Introduction
This guide will introduce you to the best resources for doing research in Economics and Business, both in the library and online. If you need in-depth assistance or have questions about any of the resources mentioned in the guide, please contact the Liaison Librarian.
Reference Resources
These sources can serve a variety of useful purposes for your research. Browsing resources such as encyclopedias and handbooks can help you identify interesting topics to research, while providing the background information that will get you started.
Accounting
Accountants' Handbook
Ref HF5621 .A22
AICPA Professional Standards
Ref HF5667 .A43
Barron's Dictionary of Accounting Terms
From Answers.com
Miller GAAP Guide Level A
Ref HF5616 .U5 M53
Oxford Dictionary of Accounting
From Oxford Reference Online
Ultimate Accountants' Reference
Ref HF5616 .U5 B713
U.S. Master Tax Guide
Ref KF6369 .A1 C6
Business
Advertising Age Encyclopedia of Advertising, 3 vols.
Ref HF5803 .A38
Dictionary of Marketing Terms
Ref HF5415 .D4874
Encyclopedia of American Industries
Encyclopedia of Business, 2 vols.
Ref HF1001 .E466
Encyclopedia of Business and Finance
From Gale Virtual Reference Library
Encyclopedia of Business Ethics and Society
From Gale Virtual Reference Library
Encyclopedia of Management
From Gale Virtual Reference Library
Encyclopedia of Small Business
From Answers.com
International Directory of Company Histories
From Answers.com
North American Industry Classification System, United States
Ref HF1042 .N67
Occupational Outlook Handbook
Ref HF5382.5 .U5O3 (print version)
Oxford Dictionary of Business and Management
From Oxford Reference Online
Economics
Concise Encyclopedia of Economics
Ref HB61 .C647
Encyclopedia of Macroeconomics
Ref HB122.5 .E55 (print version)
Encyclopedia of World Poverty
From Gale Virtual Reference Library
Guide to Economic Indicators
Ref HC103 .F9
International Encyclopedia of Economic Sociology
Ref HM548 .I58
The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics
Ref HB61 .N49
The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics and the Law
Ref K487 .E3 N48
Oxford Dictionary of Economics
From Oxford Reference Online
Oxford Encyclopedia of Economic History
Ref HC15 .O94 (print version, 5 vols.)
Princeton Encyclopedia of the World Economy
From Credo Reference
Survey of Social Science. Economics Series, 5 vols.
Ref HB61 .S94
Finance
Barron's Finance and Investment Handbook
Ref HG173 .D66
The New Palgrave Dictionary of Money and Finance
Ref HG151 .N48
Oxford Dictionary of Finance and Banking
From Oxford Reference Online
S&P Security Price Index Record
Ref HG4910 .S76
Journal Articles
Search the following databases to locate journal articles in the field of economics and business. Although some databases provide full-text articles, others will require you to use WebBridge to locate the full text. WebBridge will also help you place Interlibrary Loan requests for articles that are not available through our library. To learn how to use WebBridge, please watch our video tutorial (3.5 mins.; includes audio).
Core Resources
Business Source Premier
As the starting point for business research, this database provides full-text articles and abstracts for journals covering business, management, economics, finance, and accounting. Also includes country reports, industry/company profiles, and SWOT analyses.
ABI/INFORM Complete
Another great starting point for business research, with full-text articles from scholarly journals, industry and trade periodicals, and regional business news publications, plus thousands of dissertations.
LexisNexis Academic
Find full-text articles from major newspapers and business publications. In the menu at left, click on News and then on "Business & Industry" in order to search business-specific publications.
Wall Street Journal
This database offers searchable, full-text access to the Wall Street Journal (Eastern edition) from 1984 to the present.
Other Resources
Academic Search Premier
This multi-disciplinary database is an excellent starting point for finding scholarly journal articles and popular magazine articles on a wide range of topics.
Banking Information Source
This database contains full-text industry journals, newsletters, working papers, and other news sources related to banking and financial services.
JSTOR
Search here for full-text articles from several major journals in economics, including American Economic Review, Journal of Finance, and Journal of Labor Economics, among others. Coverage is generally from the beginning of publication to within 5 years of the current issue. User Guide
ProQuest Accounting & Tax
Access top scholarly journals, research reports, conference proceedings, and newsletters in the field of taxation and accounting, including publications from CCH and AICPA.
