"Alternatively referred to as a wild character or wildcard character, a wildcard is a symbol used to replace or represent one or more characters. Wildcards are typically either an asterisk (*), which represents one or more characters or question mark (?), which represents a single character." https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/w/wildcard.htm
|
Name |
Symbol |
Usage |
Example |
|
Asterisk |
* |
Add to end of word to retrieve variant endings. |
connect* : connect, connection, connectivity, etc. |
|
Question mark |
? |
Replace 0 to 9 unknown characters in a search term. |
res?4tion : respiration, restora-tion, reservation, etc. |
|
Number sign |
# |
Replace one character in a search. |
globali#ation: globalization and globalization |
|
Quotation marks |
“ “ |
Create a phrase |
“South Africa” : only words next to each other |
|
Proximity search (not all databases) |
N number |
Finds both terms, in any order, with no more than the specified number of words between |
International n2 relations International political relations International cultural relations |
GET STARTED WITH COUNTRY PROFILES
Physical reference works in the Reference Section on Level 6
There are yearbooks in this section that contain country profiles, e.g. Europa World Yearbook. Shelf number N 320. Please note: you may take photos of the reference material, but the books do not circulate (you cannot borrow them).
Useful sites and subscription databases for a start:
ABI/Inform Collection (Subscription Database)
Search for the country's name as location/LOC.
Basic information and maps.
Full profiles provide an instant guide to history, politics and economic background of countries and territories, and background on key institutions.
They also include audio and video clips from BBC archives. Select a country, territory or international organisation from the menus.
Business Source Complete (Subscription Database)
Use Advanced Search, and before you search, scroll down and choose Country Report from Publication type.
The World Factbook provides basic intelligence on the history, people, government, economy, energy, geography, environment, communications, transportation, military, terrorism, and transnational issues for 265 world entities.
European Union Member Country profiles
Basic information and statistical profiles, activity within the EU.
Downloadable labor statistics, 2009-to present
NationMaster is a statistics database which offers a large directory of variables for comparison purposes.
A wide range of economic and demographic indicators are available, across 300 industry verticals (agriculture, consumer goods, ICT, pharma…)
With NationMaster you can track thousands of statistics as and when they are released. The database is composed of data from trustworthy sources such as national statistic agencies, governments, international organizations... (UNDP, UNESCO Institute for Statistics, UNCTAD, WTO, World Bank, World Health Organization, OECD and many others)
One World Countries and Regions
Basic background information and statistics as well as links to official government sites for each country, maps and news. Includes links to art and culture, business & economy, tourism, history, etc. Many of these originate within the country.
Oxford Analytica Country Profiles (Subscription. Journal)
Journal by Oxford Analytica with country profile information.
UN World Statistics Pocketbook
The World Statistics Pocketbook is an annual compilation of key economic, social and environmental indicators, presented in one-page profiles and selected from the wealth of international statistical information compiled regularly by the Statistics Division and the Population Division of the United Nations, the statistical services of the United Nations specialized agencies and other international organizations and institutions
World Bank: Open Knowledge Repository
A collection of studies and documents from the World Bank. Click Collections to browse by resource type. Look for Country Strategy Documents and Economic and Sector Work Studies. Click Topics to browse or search for your topic.
The World Values Survey (WVS) is an international research program devoted to the scientific and academic study of social, political, economic, religious and cultural values of people in the world. The project’s goal is to assess which impact values stability or change over time has on the social, political and economic development of countries and societies. The project grew out of the European Values Study and was started in 1981 by its Founder and first President (1981-2013) Professor Ronald Inglehart from the University of Michigan (USA) and his team, and since then has been operating in more than 120 world societies.
Sharing with thanks to the Lehman College Library.
Analyse your topic to identify concepts:
Define wildcards and truncation: