Skip to Main Content

GB320: Spa -- Fall 2019 -- Sections 007, 008, 009 (Aroian, Markwith, Shepherd, & Amin)

Research guide created for students in the Fall 2019 sections of GB320 with Professors Aroian, Markwith, and Shepherd.

Trade Journals and Business Sources

Below are suggested databases for finding trend, company, competitor & industry data and they allow you to limit your search to the previous year or less to help keep your search results manageable. Information you find in these articles can help you update the information you have already discovered by reading the reports and surveys listed on the "Read Me First!" page.

Remember to start with the reports and surveys on the "Read These First!" page as these are the best resources for finding the trend data.

Recommended Trade Information Sources:

Keywords and Search Tips

Suggested Search Terms

Here are some potential search terms to consider as you look for articles and other information for your projects:

  • Beauty Salons
  • Spas
  • Services provided such as massages, tanning, waxing, etc.
  • Personal Care

The Library's databases may have different interfaces, but they do share basic search principles.  Some of these principles are listed below.   It is important to look for the "Advanced Search" option of the database as it offers you greater control over the construction of your search.  The advanced search interface for most library database will usually display options for the following:

 

Boolean Searching 

Boolean Searching is the cornerstone to an effective search strategy.  Boolean searching refers to searching using a combination of search terms connected by the three Boolean Operators: AND, OR, NOT.

  • AND will make your search smaller.  If you are retrieving too many records on your topic, try adding another search term with the operator AND.   
    • For example: "salon services" and "consumers"
  • OR will make your search bigger. If you are retrieving too few records on your topic, try adding another search term with the operator OR.    
    • Examples: "spa" or "day spa"
  • NOT will exclude a word from your search results.  If you are retrieving too many records on an unrelated topic, try eliminating a word with the operator NOT.

Phrase Searching 

To search for two or more words in the exact order in which they are entered you should enclose the phrase in quotation marks "  ".     

Examples: "personal care"

Truncation 

Truncation allows you to search the "root" form of a word with all its different endings by adding a symbol to the end of a word.  Truncation symbols vary by database (check the help screens or ask a Librarian), but are usually one of the below:

* (asterisk)             ! (exclamation point)               ? (question mark)

For example: wom* will search for woman, women,....

Field Searching & Limiters

Each database has a variety of predefined fields or limiters that you can search within.  Some examples of fields and limiters are:

  • article title
  • article abstract
  • article text
  • author
  • publication title
  • geographical location
  • company name
  • product name
  • ticker symbol
  • NAICS/SIC Codes
  • date
  • document type
  • publication type
  • scholarly or peer-reviewed