History
Factiva is owned by Dow & Jones Company and is considered one of the world's largest databases for business and news information. The main purpose of this website is allowing consumers to monitor and research current and past business news. Factiva has made its data available to over 200 countries while supporting 28 different languages. The site provides quick access to a plentiful number of sources including newsletters, journals, magazines, newswires and publications, which amounts to a staggering total of over 32,000 sources [1]. Factiva has shared its access to information to multiple organizations, Waterloo being one of them.
Simple Search
Under Waterloo’s “Resource Database” webpage, you can find access to Factiva; requiring only the 14-digit barcode found either at the bottom of your student WatCard or on the back, top left corner.
The most used feature on this website can be found in the “Home” tab in the top left bar. Navigate to the search bar and enter a keyword of the topic you wish to research. When a dropdown query shows up, select the option that matches the word you are searching for. To narrow down the search for information, you can select the options menu and add filters to refine your search. Once you have selected your filters, click “search” and a list of headlines will appear relating to your topic. There will also be more filters on the left to make your search easier and more specific [2]. The filters on the left will include the following:
- Date of publication spanning back 40 years
- Companies and industries that are associated with your search. Only the first 10 companies and industries will show.
- Sources that are most common with your search. Only the first 10 will show.
- Subject topics that are most common with your search. Only the first 10 will show.
- Keywords that are used frequently in the article. Only the first 100 articles are examined.
Advanced Search and News Page
If you have a clear idea of what you are specifically looking for, using Factiva’s “search builder” over the general search would probably be more beneficial. This option allows you to search for information through multiple filters, verses doing it one at a time through the general queue. First, hover over the Search tab on the top bar, select the dropdown button labelled “Search Builder”. Then, in the “Search Builder” page, you will have the tools to add multiple tags to your search at once, thus improving your search even move.
For those who don’t have much to go on and wish to just browse some of the latest news, Factiva can bring just that. By clicking on the “News Page” tab located on the top of the screen, you will be brought to a page full of the latest headlines from notable news outlets. In the “newsstand” section, you may sort by release date or by news topic (i.e. front page, sports, life & arts, business, national news etc.).
Features
One thing that makes Factiva one of the world’s top sources for news insight is its built in customer friendly features.
By clicking on “Preferences” located on the top right, users have full control over the display of the website. From there you can customize which news headlines appear in your homepage and how data is presented when searching.
Factiva also comes with “Online viewing” which essentially allows users to store all newsletters they found on Factiva so they can easily access and reference the data later. The newsletters that are stored within “Online Viewing” come instantly when you return to them and are available in both PDF/RDF format [3].
Factiva can also be downloaded as an application for mobile devices. You can personalize your homepage to receive specifically tailored news articles instantaneously on release. Notifications can also be set up to ensure that incoming news is never missed.
Conclusion
As you learn the features and benefits of Factiva, you begin to realize what a powerful search engine it really is. Whether you need quick facts or comprehensive data, Factiva is always a good resource to start your research. If what you've read sparks some interest, be sure to try out Factiva for a reliable research source through Waterloo’s Resource Database page.
References
[1] DowJones. (n.d). Factiva Global News Database & Licensed Content. Retrieved from https://www.dowjones.com/products/factiva/
[2] Library-Resources. (n.d). Guide to using Factiva. Retrieved from https://library-resources.cqu.edu.au/learning-objects/guides-pdfs/factiva-guide.pdf
[3] University of Waterloo. (2019). Guide for Entrepreneurs. Retrieved from https://subjectguides.uwaterloo.ca/c.php?g=695623&p=4932127
