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Gerstein Science Information Centre

Entrepreneurship

Recommended resources for research related to entrepreneurship, startups and commercialization: from science and technology literature to market research and patents.

About applied business research

Applied business research is "a form of systematic inquiry that aims to solve specific, practical problems encountered by businesses" (Baimyrsaeva, 2018, in McCarthy, 2024), rather than to conduct a research study or academic article. This kind of research is less well defined than traditional academic literature searching.

For those who are used to the latter, it's worth pointing out that the business information sources featured in this guide are: 

  • Created for a corporate audience
  • Not typically peer reviewed or published in an academic journal
  • Built on reputation and trust, rather than empirical method
  • Arranged into competing "walled gardens" with unique taxonomies (no MESH headings)Venn diagram with three interlocking circles
  • Behind paywalls and not indexed in Google or the U of T Library catalogue
  • Provide information to test assumptions and reduce risk 
  • Future predictions based on past behaviour (not a crystal ball!)
  • Finding a clear answer is by no means guaranteed 

 

How is business information organized?

Typically, a report will focus on industry, company, or user/customer information. As shown in the diagram to the right, these categories often overlap. Business resources are typically organized according to these categories.

Evaluating business information sources

U of T Libraries aims to select resources of the best quality. However, we recommend that you always assess the information you find before using it to make decisions. 

Using an evaluation framework can guide your critical thinking as you decide whether or not a source is reliable. Below are two frameworks that can be used separately or together. 

1. SIFT

SIFT: Stop, Investigate, Find, Trace is a four-step process developed by Mike Caulfield of the University of Washington Center for an Informed Public to help you contextualize and critically assess information. 

1: Stop. Do you know and trust this website, journal, or publisher? Have you used this source before?  

2: Investigate the source. When and where was it published? Who is the author and what is their expertise? Does the publisher have a reputation of accuracy? Does the publication cite sources and explain its methodology?  

3: Find better coverage. In order to determine whether the claim a source is making is true or false, look for verification of this claim in a different source you know you trust.  

4: Trace information back to the original context. Before using a statistic or figure, check the report or study it was part of. Is that document relevant? Does the context change the meaning of the information?  

2. RADAR 

To further investigate a source, you can use the RADAR framework (Mandalios, 2013). RADAR stands for: 

  • Relevance: How is the information relevant to your research question or assignment? Why choose this source over others available? What is the scope of the information provided within?  

  • Authority: Who is the author? Is there an author listed? Do they have credentials? How are they connected to the topic? How does this information impact your assessment of the accuracy of the information? Have they shared their methodology or approach?  

  • Date: When was the source published? When was the data gathered? Note that for fast-changing technology sectors, a maximum age of 2 years is acceptable for market research.  

  • Appearance: Does the source look professional and free of errors? Does it include a logo or URL of a publisher or institution you trust? Are there visual elements that suggest urgency or emotional manipulation, or a push to sell you something?  

  • Reason for writing: What is the apparent purpose of the information source? Is it to inform, persuade, educate or sell? Who does the author seem to be addressing? Is it for a general or specialized audience? What is the author's bias? 

Evaluating GenAI tools

The ROBOT test developed by the LibrAIry, can be used to critically evaluate an AI application before or while using it. The following is reproduced with permission under Creative Commons Licence 4.0.

Being AI Literate does not mean you need to understand the advanced mechanics of AI. It means that you are actively learning about the technologies involved and that you critically approach any texts you read that concern AI, especially news articles. 

We have created a tool you can use when reading about AI applications to help consider the legitimacy of the technology.


Reliability

Objective

Bias

Ownership

Type


Reliability
  • How reliable is the information available about the AI technology?
  • If it’s not produced by the party responsible for the AI, what are the author’s credentials? Bias?
  • If it is produced by the party responsible for the AI, how much information are they making available? 
    • Is information only partially available due to trade secrets?
    • How biased is they information that they produce?
 
Objective
  • What is the goal or objective of the use of AI?
  • What is the goal of sharing information about it?
    • To inform?
    • To convince?
    • To find financial support?
Bias
  • What could create bias in the AI technology?
  • Are there ethical issues associated with this?
  • Are bias or ethical issues acknowledged?
    • By the source of information?
    • By the party responsible for the AI?
    • By its users?
Owner
  • Who is the owner or developer of the AI technology?
  • Who is responsible for it?
    • Is it a private company?
    • The government?
    • A think tank or research group?
  • Who has access to it?
  • Who can use it?
Type
  • Which subtype of AI is it?
  • Is the technology theoretical or applied?
  • What kind of information system does it rely on?
  • Does it rely on human intervention? 

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

To cite in APA: Hervieux, S. & Wheatley, A. (2020). The ROBOT test [Evaluation tool]. The LibrAIry. https://thelibrairy.wordpress.com/2020/03/11/the-robot-test