ProQuest Central
A massive database covering a wide range of subjects, with full-text of scholarly journal articles, newspaper articles, dissertations, and business and industry profiles.
ProQuest International Business News
Search hundreds of publications that report the latest business and industry news from Canada, Europe, and Asia.
Regional Business News
Search this database for full-text articles from 75 regional business publications covering the United States.
Books
Geisel Library Catalog
Search the catalog to locate books in Geisel Library. Search by keyword to find books on specific topics; for example, "monetary policy" or "marketing AND strategy". Many economics and business books are located on the Upper Level of the library, in the HB through HG call-number sections.
WorldCat
Use WorldCat to search the collections of libraries worldwide. If you find a book in this database that is not owned by Geisel Library, you can request it through Interlibrary Loan by clicking on the "Request via Interlibrary Loan" link in the book's catalog record.
Ebrary
This online library contains thousands of e-books spanning across all scholarly disciplines. Included are a large number of books on business and economics, ranging from popular books on management and Internet marketing to more scholarly analyses of economic trends. You can open these books online and search them for keywords of interest.
Company/Industry Information
Use the following resources to gather detailed information about specific companies or industries. These resources provide both analytical and quantitative perspectives on company and industry performance.
Annual Report Gallery
A one-stop source for the latest annual reports of over 2,000 companies, searchable by company name, industry, or sector.
Business Source Premier: Company Profiles
Business Source Premier: Industry Profiles
This database includes company profiles from Datamonitor that include histories, SWOT analyses, and revenue analyses. It also contains Datamonitor industry reports on how sectors are faring in a number of major countries.
EDGAR Database
The government-maintained repository of corporate financial reports (such as 10-Ks and 10-Qs) filed with the SEC. These reports include cash flows, balance sheets, and other information for publicly-owned companies.
Hoover's Company Records
In-depth profiles of US and foreign companies, including descriptions of their recent activities, breakdowns of their products and operations, and recent financial data.
Industry and Market Research (ABI-INFORM)
In the Browse tab of ABI-INFORM, you can access regularly updated industry reports from sources such as Business Monitor International and FirstResearch.
LexisNexis Academic
In the menu at left, click on Companies and then on Company Profiles to access in-depth profiles (including financial data and future outlook) from sources such as Hoovers and Investext.
Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage
Publications available through this database include the Industry Surveys, Company Profiles, Stock Reports, and Global Annual Reports. Profiles include detailed analysis by S&P experts as well as recent financial data.
Statistics
The resources below offer convenient access to either recent economic figures or lengthy time series of business and economic indicators. They can provide data to support your arguments and analyses in research papers.
Business Statistics of the United States
Ref HC101 .A13122
EconData.net
A guide to economic data sources on the Internet, with website links organized by subject (such as Income, Quality of Life, and Occupations) and provider.
Economic Indicators
Download spreadsheets containing historic time-series data for the major monthly and quarterly economic indicators (such as housing starts, retail sales, GDP, and construction spending).
Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED)
This online database maintained by the St. Louis branch of the Fed offers thousands of time series of U.S. economic data. The data can be viewed in charts or downloaded for analysis.
FedStats
The best access point to statistics from the US federal government. Use the Topic Links to jump to the best resources by topic, or try keywords in the search engine.
Free Lunch
An easy-to-use website sponsored by Moody's that offers free economic, financial, and demographic data for viewing and downloading. Free registration is required.
Handbook of U.S. Labor Statistics
Ref HD8051 .A63
Historical Statistics of the United States
This compendium includes thousands of data series related to business and economics. You can create customized tables and download data series for processing in a spreadsheet.
International Trade Statistics
Use the Statistics Database on this website from the World Trade Organization to obtain import and export data for many commodities and products.
International Trade Statistics Yearbook
Ref HF91 .U473
LABORSTA
This database produced by the International Labor Organization enables you to extract time series data on unemployment, prices, and other labor-related variables for over 200 countries.
Statistical Abstract of the United States
Ref HA202 .U5 (print version)
An excellent starting point, this annual Census publication contains statistics on nearly every topic imaginable.
