Databases
What is a database?
Databases are online collections of information such as articles, statistics, reports, or facts, that are gathered from various publications or research projects and made available in an online, searchable format. Most library databases focus on articles, and can be searched by keyword, title, or author; other examples of database materials include company profiles (often searchable by company name or industry), statistics, or charts and graphs.
Either way, databases are useful because they allow you to quickly search through large quantities of information to hone in on the topic you are researching.
Use the business databases below to find journal articles on your topic, or to find information on companies for your industry or market research.
Databases respond best to keyword searching. To search efficiently, turn your research question into a keyword search like this:
Research Question: What is the market for apparel retailing in Canada?
Search One: (Search with keywords connected by “and”):
apparel and retailing and Canada
Search Two: (Truncate some of the keywords using *):
apparel and retail* and Canada
Search Three: (Add alternate words into the search with “(or)”):
(apparel or clothing) and retail* and Canada
Recommended Databases to find Articles and Reports
- ABI/INFORM Collection
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Articles in business, finance, management, accounting, advertising, banking, insurance, marketing, public administration, real estate, and telecommunications. - Business Source Complete
Comprehensive coverage of business journals.
- FactivaGlobal news and business information articles. Includes Dow Jones Interactive and Reuters Business Briefing.
- IBISWorldFull-text of industry, company, and economic reports, covering over 700 U.S. industries. Reports include key statistics, market characteristics, segmentation, industry conditions, key factors, key competitors and outlook. updated regularly.
- Mintel ReportsProduct and industry market research reports covering US and International marketplaces.
- NetAdvantageFinancial information for thousands of US and global companies and includes access to Industry Surveys, Bond Reports, Stock Reports, Directory of Corporations, Register of Executives.
- S&P Capital IQContains deep information on companies, markets, and people worldwide, for both public and private capital markets. Screen using a combination of financial, qualitative, and event-driven criteria. Export to Excel, or pull your results using the Excel Plug-in.
More Searching Techniques
After finding a few relevant results in your selected database, check the Subject Terms and be attentive to the specific terms or phrases used by your database to index results.
Example from Business Source Complete:
