FSCN 472: Model Organizational Problem Solving

Using Library Databases

To find scholarly and other articles on groupthink, use library databases like the following:

• UMGC Library OneSearch (search box in middle of library homepage; general coverage; searches many databases at once)
• SocINDEX with Full Text (sociology)
• APA PsycInfo (psychology)
• Business Source Ultimate (business/economics)
• Gale eBooks (background, encyclopedia-type info)
• SAGE Knowledge (similar to Gale; background info)

Try searches like these, substituting keywords for the info you want to find:

• groupthink 
• groupthink AND case studies 
• groupthink AND organizations
• groupthink AND decision making
• groupthink AND (power OR authority)

Note: there won't be anything in the library specifically about groupthink and fire departments: no one has published that kind of research yet, at least not in journals that appear in the library databases. Instead, in the library, you'll be finding info on groupthink in general and in other contexts (such as a case study about Mt. Everest). Then you can take that info and show how it applies to a fire department situation.

Using Google

A Google search like this:

groupthink fire department

does bring up a number of resources about fire departments and groupthink, cognitive bias, etc.

When you want to use a website, just make sure it is trustworthy and authoritative. Here's a brief guide to evaluating websites. 

Contact the Library

Feel free to use our Ask a Librarian service if you have any questions about research, citation, etc.