World Development Indicators and Global Development Finance
This database from the World Bank contains country-by-country time series data on over 1,000 economic and social indicators, including macroeconomic variables such as GDP, inflation, national debt and savings.
Yearbook of Labor Statistics (ILO)
Ref HD4826 .I63
Selected Websites
The websites below have been handpicked for their quality and their relevance to student and faculty needs. Searching the Internet can yield a vast amount of information, but in terms of quality and reliability, your results may be uneven at best. This makes it important to always evaluate the information you find. To learn how, see our guide to evaluating websites.
General
Bplans
Over 500 free online business plans, organized by type of business.
Business Research Guide (Rutgers University)
This guide provides links to business resources on the Internet, grouped by categories like Company Research and Market Research.
Intute Business and Management Gateway
A gateway of annotated links to hundreds of useful online resources. You can either browse websites by topic or do keyword searching for relevant websites.
Reference for Business
This website provides the full text of major business reference works like the Encyclopedia of Small Business, plus 11 volumes of real-world business plans.
Small Business Administration
Oriented to entrepreneurs and small businesses, this government agency's website provides information and tools related to business development, management, government regulation, and marketing.
Accounting
AccountantsWorld
This site includes Research and Resources organized by topic, plus a variety of tools and calculators. Free registration is required to access some tools.
AccountingCoach
This resource includes clear explanations of accounting topics, quizzes, a question-and-answer section, and a dictionary of accounting terms.
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Online
Click on Professional Resources to find documents like the AICPA code of conduct, authoritative audit standards, and FASB standards.
Financial Accounting Standards Board
This government agency's site houses the FASB standards that apply to all accountants in the US, plus bulletins about revisions to the standards.
Smart Pros Accounting
Their searchable resource library gathers articles and issue papers on accounting, along with extensive lists of links to online resources.
Demographics
American FactFinder (U.S. Census Bureau)
View pre-created tables or generate your own tables of socioeconomic and demographic data at the national, state, and metro level.
Census Scope
This site offers numerous well-formatted charts, tables and maps summarizing major Census demographic variables, at the national, state, and metro levels.
International Data Base (U.S. Census Bureau)
An easy-to-use database of demographic information by country, including historic data, projected population pyramids, and some valuable cross-tabulations.
New Hampshire Data Center
Developed by the state's Office of Energy Planning, this website compiles statistics on New Hampshire's population, economy, and other characteristics.
Population Reference Bureau
Click on the DataFinder to access the PRB's user-friendly database for obtaining basic demographic and health data on the countries of the world.
State and County Quick Facts (U.S. Census Bureau)
Provides comparative data for each state and county for 33 categories divided into three groups: Population, Business & Geography.
United Nations Demographic Yearbook
Access this annual compendium online, including both recent and historical editions. It includes a range of variables related to population, fertility, mortality, and marriage.
Economics
Beige Book (Federal Reserve Bank)
Published eight times per year, this publication describes current economic conditions in each district of the Federal Reserve system.
Bureau of Economic Analysis
This government agency produces reports and statistics related to GDP, international trade, foreign investment, income, and other variables, with breakdowns by region and industry.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
The BLS produces statistics related to employment, wages, productivity, and inflation (the CPI and PPI), including data at the state and metro level.
Economic Report of the President
This report presents the President's overview and outlook of the US economy, including extensive tables of historical time-series statistics.
E.H. Net Encyclopedia
This online encyclopedia is comprised of alphabetically-arranged, scholarly articles providing in-depth coverage of topics in economic and business history.
History of Economic Thought
History of economic thought, from the ancient times until the modern day. The material is organized by individual economist, school of thought, and topic.
National Bureau of Economic Research
The NBER produces empirical research papers covering all aspects of economics. Their website provides access to datasets and working papers (for a $5 download fee).
Research Papers in Economics (REPEC)
An ever-growing resource of journal articles and working papers made freely available on the Web.
US Census Bureau
This page includes the Economic Census, County Business Patterns (economic profiles down to the local level), and a wide range of other sources for data by business sector.
World Bank
This organization's website includes a variety of reports, resources, and data related to health, education, and economic conditions in developing countries.
Finance
BigCharts
In addition to providing stock prices and index performance for markets and industries, this website allows you to create charts of company stock prices and financial data.
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
A wealth of research reports, statistics, and working papers related to finance, monetary policy, and the banking system.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
The FDIC's website includes an Industry Analysis section with bank statistics plus quarterly reports on trends in the banking sector.
Financial Services Fact Book
This website provides overviews and data on the finance, banking, insurance, and securities sectors in the US. It also offers snapshot looks at savings, debt, and investments.
FRASER (Federal Reserve Archival System for Economic Research)
This unique resource contains back issues of the Fed's publications on banking and monetary statistics, which can be tapped to obtain time series of historical data.
Money - Past, Present & Future
This website includes a lengthy treatise on the history of money and numerous links organized by topics such as forms of money and the Euro.
Wachowicz's Web World
A list of websites related to finance, organized from a student's perspective.
Wall Street Journal Market Data Center
This data-rich site is an excellent source for free statistics on US and international stocks, mutual funds, bonds, commodities, currencies, and credit markets.
Yahoo! Finance
A good source for obtaining quotes from the U.S. stock, commodities, and futures markets, including some historical price data. This site also includes tools for comparing companies and creating charts.
International Business
Doing Business
A project of the World Bank, this website offers lengthy, frequently-updated reports on business regulations and procedures in each of over 180 countries.
EU Business
This source of business information about the European Union includes business directories, news releases, and summaries of business-related legislation and policies.
Everything International
A portal to hand-selected web resources in the area of international business, organized by categories like Country Data and Market Entry Assistance.
globalEDGE (Michigan State University)
This website includes many links to global business resources organized by topic, plus a Country Insights tool that provides detailed country profiles.
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
Promoting open international trade and investment, this site includes policy statements, codes, rules and model contracts.
International Tax and Business Guides (Deloitte)
These regularly-updated guides describe the investment climate, business environment, and tax systems of over 120 countries.
International Trade Administration (US Department of Commerce)
The ITA's website offers access to TradeStats Express (annual and quarterly trade data), information on government trade initiatives, and analytical reports.
Market Research Library (at Export.gov)
Includes the Country Commercial Guides (CCG), Industry/Regional Reports, and other reports offering the US government's perspective on overseas industries and markets. Free registration is required to access some publications.
World Trade Organization (WTO)
The WTO's website includes trade statistics, free research reports, and a Trade Topics Gateway that collects resources on topics like anti-dumping rules and e-commerce.
Marketing
Ad*access
Emergence of Advertising in America (Duke)
These companion websites from Duke University provide over 15,000 searchable images of U.S. magazine and newspaper advertisements from 1850-1955.
Advertising Age Data Center
This site offers data on advertising spending and revenue, along with information on major marketing and advertising companies. Access to some data requires a paid subscription.
ClickZ Network
A marketer's resource with recent news developments, columns by experts, and stats related to marketing.
Consumer Expenditure Survey (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Data on spending patterns on various consumer goods and services, by US region, race, age, income level, and other factors. Great for analyzing markets and target demographics.
KnowThis.com: Marketing Virtual Library
A good starting point for researching marketing topics, with an online tutorial on marketing principles, news stories, and links to over 1,000 hand-selected websites.
Marketing Power Resource Library
This web resource from the American Marketing Association includes a Reference section with free white papers, best practice papers, and research reports.
Taxation
Internal Revenue Service Tax Statistics
This page provides an abundance of statistics compiled from individual and corporate tax returns, including breakdowns by geographic areas.
Tax History Project
A historical overview of taxation in the United States, including important primary documents and an informative "virtual history museum."
Tax Policy Center
A variety of materials related to taxation in the U.S., including a library of research publications, a Tax Facts section with useful statistics, and an A-Z Tax Topics section.
Tax Resources on the Web
A metasite offering links to online tax resources, organized by a large number of subjects.
U.S. Tax Code
The complete text of Title 26 of the United States Code, which covers every federal law related to taxation.
Citing Sources
See the library's Citing Sources guide for resources on how to properly cite research materials. Always confirm the style required by your instructor.
.jpg "Check availability at Geisel Library")