Accounting

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

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. 

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)

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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

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