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- Library AND Information Service
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Write an essay on the Phillips Curve and its relevance in modern economies. In the essay, you should investigate the relationship between inflation and unemployment and discuss whether the Phillips Curve still holds true today. Be explicit as to the application to the South African situation
Suggested Keywords:
"phillips curve" AND inflation
"phillips curve" AND inflation AND unemployment
"phillips curve" AND inflation AND unemployment AND "south africa"
Suggested Databases:
EBSCO Host (Select: Academic Source Premier, Africa Wide Information, Business Source Premier and EconLit)
JStor
New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics (Good source for definitions of concepts)
Google Scholar
Write an essay on the role of monetary policy in economic recessions. In the essay, you should evaluate the effectiveness of monetary policy tools in combating economic downturns and promoting recovery. You may choose to apply this to a specific country or more generally
Suggested Keywords:
"monetary policy" AND recession
"monetary policy" AND recession AND recovery
"monetary policy" AND recession AND "south africa"
Suggested Databases:
EBSCO Host (Select: Academic Source Premier, Africa Wide Information, Business Source Premier and EconLit)
JStor
New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics (Good source for definitions of concepts)
Google Scholar
Write an essay on Optimal Currency Areas Theory. In the essay, you should explore the criteria for forming optimal currency areas and discuss the challenges faced by existing currency unions like the Eurozone or the proposed African Monetary Union
Suggested Keywords:
"Optimal Currency Areas Theory"
"Optimal Currency Areas Theory" AND challenges
"Optimal Currency Areas Theory" AND Eurozone AND challenges
Suggested Databases:
EBSCO Host (Select: Academic Source Premier, Africa Wide Information, Business Source Premier and EconLit)
JStor
New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics (Good source for definitions of concepts)
Google Scholar
Write an essay on the role of exchange rates in international trade. In the essay, you should analyse the effects of exchange rate fluctuations on import-export activities and the trade balance. Your essay should pick a specific country of interest to analyse
Suggested Keywords:
"international trade" AND "exchange rate fluctuation"
"international trade" AND "exchange rate fluctuation" AND "south africa"
"international trade" AND "exchange rates" AND effects AND fluctuations
"international trade" AND "exchange rates" AND import AND export AND "trade balance"
Suggested Databases:
EBSCO Host (Select: Academic Source Premier, Africa Wide Information, Business Source Premier and EconLit)
JStor
New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics (Good source for definitions of concepts)
Google Scholar
Write an essay on the role of financial markets in transmitting monetary policy. In the essay, you should evaluate the mechanisms through which monetary policy decisions affect financial markets and subsequently the broader economy. Explicitly consider the structure of the South African financial system
Suggested Keywords:
"monetary policy" AND "financial markets" AND transmission
"monetary policy" AND "financial markets" AND "south africa"
Suggested Databases:
EBSCO Host (Select: Academic Source Premier, Africa Wide Information, Business Source Premier and EconLit)
JStor
New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics (Good source for definitions of concepts)
Google Scholar
Write an essay on the role of international capital flows in emerging markets. In the essay, you should explore the impact of foreign portfolio investments and capital flows on economic development and financial stability in emerging economies
Suggested Keywords:
"capital flows" AND "emerging markets"
"capital flows" AND "emerging markets" AND "economics development"
"international capital flows" AND "emerging markets"
"international capital flows" AND "emerging markets" AND "economic development"
"foreign portfolio investments" AND "capital flows" AND "financial stability" AND "emerging economies"
"foreign portfolio investments" AND "capital flows" AND "economic development" AND "emerging economies"
Suggested Databases:
EBSCO Host (Select: Academic Source Premier, Africa Wide Information, Business Source Premier and EconLit)
JStor
New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics (Good source for definitions of concepts)
Google Scholar
Databases contains articles with information that will guide you to the answers you seek. Instead of searching with questions on databases, you have to search for information using KEYWORDS.
When extracting KEYWORDS from your assignment or essay, you need to look at the key concepts that encapsulate your assignment.
Example:
Is it true that economic growth makes the rich richer and the poor poorer?
KEYWORDS:
Note: The concepts that you are looking for are not always expressed in the
language of the assignment or question, but often through other related terms.
See the Guide for step-by-step instructions.
AND – returns results with both keywords. AND usually limits the search results
OR – returns results with one or the other keyword.It broadens your results by connecting two or more synonyms.
NOT – returns results excluding specific keywords
Use the Boolean Machine for visualizing the effects of Boolean operators .
More tips:
Quotation Marks “ ” – keep keywords together, for exact phrase searching
Brackets ( ) – keep concepts together, used for synonyms
Example:
("green energy" OR "sustainable energy" OR "renewable energy") AND (logistics OR "supply chain")
Use the "Search strategy builder" to help you create a search string, using Boolean logic. You can cut and paste the results into most databases’ search boxes.
Building blocks Search strategy
Identify keywords, write next to each other
Think of synonyms or alternatives for these words
Write these words under the corresponding keywords in blocks
Example
Find articles about the tax treatment and regulations of cryptocurrencies
Tax cryptocurrency Regulation
levy virtual currency rules
tariff bitcoin policy
fee digital currency act
rate peercoin
Combine rows with AND and columns with OR operators.
Search string: (tax OR levy OR tariff OR fee OR rate) AND (cryptocurrency OR "virtual currency" OR bitcoin OR "digital currency" OR peercoin) AND (regulation OR rules OR policy OR act)
Quick-and-easy” search method
Steps:
1. What would be the title of your search?
2. Identify the main keywords
3. Which keyword is most vital (and which next)?
4. think about some proper search terms (other than those words jotted down already, synonyms, related terms, scientific names etc.)
5. Compose a simple query using a few important terms linked by ‘AND’ or ‘OR’ operators
Use quotation marks “…” for adjacent words or two or more words that make up a single concept (e.g. “attention deficit disorder”). Group synonyms and related terms together in brackets
5. The search engine or database will give lists of records. Reduce the number of records displayed and increase relevancy by restricting them according to publication date, etc.
My example:
The impact of genetically modified foods on our lives
Search terms: genetically modified food, GM food, transgenic food, food safety, food risks, allergic reactions, health
Search string: (“genetically modified food” OR “GM food” OR “transgenic food") AND ("food safety"OR "food risks" OR "allergic reactions"OR health)
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is the act of taking others' work and presenting it as your own. It can be deliberate or unintentional. To avoid plagiarism, it is important to reference the sources that you are using for your assignments. Read more on Plagiarism.
Referencing:
Use the Stellenbosch Harvard Style to ensure you are referencing correctly.
A few referencing tips:
