimate Frisbee, rugby, crew, ice hockey, etc.)

Sports Medicine & Education Index
https://library.tcnj.edu/search-tools/databases-a-z/physical-education-index/

  • Use the Advanced Search feature and try combinations of relevant terms such as "college" and "intramurals"
  • Refine using subject terms from relevant results
  • Example: (DE=("intramurals") and (DE="college students")

From the results list:

Simmons, S., & Childers, K. (2013). Effects of intercollegiate athletics and intramural participation on self-esteem and physical self-description: A pilot study. Recreational Sports Journal, 37(2), 160-168. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.tcnj.edu:2075/scholarly-journals/effects-intercollegiate-athletics-intramural/docview/1673397627/se-2?accountid=10216

Search tip
The above-cited article by Simmons includes the use of a survey instrument: Physical Self-Description Questionnaire (PSDQ). This could be used as a search term to find other articles that also report on the use of this specific instrument.

Rothwell, E., & Theodore, P. (2006). Intramurals and college student development: The role of intramurals on values clarification. Recreational Sports Journal, 30(1) Retrieved from https://ezproxy.tcnj.edu:2075/scholarly-journals/intramurals-college-student-development-role-on/docview/19369173/se-2?accountid=10216

Bayne, K. S., & Cianfrone, B. A. (2013). The effectiveness of social media marketing: The impact of facebook status updates on a campus recreation event. Recreational Sports Journal, 37(2), 147-159. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.tcnj.edu:2075/scholarly-journals/effectiveness-social-media-marketing-impact/docview/1673399655/se-2?accountid=10216

Fehmi, Ç., Mahmut, G., Kürsad, S., Ihsan, S., & Erdi, K. (2014). Analysis and examination of the relationship between leisure motivation and academic motivation of students of schools of physical education and sports. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 14(1), 127-133. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.tcnj.edu:2075/scholarly-journals/analysis-examination-relationship-between-leisure/docview/1524242830/se-2?accountid=10216

Vasold, K. L., Deere, S. J., & Pivarnik, J. M. (2019). Club and intramural sports participation and college student academic success. Recreational Sports Journal, 43(1), 55-66. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/1558866119840085

Search example: Spiritual Center

ERIC
https://library.tcnj.edu/research-help/search-tools/databases-a-z/eric/

  • Go to the Advanced Search screen
  • Try "college students" and "spiritual center"
  • Use the Refine Results feature on the results page to limit the publication date and select specific subjects (such as student attitudes)
  • Example: college students AND spirituality  +  [Subject] "student attitudes"

From the results list: [Follow the link in the database to Search for Full Text]

Klassen, B. J., & Grekin, E. R. (2017). Different Forms of Spirituality and Heavy Episodic Drinking among College Students. Journal of American College Health, 65(2), 131–138. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2016.1262866

Betts, M., Grabsch, D. K., Davis, V. D., Bell, L. M., & Sheedy, F. A. (2023). Exploring the Motivations of Students to Engage in Their Spiritual, Religious, or Faith Lives in College. Journal of Beliefs & Values, 44(3), 441–454. https://doi.org/10.1080/13617672.2022.2147684

Cereola, S. J., Snyder, C. S., Cereola, R. J., & Horton, B. W. (2014). Holistic Wellness and Its Impact on First-Semester Grades. Journal of The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, 26(2), 89–106. https://login.tcnj.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1047355&site=ehost-live

Caton, M. T., & Watters, P. (2023). Spirituality’s Effect on Academic Resilience among Race and Ethnicity Groups. Journal of Religious Education, 71(2), 139–154. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40839-023-00200-5

Johnson, C. V., & Hayes, J. A. (2003). Troubled Spirits: Prevalence and Predictors of Religious and Spiritual Concerns among University Students and Counseling Center Clients. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 50(4), 409–419. https://login.tcnj.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ775302&site=ehost-live