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Accounting

This guide is designed to help students and faculty access credible resources related to the study of accounting.

Search for sources using ProQuest Central

Use the search box below to look for articles, books, videos, and more on nearly any subject.

Topic Development or "What should I write/present/research about?"

Begin with a research question

Ask:

  • What do I want to know?
  • What does the assignment require?

Try:

  • to make your question specific, without getting too specific.
  • phrasing it as a question using the five W's and an H.  (Who, What, When, Where, Why, or How).  This format can help the task seem more manageable; asking a question in conversation is something most of us have been doing for a long time.
    • For example, "How does the use of activity-based costing (ABC) influence strategic decision-making in manufacturing firms?"
  • Think about creating a concept map. I like this one but there are lots of them online.  Find one that works for you.

Constructing your search

  • Pick out the most important words in your question.

 

  • Use advanced search
    • Nearly all databases offer this option; you may have to look in various menus.
  • Spell out abbreviations. Note below that A.B.C. is spelled out as activity-based costing.  Enclose them in quotation marks to tell the database to search for all three words together. 

Diagram illustrating the use of quotation marks with the Boolean operator to connect two phrase concepts into a single main idea

Too many results?

  • Use filter options to
    • limit the publication dates
    • specify a specific journal or magazine
    • specify or exclude a region of the world or country
    • specify or exclude certain types of sources
    • specify or exclude a language

Not enough results?

  • If there is an industry standard term, try a common term. This is especially important if you're searching materials written for a general audience rather than an academic or business audience.

    • For example, strategic decision-making is a specific industry term for the more general and common term planning.
  • Change filter options (if you have applied any)

"Zoom out" for bigger picture

  • The perfect article may not exist
  • Consider looking for articles that are more broad

Use your sources' sources!

  • Look at your current research sources for more sources
  • Read literature reviews or skim reference lists
  • Also consider looking at "Cited by" lists (some databases, like Natural Science Collection and Google Scholar, have this option to follow the research forward in time)

Looking for more help?  Library tutorials are available in Canvas here.  You can also see all of the Library Services orientation materials here

AI Usage Disclosure: This content was written and edited by a human with assistance from AI tools.. For more information on the extent and nature of AI usage, please contact the author liza.boman@slcc.edu

Off-Campus Access

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