Develop your search
Trying different keywords and using synonyms is important when searching. For example, one topic could be searched a number of ways:
communicating downsizing stakeholders
communication to employees downsizing
"organizational change" communication employees
change communication workplace strategies
communication public reaction
crisis communication business best practices
communication damaged reputation
"corporate image" communication
business reputation crisis communication -covid
public response crisis communication
Resources to help: How do I know if an article is scholarly (peer-reviewed)? and Is this scholarly?
Below are ways to try searches to find academic/scholarly articles and reliable sources:
Google Scholar: finding a minimum of two academic articles
If you find one good article (including the four listed in the assignment) make sure to "chain" by clicking Cited by and Related articles below its summary. The Cite link will provide an APA reference but usually does not include the doi.
Does not include magazines or trade publications.
Change the date on the left.
Besides providing links to articles in MRU databases, Google Scholar links to books and online repositories which contain articles the author has been allowed to upload. Academia.edu and ResearchGate are among the repositories searched by Google Scholar. Double-check legitimacy of all sources that are not "Full Text@MRU".
To set up off-campus follow Menu Icon --> Settings --> Library Links.
Google News: generally relevant & reliable
Google News: most sources are reliable. Always check the date. Does not include scholarly/academic sources. At the bottom of this guide are links to several online news sources that are paywalled but free via MRU.
Communication and Business databases
Use the MRU's LibrarySearch to find articles or try these three business communication-related databases:
Communication and Mass Media
Business Source Complete
ABi/Inform
Tips: change the date range and sort articles by Relevance.
You can improve your search results by combining the keywords you brainstorm with the subject headings each database uses to categorize articles. These headings or tags are added to articles to make them easier to find and group. In Communication & Mass Media and Business Source, subject headings are found in the Thesaurus.
| Keywords | Subject Headings |
|
Natural language words that describe your topic Pro: Easy to combine terms Pro: Can search for them anywhere in the source Con: Can be difficult to narrow results Con: Might retrieve irrelevant results |
Pre-defined vocabulary that describes your topic Pro: Can quickly rule out irrelevant sources Pro: Often retrieves more accurate results Con: Harder to combine terms (need to know which terms exist) |
Search every database at once: find academic and non-academic articles
Here are direct links to reputable sources that are limited or behind a paywall online but you can access free via the Library:
Bloomberg Businessweek
The Economist - mainly international issues
Forbes
Globe and Mail
Harvard Business Review
Toronto Star
Wall Street Journal
Cite your research
MRU guide to APA citation and the MRU Guide to APA style (2025-2026).
Student Learning Services - book a 30 minute appointment with a learning strategist for writing or citation assistance or enroll in their free online APA workshop (75 minutes).
