The library's search tool, Summon, searches everything in the library catalogue (books, ebooks, journal titles, games, music, videos, government information, maps, and more!), almost all of the articles and other sources in the databases that we subscribe to, plus research by Carleton faculty, staff and students found in our institutional repository, CURVE.
Start with online videos for search techniques and tips -
- Finding Books using Summon
- Finding Articles using Summon
- Search Tips: Boolean searching, wildcards and more
- Finding Government Information
However, Summon doesn't search everything that the library owns or subscribes to so you may still need to search our other resources to find everything that you need. Summon also doesn't let you do sophisticated searches that you may be used to doing in specific databases or the library catalogue.
This guide will highlight resources of particular interest for researching topics in economics.
Use the CATALOGUE to find books, government documents, conference proceedings, and journals. Only the titles of journals are included in the catalogue: use the databases to search for individual article titles.
Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
Handbooks, dictionaries and encyclopedias often give a good overview of a subject area and provide relevant background information, as well as key terms that can be used when searching the databases. Search for them in the library's catalogue by Keyword: economics and encyclopedias
- New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics
- Oxford Encyclopedia of Economic History
- Oxford Scholarship Online: Economics & Finance
- SAGE Knowledge Encyclopedias
Biography
- Who's Who in Economics
- The making of modern economics: the lives and ideas of the great thinkers
- Lives of the laureates: twenty-three Nobel economists
- Fifty major economists
For more titles search by keyword in the library catalogue under Economists and Biography
If you know the title of the item you seek, perform a TITLE search.
If you know the author, perform an AUTHOR search. Enter the author's name with the surname first.
Otherwise, try a KEYWORD search.
Search Tips:
Use boolean operators AND/OR to create a relevant search statement.
Use the truncation symbol * when you want to allow for several spellings or variations on a word.
When using more than one operator, use parentheses to group words.
Example: united states and financial crisis
When keyword searching, if a keyword exists in the subject heading or in the title, the resource is much more likely to be about that topic. You can construct sophisticated searches by specifying that your search terms must exist in particular fields of the catalogue record. Prefix the search term with a: to restrict to authors, t: to restrict to titles, s: to restrict to subject headings, and n: to restrict to the notes (where tables of contents are loaded).
Example: s:united states and recession* and bank*
Scroll down to see the subject headings.
Example: United States -- Economic conditions -- 21st century
Banks and banking, Central -- United States
Global Financial Crisis, 2008-2009
For more information, consult the keyword search help in the catalogue.
Key Databases for Journal Articles:
Additional Databases:
- Africabib
- Asia-Studies Full-Text Online
- Canadian Business & Current Affairs Database
- Columbia International Affairs Online
- HAPI Online
- Web of Science Core Collection
- World Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology Abstracts
- Emerald Management eJournals
Good to know:
- Within a database, limit your search to scholarly articles when it is appropriate to disregard other resources.
- Never limit to full-text only as we may subscribe to the journal you find from another vendor. Use the Get it! icon to search for the full text when it is not immediately available.
- Use available options to search more than one database at a time.
- Look for the option to set up an RSS feed or to Create an Alert. You are then notified when a new entry is added to the database that meets your search criteria.
- Use the Interlibrary Loans RACER form to request items not held at Carleton’s library.
Citation Searching
Use citation databases to find if a particular author and/or paper has been cited by other authors.
Examples:
Web of Science
Select Cited Reference Search from top tool bar.
You have the article
Brecher, RA and CF Diazalejandro, 1977. Tariffs, foreign-captial and immiserizing growth. J. International Economics 7:4: 317-322
Enter one author in cited author box
Brecher R* (use surname, first initial and truncation symbol)
Retrieve abbreviation of journal name from list provided, and enter year of publication.
J INT ECON
1977
From the list, select the article and click on Finish Search at the top of the list.
Results show the article has been cited 177 times - the most recent in 2016.
Note the option Create Alert to be notified of any future citings of this article.
Scopus
Choose Author Seach from top tool bar.
Enter author's name and affiliation if known
Khalaf L* Carleton University
Select displayed result. On right hand side all published articles by the author will be listed. Click on article for citing references.
Remember to see if an citing article has itself been cited.
Tips for effective searching -
If you find one relevant article for your reseach it can lead to other relevant papers by the following:
- using the databases, including Summon, look to find all papers & books published by the author or co-authors
- explore the bibliography in the paper for sources
- using Web of Science or Scopus, look for articles that cite the article you found. Remember, some databases will also list citing articles but those lists are limited to the current database. The Web of Science and Scopus are more comprehensive, with coverage from multiple databases.
Visit the Data Centre on the basement level of the library and explore their collections.
Statistical consultants are available for SPSS and Stata.
Corporate & Industry Data
Country Data
- EIU.com - provides tables and charting of economic indicators, including disposal income, for all countries.
- Europa World Plus - excellent source of political and economic information for more than 250 countries and territories.
- Online version of the World Competitiveness Online - analyzes and ranks the ability of nations to create and maintain an environment that sustains the competitiveness of enterprises based on over 300 criteria grouped into 4 main factors: economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency, and infrastructure.
- globalEdge - user friendly site from Michigan State University providing statistical data and informaition on 202 countries worldwide.
- Doing business - from the World Bank
- BMO Capital Markets. Economic Research
- RBC Capital Markets
- RBC Economic Research
- Scotia Bank. Economics Publications
- TD Bank Financial Group. TD Economics
- Brookings Global Development
Trade Data
Explore the subject guide Trade: Public Policy and Statistics for additional sources.
Statistics
Canada
Industry and Trade Statistics (Industry Canada)
Statistics Canada
Foreign
United States
U.S. Dept of the Treasury
Economic Indicators (U.S. Dept of Commerce)
Federal Reserve Board
Other
China Data Online
Eurostat Euro-Indicators
International
Grey literature is an important source of information.
Grey literature is defined as "information produced on all levels of government, academics, business and industry in electronic and print formats not controlled by commercial publishing" ie. where publishing is not the primary activity of the producing body." —ICGL Luxembourg definition, 1997. Expanded in New York, 2004
Resources
- Finding the Hard to Finds: Searching for Grey Literature - University of British Columbia
- GreyNet International Directory of organizations in grey literature from GreyNet International
Policy Reports and Working Papers
- Brookings Institute
- Canadian Public Policy Collection
- Canadian Health Research Collection
- Conference Board of Canada e-Library In addtion to the e-Library, look to particular Centres for research on specific topics. Go to Conference Board of Canada and scroll down to the bottom of the page. Select Sitemap. Under Special Projects you will see Centre for the North, Centre for Food in Canada, How Canada Performs, etc.
- National Bureau of Economics Research (NBER) Working Papers
- Policy File Index (U.S.)
- Social Research and Demonstraton Corporation A non-profit research organization, created specifically to develop, field test, and rigorously evaluate new programs.
Think Tanks
- Hillwatch - provides an excellent listing of Canadian and international think tanks.
- Harvard Kennedy School provides a searchable database of more tha 590 think tanks and research centres.
Just need a few resources to get you started? Try the Economics Quick Guide.